Your newborn naptime nightmares

[rox0r]

So we have a three week old creating hell in our house, all fun and games and colic seems to be giving us a run for our money.

I've twigged on the fact our daughter seems to like the extractor fan on full blast in the kitchen to settle so rigged up a home made white noise generator. I've rigged some small speakers to the moses basket with an ipod on loop playing a white noise mp3 I found. Puts her out almost like an 'off' switch but we're using it as a nuclear option if all else fails.

We've also got the same mp3 on our phones for emergency calm-down mode on our shoulder when around and about, works a peach.

What other fun and games have you guys had to resort to to get some peace and quiet in the wee hours?

[Funkstar]

Just the usual going for a drive at two in the morning routine. Worked pretty well for our little one when he was kicking off.

You've got a little while before you get to our stage (Arthur is 19 months now) but routine is the way to go at bed time. I get him changed, he puts his washing in the cupboard, then we trot off to get his milk cup, fill it and then say good night to everyone else. Ask him where his Mr Dinosaur is (cuddly dino teddy) and he trots off to his bedroom and looks to get into his cot. Lie him down, tell him to put his legs down, then put the covers over him. Give him is cup and his teddy and give him a lovely night night kiss. It's about the only time he'll give you a proper kiss and he is virtually always really happy to get to bed. It does help that we've stopped the afternoon naps, he's usually knackered by 5.30 now

[flearider]

lol .. glad mine are in there 20's now ..

[Miggi03]

Bouncing deliriously on a yoga ball with our 3 week old for about 2 weeks at 3am after feeding, winding changing didn't work. Found that the extractor fan in the bathroom works pretty well to settle if she quietens down long enough to hear it coupled with some gentle shushing. Good luck fellow dad's.

[b0redom]

Hairdryer. Worked for our 1st two and is currently working for our 3 week old. Am going to do the mp3 recording thing too. Hopefully that'll save a bit on electric!

[Gremlin_FLG]

Wow I am guess I am lucky.. We have set her (11 months) to a schedule. 8:45pm bath, 9:15pm milk and she is sleeping after that. Only wakes up in the middle of the night once in a while..

[peterb]

With most babies, youngsters, calm time before they go to bed helps. Subdued lighting and just bring there can be reassuring, or putting a hind gently on the top of their head, again a reassuring presence.

When they get older, reading at bedtime is slso a good way of winding them down, and if it is seen as a bedtime treat is also a good carrot to get them to go to bed. It is also precious one-to-one time for you with your child.

Getting into a routine helps too.

[Gremlin_FLG]

So got a question.. How do you read to a 11 month old Any suggestions or advice All she wants is to put the book in her mouth Thank you

[phil4]

The reading thing takes a while longer. But the previous advice worked well for me.... Routine.

From newborn to 28month old our nighttime routine has centred around a bath (and a dent on the water bill).

While he's rarely been happy about wanting to get in bed, he's usually asleep within minutes.

Indeed I'd go a step further, if you think routine helps, then in the same way when they are older consistency does too when they are older.

[Gremlin_FLG]

Yep we have her on routine for everything from feeding to baths (every other day).. She loves baths and once she sees the tub she is happy.. after bath, give her milk and she is sleeping like a baby..

[Miggi03]

I have to agree on the bath routine it does work very well and tends to give us the longest time before feeding. I was surprised how much my daughter loves the water and splashing around but then again I suppose they have lived in it for 9 months.

[shelley bda]

I wouldn't worry too much about routines at this stage, newborns have no concept of day and night, at sleep times a radio on low worked for ours, but at the end of the day babies cry, it's natural and healthy, sometimes you need to run with it. Crying is the primitive act of communication. Can quickly turn into a powerful tool to gain attention. When you do introduce it has be consistent, so the baby soon gets to understand that when this certain thing happens, then it's that time.

My boys were polar opposites, eldest cried constantly more or less, he settled down after 6months. Youngest just slept through the night from birth. He'd sleep from 7 pm to 7 am, and that was just as draining as having a noisy baby, because while he was snoozing I'd be awake wondering if he should feed, or if I should wake to change his nappy. Nightmare, Dr's and Health Visitors said conflicting things, Dr would say to leave him and he'd wake up when he needed attending too, HV used to say to wake him.

Re Gremlin. Then buy soft, touchy feely books she can chew safely Or get two, so you can read one, she can chew one

[Gremlin_FLG]

Shelley hehehe When did you start reading to your boys

[shelley bda]

In the early years, from around a year old I think. They started having a story in their routine from about two But to be honest it was a long time ago, both my boys are adults now, one is 19 and one is 17

[rox0r]

Funny how you get conflicting information from midwifes/HVs/GPs etc isn't it. We've had a few instances of 'advice' that we've had to take with a pinch of salt and take an educated decision to go with our own instincts instead.

Ours slept through for 9 hours the other night and is regularly now going 5 to 6 hours for night feeds. We were told not to leave her for more than six hours or they risk starving without knowing! I'm not convinced, we know plenty of people who have tiny ones that sleep for hours on end with no detriment, you just have to gauge your own individual child's needs.

[shelley bda]

That is exactly what you have to do. Trust your own instinct. I'm not convinced of the whole wake after 6 hours thing either, if she was hungry then she would wake up. And like you say each child has different needs.

Leaving a baby sleep won't harm, my lad was never starved, he drank lots of milk in the day and ate well on solids. He's 17 now and a good 6ft 4