little night owl

Hi there,

My little girl of 6.5 months hasn't figured out sleeping through the night yet. I didn't really have a problem with that at first. When she woke up at night, I'd give her her pacifier and she'd go back to sleep. But for the past two weeks, she's waking up at night and it's hard to get her back to sleep. Sometimes it takes 2 hours. Falling asleep is also not working anymore. It often comes with a lot of crying and getting upset. Falling asleep on her own is completely out of the question now (I do have a consistent routine for every nap). I really have to rock her to sleep in my arms. I try to put her back in bed while she's half-asleep, but that doesn't always work. It takes me at least half an hour for each nap during the day, and I'm already so tired from the broken nights...

Besides this 'sleep problem', she's cheerful and content, and I'm gradually weaning her off the breast.

Does anyone recognize this and have any advice? I'm really curious.

Thanks in advance!

Oh Meike, that's really tough! It's probably just a phase, and usually they just pass by suddenly. I know how discouraging it feels when you're in the middle of it, but I believe it will get better.

I used to rock my daughter to sleep for a long time, and when she hit a certain phase, I did it again. Getting worked up doesn't help either and makes it even harder for her to fall asleep..

I've read that calm days lead to calm nights. So I wouldn't skip any naps; the afternoon nap or naps are there to process the impressions of the day. If she has to do everything at night, there's a chance you won't get a calm night at all.

Good luck with it, and it will get better, even if that's the most annoying thing to hear when you're in the thick of it. I found the book "Oei, ik groei!" really helpful. It explains the different phases and at what age they occur.. it gave me some reassurance.

Replies

Add your reply