my baby won't go to bed!!

[H.Wilkinson]

I have a seven monthold baby boy. He is a great baby and is no trouble at all during the day. He used to go to bed before eight every night and would get up for a feed during the night and then he started sleeping right through. For the last month we have been having trouble getting him to go down at night and it can sometimes be ten before he is settled. He naps a few times during the day but not for long periods of time. He just doesn't seem tired. We have tried putting him up and leaving him to cry for ten minutes but i find that very distressing and hard to do as he really is not tired. We have tried putting him up at the same time and keeping a good routine and then making sure we keep him in his room once we have put him up and feeding him in his room etc. I know most parents experience problems with trying to get their babies down and I was wondering if anyone had any advice. I am desperate to try to get him into good habits. He wakes up early and so some days he is up at half six and not wanting to go to bed til half nine! Any advice would be welcome. Thanks very much.

[Natalie33]

Are you talking about my son? Your story sounds exactly the same as mine! I've tried everything you have tried and nothing works. Do you breastfeed? I do and think that this is half the problem. I've always found it easier for him to fall asleep feeding! I've tried putting him to bed awake and he just cries so much he makes himself sick and it stresses me out so much. My mother in law tells me my husband was just the same and didn't sleep through the night until he was 2!!! My son wakes me at 5.15 every morning! I think some of us just have to face the fact that our littles ones would prefer to be awake, it wont last long and we'll look back on these days with fond memories! And apparently it means their brains are more active and that they will be intelligent. Also, see Bounty website, lots of parents with lots of helpful hints.

[PhilBy]

Have you introduced anything into his diet that contains 'e' additives. Far too many products are full of then and can make young children very hyper!

[mgba_78]

Both of my kids have done this at certain times of their lives.. more so my son..

I am afraid i just used to leave them to cry, you may feel wicked doing this but if they don't get a proper nights sleep they won't grow properley.. which is the long run is far more wicked than letting them cry.

I suggest you and partner pick a time you think is suitable for bed maybe 7pm??

Do dinner for 4.30 5pm (give enough time for food to go down) have a bath get in pj's, have a nice bedtime story, give kisses etc and say good night then leave room.. obv he will cry but you have just left him so you know he is ok..

If he is still crying after a couple of mins go in check he is ok but don't speak.don't touch stroke etc ( i know too tempting not to) If he has a dummy wedge it back in, then leave again. If he still cry's leave him for a bit longer say 4 mins then go back in do same thing..then 6 mins, then 10 mins.. honestly he will eventually learn that night times are for sleeping..

I sat on the stairs when my son was doing it for a good 2 weeks.. he is 5 now and sleeps through the night like a trooper..

You can do it!!

[mgba_78]

Forgot to say, that i also bought my son a little stereo when he was that age.. and he has had story cd's on and lullaby cd's which you can buy from ELC or woolies..something like �2.99.. i think they are quite soothing and may just send him off to sleep by himself.

[H.Wilkinson]

Thanks for your answers, I think I might try the story tapes. He has two mobiles but he listens to them for a bit then gets fed up of them! He has gone to bed tonight by 8.25 and so far so good. He doesn't have anything containing e numbers although there will probably be a few in this bacardi breezer mummy is drinking to celebrate babies early night!!! hurray!! Any more hints would be appreciated!! Thank you! Yippeeee!! :)

[shelley Kash]

Hello to all moms with their child not sleeping. I hope my answer will help. I have to young girls about seventeen months apart. They now share a room and not only that they sleep all night. I know this might be hard to hear but you have to let them cry a little. First of all they must develop the skill of falling alseep on their own. I know let them cry, it sounds tough. It is I will be honest, both of our girls are asleep by eight. It works. Not only that they are developing a relationship between one another. After doing my research I have learned not to let them get too tired. When a baby is over tired it takes longer for them to fall asleep and it is harder. So what I do every night is my husband and I have come up with one routine and we follow it. That is the first most important, to have a routine. We give them a bath, then we read a story, brush teeth, and then we go to bed. The younger one takes bottle while we are reading a story. Once this is all done then we put them in their beds in the same room. They cry. However it gets shorter and shorter, now they barely cry. They just know what to expect because we have been folowing this routine for so long. Trust me with a little patience you will be thankful to. Good luck to all the moms out there.