Hard to Get to Sleep

Hi L.,

the lavendar bath stuff smells really strong. my 3 month old boy hates it. this is what works for me:
my sister made a small cloth pouch with crushed cinnamon sticks inside. i heat it in the microwave for 30 seconds, put it on his bed, then after a few minutes put him in. the warm bed and soothing cinnamon smell put him right out every time.(works for me too)
also i do not bathe him right before bed, he gets too excited in the bath and cannot fall asleep. we just do a massage with cocoa butter or something with little scent.

i dont know if youve tried any of this yet, but hopefull it helps you.

C.

Here are some links:
http://www.drgreene.com/21_1051.html
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/5/t051300.asp
http://www.babycolicremedy.net/How_Long_Does_Colic_Last.html
http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/pa/pa_colic_hhg.htm

I'm sure you have tried lot of things. Perhaps best to take her to the Doctor to rule out anything else... from hunger, to teething, to reflux, to gas, to illness, to digestive pains etc. It could be anything, since she is already 4 months old and still having this concern.

If it is colic, ask you Doctor for advisement, again.
Some babies are also just "sensory sensitive" and this throws them for a loop....be it for over-tiredness, to too much light or noise sensitivity, to tactile sensitivity, to allergies, etc.

My daughter had gas problems and was also sensitive to noise. She still is sensitive to noise, although has grown out of it a lot, and she is 5 years old. BUT, we'd have a hard time putting her to sleep or nap when she was a baby and toddler. So that is the way she was. For me, I was nursing her and would co-sleep with her for naps and bedtime... as this is the only way she would wind-down and then go to sleep. It was, after trying ALL different techniques, the only way to go with her. She was also very clingy, and fussy at times when she was tired. My son, on the other hand, thankfully, is much more easy going.

Keep up with consistent bed/nap time routines... it does help. Perhaps she needs more of a transition time before bed... to wind-down and then segue into bed. Also, make sure she is getting her naps... this is very important. Without naps, a baby gets too over-stimulated and much too tired, and over-tired babies and kids actually have a harder time to go to sleep.

For my sister when she was a baby... my Mom said she had colic... and in her case it was because she had a very sensitive system and was allergic to dairy... and in those days, babies were on formula, at least for my Mom's case. My sister even as an adult has a sensitive digestive system still, and to dairy... and food wreak havoc on her stomach and moods. So.... this is something to think about. Some are just more sensitive to what goes in their body.

Well I know it's not easy... but all the best,
Susan

I agree with the other person on ruling out stuff. Both my girls had acid reflux. They were both put on Zantac for babies. Not the best tasking stuff, but wow did it work for them. I took them off of it at 4 months and found that they still had the problem. Back on Zantac. Then at 6 months I took them off of it again, and the spincter muscle had grown and the acid didn't come up. They were totally fine by then. I also had to have them sleep raised somewhat in the beds or in bouncy seats or the swing. All I can tell you is that before we did that, I nursed, and they had me cut out all sorts of stuff from my diet. But that didn't work. I kind of don't believe in colic. My mom said I had it but I really believe it was the same acid problem and way back when they didn't know about it. I also don't believe in the rice in the bottle method. Woman were made to nurse. How the heck do you get rice in your boop if that was the case? I don't know. Just talk with the doctor and try ruling out stuff. Good luck and I'm sorry that you are going through this. Definitely not fun, but I bet in two months all will be fine.

Hi L., listen to me please. I am a Sleep Consultant and Parenting Coach and I can help you. There is a very good chance that your daughter is over-tired and possibly over-stimulated. At 4 months she should be sleeping a total of 15 hours a day, 10 or 11 at night and 4-5 in naps. If she is not getting this, or if her sleep is disrupted than she is over-tired. Ironically, being over-tired can make it almost impossible to go to sleep. Being over-stimulated can also make it hard to settle. Please go to my website if you need more help, I can develop a plan for you to help your baby fall asleep on her own and sleep through the night. www.theindependentchild.com
good Luck, K.

Dear L.,

I feel your frustration! Do yourself a huge favor and get "Silent Nights" homeopathic sleep spray. The safest thing you can use on a baby. It works like a charm. Last Sunday night we came home from a party and both my boys were wound up, I sprayed the silent nights in thier mouths and both were sleeping in less than 10 minets! My husband was shocked it worked. Go to this website for more info. Lifewave.com/kherihealth or call me and I will help you get it. ###-###-####

Hi L.,
A good friend of mine swears by the book, Healthy sleep habits, happy child by Marc Weissbluth, M.D. I've read part of it and it's pretty good. good luck to you and your little girl:)

Hi L.,
My daughter had colic too, it was so awful. It however doesn't sound like this is still colic. She seems more like my little one and just doesn't want to sleep, can't miss out on anything. I just wanted to suggest to you what some others had suggested: Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child or going to the sleep consultant's website: www.theindependentchild.com, or I used Noell Cochran at Symbio, this is her email: ____@____.com.
I had to consult a sleep therapist to help me through it more than I needed it for my baby.
Best to you,
S. G.

you could try hylands colic tablets or gripe water. I know this sounds horrible but what I did was put my daughter in her swing with a comfy blanky and put on a baby einstein video, it worked wonders!

Hi L.,

Try watching the "Happiest Baby on the Block" DVD. You can purchase it from Amazon. It has some excellent techniques for calming young babies.

Sometimes lavender can have the opposite effect and make a person more awake.

Keep trying different things, singing, rocking, walking, light white noise, etc, and maybe make her afternoon nap a bit earlier. Make sure she's getting lots of fresh air and sunlight during the day.

Some people just have a hard time sleeping! Doesn't mean there is anything necessarily wrong with them. If your Mama's instinct tells you something is wrong, then try to figure out the cause or speak to your doctor. Otherwise just try some other things, and try not to worry about it too much.

Rice cereal is bad for babies this young, period. They are unable to digest grains properly till they are 7 or 8 months old. That is why they sleep through the night when given the cereal - because it is just sitting in there, not digesting, keeping the tummy full. I see this advice given freely a lot here and it is irresponsible and possibly dangerous. Rice cereal at that age is not for nutrition or anything else other than the parents' convenience. I understand that "we are all doing the best we can" and all of that, but we do have a responsibility to protect our children's health, even at the expense of a little sleep.

Hang in there. You're the parent of a 4 month old, you're not supposed to be getting any sleep! Things should naturally settle down soon though. Try to grin and bear it until then. This phase won't last forever... it just feels like it. :)

Get the book Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child. It is rigid but it works. Be 100% committed to doing it & it will be worth it. If you are not 100% committed don't even bother-- because it will be unnecessary torture for both you and your baby. I used their system & it saved me. My twins went from barely taking naps and waking up at night to sleeping 7-7 and taking two 2hr naps a day.

Good luck

Hi L., I'm an old school mom. and I started my babies on rice cereal right before bed time, and I rocked and sang them to sleep, and in doing so my babies feel asleep feeling loved, safe and secure and I had no problems with any of them sleeping. J. L.

I had same problem with my son who is now 3. Tried the 90 minute sleep miracle - spent a lot of money for someone to tell me that babies need to sleep every 90 minutes. So from the time he woke up I needed to be getting him back down again in 90 minutes. I was supposed to set up routine at night to signal that this next sleep period would be different. I did it and it worked. Not without fail but it did work and he seemed to be more rested and in better moods when he was awake. Good luck!