I have a 6 month old girl who used to nap at least 2 hours everyday. Now she is not wanting to sleep during the day and she is not sleeping as well at night. She has been a little sick but seems to be feeling better for the last couple of days. I have tried letting her cry it out but she just continues to scream. I also tried rubbing her back and giving her the pacifier but she spits it out and screams. As soon as I lift her out of her crib she is better but does not want to go to sleep... even laying on me. Is it healthy for her to not be sleeping more than 9 hours a day?
Have you seen a dr.? The ONLY way I knew my daughter had an ear infection was that she didn't sleep through the night.
Hold her as much as she wants. She may just want to take all her naps on you. Let her sleep with you at night- it's so comforting and nourishing for little ones to sleep cuddled near M.. =)
I agree with the Healthy Sleep Habits Healthy Child recommendations. I also think you should consider getting her ears checked by the doctor. My daughter started with her ear infections at 5 months, but rarely had other symptions such as congestion. This caused sleep proboems. If she has an ear infection, it could be that the pacifier aggravates it. Since she doesn't want to sleep, even with you, it sounds like she could be feeling yucky. Poor baby.
:( She had 7 ear infections in 5 months. This is extreme, so we got tubes and she is a terrific sleeper now at 20 months.
I second that Weissbluth book. It is great! I also wanted to say that my kiddos went through phases of bad sleeping around developmental stuff. Maybe she is working on getting more mobile and that is keeping her mind (and body) busy. What helped us was always keeping them on the ground so they had lots of time to practice when I wanted them to be awake. Good luck!
I would be sure she does not have an ear infection. The baby would be fine sitting up but once you lay her down, the pressure shifts and makes her ears hurt. If her ears are clear then maybe a soothing bath or lotion time will calm her enough for her to sleep.
I don't have much novel to add to the other comments, but thought having another mother say she went through it might make you feel better. I definitely recommend the swing! Whenever I can't get my almost-6-month-old to sleep (especially during the day) I put her in her swing. Even when I don't have batteries, I'll put her in it and she'll fall asleep...I guess she just liked sitting up. (and she won't go to sleep with me holding her either). The Weissbluth book is awesome...great reference. And it is absolutely possible she has an ear infection, especially if she has been sick recently. Like I said, nothing novel, but baby definitely needs more sleep and that needs to be a priority! Good like and sweet dreams baby girl!
At my house, that would be a sure sign of an ear infection. Did she have a cold when she was sick? I would take her in just to be sure. It could also be some serious teething. I would give her some motrin and see if that seems to help, maybe she really is in pain. Good luck, she certainly still needs lots more sleep than that, all 4 of mine still took 2 naps a day at that point, and still slept 10 hours a night at least! ~A.~
I agree with checking with a doctor to rule out any illness. My kids all started having sleeping trouble around six months old due to teething. It seemed endless, but it really is only temporary. They all outgrew it and began to sleep well again. Good luck!
I would wonder if she has a stuffy nose or ear infection that makes laying flat painful. I would get my child checked out by the dr. Wonder if you try to prop the head of the bed up if that would help her a bit? She does need more rest, I think that may be why she is not sleeping well at night-over tired maybe. Start with the doctor though.
Have her ears checked. My little one did the same thing. Wasn't running a fever so I never suspected ear infections. From my understanding, when they lie down, the fluid runs into their ear canals and causes really bad pain, and sucking the pacifier sometimes made the pain worse. I hope the solution is as simple as that. Good luck!
T.
You may want to have her ears checked to make sure she doesn't have an ear infection. My youngest seems to get one every time she has been sick. She doesn't usually exhibit a problem until I lay her down to go to sleep. It seems that the pressure builds whenever she lays down. Hope this helps.
What about using a swing? I would say that she needs much more sleep than that. They usually need 2 naps during the day and 10-11 hours and night.
No, it is not healthy. I highly recommend you get the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. You can try getting it at the library if you don't want to buy it, but I guarantee you'll want your own copy after you read it, it's that good!
In her room: try playing instrumental music on low volume, put a dim night light, perhaps record your conversations during the day and play them while she is going to sleep. Keep her door closed to where she cannot hear the activities of others that are still awake. As long as she is clean/fed/not in harms way, she will be okay. Good luck.
may be teething or getting ready to. You may want to check her gums to see if there is something poking thru. At this age there are a lot of changes going on with sleeping and eating. For some reason my almost 7 month old will only drink 3 ounces of milk in the morning after not having a bottle since 7pm the night before! I remember this going on with my first as well; so I am not concerned. You may want to try to rock her to sleep; if she is teething try baby motrin.
