Baby Won't Sleep

[dizgrace]

Hey guys

Could really use some advice - a 4 month old baby started with me about 4 months ago, just 2 days a week. His mum said he was a very easy baby and slept really well, he is an easy bed but I didn't find it as east to get him to sleep as they clearly did. The few times I did manage to get him to sleep successfully in his cot I had to rock him for half an hour, bringing all the other children up with me and asking them to sit in the hall quietly.

Since Easter he is with me four days a week and his sleeping is getting worse, he is supposed to have a morning nap (sometimes he arrives asleep in his pushchair and we leave him in there to nap) but other than that I am having really little success. We went for a walk one afternoon, but the next day the minute I put him in the pushchair he started screaming and never really stopped until an hour later when we got home.

I do not want to have to leave him to cry him to sleep, but with other children to care for I don't feel that I can dedicate an hour to trying to get him to sleep!?

I could really use any advice you could give me.

[Mouse]

When I have babies who really struggle to settle themselves to sleep I sometimes put them in the pushchair in the garden, or put them in the pushchair in the kitchen with the washing machine on. I find distractions outside help them to settle (although it might not help if your lo screams in the pushchair), or the sound of the washing machine sends them off. Once they've got into the habit of sleeping in the pushchair, I find I can put them in it anywhere.
Like you, I can't be spending an hour getting one child off to sleep.

[dizgrace]

Thanks Mouse - My washing machine is in the utility room - not really sure I can stick him in there, it was kid of manageable when it was two days but four days now and it needs to be sorted. I spent forty five minutes today trying to settle him and he was exhausted when he arrived after 45 mins sleep at my house yesterday and he has been awake since 3 since he is teething!

[Mouse]

It's so draining for everyone, isn't it?

Would he watch television if he was in the pushchair? I know it's not ideal, but you get to the stage where you'll try anything!

[dizgrace]

I am even allowed to do that I purposely keep all the other children away from the telly except for the occasional number jacks or sick day. He migt do. But my telly is in conservatory and it gets like an oven in there!

[mrsb79]

Hi, I used to have a mindee who would scream the place down and unsettle the others it took me 2 weeks to crack a solution I placed him in the buggy and popped him in the kitchen with the radio on quite loud and each day I would lower the volume after a week or so he would happily nap without the radio on and after a few weeks I was able to start putting him upstairs in the cot x

[Charmaine86]

Try if you can a app called white noise. X