Getting daughter back into sleeping routine...

Question

My 7 month old daughter has recently gotten over a cold which disturbed her sleeping pattern greatly. Now she is able to breath properly through her nose again and doesn't cough as much so I have tried to get her back into her sleeping routine again, which I tried to stick with while she was sick but it didn't work much. She has gotten back into settling easily again but wont stay asleep for more than 2 hours at a time during the night but will go back to sleep easily. I have also upped her solids intake and she doesn't seem to be teething but nothing seems to be working. Is it just a case of sticking with it until it all gets better? Because I have family that always want us to go out for dinner and it doesnt help with getting her to sleep as they like to pass her around alot.

Answer 1

She just needs some time to readjust to her sleeping schedule. I would just stick with it and she will eventually return back to her normal sleep routine.

Answer 2

The only thing that worked with my daughter when this happened was to let her cry a little.  Some people will strongly disagree with me, but I would let her cry a little.  Go it and rub her back.  Taking longer amounts of time in between visits until she eventually started sleeping through the night again.  It was as tough for me as it was for her, but it benefited us all in the long run.  She is one of the happiest kids I know, and one of few that sleep through the night.  

Answer 3

The problem isn't food or teething, it's the fact that you're taking her out and overstimulating her when she should be in bed. I could take my daughter out during the evening when she was very young and she would settle anywhere, but once she got to 6 months, she needed to be at home and in her cot at bedtime or she wouldn't get a good night's sleep. She is now 17 months old and I don't ever take her out during the evening.

If you want your daughter to get back into a good sleeping routine, you need to either stay home during the evenings or get someone to babysit while you go out. Maybe your family could come and have dinner at your house instead of going out.

There are some babies that continue to be happy to be taken out at night, but many need their routine to be adhered to. There is a myth (perpetuated by parents of adaptable babies) that babies can be trained to be more adaptable and that you just need to do it more often. This is not true (I tried it) and just makes parents and babies miserable. Be firm and do what is best for you and your baby.

Answer 4

Let her sleep it off, in the morning make a 'I'm sorry' breakfast and tell her you love her. But about the mocking and what she said to you, is most likely something she picked up in school, if she physically goes to school. I babysit a lot of children that age and when I ask them where they learn a (rude) phrase, most of the time they will mention a friend's name. Also, it could be something she picked up on television.

Sit down and have a serious conversation with her and explain that what she did was rude and explain why it was rude. If she doesn't understand at first, trust me in that she will eventually understand after she thinks about what you said, on her own time.