Seeking Advice on Getting My Almost 6 Month Old to Go to Sleep on His Own Again

Is he going to bed early enough? You may want to adjust this if he is getting up earlier. As for getting him down, no big help here. We sometimes had to let DD cry for a little to get some of the energy out and then go back in and put her down. Sleep habits can change and wanting to spend time with you can be part of the issue even without all the changes.

As for spending time: I agree crock pot meals or get DH to help. I don't have much time either. DH will often help with dinner or we will wait until DD is in bed. She gets up around 6:30 and is in bed between 7 and 8pm. After she is down I clean up the kitchen. Laundry is done mostly on weekends when she is napping or playing with DH. I try to make DD the priority in the evenings since I have such little time. My house is far from spotless and we eat take out too much, but I think in the end it is worth it.

I sent you a message earlier, but did not think to say this as well. I think it made a huge difference holding mine for as much as they wanted when they were under 2. When you get home and are busy, put him in a front carrier so you can talk to him as you are getting all the things done you have to. Also, try to treasure this time, if the house is a little messy, remember there will be time when you can't hold him anymore to clean the house. Now that mine are older, I wished I would have held them even more! It may be that you have to learn to let some things drop and not try to be superwoman right now, you have enough to do!

Best of wishes to you during this transition. J

I work full time and do the majority of the housework; however, the time that my baby is awake, 100% of my time goes to her. We only get a couple of hours before she goes to daycare and a couple of hours before she goes to sleep at night. Never do housework when you have time to spend with your baby. They need bonding and interaction. If you have to do housework, put her in a sling or carrier and talk to her about the things you are doing. Or sit her on the floor in the kitchen with a pot and spoon, or whatever, and explain to her what she has in her hands. Sing songs or say rhymes, so you are interacting with her. I prefer, though, to do housework after she goes to bed at 8:00, and after my husband and I have had some time together. But, usually, I try to do most of it on the weekends--- the hard stuff, like cleaning the bathroom, during naps, dusting or "putting up stuff" while she's playing. I talk to her and tell her "mommy's dusting the table...what's on the table, oh, here's a bowl, the bowl is brown, etc." It works well. Also, it helps to put things up as you go, so you don't have to do as much housework!! That's something I need to practice more of! As far as food, salads are always fast, particularly the salads that already are cut up for you. There's one called orchard harvest that has spring salad, an apricot mix and cut up apples and a vinegarette (sp?) dressing that is my favorite! One last thing, I think it's exceptionally important to have time, one on one, with your husband. 8pm-10 pm is always our time! 10-11 is cleanup time, if necessary. Good luck!

on top of the change in routine it could be he's teething or going through a growth spurt. 6months is about the time for another growth spurt.Basicly if you can divide 3 into the number of months he is , then you just about bet on there being something going on with him. Pick up the book, The no cry sleep solution by elizabeth pantley. With the teething , motrin works better, and check out Gumomile oil also , its by herbs for kids.

I strongly recommend reading Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth. I would suggest an earlier bedtime (even though you'll miss out on that time) - it's better to have a well-rested child. Also, you mentioned an evening nap . . . perhaps he is ready to cut back to two naps (around 9am and around 1pm). When our first was this age, I was still working and since she had to get up at 6:30am, her bedtime was 6:30pm, with two naps during the day. Hope this helps.

Hi J.,

Congratulations on your first baby by the way. I do not have any advice on how to get your baby to sleep unfortunately but I do want to share something with you that I do that does seem to comfort mine and allows me to spend more time with him. My baby is 8 months old and I put him in a baby sling. This allows me to vacuum, sweep, mop, do dishes and a lot of other things while at the same time he gets the closeness to me that he craves. If you've never used one before it might be a little akward at first but once you get used to it,your baby will feel just like an accessory (a very valuable one) and not as if you have a human stuck to you and you'll be moving around with him at ease. Good luck to you and your family!

Cut down on the house work, cooking & cleaning right now. Use throw aways when possible. Stop at the deli several times a week for your meals. When you do cook, cook enough for at least 2 meals and freeze . With so much work you are stressed and now the baby is stressed with losing his Dad as his daytime sitter and life has changed a lot. Do some crock pot meals. Try to only do laundry a couple of times a week and get hubby's assist on this. V.

Do you think that he might be teething? My daughter changed at about six months, and I'm sure that it was due to teething. I found these teething tablets that really help calm her down. They are not harmful to your baby! It is all natural. I hope that this might help you. Good luck and remember to have patience!!! My 15 month old test them everday!

Hi J.,

There could be several things that are agitating him. First of all, his routine changed when your husband's schedule changed. Babies can be resilient but they can't be resilient over night. He may just need to get use to the schedule.

Also, it has been my experience when someone tells you they do something "sometimes" they probably do it more often than they want you to know. I'm not accusing your sitter of anything but you may want to factor that in.

Another thing could be something as simple as the laundry detergent or the perfume, etc. that your sitter uses. There are different stimuli in different synthetic chemicals and it could be while she's holding him he may be inhaling her perfume and it's messing with his system. Babies lungs breathe twice as fast as adults and can only tolerate half as many toxins. If he is being held up against her it could be something as simple as a neurological stimulus. The same process as an unconscious adult inhaling smelling salts to be awakened.

Hope I gave you some ideas.

M.

First know that this will not be the last time you baby "gets something" and then reverts back.... your gonna love potty training! LOL

Have you tried Hyland's teething tables. The chamomile in there will help calm your baby. I love them and use them still on my almost three year old when she gets wound up. The great thing about homeopathy, is that they are truly non-toxic. They will not hurt their little kidneys like tylenol or motrin. LOVE them!

As for finding more time.... I became a true believer in the laundry and cleaning can wait. I try not to rush every where.... if my daughter is in a cuddly mood and we have to go... I usually make the decision that I would rather cuddle an extra ten minutes and be late than to lose that special time. Relax and enjoy every minute... it really does go faster than what every one said it would.

Can you cut back on your work hours? I was blessed with a husband who supported me quiting my electrical engineering job to start my own business at home so I could stay with our daughter. I know not everyone can do that, but it has been worth the money lost to be with her. Check out my website if you would like www.candlewealth.com/soy4u

What ever you decide, be OK with the fact you are doing the best you can and sounds like you are doing an AWESOME job. As women, we tend to judge ourseves hard and feel we should be able to do so much more. Relax and enjoy (everyone else is feeling overwelmed as well... you are not alone).

C. Hiebel
www.braveheartwomen.com/kolohe
www.candlewealth.com/soy4u

As the mother of 2, a 3 yr old and a 16 month old, i understand the stress of keeping up with the house, feeing everyone, I own my own business and spend 9 hours a day there. If I am home with my kids, they are the center of my attention. I clean my house on friday nights after then go to bed. I do Laundry on Saturday and sudnay while they sleep/nap. I have found that if I am able to maintain a semblance of order through the week, this system works well. Check his mouth, my son did the same thing. He went from sleeping great, falling asleep so easy to fussing and crying and I think the change came because he started cutting some teeth and was just uncomfortable and needed/wanted extra attention. Maybe this just coincided with the sitter. No doubt the sitter is an adjustment, it may just take a couple of weeks to adjust. Good luck!

J.,

It doesn't hurt to rock him before bed. Not necessarily till he falls asleep, but enough for him to feel close to you and secure that you are there. Babies can't tell us what is wrong and they do not like change. You're going to have to create a new routine with yourself and dad and your son so he doesn't feel that he isn't getting enough of your attention. Going from seeing dad all day to just an hour or so is hard for children at any age.

Being a mom of a 21month old who had to work for the first 4 months after my maternity leave, I know the anguish and concern you go through everyday upon leaving your child with the sitter. If your child's behavior has changed this drastically within the first week of leaving him with the sitter full-time, he could be going through separation anxiety, but I would venture to say that the sitter's routine with putting him to sleep in different. I would have a chat with her explain to her what is going on, then ask her to do it your way and give it another week, if he still continues to cry, I would say that he doesn't care for the sitter much. Look for other signs such as crying or discomfort upon arrival at the sitter, not wanting th be there,etc...