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Back to work & sleep

Kim - posted on 09/24/2009 ( 2 moms have responded )

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My baby is 4 months old and wakes up anywhere from 4 to 2 times per night, which I think is pretty typical. Even on the good nights though, I have difficulty sleeping because my sleep schedule is so completely fried. I started working again last week, and I'm finding that I'm to tired to do my job. It seems that me going back to work has made his sleep more irregular, with more frequent night wakings. Any suggestions for more sleep, normalizing a messed up sleep schedule, or working with half a brain?

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Kelly - posted on 09/24/2009

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Aha! I am a daycare provider and it sounds like your childcare provider is allowing your child to sleep the day away therefore causing him to have his days and nights mixed up. Request your provider keep him awake a little longer during the day by playing with him, making him wait a little longer (10 mins or so) for his bottles and sometimes aloow him a little cry time (assuming diapers been changed, fed etc) and this will cause him to be a little more tired when nite comes. Also when you pick him up try to keep him awake when you get home and not allow him to go to sleep say between 6-7pm and when your ready for bedtime give him that great bath and delicious bottle and he should start sleeping a little more as time moves along. Just have to switch his schedule a little but gradually cause you don't want to shock him into it.

Cathralynn - posted on 09/24/2009

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Yeah its rough, I only had to do it for a month but I remember it well! I went back at two mo, my daughter was still waking every two hours like clockwork. She slept thru by 3 mo, meaning six hours, and that was better. I found putting her in her own room with a monitor helped immensly. And then I worked her schedule around mine. My daughter fed at 7 and then we put her in her crib in her room for the night. I would go to sleep then too, I work the morning shift. Any time she woke I fed her there and kept it calm and then put her back to bed there. I gave her an afternoon nap and slept at the same time. Then made sure she was awake by 4 so she would sleep at 7 again. Eventually they will sleep thru. My advice is to sleep whenever you can, even if it seems the wrong time. And let other chores go or get help. Make good use of your days off be catching up on rest. But set up a sleep routine with a definite bedtime and place for sleep. It sets up a good environment for the sleeping thru when its time. And once the baby drops any feedings don't use feeds to solve night wakings in the future, it sets up bad habits. Just soothe them back to sleep without picking up, or give meds for teething, gas, change a diaper, whatever find the reason the baby woke. This will teach the baby to self soothe and you won't have to fo night feeds forever! Good luck, it will pass and you will miss your tiny infant!

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