How do I get my 8-week-old to settle better at 7pm?
My daughter, Erris, is eight weeks old and well established on the routines, and feeds and naps at the correct times throughout the day. The only problem is when I put her down at 7pm. She naps in her pram in the morning, in her cot at lunchtime and in the afternoon she sleeps in the car while I collect her brother from nursery. After a small feed at 5pm (3oz) she enjoys a kick on her mat, followed by a bath at 6pm. I give her the second part of the feed downstairs while my son watches a DVD and drinks his milk. Erris is content to sit in her chair after winding until I take her upstairs at 6.55pm. At this point, however, she begins to fidget and I give her a dummy to calm her and prevent her from getting upset. Often she has hiccups and loses her dummy. I have to go in two or three times to retrieve the dummy, re-settle her and sometimes I even resort to rocking her before she settles at 7.45pm. I have bought a lullaby light, sat with her in the dark and tried top-up feeds, but nothing helps. What else can I try?
Looking through Erris’ day, it would seem she is very settled in the routines until 7pm. The problems that then arise could be due to overtiredness. Despite sleeping well during the day, some small babies are still very tired by evening. They feed well but don’t always manage to bring up all their wind, and this can result in bouts of hiccups. Although tired, they are unable to drift off to sleep easily and become restless as a result. They fight sleep, despite it being the very thing they need.
I would suggest offering a larger feed at 5pm, and perhaps even bringing it forward by ten minutes, followed by a smaller feed after the bath. Try also to bring your baby’s bath forward by 15-20mins, so she is downstairs and feeding by just after 6pm. Allow Erris to sit in her chair for a short while after her feed and then take her up to her bedroom. You may wish to sit with her briefly, using a dummy to calm her if it helps. Put her down in her cot before 6.45pm and see if this has any beneficial effect on her settling. Altering routines by just 15 minutes can make a great deal of difference to a small baby.