• Sleeping FAQ: 4-6 months – Night Waking

    My 4mths daughter has slept through to 4am quite regularly so should I now give her water if she wakes earlier? Shall I feed my daughter if she wakes before 4am or use water? Twice, my daughter has gone through from 11.30pm to 5am. Last night though she woke at 3am, I gave water & she settled until 4.40am. Then I gave one breast & she settled until 6.40am, when I gave her the other breast and we got up. She took a little feed with no top up at 6.40/7am & again no top up at 11am but drank 85ml at 1.55pm before her sleep. Before the 2 nights…

  • Sleeping FAQ: 4-6 months – Lunchtime Nap

    Joe is 17 weeks and I can’t make the lunchtime nap work Joe was 9lb 4oz at birth and at 17 weeks weighs 18lb 4oz. He is formula fed. We have been following the routine with success from 4 weeks, but from 8 weeks the lunchtime nap has gone wrong (as you said it might in the CLB book). Joe will sleep for 40-45minutes and refuses to settle himself. I have tried leaving him for increasing periods of time but he continues to cry until 2pm. He is not hungry, goes down awake and initially settles within 5minutes. There is blackout lining at his window and he sleeps in a…

  • Sleeping FAQ: 4-6 months – Lunchtime Nap

    My 18-week-old son always wakes after 45 minutes into his lunchtime nap My son always wakes after 45 minutes of his lunchtime nap, and is very hard to settle again. The two hours prior to the nap are also difficult, with him screaming for food from 10am. I have tried giving him a lot of food, and sometimes he loves it, but at other times I wonder if I am giving him stomachache. My son was in hospital 3 weeks ago with pyloric stenosis (a narrowing of the lower outlet from the stomach) and I am wondering whether he is making up for lost time with his feeding. I don’t…

  • Sleeping FAQ: 4-6 months – Lunchtime Nap

    My 4.5 mth son has a short lunchtime sleep and wakes several times at night My baby boy, age four and a half months and weighing fifteen and a half pounds, has never slept well at lunchtime. He settles at noon, but wakes after 45 minutes, when I have to re-settle him using his dummy. Recently, he has also started to wake two or three times a night between 1am and 6am. I have tried settling him with a dummy, but he rarely sleeps for long. I even resorted to controlled crying, checking him every ten to fifteen minutes, but he cried on and off until 6am. He is taking…

  • Sleeping FAQ: 4-6 months – Lunchtime Nap

    Should I re-swaddle my 4.5-month-old so she sleeps better at lunchtime? My daughter is very active in the night. She rolls everywhere, so we have put her into a sleeping bag. She used to be swaddled. She still sleeps through the night but has begun to wake up at the lunchtime nap. For the last week she has refused to go back to sleep after 45 minutes. She doesn’t have a dummy and is very good at getting herself to sleep. Before this she had rarely slept a full two hours but would resettle herself when she stirred. She also seems more unsettled at bedtime too. I have tried cutting…

  • Sleeping FAQ: 4-6 months – Lunchtime Nap

    Rolling over is causing my 18 week old to wake at lunchtime My son of 18 weeks can now roll over onto his tummy and wants to practice at every opportunity. He refuses to sleep on his back (which was, initially, very worrying until I spoke to the Health Visitor) and, if put into his cot bed on his back, he will roll onto his front, even when half asleep or completely asleep. He is also trying to crawl and has learnt how to manoeuvre himself around his cot; including moving up and down, swapping ends or lying transversely! The trouble is that he often gets stuck and/or becomes frustrated…

  • Development FAQ: 24+ months – Potty Training

    When we go out during potty training, do you advise using pull-up nappies? No – it’s tempting to use these because they are similar to pants but to your child they will seem like a nappy again. It will confuse him and potty training will take much longer. The absorbency of the pull-ups means your child will be less aware of when he is wet. Try to plan potty training when you can just be at home. It seems restricting but one week staying home near the potty will ensure you and your child succeed and you can then go out and about as normal, taking the potty with you…

  • Development FAQ: 24+ months – Potty Training

    My son is nearly three and has been using the big toilet for quite a while now. I’ve been trying to get him to stand up and wee but he only wants to do it sitting down. What can I do? You might have more success if daddy shows him how this is done. If he’s been watching only you he could be confused. When he’s with other boys at nursery school or during visits, encourage him to watch them wee standing up and make a big fuss of him being grown up. You might need to put a small step by the loo so he can reach and aim…

  • Development FAQ: 24+ months – Potty Training

    My son was quickly and easily potty trained at 2 years and 8 months. I’d like to get him out of nappies at night-time but they seem to be sodden in the morning when he gets up. How long will this go on for? It sounds as if he might be drinking too much in the evening. Try to give him his biggest drink before 6pm with a small drink before bedtime if needed, so he can have a final wee before going to bed. If he still has a lunchtime sleep, keep him in nappies until you find they are consistently dry for two weeks. Tackle this first. I…

  • Development FAQ: 24+ months – Potty Training

    My daughter is two and a half and is showing all the signs of being ready to potty train. I’m very keen to do it. I work three days a week and my mother looks after Emily. I have heard my mother telling Emily how horrid and disgusting her dirty nappies are and I think Emily has become anxious now as she often cries when she has done a poo. Your mother’s generation tended to potty train much sooner than your generation. This was because terry nappies were much more of an ordeal to clean that our modern, disposable nappies. Possibly your mum thinks Emily should have been out of…