"zeldabee" wrote in message
...
was all, like:
zeldabee wrote:

Indeed. I'll vent for you...This is something about which I've been
preoccupied lately--I worry more and more that Sprogly is getting
too little sleep for a not-yet-7-month-old. The problem is that I'm
working full-time, we have a long commute, and Sprogly doesn't nap
well at daycare.

That's understandable about the daycare. So much stimulation there
that it's hard for them to unwind. My best friend takes his 5
month old home and he falls asleep the 2nd the care door opens
up and the area is quite.

When Sprogly was less mobile, Daycare Lady used to put him down in her
bedroom, and he'd sleep for 3-4 hours, but that won't work now. He won't
sleep in a crib or playard.

We're only actually at home for about 11 hours out of the day on the
weekdays, and though I get us ready for bed as quickly as I can when
I get home from work, he tends to get around 9.5 hours at night.
Evenings are

Do you work 7 days a week?

No. He naps pretty well on the weekends, and sleeps much later in the
morning. On weekdays I've got to get him up at 6:30 to get him ready to
go.
It's as you said, as far as napping at daycare--too much stimulation.

Our son didn't sleep well at all between 4-8 months and it took us
a lot of reading to figure out a plan for us. Most important steps
we took we

-establish a good night time routine
-learn to put him down partially awake and fall asleep on
his own

He sleeps well. It's just a question of there not being enough hours in
the
day, once I factor in commuting. It takes maybe 25 minutes max for him to
get to sleep once we go to bed, and then he nurses a few times at night,
but
doesn't fully wake up to do so. The only time he's been wakeful at night
was
when he had a cold. As I said, on the weekends, he sleeps several hours
longer in the mornings, and I believe he'd sleep a full 12 hours at night
every night if I could only let him.

I do think I should work on getting him to sleep on his own (he will sleep
by himself on weekends for naps, but not at night), but my day is too long
to give him the uninterrupted sleep he needs no matter how I slice it.

If a family bed isn't working out for you (it sounds like it isn't)
then give it up. Really, it didn't work for us but it does work for
other people. I know my sister has had a lot of success with it.

I think it's working *very* well, actually. I think it would be worse for
him if he were in a crib.

snip suggestions

Good luck. Just don't give up and do a lot of reading. You will
find something that works for you.

Alas, I think it's going to involve more than reading. The whole structure
of my life right now doesn't allow him to sleep as much as he should. I
can't afford to live closer to work. It's unlikely that I could find an
equivalent job closer to home. I can't afford a nanny or babysitter to
stay
home with him.

I'm thinking along the lines of trying to get typesetting/book formatting
jobs that I can do at home (the big question being whether I can get
enough
work to pay the bills that way), and hire a babysitter part time, draft
Bloke as babysitter part time...but that's tossing away the bird in hand,
IYSWIM, and I don't have much margin for error. I'm also thinking I may
have
to move someplace where the cost of living is lower than it is here in NYC
(leaning toward Oregon, where I have family)...and it's hard to try to
line
that up when I have so little spare time.


Honestly, i think its probably time for a lifestyle change and a move to a
slower place and pace.
It gets harder as they get older and I really believe that for his sake you
probably need more familial support.
I dont mean that in a negative way. My sister was once working 3 part time
jobs and in school, her kids lived on the go.
they were always on the move. It was VERY hard on them. Sometimes, if you
can do so and survive, you just have to
pare backa s much as possible.
Good luck to you,. I really know how hard your situation is.