Need major help for daddy!!!

All I can suggest is what works for my extremely excitable high-needs
girl whether it's me or DH: swaddle tightly or recline in sling,
pacifier, bounce gently on exercise ball, make loud steady shushing
noises.

Plus she fights sleep really hard every time so she needs to be really
tired. Taking it easy all afternoon/evening won't work. I need to
really wear her out. Lots of light, noise, activity up until 1hr or so
before bed.

Also, I find that following same sequence of steps helps: wait til I'm
sure she's tired, let her cry a little to release some tension, diaper
change w/ cream since she sometimes sleeps 5-6 hrs, swaddle, bottle,
then bounce on ball w/pacifier in dark quiet room. She sometimes eats
more when she's being bounced gently, and the more she eats, the
easier it is for her to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Oh and soothing music sometimes helps. Not always, but sometimes.

-V.

Maybe he could take him out in the car - that always puts my dd to sleep...
"Laurie" wrote in message
. ..
We need ideas!!!!!! As many of you know I gave up a new supervisor
position at work and cut back to 4 hour shifts as Christopher wasn't doing
well with me being back at work. It's been 6 weeks now, he takes a bottle
great and I had to start doing 8 hour shifts tonight. It was hell. He
cried and cried. Seems like he does ok until about 7 pm (I work 3-11pm),
then when he gets really tired he just gets so worked up. Changing my
hours
isn't an option. When I worked the 4 hour shifts, most nights went pretty
well but he was ready for me to be home when I got there at 8 pm. But
tonight was just awful, and I was miserable at work thinking about him.
My
husband tried the normal walking the house, rocking, bottle, bouncy seat,
swing, pacifier to no avail and also tried the bjorn and giving him a
bath,
neither of which helped.
Does anyone have any other ideas, or is it just going to be a matter of
time? I feel so horribly awful, and like I'm torturing my son. Bear in
mind
this is a child that rarely cries. He's sleeping peacefully in my arms at
this moment.

laurie
mommy to Jessica, 29 months
and Christopher, 5 months today!!

*This email address is now valid*

Lucy wrote in message ...
Maybe Christopher had got used to your previous schedule and thinks that
you're about to show up. If that's the case, he might calm down when he
gets
used to the idea that you don't come home until later.

FWIW, when DD reached about 6 months she got past that stage altogether.
Now
she's happy as a clam right up until she sees me outside the classroom door
taking my shoes off. Then she starts ctrying until I go in and pick her up.


That could be the case. Hopefully things will be better tomorrow night.
Thanks!

laurie
mommy to Jessica, 29 months
and Christopher, 5 months

*This email address is now valid*

Nikki wrote in message ...
You've tried most everything!! My only suggestion would be to stop trying
anything. Pick some very quiet very relaxing music for DH (he probably
needs it worse then Christopher, lol) and then lay down in bed in mostly
dark room with baby and do nothing. Don't sing or pat or anything. Lay
next to him with no blankents and put a hand on him so he knows he's not
alone. The baby might cry to sleep but he is crying anyway. With Luke the
more things you did the worse he got, sometimes he just needed it all to
stop. Do it the same way every night so it develops into something
familiar.
It is probably 80% that he wants mom at night and 20% that everything is
just different from what he is used to and he is to tired to cope with
that.
When you try so many different things (which one would understandably do)
it
is just more chaotic for the baby.
Good luck, I can imagine how hard it is!
--
Nikki
Mama to Hunter (4) and Luke (2)

I forgot to say, hubby actually tried lying down with him in our bedroom to
no avail. We talked more yesterday and it turns out it wasn't quite as bad
as I had initially thought........I just called at bad moments and he didn't
want to give me details when I got home from work that night............it
was still bad, he did cry a lot but not for 3 hours straight like I had
thought. Hopefully some of these ideas will help, and things will be better
tomorrow!!!!!

laurie
mommy to Jessica, 2.5 years
and Christopher, 5 months

*This email address is now valid*

Vijay wrote in message ...
Oh and soothing music sometimes helps. Not always, but sometimes.

-V.

He's going to try that tomorrow. Thanks.

laurie
mommy to Jessica, 2.5 years
and Christopher, 5 months

*This email address is now valid*

CY wrote in message ...
Maybe he could take him out in the car - that always puts my dd to sleep...

Unfortunately our 2.5 year old is sleeping, so that's not an option. A great
idea, though!

laurie
mommy to Jessica, 2.5 years
and Christopher, 5 months

*This email address is now valid*

"Laurie" wrote in message
...
We need ideas!!!!!! As many of you know I gave up a new supervisor
position at work and cut back to 4 hour shifts as Christopher wasn't
doing
well with me being back at work. It's been 6 weeks now, he takes a
bottle
great and I had to start doing 8 hour shifts tonight. It was hell. He
cried and cried. Seems like he does ok until about 7 pm (I work 3-11pm),
then when he gets really tired he just gets so worked up. Changing my
hours
isn't an option. When I worked the 4 hour shifts, most nights went pretty
well but he was ready for me to be home when I got there at 8 pm. But
tonight was just awful, and I was miserable at work thinking about him.
My
husband tried the normal walking the house, rocking, bottle, bouncy seat,
swing, pacifier to no avail and also tried the bjorn and giving him a
bath,
neither of which helped.
Does anyone have any other ideas, or is it just going to be a matter of
time? I feel so horribly awful, and like I'm torturing my son. Bear in
mind
this is a child that rarely cries. He's sleeping peacefully in my arms at
this moment.

laurie
mommy to Jessica, 29 months
and Christopher, 5 months today!!

*This email address is now valid*