NOTE: The information contained in this section does not replace the care of a health professional. If you are in any doubt about the health or well being of your child seek professional assistance.

Maree answers your specific questions here each week. But for a general overview of her settling program from the Your Baby's Sleep section of the Huggies site, or for more detail, and a visual demonstration, It's Time To Sleep DVD&BOOK.

The Huggies Help Panel is proving to be a very popular section of the Huggies website. So much so that Maree received MORE QUESTIONS this week THAN SHE WAS ABLE TO ANSWER. We apologise if your question has not been answered this week, please try again next time, or look for the information you need in her area of the Huggies Website: Your Baby's Sleep.

________

Question: Since going on holiday she has reverted to waking at 1am

"Hi Maree! We have just taken our 3 and a half month old baby for a holiday to Australia to meet family. Since returning and while we were there, she has reverted to waking up at 1am when previously she was sleeping through the night from 7pm till 5am (approx). The last 2 nights we have 'ignored' her at this time and she has slept through but tossing and turning for the hour and waking up tired and grumpy. Will she get over this?
During the day she is having difficulty sleeping for more than one hour at each sleep. I let her try to settle herself but it works up to lots of crying and she then gets too worked up to go back to sleep. A few times I tried patting her and soothing her with my voice, but she still is not able to get back to sleep after that first hour cycle. I would like her to be able to sleep for more than the hour but am not sure how to teach her to do this!
Many thanks, Michelle. "

Maree Answers:

Hi Michelle,
Anything under one hour is considered a catnap you may not get more than an hour out of some babies You could try our settling techniques but don't make a battle out of it try to resettle for 15 mins if waking under 1 hour and if no luck get her up and try again later.

Cheers, Maree

Question: My daughter has turned off sleeping at night!

"Please help me Maree!!!
My daughter Alannah (7mths) has turned off sleeping at night!
She doesn't like taking to routines. We've been trying the feed/play/rest method since she's been 4mths old, with little success. And we're currently trying the 'it's time to sleep' method, and it'll work - for about an hour max. We're even trying baths and massage before bed, but we can't do that every night. She'll go to sleep in my arms, with a bottle, and go down at around 11pm-12am! I know that's bad, but she won't change! Our real problem at the moment, is that she makes these grumbling, almost sleep-talking noises that, if i don't go into her room and pick her up, hold her til she's asleep again, and then put her down, she'll wake up screaming! And then it's almost impossible to get her down again! We've even tried bringing her into our bed to let her fall asleep, and then put her back into her room. That used to work, but it hasn't for a couple of weeks. Now the only way to put her back to sleep is to give her some bottle. She'll toss and turn all night too. I'm getting around 4 hours broken sleep a night, so i can only imagine how much she's getting! Can you PLEASE help us Maree, we're at our wit's end!!
Shea. "

Maree Answers:

Hi Shea,
Sometimes we try so many different things and only succeed in confusing baby and mother about how and when to sleep. It would seem Alannah is in control and you may need to take back the control and try one method. The It's Time To Sleep method of controlled comforting offers a clear and repetitive message that it's time to sleep, but it takes persistence, consistency in applying the techniques to all sleeps and up to 3 weeks to work . Baby will protest the change of routine and not all parents can cope with this and understandably so.

Cheers, Maree

Question: Should we just keep taking him back to his bed?

"Hi, I have a 2 year old boy. We have recently (about 4 weeks ago) put him in a bed and the last week he has been waking up at 2.30am and coming into our room and wanting to get into our bed. Before this he slept from 7 - 7.30pm till 7 - 7.30am. When we take him back to his bed he screams and we lie in his bed for a while then once we leave he comes back again about 1/2 an hour later. Should we just keep taking him back to his bed? I am 6 months pregnant and cant keep doing this.
What should I do? Regards, Rosalie "

Maree Answers:

Hi Rosalie,
Definitely don't lay with him until he is asleep as he will wake on his light sleep and look for you and when you are not still there he can't resettle without you.
Give him some time to adjust to his new bed but get him to settle on his own initially and then just keep putting him back quickly quietly and only letting him know it's time to sleep and leave.

I hope this helps.
Cheers, Maree

Question: When can I stop worring about sids?

"Hi, When is it ok to stop worring about sids?
Thanks, Skye "

Maree Answers:

Hi,
Take a look at the SIDS website it's full of helpful information. They do say the risks are reduced at around 5 to 6 months but always make the cot up safely and practise their advice at all times.

Cheers, Maree

Question: She was a very good sleeper at night until I started working

"hi Maree
my baby is now 17ms old she was a very good sleeper at night until i started working in the evening, she stoped sleeping through and even putting her down is a mission i soon left work due to my partners work it has now been 5 months with me not working and she is still not sleeping through she eats extremely well and goes to day care 3 afternoons a week she slept through twice in the first week of her being there but now she is waking for a bottle of milk what do i do as she doesnt just wake once she wakes from 2 to 6 times and i am just a walking zombie.
please help "

Maree Answers:

Hi,
She is probably waking out of habit and if you want her to sleep through you will need to stop the bottle during the night. You also need to make sure she is going to sleep initially on her own so she is not waking looking for your comfort to return to sleep. Try our settling techniques for 6 to 12months.

Cheers, Maree

Question: How can I get him to have a set nap time during the day?

"I have a 12 week old baby and since the age of 6wks he has been sleeping right through the night from about 7.30pm/8pm until 7am the next morning which is fantastic. However he does not sleep much at all during the day and tends to get quite over tired in the late afternoon. I read somewhere that even though he is getting a lot of sleep at night he should still be having a proper nap during the day, is this right?? and do you have any suggestions how I could get him to have a set time during the day when he has a nap.
thank you
Loren :) "

Maree Answers:

Hi Loren,
That's great he's sleeping so well overnight but yes he does need to sleep during the day too.However some babies are just poor daytime sleepers.
The best thing you could do is follow a feed/play/sleep routine so you can catch his tired signs straight away and then you could try using our settling techniques to settle him, they are all hands on and no leaving baby at this age.

Cheers, Maree

Question: Is it worth trying contolled crying? How is this done?

"Hi Maree
My son is 9.2 months and he was a great sleeper up until 4 weeks agao. Im at my wits end, I have tried everything and I can't get him to go back to sleep or stay asleep in his cot. I have resorted to sleeping with him in my bed he sleep cuddled into me all night and sometimes cries if Im not touching him. I realy need a good night's sleep. Is it worth trying contolled crying? How is this done I really don't know anything about it... Any information would be a help "

Maree Answers:

Hi,
Your son has probably been experiencing 8 month separation anxiety and this will pass but in the meantime it sounds like he has picked up some sleep associations. Controlled comforting is one of the most successful ways of getting a baby to sleep through the night but it is hard to do and not for everyone. The It's Time To Sleep program can take you step by step through the settling techniques and is available to read on this website or on DVD&BOOK available from www.itstimetosleep.com.

Cheers, Maree

Question: I know I'm doing something wrong but I just can't see where?

"Hi Maree, I have 2 girls 13 months apart, I am struggling a little and have no alone time with my husband since my second one was born.

Every night Stefani 19 months falls asleep at 8pm and sleeps till 2am she then calls out mum or dad and sometimes goes straight back to sleep, other times she stays awake and asks for a bottle, and then doesn't feel like going back to sleep.

and then other is Isabel 6 months, who falls asleep at around the same time as Stefani but then wakes at 12 midnight and has a bottle and falls asleep just before she is finished, then wakes again at 2am(same thing) and then again at 4am (same thing) only sometimes she doesn't want to sleep anymore and then that's the end of my sleep for the night.

I have been saying it's OK but I think I now need help, I feel a little tired and just want them both to sleep through the night, for me to renew my batteries.
Stefani my 19month old never gave me trouble until just before the new baby was born, then she was perfect for a month exactly , and then it all fell apart.
I know I'm doing something wrong but I just can't see where? "

Maree Answers:

Hi,
You certainly have your hands full I have no doubt you are a little tired!
Firstly you will need to stop offering the bottle to Stefani when she wakes, secondly make sure you are settling her awake into her bed at night so she is falling asleep independently and not looking for your comfort when she wakes on her light sleep to return to sleep. Jealousy is most likely the cause of any recent changes so try to give her some solo time where you can.

With Isabel you might expect a baby to sleep through from 7pm to 7am without an overnight feed from about 6 months on. Again the most important thing you can do is settle her awake into her cot so she learns to sleep independently.

You say she falls asleep feeding and this is why she wakes again on her light sleep and looks for this same comfort to return to sleep, she is not waking out of hunger. Try our settling program,you could use the same settling techniques for both girls if Stefani is still in a cot.

Cheers, Maree

Question: We went overseas for Christmas, since then she is not sleeping through

"Hi Maree,
Just a little history about my daughter Sarah. When she was born she was sleeping all the way through the night. We went oversea for Christmas and since being back she is not sleeping all the way through. We were oversea for three weeks. Sarah was 9mths. I hope you can give me some suggestions to help my daughter to sleep through the night. My daughter is 16mths old now.
We have no trouble getting her to sleep but she wakes up a couple of times during the night. The 1st time she wakes up I can go to her and put her dummy into her mouth and she goes back to sleep. About 3am she will wake again and it takes two to three hours to get her back to sleep. Do you have any suggestion what I can do.
Thanks
Catherine Smith-Ellis "

Maree Answers:

Hi Catherine,
When you say she has no trouble going to sleep initially is that independently I wonder or with your comfort to fall asleep. If the latter then she will be waking looking for this same comfort to return to sleep. You might want to try our settling techniques but you need to use them for all sleeps.

Cheers, Maree

Question: Once midnight comes around she seems to wake every hour

"Hi Maree,
I have a 1month old girl who has had a funny sleeping pattern ever since she was born. I figured I would just give it a few weeks and we will get there. I can't seem to get my daughter to sleep properly during the night. She has some good sleeps during the day and at about 5-7pm she's up playing. Then she wants to be fed and will go to sleep but then once midnight comes around she seems to wake every hour to 2hours for a feed and to change her nappy. I'm lucky if I can get one 3hour sleep during the night. I've tried to keep her up longer during the day but that doesn't seem to work either. How do I get her to sleep longer during the night. Even if she's had a good feed and is tired she will still wake after an hour or 2. "

Maree Answers:

Hi,
At this age you might expect to be feeding 4 hourly and a good routine is 2,6,10,2,6,10. The best routine you can create for her is one of feed/play/sleep.
So you feed when she wakes and is due and then you play during the day and watch for tired signs and the as soon as she shows tired signs wraop her and settle her awake into the cot using our patting techniques. At night replace play with a nappy change and resettle her awake into the cot. If she is waking during the night and not due for her feed resettle again with out picking her up using the patting techniques. During the day try not to let her sleep for more than 11/2 hours. You can get details for our settling program on the website or from www.itstimetosleep.com

Cheers, Maree

Question: I have the same routine every night. How can I get him to sleep through?

"I have the same routine every night dinner,bath,top up then bed @ 7pm. But my seven month still wakes at around 10.30pm for a feed then normally once again during the night. How can i get him to sleep through?
He sleeps in a Merino go go bag & rolls straight on to his tummy to sleep.
Thanks "

Maree Answers:

Hi,
Try our settling techniques to resettle him but do be sure he is falling asleep on his own initially at night so he learns to sleep independently.

Cheers, Maree

Question: Should I try to put him back to bed at night without feeding him?

"hello,
my son is now nearly 10 months. He goes to bed around 7-8pm, after a breast feed. He falls asleep by himself for this. He nearly always wakes at least once during the night, anywhere between 1am and 4am. I breastfeed him and then put him back in the cot, awake, and he goes back to sleep, usually until around 8 or 9am. He does not sleep well during the day, lucky if it's more than 45mins - 1 hour. (1-2 sleeps during the day)

Should I be trying to put him back to bed at night without feeding him, and what tips can you suggest to do this? I have heard offering some water instead of a breastfeed might work? "

Maree Answers:

Hi,
He may be waking out of the habit of the feed so not offering the feed would be the way to go. You could certainly try offering the water instead it worked for my first child in 3 days. If not you might like to try our settling techniques if he is not going back to sleep without the feed, they offer a clear and repetitive message that it's time to sleep.

Cheers, Maree

Question: Should I be dream feeding him before I go to bed of an evening?

"Hi Maree,
Our 9 week old boy has been extending his night sleep peroids for several weeks now. He is now up to 8 hours by night which is fantastic and we are happy with, but he does this long sleep from going down after his bath (around 6pm) till 2 in morning, than adds in a shorter feed 3-4 hours after this. The extension has always been occuring towards the early hours of the morning end ie. he has been stretching from 11pm to 12pm to 1am etc. I was wondering if we leave it like this and he will eventually extend it out to a normal morning wake up time? Or should I be doing something to change his sleep pattern so his longer peroid of sleep occurs over the real night sleeping peroid eg. from 10pm-6am. If so what should I do to alter this? Should I be dream feeding him before I go to bed of an evening?
Melinda "

Maree Answers:

Hi Melinda,
I wouldn't offer a rollover feed until 6 months, if baby is not sleeping through the night by then. I would expect you might still be feeding 4 hourly say 2,6,10,2,6,10 and he is doing this at night but has now dropped the 10pm which is what you might hope he does. If you implement a feed/play/sleep routine and settle him awake into the cot you will know he is learning to sleep independently and not waking out of looking for a comfort feed. At night play should be replaced with a nappy change. I would feed at 2pm change nappy wrap him and resettle him awake. If he wakes before 6am resettle him. Try our patting techniques to resettle him.

Cheers, Maree

Question: Should I be waking him during the day so he learns the difference between night and day?

"My 8 week old premmie (corrected age 3 weeks) currently has no problem settling. I let him guide me with regards to how long he sleeps. Should I be waking him up during the day so he starts to learn the difference between night and day. Most of the time he goes 3 - 4 hourly during the day then has a feed but occasionally he has a 5 hour sleep. My Dr told me that this is not a problem in regards to his nutrition but am wondering if I am going to be setting myself up for problems further down the track ? "

Maree Answers:

Hi,
I always think a great routine is feedplay/sleep and approximately 4 hourly feeding of 2,6,10,2,6,10 works well for most people. He is still finding his way but personally I would not let him sleep 5 hours during the day if it begins to show any effects during the night at all.

Cheers, Maree

Question: We have now been home from hospital for 12 days and only had 1 full night of sleep!

"Hi Maree
I have a 6 month old who has been sleeping through the night since she was 3 months old. However, 2 weeks ago she was hopsitalised for 10 days with Bronchialitis and her feeding and sleeping routines went out the window. She had to be fed 4 hourly during the night and woken regularly for obs. We have now been home for 12 days and only had 1 full night of sleep! She wakes around 3am each night, happily chatting away in her cot, sometimes grizzly. I just put her dummy back in and she will sleep another half hour and then wake. This usually goes on until 7am. She doesn't appear hungry and I don't want to start feeding during the night. How do I get her out of the habit of waking? I know she is still recovering from the hospital routine, but do you have any suggestions to help her sleep better? (and me!!!)
Thankyou
chantelle "

Maree Answers:

Hi Chantelle,
How easily new habits are created when baby has been ill and understandably so.
Try to go back to whatever routine you were doing before she was hospitalised and try to resettle her as best you can without feeding as this too could become a habit. I wouldn't recommend controlled comforting techniques at this stage of her recovery.

Cheers, Maree

Question: title

"Hi there I have 5 week old baby an am struggling with settling him to sleep its always a mission, he just crys an crys but doesnt cry himself to sleep i go in reasure him that im still here he calms falls to sleep but as soon as i leave he awakes, so i have started to use a dummy is that a good or bad thing to do it still takes me about 4, 5 attempts with the dummy to put him to sleep though, as when it falls out he crys what advise do you have for me to help me with this thank you very much. "

Maree Answers:

Hi,
I would highly recommend you implement a feed/play/sleep routine, this way you will be able to recognise his tired signs and act on them. Try following our settling program it will take you step by step through the techniques, they are all hands on and no leaving baby at this age. The dummy is a personal choice and can be a life saver sometimes, try not to rely on it all the time though.

Cheers, Maree

Question: Nothing I do will settle him and I think by now he's overtired

"hi Maree,
We have a 14 day old son who until the past two days has been good with feeding, nappy change etc. and putting himself to sleep, however the last two days have been like a living nightmare as he is really unsettled and constantly grizzly - I check his nappy and feed and still give him cuddle time but especially today he has only had one sleep of 1/2 hour and nothing I do will settle him and think by now hes overtired, I thought he had wind but he has been farting like no end and as my hubby has to work and has been up two nights with us - if you could help out I would be really grateful thanks
Leonie "

Maree Answers:

Hi Leonie,
The best routine you can have for baby is feed/play/sleep so you can recognise tired signs and settle him straight away awake into the cot.
Try following our settling program the techniques are all hands on and no leaving baby at all at this age.

Cheers, Maree

Question: He's getting close to six months, do I continue with the 0-6 month technique?

"Hi Maree
My son is 5 months old and I have used you settling technique (0-6 months) ever since he was 6 weeks old. It has been invaluable for our family, and in turn, I've got myself a great little sleeper. Most of the time now, he will go down for his naps without me having to pat him, but occassionally, if he's overtired etc, I may have to pat for a couple of minutes. My question is, seen as he's getting close to six months of age, do I continue with the 0-6 month technique, seen as it has worked so well, or do I switch to the 6-12 months routine once he is 6 months? "

Maree Answers:

Hi,
If he does need help in settling for just a few minutes no need to change what you are doing but if you find he is starting to not respond to the techniques then move up to the 6 to 12 month techniques.

Cheers, Maree

Question: Should I be trying harder for longer day sleeps?

"Hi Maree.
My son Koston is 3months old, he sleeps from 7.30pm with a wake up at 1.40am or 3.30am for 15mins then straight back to sleep and wont wake again till 7-7.30am will be awake for 3 hours and will demand a feed then will sleep again if im lucky for another hour.... through the day he will only have cat naps up to 45mins 2x is this okay length of sleep time through the day or should i be trying harder for longer day sleeps??

thanks
Karen "

Maree Answers:

Hi Karen,
Some babies are just poor daytime sleepers and anything under one hour is considered a catnap. You could try using our settling techniques but don't make a battle out of it, only try resettling for 15 mins and if no luck get him up and try again later. The best thing you can do is make sure he is settled awake into his cot for all sleeps. He is sleeping well overnight and this is good.

Cheers, Maree

Question: Today's nap took 30 times putting him back in bed within 25 minutes!

"Hi Maree,
I have a 21 month old son and have just taken the side of his cot off yesterday in preparation for putting it away for my baby on the way. Yesterdays nap took 1 hour of constantly putting him back to bed, last night about 15 times put back into bed, and todays nap took 30 times putting back in bed in 25 minutes to get him to sleep. Please tell me that by just putting him straight back to bed he'll get the message soon that when i put him in bed he has to stay there!!!!
Thanks, Robyn "

Maree Answers:

Hi Robyn,
Babies and toddlers learn from repetition and yes if you can persist with just putting him straight back quickly and quietly and just let him know it's time to sleep and leave he will eventually learn.

Cheers, Maree

Question: The problem is she won't self settle

"Hi Maree. I have a four month old with reflux. She has slept all night from eight weeks and only cat naps during the day. The problem is she wont self settle. I have tried controlled crying but she screams so much and gets herself into such a state that there is no chance of sleeping. I'm not sure whether to let her keep crying or whether she is in pain due to the reflux. Help! Thanks Wendy "

Maree Answers:

Hi Wendy,
The best way to tell if baby is in pain is if she cries in the cot but stops when you pick her up you can be fairly sure it is not pain but looking for your comfort to sleep. Talk to your doctor about easing her pain from reflux. Try to follow a feed/play/sleep routine so she is feeding earlier then you play and watch for tired signs and then when she shows these signs settle her straight away into the cot using our patting techniques, they are all hands on and no leaving baby at this age.

Cheers, Maree

Question: It takes literally 1min to settle each time, but it is still waking up for me!

"Hi Maree! I have a 7 month old who is a little charmer, problem is I think I have been a bit too soft... at the 'before bed' feed I let bubba fall asleep and then put into bed. I then pick up for a dreamfeed before I go to bed - which is fine, no problems bubs dosent really wake just eats and sleeps again. Only thing is, come around 3-4am bub stirrs for the dummy (sleeps with dummy through the day). I put it in and bub dosent wake at all, straight back to sleep. This then happens approx each hour before getting up 6.30-7am. It takes literally 1min each time - but it is still waking up for me!! Is this because I put bub into bed already asleep?? Bub usually flicks eyes open when put down, but goes straight back to sleep. Any ideas? Just got 3rd & 4th teeth, could this be contributing? Any advice appreciated! "

Maree Answers:

Hi,
When a baby falls asleep in one place and is transfered to another they wake on their light sleep ( as we all do) and needs your presence to fall asleep again.
Try settling her awake into her cot intially if you want to make a change, it can be tough going for a week or so but so is getting up all through the night.

Cheers, Maree

Question: He is more frequently becoming unsettled during the night

"Maree, my son 21month old son, Christopher is more frequently becoming unsettled during the night. He has a strict routine during the day which, involves a two hour sleep 12:30 - 2:30pm. He has bath at 7:50pm then quiet time (story) and is put to bed awake. We are at a loss of what to do because he used to sleep through, now he is up several times during the night. We sit with him till he settles them put him back in his cot asleep. We try to rule out thirst, dirty nappy, temperature, etc....
We are feeling a little tired these day so I hope that this question makes sense to you...Please, are you able to help us?
Jocelyn "

Maree Answers:

Hi Jocelyn,
The problem will be sitting with him until he goes back to sleep and transfering him back into the cot. You will need to keep putting him back quickly and quietly just letting him know it's time to sleep and leave (over and over again).

Cheers, Maree

Question: He gets really distressed when he wakes up

"Hi Maree,
My son is 13 months old, he has mild obstructive sleep apnea (for which he has just recently had his tonsils and adenoids removed) and he also wears a brace on his feet for clubfoot. He was generally a good sleeper as a newborn but once he hit the age of six months he wasnt sleeping through the night. At the moment he sometimes wakes up up to 8 times a night. Sometimes we have half decent nights where he only wakes up twice for a bottle, and then we have the bad nights. I cant help but think there is a reason for his waking up because he gets really distressed when he wakes up and it is sometimes very hard to calm him down. Do you have any suggestions or can you think of any reason why he wouldn't be sleeping all that well?
Thanks, Tara. "

Maree Answers:

Hi Tara,
Please write back and tell me what the nightly routine is and how you get him to sleep initially and how you resettle him when he is waking. Let me know.

Cheers, Maree

Question: How can I stop the 3am and 5am feeds? Especially the 3am feed which seems to be comfort sucking.

"Hi Maree,
My son is 10 months old and hasn't slept through since he was 3 months old. He wakes 3 times a night roughly every three hours (11 - 12 ish, 2 - 3 ish and 5 - 6 ish) and wants a feed each time (he's till breast fed, won't take from the bottle ever since we ried him on formula and it made him chuck copiously). He wakes properly between 7 and 8 am and I give him breakfast (toast with either fruit, fruity cereal or fruity yoghurt and water from a cup) about half an hour after he wakes. Then he gets breast fed between 9 and 10 and goes straight to sleep for about an hour. We have a big lunch around midday and boob again around 3 before an afternoon sleep (usually only about half an hour). We eat dinner between five and six and start getting ready for bed between 6 and 7 with another boob feed just before we go to bed around 7 - 7:30.

I don't mind the 11-12 feed at night but how can I stop the 3am and 5am feeds? Especially the 3am feed where he mostly seems to be comfort sucking.

We tried different methods of comforting him but each time he either yelled for two hours straight before I gave up and got the boob out or he stopped yelling while my hand was rubbing his back but started again every time I tried to take my hand away. Although he usually has a feed straight before i put him to bed, he's usually awake when I put him down. I tried feeding him an hour before his sleeps and he would still go down for his night time sleep without problem but refused to take his morning or afternoon naps and still expexted to be fed three times during the night. I am sooooo tired after all these months. How can I drop the 3AM and 5AM feeds without distressing him too much? HELP ME!!! "

Maree Answers:

Hi,
You won't do this without stressing him because he totally relies on this comfort as his sleep association. He should be able to go 7pm to 7am without an overnight feed but he wakes on his light sleep (as we all do) and looks for your comfort to resettle. The only way you can stop this is not to offer the feed. But you would also need to change the way he settles to sleep during the day otherwise you will send mixed messages and make it even more difficult during the night. Controlled comforting is hard and not for everyone, all babies protest the change and some parents just can't follow through and understandably.

I think the important thing here is that you fully understand why he is waking so frequently so you can eventually decide if you want to make changes or not.

Best wishes.
Maree

Question: I have tried settling her and using your 15min method

"Hi Maree
My daughter Charlotte nearly 5 months is only having two or three 30min to 1hr sleeps a day. I have tried settling her and using your 15min method, but once she is awake thats is there's no going back to sleep. Yet at night she is only waking once. She has had bad wind but that is now under control. Is it possible that that is the only sleep she needs during the day?
Frustrated mum! "

Maree Answers:

Hi,
Some babies are just poor daytime sleeprs and don't make a battle out of it.
Do watch for tired signs and try to settle her straight away and awake into her cot so she is learning to sleep independently.

Cheers, Maree

Question: When we put him in his bassinet he only had 2 hours sleep

"Our baby is only 1 week old and he doesn't like his bassinet and only sleeps at night if we put him in our bed. he sleeps all night in our bed from about 12pm till 9am and only wakes up once to be feed. When we put him in his bassinet he only had 2 hours sleep, he just wanted to feed all night. please help because i dont want to be sleeping with him in 3 years.
thanks April. "

Maree Answers:

Hi April,
The best advise I can give you is to follow a feed/play/sleep routine and settle him awake into the basinette using our hands on patting techniques. You will only benefit from teaching him to sleep independently at an early age. You can get details from the website or from www.itstimetosleep.com
Best of luck!

Cheers, Maree

Question: He wakes at 3am and does not go back to sleep until we rock him

"Hi Maree
My son is 8months old and we are having trouble getting him to sleep though the night. he goes to bed about 8pm and wakes up for his bottle.Then he goes back to sleep. He wakes at 3am and does no go back to sleep untail we rock him or put him in our bed so we can get some more sleep.He is our second child. Please help.
Thanks. "

Maree Answers:

Hi,
It seems this has become his sleep association and he will also be going through 8 month separation anxiety at present which won't be helping.
If you want to make changes you will need to stop offering the bottle. You may want to try following our 'It's Time to Sleep' settling program, it will take you step by step through the techniques.

Cheers, Maree

Question: My 11month old was just diagnosed with epilepsy, with her seizures usually occurring at night

"Hi Maree,
My 11month old was just diagnosed with epilepsy, she's been having seizures for about two months usually occurring at night. Since these started it has become increasingly difficult to get her to sleep and she refuses to go to sleep in her cot at all, the only way we can get her in her cot to sleep is to cuddle her in our bed until she falls asleep then move her. I hate having to do this and want it to go back to the way it used to be because she used to settle herself really well in bed.
I sit there patting her for hours and it just doesn't work. I think she's scared of going to sleep in her cot. How can I fix this? It's driving us crazy!
Thanks heaps,
Brioney. "

Maree Answers:

Hi Brioney,
What a difficult time for you all, I certainly wouldn't recommend you use controlled comforting techniques in your case. I think you need to do what is least stressful for your daughter, unfortunately this may not mean you can go back to old ways. Have a talk to your GP about it and ask him for his recommedations. Best wishes to you and the family.

Cheers, Maree

Question: My baby settles himself during the day, but wakes all night

"What techniques do you recommend using for a 4mth old baby who settles himself to sleep during the day (by thumb sucking) but wakes 5-6 times for a feed through the evening? "

Maree Answers:

Hi,
Try our newborn to 6 months techniques you can get details from the website or from www.itstimetosleep.com

Cheers, Maree