Question by Feed the models!: Why does my baby have problems sleeping? She always looks so tired!…?
She’s 10 months old and I can’t figure out a way to make her go to bed at the same time every night. Some days she’ll go to bed at 7:30 pm, and wake up at 8 am. Some days she’ll go to bed at 8:30, and wake up at 7 am! … Not to mention that lately she’s waking up around 3 am, crying and standing up in her crib, and the only way she’ll go back to sleep is if I hold her in my arms and sway her for about 5 min., then turn on her “aquarium” and tuck her in.
And then she’ll be tired and cranky the next day…
Also, she had been taking 2 naps till she was like 9 1/2 months old, then she started to skip the morning nap and now… she’s taking a morning nap! (???)
I don’t know if all this is normal…
Please help me understand my little girl! 
Thank you very much!
Best answer:
Answer by Cherry Pop Tart
As she gets older, she’ll have more energy! About the being tired thing.. does she look tired of just act tired?
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
Do you change her diaper immediately before putting her to bed?
Does she have a pacifier? Does she lose it in the night?
We only have to find her pacifier and get it back into her mouth to keep her from crying in the night….
The diaper issue is pretty standard.
I feel your pain!!!! My 10 month old son has unusual sleep habits too. He wouldn’t go to sleep by himself for the longest time. By the time he was 8 months old I couldn’t take it anymore… so I put him in his crib and let him cry it out. I hated it and I felt absolutely terrible, but it did work. Now… all I have to do is put him in his crib and he’ll settle himself down and go to sleep. The only way this will work though, is if you have the strength to listen to her scream until she goes to sleep… if you give up a half hour later and pick her up, you’re only reinforcing bad habits. For getting her to bed every night at the same time, try a routine. Such as… give her a bath, then read her a story, then cuddle and rock her while giving her a bottle with a favorite blanket… babies learn these things and as soon as you start giving her the bath she’ll soon realize that.. hey.. it’s almost sleep time. If she doesn’t get on a schedule, don’t worry.. she’s not weird… she’s just growing and has to figure out her own routine.
My son was addicted to the Ocean Wonders Swing and loved to fall asleep in it at night. However, when he outgrew it, getting him to fall asleep was a nightmare. We finally discovered that he would fall asleep if we had music playing in his room. He’s 2 now and still has to fall asleep with the radio on.
Is she hungry, ill, or otherwise uncomfortable? During the first months of life a baby’s sleeping patterns undergo considerable change, and she’s probably adjusting to a more regular sleeping pattern. If it really becomes a concern, I would recommend asking a doctor or nurse or child care professional about this.
I read all the answers and I feel they are all good but I don’t really agree with the” let them cry “suggestion because of the age and for only that reason. I think that is better for older kids. You want your baby to have a safe feeling when falling asleep. In general the books I have read say that some will sleep all the time and some only 5hr. a day, and I know that some babies don’t like to be interrupted and wake easily so if she is in your room it might be time to take her out. As for the 7:30, 8:30 thing I think that is really good it is only about an hour I would worry when it was more inconsistent. So to wrap it up I would try some skin to skin contact with her she may be needing some” Mommy time” and for my boys it works great when they get upset in the middle of the night. I just slip off my shirt and undress them and it is very comforting to them. My 3mon old calms right down. Good Luck!
You are the parent. YOU must be the strong one and solve this problem. She is tired because she is up in the night and you encourage it by responding to her and rewarding her for being up in the night. YOU choose the bedtime. Keep it consistent. Leave the room, close the door, and DON’T GO BACK TILL MORNING. She will have to cry it out for a while, maybe a week, but once she breaks that habit, with your help, of waking in the night for attention, she will have a good night’s sleep under her belt and you can then work on figuring out her daytime sleep needs. It’s pointless to worry about the naps when she’s not even sleeping all night.