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Hi Jean-Benoit!
It’s great you have been able to work with your baby’s pediatrician to identify the milk intolerance, and you have the support to work through any other concerns with your little one’s health. Did your baby’s pediatrician say how long it should take before you see some changes in your baby’s discomfort due to the milk intolerance? I am not an expert on this topic, but I have worked with other parents whose babies have had milk intolerances and were told that it could take up to 2 weeks after starting the formula to see some improvements. If this isn’t something you have discussed with the pediatrician, then it might be helpful to know, particularly if your baby’s restlessness/difficulty sleeping might be due to pain (due to the milk intolerance), and this should resolve soon.
In regards to your question, is it too late? It’s never too late to implement these practices. It’s great to hear you already have a good environment and a bedtime routine.
I just have a few questions.
1. How does your little one sleep during the day? E.g., how long does she nap for, where does she sleep, what is she wearing and how does she fall asleep)?
2. When she wakes every 20 – 45 minutes during the night is this at the beginning of the night, in the second half of the night or the early morning hours or all through the night?
If it is at the beginning of the night, is there a time that she tends to settle into a deeper sleep? If you’re not sure about this, consider writing down the time she settles into a deeper sleep for the next few nights. If you find it is the same time, for example at around 10 pm she falls into a deeper sleep, then her bedtime might be 10 pm at this point and the constant wakes at the beginning of the night is because she isn’t truly tired. Shifting her bedtime to a later time might resolve these short naps at the start of the night.
3. Are you having to hold her in your arms all night or are there times when you can place her in the crib?
In regards to what you can do in the now all the strategies in the course will help you get longer stretches of sleep in the crib, but here are the main things I recommend you try. Remember that these strategies take time, so if they don’t work the first, second, or third time, please persist.
1. Apply the settling pyramid for naps and bedtime (if you don’t have the energy – as I know you would both be exhausted – just attempt the morning nap. Babies tend to find it easier to fall asleep for their first nap. This strategy allows her to lay in the crib and potentially fall asleep in the crib rather than in your arms.
2. Consider trying other swaddles. Babies are sometimes pros at escaping one brand of swaddle but not others. Have you tried other swaddles with your baby’s arms down by her side? In particular, have you tried the HALO SleepSack Swaddle?
3. When your little one initially stirs, remember to pause. Listen to her callouts and watch her movements. If the calling out becomes persistent and there are no pauses, then it is likely she is awake. If there are pauses between the callouts and they stay the volume, give her some time, as she might be in active sleep or passing between sleep cycles and might return to sleep.
4. When she wakes during the night for a feed, keep the lights low (use red light if possible) and keep distractions to a minimum. Follow the unwrap (if using a swaddle), feed, change the diaper and re-swaddle (if needed), feed, and then sleep routine.
5. Have a set morning wake-up time. This will help reset her circadian rhythm each morning and should encourage a regular bedtime and more sleep during the night.
I hope this helps!
Emma