Reply To: Help with pyramid for 2 month old

[Emma H]

Hi Joyce,

I’m really sorry to hear it’s been such a roller coaster for you lately—it sounds like you’ve had a lot on your plate.

Daycare illnesses are no joke (those daycare germs seem to hit the whole family, don’t they?).

It’s really common for little ones to bring home every bug in the beginning, but the good news is that as her immune system builds, these illnesses should become less frequent over time.

Unfortunately, these constant illnesses can definitely impact sleep. But the fact that she’s still able to self-settle for naps is a huge positive—it shows that she still has the skills, even if bedtime feels tricky right now. One night of being held while sick wouldn’t undo all the progress you’ve made.

Possible Reasons for Her Bedtime Resistance & Night Wakings

1. She’s Sick or Getting Sick
   Often, sleep challenges are one of the first signs that little ones might be coming down with something. You might notice a rough night or sudden bedtime resistance, and then a day or two later, the cough, runny nose, or fever shows up. Even minor discomfort at bedtime can feel overwhelming for them, leading to more protesting.

   Since you mentioned that one night, in particular, was especially challenging, my instinct is that she was probably feeling unwell or teething, even if it wasn’t obvious at the time. I know you mentioned she settled and fell asleep as soon as you picked her up that night, which made you wonder if discomfort was really the cause. But something to consider is—were you holding her upright or lying her down? If you were holding her upright, that position might have relieved some discomfort she was feeling.

   It might be helpful to track her difficult nights to see if a pattern emerges—does she start showing signs of illness a day or two after a particularly rough night?

   Also, on those especially hard nights, it could be worth checking with her doctor about safe pain relief options, in case discomfort is making it hard for her to settle.

2. She’s overtired

Since bedtime initially became easier after starting daycare, I’m less inclined to think overtiredness is the main cause at the moment. However, if she isn’t sick and this bedtime resistance continues for two weeks or more, overtiredness could definitely be contributing—especially since she’s now napping 2 hours less during the day at daycare.

When babies don’t get enough daytime sleep, it can lead to increased resistance at bedtime and more frequent night wakings.

To get a clearer picture, could you share what her current daytime routine looks like? Specifically:

• What time does she wake for the day? (I assume it’s still around 7:00–7:30 am?)
• When are her naps, and how long are they?
• What time is bedtime? (Is it still around 8:30 pm?)
• What time she fall asleep (so has her first long stretch of sleep overnight)

This will help me figure out if overtiredness might be playing a role and how we can adjust things to make bedtime easier. 😊

Thanks,
Emma