Advice please 🙏 baby gets quite aggressive when fighting sleep and i don't know how to help

I would try and find the cause of why she is fighting her sleep first. I.E. wake windows, optimal sleep environment, consistent routine before naps / bedtime etc

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I'm sorry, but she is not going to understand any of what you are trying to teach her at 7 months old. It sounds like it's more of a problem for you, rather than anything she is doing wrong.

@Abigail i have no idea, she would only sleep in the car of i let her ask she wants to do is be awake. She's definitely tired, we follow the same routines every bed time. We don't so much have a nap routine because of how varied the time to get her down is on a good day i might be able to in 10 mins but I've also spent up to 1.5 hours trying to get her to settle to sleep as well as her naps caring for 30min most times to up to 2hours if we're on the car or she's really knackered. Up until a couple of weeks ago naps were always hard but bedtime worked. Nothing has changed in routine or environment but she's just started fighting it differently and fighting me in the process 😩

I know she's not going to understand it right now I've said that in the post but that's the general advice online when you google this issue and i thought I'd include it before getting that advice here because I know it doesn't work now but also what else am I supposed to do? But yes it is a problem for me because I can't just let her grab my eye ball so hard that my vision is blurred after the fact and don't want it to be an ignored and then become a normal every day behaviour until she does understand the words but doesn't understand why something she's done since 6 months old is no longer OK

Does she fall asleep in the pram? Or in a carrier strapped to you? How many naps is she having a day? Is she bf only or combi? Have you been weaning her too? The grabbing does she have a comforter or teething toy she could hold instead of your face?

@Megan no unfortunately the only place i can get her to sleep except my arms is the car but she'll wake up the second I lift the capsule out to bring her inside 😅🤦🏼‍♀️ Currently napping twice a day sometimes three if they're just short 30 minute naps but most times I have to fight for my life to even get the 2 without going for a drive and most days at least one nap is going for a drive to get her down after over an hour of trying to settle. She's breast fed and we've been doing mostly purees in terms of weaning, I try feed her from my plate too but she mostly sucks on it and then puts it down and doesn't actually eat any. I keep trying to hold her hand, pass her teethers, teddies, blankies, anything soft. She just drops it and goes for my face 😔

Id try sneakily transferring her to pram or somewhere else after 15 mins or more and patting or rocking while wrapped in a blanket so she doesn't notice the temperature change 🤞 does she have a dummy? The weaning could also be interfering with her sleep but anything she wants to try is all good. She might like to chew on cucumber when her teeth hurt as it's cold and mushy. I know you get teething necklaces maybe she like to grab at that instead 😔🤔

https://huckleberrycare.com/blog/7-month-old-sleep-schedule-and-development This might have something else helpful you haven't tried too 🤞😊 I've used the app for ages

@Megan thankfully yes, her dummy is an absolute lifesaver for us 😅 i might have to try bring the pram, hopefully if i get her already part settled and wrap her up warm she might sleep with the movement 🤞 I've thought that too, her first rough night was the day we tried eggs but its continued on now and there doesn't seem to be much correlation in food vs sleep but might just be her little digestive system getting used to working harder I actually never thought of that, which is mad since I've had to start removing my necklace that I usually never take off our of fear of her breaking it 😅🙈 Thank you so much for your suggestions

@Abigail this! We were the sleep in the end I just paid monthly for a sleep training app and she’s been a lot better

Sorry if you’re repeating yourself but did you say she has two naps a day? For about 30 mins each? X

@Karan yes 😔 if we go in the car I can stretch up to a 2 hour nap if I need to do a decent drive somewhere but she hits the 30-40 minute make and wakes up and I cannot for the life of me get her back to sleep. She sleeps 10-12 hours at night once she's asleep and if I can contact nap she'll sleep 2 hours but if I put her down its very rare she goes more than 40 mins and I need to be able to put her down because I need to find a way to get things done too 😔 It's not that I'm not trying to get her to but some days I can spend 1.5 hours per nap just trying to get her to go to sleep even though she's due for the nap and anywhere from starting to show signs to outright over tired. But she will get the stage of overtired where she's screaming so loud I'm scared someone's going to knock on my door thinking something is wrong before she will sleep for a nap at least a couple of times a week. I feel like such a shit mum that I can't seem to get this right 😔

@Heather id really like to but I really can't afford it right now. I'm already taking money from family just to be able to cover groceries some weeks 😳 😩

Hey I just wanted to say you doing a good job! Being a mum is so hard and challenging every day and this must be proper tough on you! If you need to talk or bounce ideas please feel free to message me ☺️ we need to be there for each other on the hardest days x

have you ever thought of cosleeping with her? I usually lay down with my baby in my arms while she breastfeeds to sleep

You are not a shit mum, it is hard, the night sleep is really good. My LO sleeps a lot at night too and doesn’t sleep that much through the day, she was the same would scream if I tried to get her to sleep. I got her a playpen which she loves just entertaining herself with toys and only just bought a walker (she’s nearly 10 months). And she falls asleep when she’s tired. I know it is hard, but you are doing amazing and you are her world x

It’s a shame they aren’t free, I wish they were 😭

@Felicia she sleeps really well in her own space, it's just trying to get her to sleep. I always do the night feed and settle in my bed but normal more sat back against the wall than laying down. If I lie down she wants to try climb, play and roll all over me ahaha

@Domi thank you, honestly I needed to hear that today. I really appreciate that and may take you up on it soon x

@Karan honestly I don't know what I'd do without her good night sleep. I'm trying to run around and get everything done once she's asleep currently because I never get chance during the day. I'm really looking forward to when she gets the hang of moving a bit more and can play independently, she's trying to learn to crawl but just pushes backwards instead, then gets stuck in the corner and screams to be sat back up or moved so can only get about 5-10 mins of her in the playpen before she's losing it every 2 mins 😅 I'm glad that you guys have managed to get something going that works for you and hope our situation follows soon . Thank you for your suggestions x

@Heather i know right! Solid starts and huckleberry sleep could be my life savers but I just can't cover it but I get everyone needs to make their money 😅😭

Aaww bless her, I remember when my girl crawled backwards 😂 from that point they develop so quick. You’re doing a great job and just remember this is a phase and it will pass x x