My daughter is resisting going to sleep during the day by screaming/throwing tantrums. Her eating has been erratic since chickenpox 4 weeks ago, and she seems to refuse/only have small amounts of food that I feed her off a spoon. She therefore eats mainly finger food, but only eats ‘well’ at one of her daily meals. I really want to know if she has got into a bad habit of waking up and only being soothed by milk, or if she is genuinely hungry and so I need to try and get her to eat more/be more structured during the day.
“My 13 month old daughter had always been a good sleeper – until a series of illnesses resulted in a pattern of nightly waking and screaming, which seemed to be only resolved by giving her a bottle of milk. And after 6 weeks it seemed to be getting even worse, as she began to refuse to sleep in her cot during the day. Being 7 months pregnant and with my husband spending more time abroad than at home, I decided I had no time to lose but to get some immediate, professional advice to break the cycle; and boy am I glad I did!
Mel, was just wonderful. She listened carefully to exactly what had been going on and gave me a clear path to follow based on my own situation. She explained the reasoning behind all her suggestions, and gave so much more advice than simply a one-stop ‘sleep solution’, such as lots of tips on food to give her / avoid, and how best to handle mealtimes. It was basically like speaking to a good friend about it all, but who just happens to be an expert in children and sleep!
Within 2 nights, my daughter was sleeping through the night again, happily going to her cot for daytime naps and was eating properly at mealtimes. I have no doubt that not only did the advice work, but that the confidence it immediately gave me by having a clear direction was also picked up on by my daughter; as she said; “she knew you meant business!”. I am just so glad that I contacted Mel from Sleep Nannies when I did, rather than try and muddle through on my own getting even more exhausted and stressed – I cannot recommend them enough. Thank you !” (Sue from London)