For a few nights in a row Annabel ate at midnight, four am, and eight am. Mike and I were excited because four hour stretches? AWESOME. But we were cautious because we know that these darn babies love to give their parents a glimpse of restful nights before they yank the rug out from under them.
Well, the rug? It has been yanked, people!
She will still sleep for four hour stretches, but she just will NOT go down at night. I am up until wee hours with her, staring into her wiiiiide open eyes. Here is a dramatic re-enactment:
Most nights you will find me singing her the Go To Bed Song. It goes something like this:
Oh, little baaaybeeee,
Mommy’s going craaaaaazeee,
Go to bed! Go to bed!
OH MY GOD! GO TO BED!
It’s a very soothing lullaby.
It’s not that she’s crying, or unhappy, or hungry, or dirty, or any other problem I can fix. She’s started to realize that the squeaks and yelps she hears are coming from her own mouth, and she LOVES to lay in bed and make all these fun new noises. For HOURS. At TWO AM. And oh man, the noises really are so cute, but I have a feeling they’d be even cuter at two PM. But I wouldn’t know, because she is always sleeping at two pm!
I know Maddie had this problem, where she confused days and nights. But I cannot, for the life of me, remember what (if anything) we did to correct the problem. Other than sing the Go To Bed Song.
Karyn says:
good thing she’s so pretty! also, your go to bed is HILARIOUS!
habanerogal says:
So not fun to be up in the middle of the night but at least this week anyway I’m being paid to be up all night. Love those vocalizations that they do makes it hard to be upset when they are having so much fun !
.-= habanerogal´s last blog ..January grins at the Cheshire Cheese =-.
InDueTime says:
Lol. Luckily she’s a cutie pie… I’ll come over and play with her at 2 am so you can get some sleep. lol
.-= InDueTime´s last blog ..Typical + A Favor or Two =-.
Kate @ UpsideBackwards says:
Ooooh best of luck! We moved country with a wee baby once, she had just sorted day and night before we went, then she got jet-lag. It was *awful*. Love the lullaby, I think I’ve sung versions of that myself every so often
.-= Kate @ UpsideBackwards´s last blog ..Chef in the making =-.
Kerri says:
Wow, she reminds me so much of Maddie in that picture. Hope sleep comes soon, for all of you!
.-= Kerri´s last blog ..lost in translation =-.
Krissa says:
Ouch! That’s rough. Sleep deprivation is so much fun! .. Love the pic!
Cindy says:
Good golly, she’s a delicious little thing!!
Cindy in Canada
Suzy says:
Long time lurker, first time commenter..
Try giving Annie her day sleeps in a sunny room and her night sleeps in a dark one. Helps to reset their circadian rhythms.
Good luck!!
Amy says:
And if she is not fussing or crying put her to bed! Wear ear plugs if she is in your room. If she cries you will hear her!
J. says:
At least shes making happy noises! Mine just cried at night — for hours!!!!! — during the day/night transition. I have no ideas for easing it. We just suffered through it!
.-= J.´s last blog ..Sexy Slippers and the Pipsqueak Birded =-.
Barbara Howard says:
I’m now a grammy, and sooo happy to be so! I remember three babies of mine who did the day/night reversal thing, and how rough it was. Time has softened the memory, though, and given me a bit of perspective on how brief that period was…but at the time I wondered if I’d live through it, much less ever catch up! (I have. They all moved!)
Annabel is precious!
Lynn from For Love or Funny says:
I’ve discovered that teenagers also confuse day and night!
.-= Lynn from For Love or Funny´s last blog ..A peek inside the teenager’s mind =-.
huv says:
One thing you can do is take her out in sunlight early in the day. It should help signal her not-yet-organized body clock when its day vs night.
Julie says:
Luv the go to bed song Too bad u live on the other side of the country…..I can’t sleep these days and would rather be up with a cute baby then have stress about my separation and teenage boys who don’t turn in homework they actually did.
amanda says:
I came up with a children’s album-worth of songs during those glorious middle of the night hours. The reason you can’t remember is because you’re so crazy for sleep at that time you’re lucky if you remember your own name!
.-= amanda´s last blog ..croup is poop. =-.
Sue says:
Your song should surely make it to the top of the charts, Heather!!LOL Sleep deprivation can be soooooo bad, but just looking at how adorable Annie is,,,,,,,,well,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I guess she’s cute enough to be running the show!
annie says:
Love the lullaby! Maybe it’s time to put her in a different room and let her make noises all alone if she’s just awake and not crying. Boredome will eventually set in and she will crash! Good luck, heh heh.
Tracey says:
That’s what I did with my kids and it worked really well. I fell asleep listening to them chatter away. That was MY lullaby
dawn says:
Yeah – if she’s happy – let her be happy in a different room. And shut the monitor off – you know she will let you know if she needs you.
Bridget says:
This is also the time I moved my babe into his own room, when all those throat noises kicked in. He did wonderfully hanging in his crib whether asleep or awake and I slept like a log (between feedings). I can’t remember the middle of the night lullabyes, but I remember the one-woman parade I did around the room the first morning I looked at the clock and realized he made it from 11pm to 5:30 am. Sleeping through the night may be just around the corner… Hang in there o-sleep-deprived-one!
Jenn says:
I too agree with all above. I did the same with my youngest. She went into her own room around 4months old. She would just sit and jabber away and then eventually fall back asleep.
Good luck!!
She is just cute as a button!! Love the wide-eyed expression!!
.-= Jenn´s last blog ..Fuzzy reality =-.
Anne (MN) says:
Many people suggested that we move our kids to their own rooms around this age too. I, however, was not ready to make that move. I felt it was too soon and I wasn’t ready to give it up yet. We have 3 children and all of them slept with us for the first year….actually, our youngest who is 14 months is still in our room!! All 3 of them went through getting their days and nights mixed up and although it wasn’t that long ago, it escapes me as to how we corrected it. Honestly, I don’t think we did a darn thing. Everyone we talked to had suggestions, but nothing seemed like it would work. I just kept an open mind and told myself, between Go To Bed songs of my own, that “this too shall pass” which is something my Grandma always said to me. Once I reminded myself it wouldn’t be forever, and once it’s gone I would miss it, I actually started to enjoy the quiet time with them…even though I am a stay at home mom so I have all the time in the world with them…it still helped me relax and just go with it. Best of luck to you, dear Heather!! This too shall pass.
cj says:
you are toooo funny! your beautiful Annie is so sweet–even when doing the “i’m wiiiiide awake” face!
Kristen McD says:
No idea. lol. But goll, look at that face!!
Andria says:
You are scaring me. I keep forgetting what I am in for any-day-now. AHH!
.-= Andria´s last blog ..Thirty Six Weeks =-.
Sarah P says:
Despite the lack of sleep … it’s so cute she’s so excited to hear her own little noises! Sweet little baby.
.-= Sarah P´s last blog ..My mother: Decoded, and other fun facts =-.
Mary Ann says:
I think you should record that song for babies everywhere. My mother still tells me to this day how I had my days and nights mixed up as a baby. By the way did you know that highly intelligent people often had trouble mixing up their days and nights – I know from experince it is a fact! If you have to be up at that time there could be a lot worst things to be watching than that adorable face.
charlane says:
UGH Keelyn was like that too. I don’t think that anything i did helped. She just grew out of it a few months later. I was put on bed rest during my pregnancy so I ate up most of my maternity leave before she was even born. I had to return to work when she was only 6 weeks old so it was a rough few months for everyone. Good Luck getting some sleep!
.-= charlane´s last blog ..Proof Of Cake =-.
Nellie says:
Ahh, I remember those nights! I was told that if you wake them earlier than they’d like during the day, they’ll sleep longer at night. I guess keeping her more stimulated/awake during the day will get her pooped that she’ll want to go to sleep at night and for longer intervals.
She’s such a cutie-patootie and I love that go to bed song – so awesome! You had me bopping my head!
Hugs and Kisses and Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Janeen says:
Maybe 8 (ish?) week growth spurt? I remember the day/night confusion more like weeks 1-3.
I just had to keep repeating to myself “I have nowhere else to be tomorrow morning, I have nothing else I have to get done too early.” (After a while I convinced myself of this, but it was PAINFUL at about 10pm when I dreaded the wakeful hours surely ahead of me.) GOOD LUCK! I hope this passes quickly for you and you get to hear that gorgeous little voice at 2pm instead.
.-= Janeen´s last blog ..Snowmageddon, Snownami, Snowcopalypse =-.
Jen says:
when my daughter had her days and nights confused, our doctor told us to wake her up every two hours during the day so she didn’t do those long stretches of day time sleeping. it didn’t have to be fully awake, just kind of interupting her sleep a little. I don’t remember the confusion lasting long so it must have worked! good luck!
Tracy says:
“Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child” is a super super great book to help with all manner of sleeping issues!
Cassy says:
My sleep Bible!
Julie from Michigan says:
I feel your pain Heather. I know its so hard because your exhaused during the day but try to keep her awake for those last few hours at night so she will be more tired when it gets closer to bed time. Its so hard keeping a tired baby awake…but Happy Mommy=Happy Baby!
suzanna says:
awwww she is stinking cute!!!! my 1st was like that, he just wanted to hang out between the hours of 2 am and 5ish, and the hours before that we were still nursing on a every 1 1/2 to 2 hour sced. i don’t know what we did to fix it either, i just remember watching a lot of nick at night, and singing my own version of the sleep song…
Anna Marie says:
I remember Maddie was quite the night owl – maybe Annie is going to be the same!
I can’t remember how I switched my babies over to a rational sleep pattern – I don’t remember much from those days at all – maybe try to keep her up more during the day?
coloradolady says:
Oh, what a precious little face….easy for me to say I know what you mean when I just got up from a nights rest….hopefully, soon Heather she will get on board…..with a song like that…surely soon!!! Cute post….
.-= coloradolady´s last blog ..Vintage Thingies Thursday: Fun Finds From The 1970’s =-.
Stephanie says:
OMG, THAT IS THE BEST SONG! I sent your link to my sister who is 36 weeks along so that she can see what is to come. lol.
Debi Powell says:
You are histerical!!! The song must be cut on a CD for other parents!
Hang in there…. she’ll be sleeping before you know it. My friend told me this, “no matter how great the stage is, or how bad it is… dont worry, its only a phase and will pass soon enough.”
I used to repeat it often, mostly during the bad phases! And it was so true… they all passed quickly.
Hugs from Gainesville, FL
Megan says:
It may not be related but I swear day light savings time clock changes are a mothers worst enemy!
.-= Megan´s last blog ..What is wrong with his hair? =-.
cindy w says:
I remember a nurse in some infant-baby class I went to, who said that all babies are born nocturnal. It has something to do with how when you’re pregnant, you’re moving around all day and it rocks them to sleep, and then they’re awake & kicking all night while you’re still & sleeping, so they just keep that schedule after they’re born. (The only exception would be for women who work the graveyard shift. THEIR babies sleep at night, no problem.) I don’t remember how we adjusted. Those first few months are kind of a blur now.
I need to teach you my grandmother’s lullabies that are the equivalent of Baby Ambien. (Actually, this is one of them. My mom sang it to Catie, and it was working magically until my mom got to some of the 1800’s-era lyrics, NOT in the version I linked, that are now considered a bit, um, offensive/racist and I burst out laughing because OMG, did you seriously just say that?? And then the baby startled awake, and we were back at Square One. Sigh. So, if you decide to try it, leave out the extra verses, is what I’m saying.)
.-= cindy w´s last blog ..couch-to-5 wha? =-.
Colleen says:
Maybe she doesn’t like daylight savings….My friend was a neonatal nurse and was a wealth of information with my babies. Try to establish a calm routine a hour or so before bedtime. Dim the lights to cue her while you read or sing and yes, it isn’t too early to read. It’s a great way to establish bedtime. Good luck! Zzzzzzzzz
AJ says:
It’s hard until they get their circadian clock figured out!
Can you keep her awake in the late afternoon/ evening? I know she’s little for playing yet, and almost everything else probably puts her to sleep, but maybe if you can keep her awake you in the evening you could get one good stretch of sleep.
Good luck.
And those big blue eyes of hers are Gor-Geous!!
Brooke says:
She looks so much like Maddie in that picture that I had to look twice. Wow, she’s amazingly beautiful like her BIG sister!!! Good thing too b/c if she weren’t… Um yeah… At least you are singing the song and not yelling it!!!
Ella says:
My little one was exactly the same way – party time at night and crashing during the day. Don’t let the sleep dep get you down
.-= Ella´s last blog ..When a house is no longer a home =-.
Candice says:
Yeah, my son still has that problem from time to time and he’s 2. The other night at 4am I let him up to play after trying to get him back to sleep for over a half hour. So, I took a video of him running around the house, “La, la, la…”
.-= Candice´s last blog ..Snip, Snip, Snip =-.
Shannon Kieta says:
OOOOOHHHH, I remember the Go To Bed songs VERY Clearly!!! Abbie just started sleeping through the night about four months ago, consequetively. She is a year and a half. So, good luck mama! Hope you get Annie sleeping before a year! It’s alot of up’s and down’s. That was my only fear for having mire kids…NO SLEEP!!! UGH!
.-= Shannon Kieta´s last undefined ..If you register your site for free at =-.
Alison says:
LOVE the song!!
We had the same problem with our daughter…she would sleep alllllllll day until 11pm and then BAM! WIDE AWAKE!
We finally started naked days. She was only in a diaper during the daylight hours and that kept her awake and alert. We kept everything bright and loud…it helped.
Took a bit but we finally went back to sleeping normal…..kind of.
Katie C. says:
She is so adorable and alert looking! I just want to smooooosh her little cheeks! I also love singing silly songs to babies – isn’t it funny how we come up with these weird little ditties? I am sure Annie finds it quite amusing to keep you awake just so she can hear that song!
Annie Y says:
She is still as cute as can be.
When my kids confused day and night, I reversed the way they were sleeping in their crib (put their head at the opposite end) and it worked like a charm with all 3 of them.
Good luck, hope you get some rest soon!
.-= Annie Y´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday =-.
J says:
I love the go to bed song! I have a feeling I’ll be needing it myself down the road…
.-= J´s last blog ..Nesting? =-.
Liz says:
She is beautiful.
In a sleep deprived state, it’s not surprising that you’ve blanked on what worked for Maddie. I’ve totally been there and here’s what worked for my son. First of all, I didn’t interact with him at night. Of course, I attended to his needs – feeding, changing diapers, soothing. But I didn’t make eye contact, I kept the lights off or as dim as possible and other than shushing or singing very softly, I didn’t talk to him. Also, I exposed him to daylight as much as possible. Even during daytime naps, I made sure the room wasn’t completely dark.
Good luck!
Karen says:
Heather,
I tried to post yesterday but it all went wrong and since then lots of people have posted the same thing I wanted to say!
Try not to stimulate her over night and keep things quiet and calm. Try dealing with her needs and putting her straight back down, settle her and keep a hand on her so she knows she’s not alone but ‘try’ not to let her fall asleep in your arms.
Then during the day play, sing, tickle, etc. Also if you can have her take her day naps in a different place to her sleeping place – we had a crib downstairs and a crib upstairs – it will help.
It will take a little while but it does work. She’ll just get bored not having a play with Mummy and Daddy in the middle of the night and go back to sleep.
It will get better!
Jenn says:
I seem to recall Maddie doing this too! The sister’s are alike!
Get some rest girlie!!!
My Best….
Jenn
Marsha says:
I have a daughter who was born a week before your cute Annie. She does the exact same thing. I always wonder how she can be so wide-eyed for so long. She uses a paci and drops it, oh about, 167 times before she finally decides she may even think about sleeping. she is up until 11 or later every single night. SO….if you come up with a “magical mommy trick” to get your little one to sleep…PLEASE SHARE!
p.s. I’ve heard to be loud and keep lights on during the day. And to keep it dark and silent at night. Yeah…didn’t work for us, but it’s worth a try for you. Oh and I am definitely trying your song tonight.
LAST THING—Annie is scrumptious.
Claire says:
We started waking our girl at an official time every morning (maybe 8am), no matter how terrible the previous night’s sleep had been (for her or us). She’d go back down for a nap around 9, but it seemed to help her get on more of an appropriate day/night schedule. We also limited daytime naps to two hours, and started a bedtime routine at night. Also, lots of sunlight in the day. I like the idea of naked daytimes someone said above – that’s brilliant.
Barb says:
Our first daughter was a non-sleeper as a baby. Both girls were c-sections. In the old days , 33 years ago , c-section Moms and babies stayed in the hospital for 7 days ! Hospitals are always bright , always some noise going on. When we brought our second little girl on , we kept the light on and gradually changed lighting to fade out. Also , p,layed the radio at night and kept turning the volume down to nothing. All gradually , all carefully and it WORKED ! She was sleeping all night by 6 weeks old !
Randi says:
I remember we actually had to “flip” our children – both of them – when they had their days and nights confused. Flipping is basically just supporting their head and having them do a little summersault type thingy – sounds stupid, but strangely enough, it worked? If you don’t want to do that, i’d definitely recommend waking her up every two hours during the day – definitely!
.-= Randi´s last blog ..Ups and Downs =-.
Lisa says:
Ouch, those long nights hurt. I’m sure she’ll have things figured out again soon. What I did with Maya was try to keep her awake more during the day, especially trying not to let her sleep in the late afternoon and evening so she would be good and tired at night. I also tried to make naptime rituals that were different than bedtime so that she would begin to know the difference. It seemed to work fairly well.
Love and hugs. Hope you guys are back to your nice long stretches of sleep again soon.
.-= Lisa´s last blog ..Caffeine and Pregnancy =-.
rachel cortest says:
My first baby was born in Spain but we had to come back to the U.S. when he was 7 weeks. It cured the day-night problem. I guess you could go to Europe to live. Other than that, I have no clue.
Those big eyes are amazing. She helps me wake up in the morning
BeeBelle says:
I like the suggestion to move to Europe. My kids are mostly grown, so my memory probably isn’t too good, but what I remember is the 2-3-4 cure during the day. When baby gets up, keep her up 2 hours and then down for a nap (however long she wants). Then keep her up 3 hours, then a nap, then 4 hours, then bedtime (dark and quiet with minimal interaction other than necessary feeding/changing) until morning. I remember this working, and then having to re-do every time the girls had a cold or a new tooth or – you guessed it – a new skill.
Amanda says:
My daughter had this same problem. My mother said that I should lay her on my legs (while I was sitting) with her facing you. Then flip her (gently)… and old wives tale? I didn’t do it, and eventually my daughter got my message… but that would be pretty funny to see pictures of
.-= Amanda´s last blog ..Another One? =-.
Becky @TheRealBecks says:
It’s funny how much you forget from one kid to another. And with ours being 6 years apart, forget it. We try to think of how we handled things with Hannah and we’re at a loss. It’s impossible. And maybe it’s something with the moon or universe because our 1 year old baby the past 2 nights has stayed up talking and playing and laughing. SO TIRED!
.-= Becky @TheRealBecks´s last blog ..Photo bliss =-.
Jennifer A. says:
All moms can sympathize – this post just brings back memories of me pleading with my happy-as-can-be newborn to just sleep so I could sleep. Hope this phase doesn’t last too long and you get her back to a routine of sleeping at night.
.-= Jennifer A.´s last blog ..Oh, Man! =-.
Michelle Pixie says:
Love your bedtime lullaby. I got sleepy just reading it. I hope she get the concept soon…I remember hitting that stage and the feeling of craziness that took over and really due to the lack of sleep I can’t for the life of me remember how we resolved it either?! But eventually she got it straight.
.-= Michelle Pixie´s last blog ..My First And Last Time =-.
Mary (Barnmaven) says:
Oohhhhhh man, I SO remember those days. The sleep deprivation — we used to joke that it was our daughter’s way of torturing us in advance for all the embarassing things we would do her later. I hope she gets her days and nights un-mixed-up very soon!
.-= Mary (Barnmaven)´s last blog ..Sunday Scatology =-.
dawn says:
Of all (ALL!) Alex’s (ongoing) sleep quirks, this has never been on of them. By morning we were usually in the living room in front of the huge east facing window – so massive dose of morning sunlight around 7am – the child is still an alarm clock for 7am.
Karen says:
Wow. She REALLY looks like Maddie in that picture. I can really see the resemblance. So cute!
Kyle says:
I saw someone else mention it, but I would wake my son up every two hours to eat during the day and then let him sleep as long as he would at night. It helped him figure out which was which. However, he had colic the first six week so during that time (he was up screaming from 11pm to6am) I just cried and sang a version of your song that included some cuss words. He was too little to learn any cuss words, right?
Erin says:
I know what you mean. My baby is 12 days old and was sleeping trough the night the 1st week. Now we are up all night. My head hurts!!!! Hope she gets better for you.
Nikki says:
How stinking cute is that? Well, the cute noises from the crib part…not the no sleep for you part!
We tried to stuff as much food as we could into our babies in the daylight and let them sleep as long as they wanted at night. I seem to remember about this age we would try to keep them awake more during the early evening (if possible). Also at the middle of the night feedings: dim lights/no conversation. It’s all business. We’re not here to play- eat, change and back to bed.
Good luck!
Melissa says:
With both of my little ones I would not ever let them sleep longer than 2 hours at a time during the day. It would take awhile sometimes, (undressing them, or putting feet in water) to wake them but that’s what I did and it worked like a charm! As long as I did that they would sleep their big stretch at night, and would always go right back to sleep after a middle of the night feeding. Good luck, she’s beautiful!!
Laney says:
It sure helps that she’s so cute if she’s going to be up all night.
Also, she looks so much like Maddie in this photo. It made me smile!
Michelle says:
My oldest had days and nights confused too. At night I didn’t talk to him, didn’t sing, didn’t interact in any way other than diaper changing and feeding. During the day I kept the room where he slept bright and when he woke i talked and sang and interacted. Oh, I also kept the room where I fed him dark. So I tried not to go out to the living room and watch TV while he nursed because the light seemed to be too stimulating. I also had a routine for him. Every night I’d give him a bath (even if he didn’t need it), sang the same song, lotion and books, etc. That seemed to help too. Even if he was sleeping before the bedtime routine, I’d wake him up and make him go through it. I know, tough life for an infant! I guess I sort of forced him on a schedule very early. Good luck!!
.-= Michelle´s last blog ..Emerging From the Fog =-.
Mary @ Holy Mackerel says:
LOVE the song! So appropriate and full of emotion!! :o)
Our son did the same thing, and I have no idea what we did, but I remember it changing around 3 months or so.
.-= Mary @ Holy Mackerel´s last blog ..Serendipity Or Imagination, Or How I Wish They Had Just Sent The Cheesy Bread Without All That Begging =-.
Krystle says:
I don’t know if you’ve tried this as yet, but besides the popular suggestion of waking her up during the day, try establishing a daily nighttime routine. We used to give Ayven a nice warm bath, lotion him, put him in his sleeper, dim the lights, feed him and he would be ready for bed. If you do this every night she will recognize that it is night time because those routines will signal her to remember that.
Give it a try!
.-= Krystle´s last blog ..Darn you Adam Lambert. =-.
Al says:
everyone’s suggestions above are great. my daughter had the same issues when she was about Annie’s age. we read somewhere that at night, we should keep the lights off and don’t really engage with her too much. just non-verbal, soothing cues when you are nursing, like rocking, or stroking her head, using a whispering voice. it took a week or so, but my daugher soon realized that when it’s dark, it’s resting/quiet time, and when it’s light, it’s time to be awake and play……
Heather says:
Haha, she’ll get there. Love the lullaby, I might steal that one.
.-= Heather´s last blog ..Let’s go fly a kite… =-.
Ashley says:
Oyi! I think most babies like to pull this on their parents at one point or another. Both my kids decided that night was a sweet time to party (my oldest especially, she’d be up for hours) and I had to sleep train them. Didn’t take too long but by the time we were done, a few days into it she was sleeping like her Daddy after a shot of Nyquil and I was so overtired I spent two nights awake trying to retrain myself. It was all sorts of sarcastic awesomeness.
Good luck, and good thing for Annie she’s so darn cute, it’s amazing what we let cute babies get away with eh?
Shelly says:
I had a song similar to that when my daughter was a baby but it involved Mommy crying like a baby and curling up in a ball. But it was my son who liked to party all night. He’s 9 and he still has problems knowing when he should be asleep and awake. LOL
Miss Annie is adorable. I love the pictures and your blog.
Jessica Seuss says:
Your “Go To Bed” song is awesome. I found myself singing something similar when my Joey was a newborn. Yours is a little more censored than mine was.
.-= Jessica Seuss´s last blog ..How I Met Your Father =-.
Marnie :) says:
My Grandma always said to hold the baby near a sunny window (or just have the blinds/curtains open to let in the sunlight) for part of the day, so they can get adjusted to day & night.
Also, I started a routine. At the same time every night I gave them a bath, rubbed their arms/legs/tummy with lotion, fed them and put them to bed. Everyone always asked how (when they were a little older) my kids went to bed to easily.
Good luck. I hope she starts sleeping at night soon.
SuZ says:
Oh man… we’re going through this right now. And it sucks, even if my girl is so damn cute.
Tricia says:
Best.Song.Ever.
Scatteredmom says:
I remember going through that when Jake was about 2 months old. At 11 pm every night, like clockwork, he’s scream for 3 hours straight.
Then he’d finally go to sleep. It lasted for 2 months, and I thought I would *lose my mind*. I hope that Annabel figures it out soon!
Trisha says:
My unsolicited advice? Move her out of your room and let her talk to her heart’s content in her own, dark room. If she needs you, she’ll let you know. (((HUGS)))
joy says:
it sucks, but the way to do it is to keep her awake for a full 8 hours or so before you want her to go to sleep. There will be tears and drama (from you and her both).. and then do the whole warm bath, full belly, snuggled up sleepies with her. and do it a few days in a row.
.-= joy´s last blog ..IEP Update =-.
Tammy says:
Since you’re awake anyway, kiss those adorable cheeks for me!
Meg says:
Wake that baby up at 2pm! She is cute alright, very very cute! but you have got to get some sleep!! Keep the lights off at night, keep all the lights on and go outside during the day. No singing at night (although I love your song). No talking for that matter, just a quick feeding/diaper change and back to the crib! A bath just before bedtime is always a good one too! Good luck! thanks for continuing to share cute photos.
Michelle W says:
Your post made me laugh, smile and reminded me of a song by the Arrogant Worms called Go to sleep little leech, which while I think is kinda hysterical some might not agree.
Chrisie says:
Keep on singin!!
(((HUGS)))
Jane says:
I suppose you’ve already tried the late-night warm bath for her? I used to take my teeny new babies into the shower with me — just to hold them and let some warm (not hot) water hit their backs. Stay in for a long time…I did it til the hot water was out. Worked every single time. If you do a long walk in the stroller outside, then the shower thing, bliss! Good luck.
Glenda says:
During the day wake her up when she sleeps too long. Keep her in a sunny room. At night give her a bath and make the room dark. She’s getting so big…and adorable… but you need your sleep too
meg...ct says:
At least you have something wonderful to look at at 2:00 am….Look at that face!!! She is precious…
Sarah says:
OMG- i know!!! SLLLLEEEEEP!!! i have a 5 month old thats doing it again! the only thing i’ve been doing to help him get back is opening up every curtain and letting the sun shine through the window during the day… then closing them back up and letting it be dark… It’s only slightly working..
Also- im refusing to play with him at night… only during the day when i WANT him awake.. he’s not liking this either- so im mean a momma! BEST of luck!
Oh- and i LOVE your lullaby song- one of the best
Momma Uncensored says:
we have our “go to sleep” song too.. and now she’ll sing it to her dolls. i can faintly remember those nights where you feel absolutely stir crazy because they won’t sleep!! two more months until i’m in your boat.. i’m going to go take a nap.
.-= Momma Uncensored´s last blog ..cranes =-.
Dona says:
Looking more like her sister every day
Rebecca says:
That was my one and only lucky part, both of my kids did fine (okay sometimes) at night. But they were both up all day long even when they were just a few weeks old. And crabby…..they were crabby all day long too. Oohhhh glad those days are over.
.-= Rebecca´s last blog ..Pre-Medicated =-.
Mary says:
Um…your lullaby is hysterical! I’d stay awake to hear more of it!
I’ve heard that static on the radio or tv is soothing to newborns & can lull them to sleep…guess it reminds them of the warbled sounds they heard in the womb. Or vacuums! You may be awake but have really clean floors!
My instincts (as a non-mother) would be to wake her up more during the day, so she’d be tired at night…but I don’t know if that works or is even a very nice thing to do to a baby.
Wish I didn’t live states away: I’m often an insomniac & would love to play with Annie during her night watches. We moved close to my sister just so I could offer that service to her, but she never takes me up on it. However, she does drop my niece off so she can take naps!
Wishing you sweet dreams!
.-= Mary´s last blog ..Being Auntie M… =-.
jen says:
we are still in the 4 hour sleep stretches … which i am SO knockingonwood about.
but he has this funny new little go to sleep pattern which involves screaming his head off and not just the crying screaming … the there-must-be-something wrong with him completely upset hurting screaming from 7-7:45 … at which time he promptly falls asleep.
save. me.
.-= jen´s last blog ..bundled up at i {heart} faces … =-.
Bridget says:
Unfortunately, we’re quite familiar with the Go To Bed song, too. I never did figure out how to get them to swap their days and nights, so I just swapped my days and nights and ignored the rest of the world.
Good luck!
.-= Bridget´s last blog ..Contentment =-.
Molly says:
No advice here but I love the song! My friend had a song with a few, ahem, expletives in it (she is a child therapist) and while she was singing it to her son outside one day, her neighbor announced that she had overheard her. My friend didn’t bat an eye and simply said, “Oh.” I guess that neighbor was surprised!
Marin D says:
Oh my gosh, our second baby wouldn’t go to sleep at night. It was awful. She wasn’t mad or hungry or anything. She just wanted to be up. The only problem was I needed to be able to get up with her sister. She’d be up until 2 or 3. It took her forever to finally go to sleep at a decent hour in something other than her carseat somewhere other than our closet. Good luck!
Shannon Olgin says:
She is just so adorable! Hope she gets back in a normal routine soon.
jen says:
at least she’s happy. I know, I know, that doesn’t help.
Maybe she just loves the Go To Bed Song! LOL
(((Hugs))) from here!
.-= jen´s last blog ..nerves =-.
Leigh says:
I see someone already mentioned “flipping” her. My daughter had the days/nights confused too. I was desperate for that to change. My sister said “Have you tried flipping her” I was like “what?!” And then she told me you literally have to “flip them” – they need to do a somersault basically. She told me that it can literally “flick a switch” in their brains to get them balanced. I did do it. And she did go to sleeping more at night than day. It sounds crazy I know! But when you are sleep deprived, it can sound very sane. Good luck!
btw, your lullabye made me laugh
Elizabeth says:
My baby girl did the same thing.
I put her to sleep in a completely bright room during the day with music and noise throughout the house. Not blaring…just noise.
At night, we have complete silence.
After about 2-3 days, it really worked.
Jodie Brooks says:
Love the song, by the way! I wish I had it with my two kids. Good luck with the night confusion. You’ll figure it out in no time. Not to give any of my own advise, but we used rice cereal at the evening feeding and their belly was full enough to keep them sleeping. My kiddos were ‘through the night sleepers’ at 6 weeks. I even tried to keep them awake longer in during the day and they would sleep better at night. I know, It’s easier said then done! Good luck!
Courtney says:
Annie looks SO MUCH like little Maddie in that picture!
Kelly says:
She is SO beautiful. My daughter did the same thing, and I don’t remember what we did to correct it, but it does correct itself until they turn about 20…my little vampire is no longer the adorable little baby she used to be. She is now a big girl, still adorable, and she likes to live her life at night. Daytime is for sleeping and going to classes. Night is when all the fun happens. I bet Annabel is kind of like her Momma, she knows all the fun REALLY happens at night!
mythoughtsonthat says:
Just keep singing, I guess!
Faith….Hope….Love….Peace.
.-= mythoughtsonthat´s last blog ..Fifty =-.
~Michelle~ says:
Your post title had me thinking “wow, the Spohr Clan’s brave enough to travel already … on the RED EYE, even!” Ha!
Poor you! Sleep deprivation stinks. Hope you’re able to get some zzz’s when your sweetie does … night or day!
java@Nevergrowingold.blogspot.com says:
During the day I would never put mine in their cribs for naps..always put them out in the family room where its bright and loud!! I wanted them to associate their crib with nighttime…it takes awhile but it does work!
Good Luck!
Kayla says:
Ahh, what a soothing, sweet lullaby! =P
Sorry for the all-night night owl, and I hope you she un-mixes days and nights soon! Go to sleep (at the right time) Annie!
Deidre says:
Don’t let her sleep after a certain hour in the afternoon. Wow I know that might be impossible, but at 2p.m. she should be on her last nap or keep her up until nightfall. I mean I don’t know how you are functioning. But I agree with Michelle and keeping in loud environments during the day, and crib at night.
.-= Deidre´s last blog ..End The Funeral With A Wedding =-.
Janet says:
I just say to you to make sure you get her up every 3 hours during the day to feed her. EVEN if she just went down 30min. ago. That will get her on a good day night schedule. then just offer her a late night feeding right before you go to bed. Even if it’s only been 2hrs.
and this last one of mine I did the babywise and IT TOTALLY ROCKED!!!!!
.-= Janet´s last blog ..Finished =-.
wordygirl says:
Finally I have something (sort of?) useful to contribute. The best tip I have heard for helping babies to get their days and nights straightened out is to take them outside, every single day. Even if they are sleeping while they are outside, the natural light will help reset their rhythms. Also, when she naps, don’t darken the room. Help her get used to the idea that it’s light in the daytime and dark at night.
Also, we had our very own version of the go to bed song! It was called the “Sleepy sleepy sleep” song, and it was to the tune of “Stepping Out” by Joe Jackson. No particular reason, except one day that song came on the radio and Gwen started giggling, so we started using it to soothe her at naptime. Then she went through a stage where she would scream when I left the room so I had to sit with her while she went to sleep (in the swing – she was about 4 months old). So there is a video of me singing the “Sleepy sleepy sleep” song along with the CD we’d made that just repeated the Joe Jackson tune OVER AND OVER AND OVER ….
Oh yeah, the lyrics of the song? Not nearly as clever as yours. They went:
Sleepy, sleepy sleepy!
Sleep sleep sleep sleep … sleep sleep sleep sleep!
Noelle says:
My daughter didn’t sleep longer than 2 hour stretches for 18 MONTHS (I’m not saying that to scare you, just to let you know I understand how you feel!) At least you have a silly song to sing to Annie. I used to just cry and hope the neighbors didn’t think I was crazy!
.-= Noelle´s last blog ..We knew him when… =-.
Undomestic Diva says:
I didn’t read all the comments, so this may have already been said… BUT, crazy as it sounds, there’s an old wives tale that if a baby’s clock is all turned around, all you have to do is turn the baby end-over-end (like a somersault) to ‘reset’ their clock.
HEY, it couldn’t hurt to try.
Stephanie says:
Delurking again (yay twice in a row-does the second time count as delurking?) anywayyyy…..my son is 8 months old today and his internal clock didn’t reset until about 6 weeks ago. I STILL have not caught up on my sleep. And I still don’t trust him-I’m waiting for him to wake up at 2 am and laugh at me…good luck! These babies are sneaky….
Chaitra says:
try changing your go to bed song (its hilarious)..maybe she doesnt like it….n revenges for ur singing by staying awake.. hehe
Ray says:
OMG, she is so freakin’ ADORABLE!!!!!! SERIOUSLY! ;o) And I love the, “Go To Bed” song. =D
mom, again says:
so long as she’s squeaking & peeping for entertainment, I say put her down in the bassinet and doze beside her. she’ll be fine and you’ll get some sleep at least.
Marti from Michigan says:
If I remember correctly back 34 1/2 years, I think my daughter simply just turned her mixed up days and nights situation around by herself.
I was and still am a night owl though, so I enjoyed it……..until the alarm went off at 7 a.m. for me to get to work.
Annabel will straighten herself out eventually. Just enjoy it while you can.
Sandra says:
Hey Heather! I’ve been reading your blog for a while but never commented. My daughter is about a week older than Annie, so we went through this about two or three weeks ago. My husband and I kept her as stimulated as possible from about 5pm until 9pm, or however long she’d hold on, then at night it was all business; nurse, burp, change and snuggle but no playing. She got it straight in a couple days GOOD LUCK!!!! By the way, I LOVE the song!
red pen mama says:
Flora did this — with crying, too — until she was four months old. And then her clock just switched. I didn’t do a damn thing, except NOT lose my mind.
At least you sing to her. I just cried. And woke up my husband sometimes to take a turn.
.-= red pen mama´s last blog ..Lost: Recon =-.
Maria Delgado says:
HAHAHA!!! You poor thing!
chandan says:
Very very nice….
.-= chandan´s last blog ..10 Work from Home Money Makers =-.
SnoozanK says:
I need to borrow your Go to Bed song for a certain 11 month old I know.