Less sleep when DH helps?!

jacmariec · September 2015

Does anyone else feel like they get less rest when daddy helps?! When it's just me and LO at night during the week when my hubby has to work, we have a routine and he doesn't stay awake after feedings at night and sleeps in the crib no problem.

On nights when my husband offers to do the first night time feeding or to stay up until LO falls asleep it seems like everything is out of whack. Baby doesn't fall back to sleep right away, he won't sleep in the crib....seems like I'm back to square one.

What to do?!

ChristyM87 · September 2015

My DH is sometimes better at getting LO to sleep because he is better at swaddling. I EBF so on nights I am particularly tired I ask him to give a bottle so I can sleep for 5-6 hours straight. Love that man

pandd10513 · September 2015

MOTN feeds I don't interact with LO. No eye contact, no talking so she stays sleepy. When DH tries to help me at night he talks to her, makes eye contact, and plays a little. She thinks it's time to be awake so it's harder for me to get her back to sleep. Is that what your DH does too?

beeish · September 2015

Same here.. I just tell DH that she loves to spend time with him so she stays up more. Lol. But really I think it's because I already have a routine and he does things differently.

Ckorines · September 2015

My husband works nights and when he has a day off my daughter loves to lay on him after I nurse her. When he is done snuggling her and places her in the crib, she sleeps for longer stretches. I don't know what it is!

jacmariec · September 2015

@pandd10513 that's exactly what he does! I try to redirect him but he just gets mad. I guess I shouldn't be too hard on him. He works all day and that's mainly the only time he gets to interact with the babe

rasampang · September 2015

It was exactly the same in my house. I always thought she wa fussy in the evening, but when I started taking over his night "shift" she could go to sleep after playtime and sleep in her crib no prob! I think he doesn't know how to put her to sleep or doesn't know what her tired cues are... He swaddlers her when I ask him to since he does it better, but I always put her to sleep. I can just put her in the crib when she's just tired enough and she can put herself to sleep. DH will keep picking her up and put her in the baby carrier, but she'll wake up when he takes her out

lizzypoo96 · September 2015

After many tries of DH offering to take a feeding I finally just asked if he would change and swaddle LO at the first wake up. He's so much better at it than me and it buys me time to pee, fix a glass of water, etc before feeding. I couldn't sleep anyways when he would feed!