Light sleeper! advice?

My baby is extremely difficult to get to sleep. She will only fall asleep while breastfeeding (she’s exclusively breastfed) or during car rides. She has never liked being held closely or rocked to sleep, and she’s never tolerated swaddling.

On top of that, she has become extremely sensitive to noise. When she was younger, there was always a lot of background noise: washing machines, people talking, everyday sounds and we never tried to keep things quiet. But from around 4 or 5 months, she started waking up at any noise: a door closing, someone talking or laughing, a child crying, toys being put away, dishes being washed pretty much anything inside or outside the home will wake her.

It’s becoming really difficult to get anything done. We’ve used white noise since birth, but now approaching 9 months, it doesn’t seem to help at all. It doesn’t block out the sounds she still hears everything and wakes up immediately.

Not sure what I'm doing wrong or what else to try!?

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Sounds like you're dealing with a tiny little tornado that's super sensitive to the world. It's like she's got a built in radar for noise!

I think because she’s 9 months old it's possible she's just getting more aware of her surroundings and getting easily startled. Have you tried using different types of white noise or sounds? Maybe a fan or a vacuum cleaner (from another room, of course!) could be more effective than traditional white noise?

Also, have you considered a gradual approach to noise exposure? Maybe start with small, controlled noises (like gentle music or a gentle hum) and see if she can get used to it?

As for sleep, it's tough when they don't like being held or rocked. Have you tried using a weighted blanket or a sleep sack? Sometimes, gentle pressure can be soothing. And what about a consistent bedtime routine? Maybe a feed, then a book, then lights out?

How's her daytime sleep? Is she getting enough naps? Maybe there's a sleep debt building up?

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