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Question for the Mommas!
Ok, so for the past 6 weeks Lucie has been waking up the minute we put her down - that is the first issue. The second issue is that now I'm not home in the day she won't nap because she's used to nursing. I know that she needs to learn to put herself to sleep and I keep thinking about my nephew who came to stay at 5 months (I know a bit older than Lucie is now) and we put him in the pack n play at 8pm and he played for a bit then went to sleep. I know all kids are different but I worry about her not napping if she's not able to nurse.
How did you?
a) Get your baby to fall asleep without nursing, rocking etc.
b) Transition them to the crib
c) Transition them out of a swaddle (if they were swaddled)
and d) Get them to stay asleep!
At what age did all this happen
I'm not sure how I feel about crying it out and I know she's still too young for that. I bought the "No cry sleep solution" book but that doesn't seem to work.
Seriously, several nights a week it's taking 3-4 hours to get her to stay asleep!
I think perhaps maybe she's still just needing to be rocked and nursed to sleep, which is fine because she's still young - but when I'm gone in the day that's an issue, esp as she ends up overtired at the end of the day and then harder to get to sleep.
Just looking to see what everyone else has had success with!
Re: Question for the Mommas!
a) Get your baby to fall asleep without nursing, rocking etc.
I would say about 2 - 4 months I started putting Chase to bed sleepy but awake. I would sort of stand at the bassinet and sway with him and then lay him down and rub his tummy for a minute and then walk away.
b) Transition them to the crib
he went from bassinet in my room to crib in his own room between 5 and 6 months
c) Transition them out of a swaddle (if they were swaddled)
I was one of those moms who swore my kid didn't like a swaddle. Until I figured out I just wasn't doing it right! I swaddled him after 2 or 3 weeks, and then moved to a swaddle me. He stayed in that until he really started getting mobile and I took one arm out at a time over a weeks time and then stopped.
and d) Get them to stay asleep!
I don't know how I did it, but I have a really great kid when it comes to night time (at least until the night terrors started a few weeks ago) All I can say is Routine, routine, routine. Do the same things every night in the same order. That way, Lucie knows based on your actions that night night is coming. Still to this day, I do the same schedule each time, so now when I say let's get ready for night night, Chase is always a step ahead of me.
a) Get your baby to fall asleep without nursing, rocking etc.
Maybe have DH offer her a bottle at nap and bed time if he's home. That way she doesn't have the option of you, so after while she will just start taking the only option she has. Chase still likes and often needs to be rocked to sleep. He needs that to help calm down enough to go to bed just as he's falling asleep.
b) Transition them to the crib
We started him in the crib at 2 months as an accident. Our dogs were locked in our room where he had been sleeping, but we didnt want to put him in there with them alone and it was already past his bed time, so we just put him in his crib. He was so tired that he didn't even notice.
Does Lucie sleep in her carseat? We had to put him in his carseat and drive him to sleep a few nights. Then we just put him asleep in the carseat in his crib. He would stay asleep until he woke up to eat.
c) Transition them out of a swaddle (if they were swaddled)
We still use a swaddle sometimes, but he always breaks his arms out by morning.
and d) Get them to stay asleep!
I found that Chase goes to be best at 9 pm, regardless of what time I put him down. I tried putting him down earlier, like 7:30 if he was acting tired and/or fussy. But, I found that he would no go to sleep until 9. So I had 2 choices...put him down early and let him cry for an hour or more or let him stay up and then go to bed peacefully at 9. Most nights he lays on the couch and plays by himself for about 30 minutes calming down enough to be ready for bed.
At what age did all this happen
Baby #2 - D&E - 10/1/10 @ 19w2d - thanatophoric dysplasia confirmed.
Charlotte Lillian will be forever in our hearts.
Baby #3 - Little Bean - natural miscarriage - 1/17/11 @ 5w5d
Baby #2 - D&E - 10/1/10 @ 19w2d - thanatophoric dysplasia confirmed.
Charlotte Lillian will be forever in our hearts.
Baby #3 - Little Bean - natural miscarriage - 1/17/11 @ 5w5d
I'm the same. Chase's eczema has prevented daily baths, but our night time goes something like this.
7pm : I let him know that in 15 minutes we will be getting ready for bed. Time to settle down. Pick out some books. Giggle session. Cuddle. Pick up toys.
7:15 : dance and sing down the hall to the bed room with a night night song I made up (yeah... I'm THAT mom! ) clothes off, lotion, pj's on. Cuddle some more, pick up toys from bedroom floor.
7:30 : I hold him by the crib and sway while we say our prayers, turn the crickets on, say good night to the pony, hugs and kisses (and hugs and kisses, lol) then I put him in the crib, say good night, I love you, dream big. Turn off the light and walk out the door.
Sometimes he lays in his crib for 45 minutes before he goes to sleep, but he lays in there quietly and with no problem. Obviously, some of that routine has been added to in the last 8-12 months, but the basic routine is exactly the same. I just hope this is why Bug is so easy, and I can replicate it once the new baby gets here!
Sadly, 3 weeks ago he started having night terrors about 5 nights a week. UGH! But it doesn't affect the putting to bed part, just the 11p-12a part of the night
Lucie sounds like she is easily overstimulated and sesative to her surroundings. This is totally normal and ok. You will just have to figure out what works. IMO, there's no way I'd fight with her for 3-4 hours ever about anything. I use the path of least resistance. I think, in the end, everyone sleeps more and no one is stressed. She's not fighting you to get her way. She's fighting you b/c it doesn't work for her. Find a place and routine where you both can be comfortable and happy.
I think that eventually she will give in when you aren't around and go to sleep. The adjustment period won't be fun for anyone, but the sitter will figure out what works for them at her house. Since you won't be there she will not have the option to nurse or have you hold her. It will be different b/c everything about their house will be different to L. Since she's been at home with Arek this week she knows you belong there are expects you to do your routine. I think it will be different once she is used to the sitter and the sitters house.
Sorry this turned out to be so long, but I incourage you to try different things rather than fighting her for hours and hours. It's obviously not working for her right now. Pehaps laster it will. Don't worry. Once you figure this out something else will change. Such is life with a baby! It's never the same and never dull!
I will gather some info for you about healthy baby sleep and PM them to you later on.
Thanks, ladies.
She won't take a pacifier and actually isn't a huge fan of her swing unless I'm not home for some reason! We've been trying to get her into a routine and at night it's pretty much the same - she usually goes down around 7, wakes up around 3 and then sleeps till 6:30. We haven't got her on a schedule in the day yet and I'm okay with that as I know she's still young and once she starts daycare in March it'll all change again.
I'm not comparing. I know that all kids are different - I am just looking for suggestions because I know that it shouldn't be taking 3-4 hours to get her to stay asleep at night so I want to see what has worked for everyone else so I can keep trying different things.
We actually had some success yesterday. I'm trying to nap her in her crib to get her used to it before I put her there at night. She wakes up usually after 10 mins no matter how long I hold her before I put her down but twice yesterday I managed to pat her back to sleep which is progress as up until now we couldn't get her to calm down without picking her up. She also woke up an hour after eating last night so Arek patted her and she also went back to sleep so I think it's a sign she's starting to learn that she doesn't always need to be picked up!
First, I have to say that Lincoln was great at napping, sleeping at night, etc. until about 10 months. He went through spurts of having issues, but they never lasted more than a week or two and usually revolved around teething.
How did you?
a) Get your baby to fall asleep without nursing, rocking etc.
I never really rocked him to sleep. Since he was a newborn, he preferred to be laid down and left alone to sleep. Around 10 months he started having issues going to sleep unless I would lay down with him. I still do that - naptime and bedtime. When it came to bottles, we transitioned to a sippy cup of water at bedtime around 11 months, and then he just dropped that on his own. He still occasionally wants milk or water at bedtime, but it's just because he's thirsty, not that he needs it to sleep.
b) Transition them to the crib
We just put him in there and he slept. I have no idea. lol He did nap in his crib from birth though, but not every day or every nap.
c) Transition them out of a swaddle (if they were swaddled)
He started breaking out of it and kicking it off around two weeks, so we just gave up.
d) Get them to stay asleep!
Well, if you figure it out, let me know!!! He slept wonderfully for the longest time, and now he wakes up every night and comes and gets in my bed. We just gave up and let him sleep with us when he wants to. He will figure it out eventually.