Drowsy but not asleep

sleepy33

How do you put your kid to sleep?

yesthisiskim0401

I wish it was option one so badly. But DD2 says "fuck that noise".

kellyk17

The sleep books all say to put them down when drowsy, but at 8 wks it never works for us, is there some trick I'm missing?

sleepy33

kellyk17 said:

The sleep books all say to put them down when drowsy, but at 8 wks it never works for us, is there some trick I'm missing?

IDK, if you're missing it, I'm missing it too. Hence this poll, I wanted to see how many people this is really working for. My kid would gladly spend the whole night letting me soothe him, put him down and then start crying again. Hell, sometimes it takes me 2-3 hours to get him to fall asleep in my arms.

StefMurph

It depends on day or night. I typically rock her to sleep at night, but during the day I put her down drowsy.

blueeyedrose86

I find most book advice on sleep to be garbage and focused on the parent's need instead of the baby's. I just go with the flow of what LO needs and what works best. She sleeps the longest and best when she falls asleep in my arms and stays there for a while. This is the least stressful way for us and works great. Rarely she will fall asleep in the RnP, but ironically only when sleep isn't expected. I know she will eventually start falling asleep on her own, but I'm not stressing it right now.

pmarie33

Sometimes he falls asleep quickly after an early morning feeding, but usually he's just really sleepy and I won't hear a peep out of him for a few more hours.

Thank you whoever invented black out curtains!

MtnChickaD

Hmm my LO is either awake or asleep, I don't think he gets "drowsy". He does have various levels of sleep though and he is usually in a light sleep when I put him down. He will rouse a bit and then settle back down either on his own or with a little jiggling of the PnP or RnP.

Unless he is overtired (like today,ugh) I don't have to do much to get him asleep. If he is tired he will fall asleep while I am burping him and then I just lay him down.

Heather91011

I've been able to put her down a couple times drowsy but most of the time she has to be completely out of it.

Mae208

StefMurph said:

It depends on day or night. I typically rock her to sleep at night, but during the day I put her down drowsy.

Yep, this. At night it's just a million times easier if I get her to sleep first. But she only wakes once in the night so it's nbd. And she usually sleeps in her little vibrating chair, day and night.

jen-and-ryon

MtnChickaD said:

Hmm my LO is either awake or asleep, I don't think he gets "drowsy". He does have various levels of sleep though and he is usually in a light sleep when I put him down. He will rouse a bit and then settle back down either on his own or with a little jiggling of the PnP or RnP.

Unless he is overtired (like today,ugh) I don't have to do much to get him asleep. If he is tired he will fall asleep while I am burping him and then I just lay him down.

This! My baby is either awake or asleep. She never really is drowsy!

Ajoyd

I chose SS because I've done both. But mostly he's asleep when I put him down.

carawasa

Idk my LO hangs out in her crib for like 15 min before she falls asleep at night. She doesn't cry so I let her

mominwaiting29

I would totally love to cuddle LO forever but he pretends he's asleep In my arms and the second I lay him down his eyes pop open so I walk away he stares in the dark a bit moves around to get comfy and slowly drifts off. The while process from the time I put him down is about 10min

sweettooth87

Drowsy for bedtime, only because this is what is working best for him currently. He's seven weeks on Friday. His first weeks home he needed to be rocked to sleep. If I put him in the RnP fully asleep now at bedtime he freaks the eff out about 45 min later.

He refuses naps unless we're out and about so during the day I rock him to sleep and typically just keep him in my arms because hell breaks loose if I set him down and he wakes up.

Gatorsgirl731

Mostly she falls asleep in my arms. But it does not stop me from trying to put her down drowsy. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't. I go in expecting it to fail, that way I'm celebrating something if it works.

sweettwilight16

There's no way I could put her down drowsy without swaddling, but swaddle + seahorse + RnP usually works for us if she's just drowsy.

jessiedawn921

We usually put Wesley initially down when he is drowsy. However during MOTN feedings he usually falls asleep nursing and I just put him to bed asleep.

MrsStuessyWI

I picked totally asleep. I have laid her down maybe 3 or 4 times since she was born, 9 weeks ago where she was slightly awake and she fell asleep. She has to be super tired for that and well fed and just changed and cleaned and at the perfect temp, etc. But, it has happened a couple times. But the other 600 times, no. 

MrsAxilla

Drowsy but awake NEVER worked for my son. Thankfully, this baby is a good sleeper, or I'd have to send her back. (:::knocks furiously on wood:::)

Skyjewell23

He has to be fully asleep before I can even consider putting him down. If not, he starts to yell almost as soon as he hits the RnP. 

chuicafina

This only works for us at night. I unswaddle, change her diaper, re-swaddle and feed her. She usually falls asleep but she's not in a dead sleep when I put her down. So I guess we're somewhere in between "drowsy" and "totally out." I'm so glad she's easier to put down than DS was. I had to rock him for hours after every wake up. 

I will say, she is not nearly as easy during the day. She basically takes all her naps being worn because I don't have time with my toddler to take care of to rock her until she falls asleep. So, I enjoy the baby snuggles with my hands free and she gets good sleep. Works for us!

ETA- unsaddle gets autocorrected to unsaddle. Hah!

JenMatt2010

I still can't get DD down tonight. She has been awake since 8pm and now 5 hours later, she is still struggling. Whaaaat the fuck.

sleepy33

JenMatt2010 said:

I still can't get DD down tonight. She has been awake since 8pm and now 5 hours later, she is still struggling. Whaaaat the fuck.

Ugh I hate those nights ...

taylormarie923

I picked ss because it is always a toss up those times that his eyes open the second I lay him down. I first try walking away, sometimes my absence keeps him from full on waking up and screaming. He will "talk" for a while and then settle back down and fall asleep. Unfortunately this only happens part of the time.

nbcarlson

I did SS because we do both, kind of. We bed share so sometimes he will fall asleep while nursing which is awesome. Other times he will need to be rocked, bounced, or snuggled on my chest to fall asleep. Since his gas has gotten better bedtime has been a lot easier!

mancila60

LO is like half and half. Depending on his mood is how we can do it. Most of the time he has to be asleep first but every now and then if he's kind of dosing off he'll let you put him down and he can get himself to sleep.

asilwhite

I said SS because I do both, or depends on the situation. Last night I put him down drowsy because he was really content and he put himself to sleep and slept for 4.5 hours. Other times when he's had a fussy day or has gas etc I'll put him down when he's asleep because I know he's not feeling 100% and I don't want him to wake up.

He's 8 weeks and I feel like he's getting better allowing me to put him down drowsy but more often than not I'm putting him down when he's asleep.

Inn2

We try the drowsy route because twice, in his short 8 weeks, it has worked. The rest it is rocking in arms until out and prayers he stays that way!

KerCo51

At 12:30 a.m. I change her, feed her, swaddle her and put her in her rnp. Whether she is drowsy or wide a wake, she is usually asleep by one. maybe not tonight though because she is partying like a rock star.

sleepy33

@jgslr You know what's funny, is my SIL is visiting w/ her 3 month old (who is like the most laid-back, easygoing kid it makes me feel like there is something SERIOUSLY wrong with mine), and with all the commotion I've had to just set my kid awake in the RNP several times while he was awake. In the past, this would have resulted in immediate crying, but do you know one time he sat pretty happily for about 15 minutes, and another time he was kind of drowsy and he actually dozed off for a short nap! I don't know if it's just because he's a little older now, or maybe his cousin's good attitude is wearing off on him.

BlessUrHeart29

I voted that he falls asleep in my arms and then we put him down, but we have had some success putting him down while drowsy. In fact, last night DH put him in his bouncy seat when he was totally awake, but quiet. We turned off the light and he chatted himself to sleep! Awesome!

huntjul

I SS'd because until this week it was always fully asleep. However, after a number of you provided me with some good advice on bedtime in response to my post earlier this week, I switched our bedtime routine. Now drowsy + swaddle + seahorse is getting us 50/50 results on sleep. As soon as she starts to cry, then I pick her up, soothe, and try again.

For naps she either falls asleep in arms or bed if I side-lie nurse her.  After MOTN feedings she usually falls asleep in my bed while side-lying nursing, then I move her to the bassinet.