Put your LO down awake?

NYBride1125

Lurking from the May board...just curious when you started to be able to put your LO down awake and he would fall asleep? My LO is 6 weeks tomorrow and I have to either nurse him to sleep or he has to be moving (car seat, stroller). I know he's still young but it's such a process to get him to sleep...maybe I'm waiting too long. Or does it get easier as the baby gets older? Just curious what others moms have found!

MamaFantastic

You're right, you should! Problem is, it's kind of impossible to do

I have been trying for 2 months to put her down drowsy but awake and it's a big fail every time. I have no good answers for you.

If someone has the magic solution, pipe up!!

speechie517

It's been a big, fat fail at our house too, so I'd love to hear some recommendations.

UnofficiallyLO

Just keep practicing and try not to get stressed if you have to use one of the go-to methods you mentioned instead. DS is 8 weeks and sometimes he will fall asleep in his crib or my bed (while closely monitored, of course), his bouncer on his own and sometimes I have to nurse or rock him. He's never been into the swaddle, we don't have a noise maker or even a door on his nursery (just moved). To make a long story longer, right now my schedule is his schedule so as long as he's happy and healthy he can sleep wherever and whenever he wants. I also want him to be comfortable naping when I bring him to a friends or grandparents house so I put him down in different settings often.

selina1113

I can put him in swing when drowsy and that puts him out. He hated swing until 6 weeks old though.

spano41

She will go down if she is tired, if not she will let me know she is not ready for bed. I think it helps to have a routine that signals it's bed time.

ambarnett1

Honestly, I used to try, but not anymore. I have a difficult baby at times, so I don't feel like fighting him on this just yet. I will start trying when we move in a few weeks.

MissHSoonToBeMrsS

So what do you do if LO doesn't go to sleep?

fourthnlast

Ehhh. This is my last one, i rock her to sleep every night and have no plans to stop.

Dayzie14

We started laying her down in her crib drowsy at about 7 weeks, I think it was. We would rock her until eyes started rolling around and eyelids were clearly heavy.

We lay her down and walk away. Most times we have to go back in a time or two to reinsert her binky before she goes to actual sleep. Sometimes it is just once or twice, sometimes it is five. Sometimes we have to trying rocking again, sometimes we have to feed again. Sometimes she falls asleep within minutes, sometimes it can take an hour and a half of going in and out of her room.

Of course there are ups and downs due to growth spurts, etc. And it doesnt always work and I end up holding her while she sleeps and gets to a deep sleep, but that is our "routine".

CosmoAnne1

I wish I knew my lO has to be walked around till asleep. Once asleep I can put him in his swing or next to my hubby ( who plays the I pad) in my bed whole I get ready for bed. He hates everyone else to put him to sleep he will cry forever if anyone tries. He hates the car. We have a fan for noise. He just wants to be held 24/7. I have to tell my self it won't last forever. And I can't do CIO before the age of 2 it gives me panic attacks : /. It's Easyer for me when they are older and understand it's there bed etc. if you figure it out let me know!

Dixon813

We rock him to sleep at night and then he sleeps very well on his crib. I wish I could get him to go to sleep on his own for naps but no luck so far. Also don't have good luck with naps in crib - either wants to be held or in RNP.

snmetz7

it depends on the day really. If I can put her down and she doesn't fuss she will fall asleep on her own. (or not but as long as she isn't crying I'm not worried about it)

MissHSoonToBeMrsS

Our LO sleeps in his RNP at night so we are trying to do naps in the crib to eventually make the transition easier.

LaBelle0412

I load her with milk from 5pm-dark thirty then once she starts not being as alert, swaddle sack her, turn the white noise on and put her down.

Trgree1712

The only time mine falls asleep on her "own" is when she is in her swing.

zoopsiedaisy

It happened accidentally about three weeks ago. She started waking up from a deep sleep every time I would out her into her crib after rocking her to sleep. She was out to the world until I would make the lowering motion. But luckily she wouldn't cry. So I started I keeping my hand behind her head and one on her stomach until her body relaxed. Then I would slowly remove both, about a minute later and then it was standing by and just waiting out of her view to see what would happen. Before I knew it she was sleeping on her own. I don't have to do the hand trick anymore. Now the only time she falls asleep with me is when I want to snuggle and I know we can be there a while. Her room is dark and we have an air machine. She's 8 weeks old and maybe we just fall into the easy baby category. She has also slept for 6 hour stretches since 4 weeks. The chick apparently likes her sleep!

nicole mackenzie

I haven't started trying. LO will only nap in my arms.

She likes to nurse to sleep at night and wants nothing to do with poor DH who gets home about the same she decides she needs mommy only snuggle time. Once she's out she stays asleep after I put her down.

I suppose I should start a routine of some sort...

*sparky*

nicole mackenzie said:

I haven't started trying. LO will only nap in my arms.

She likes to nurse to sleep at night and wants nothing to do with poor DH who gets home about the same she decides she needs mommy only snuggle time. Once she's out she stays asleep after I put her down.

I suppose I should start a routine of some sort...

Mine is very much like this, but she will nap in her RNP or swing most days. Today, however, she napped on me for two hours while I watched soccer.

But the part about DH getting home about the time she is having her "I want to go to bed now and no one but mommy will do" meltdown is totally our household. And poor DH will try to hold her and talk sweet to her and she just cries until she is back with me. I feel bad for him, but at least we have an older kid that likes having him around.

momofmanyinthemitten

Check out The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems.

nicole mackenzie

*sparky* said:

nicole mackenzie said:

I haven't started trying. LO will only nap in my arms.

She likes to nurse to sleep at night and wants nothing to do with poor DH who gets home about the same she decides she needs mommy only snuggle time. Once she's out she stays asleep after I put her down.

I suppose I should start a routine of some sort...

Mine is very much like this, but she will nap in her RNP or swing most days. Today, however, she napped on me for two hours while I watched soccer.

But the part about DH getting home about the time she is having her "I want to go to bed now and no one but mommy will do" meltdown is totally our household. And poor DH will try to hold her and talk sweet to her and she just cries until she is back with me. I feel bad for him, but at least we have an older kid that likes having him around.

LO is starting to enjoy short stretches in bouncy seats or her rocker but won't sleep.

She's our only child. I feel bad for DH that he has a hard time or can't soothe her because she wants me, and I get frustrated because I'd like to be able to have a little me time...

*sparky*

@nicole mackenzie‌ - I understand. Our DS was the same way, and so we always defaulted to me putting him to bed and even when he was 2 he would cry for me at night. DH felt really lonely and I felt bad for him.

You can't do anything about it at this age, but once your LO gets a little older I strongly recommend trying to switch things up so you don't end up being the only one to do bedtime for 2 years without tears being involved. Because that royally sucked.

AmberLiz99

I always put dd down awake unless she has unexpectedly fallen asleep, and I've done that since 2 weeks. Sometimes it takes a couple tries, but she sleeps so much better

jsoubel

I believe it's a myth based on my DD1 not doing it until she was over 1 year old and DD2 never doing it either.  I suppose some (mythical) babies can and/or it's not exactly as it sounds.

cd92007

This thread is blowing my mind... I had no idea this is something LO should/could be doing. I have to either nurse him or bounce/hold him to get him to sleep for both naps and at night. I'm so clueless! I guess I should start practicing putting him down awake (but I know he will lose his sh!t)

ambarnett1

cd92007 said:

This thread is blowing my mind... I had no idea this is something LO should/could be doing. I have to either nurse him or bounce/hold him to get him to sleep for both naps and at night. I'm so clueless! I guess I should start practicing putting him down awake (but I know he will lose his sh!t)

That's exactly what I'm thinking.

nursewinnie

Dd gets so overstimulated these days since we have started sitting her up in her bumbo chair. I've found that if I don't just put her down and walk out, she will fight sleep for an hour or more. One day about 3 weeks ago I noticed she would fall asleep on her own in her swing, so that night when I put her in her room she was asleep until I lowered her down into her RNP. Then the eyes opened but she wasn't crying so I just laid her down and left the room. I decided I wouldn't go back in unless I heard her crying on the monitor. I got busy doing dishes and realized a half hour went by with no crying. When I checked the monitor she was sleeping. every night since then I lay her down and sometimes she's awake so I just swaddle her and leave the room. She sleeps so much better when I just give her space, especially since she's been in this recent leap/growth spurt. She needs to be left alone to decompress. But to answer OP question, I think it's the baby as an individual and I'm sure age plays a factor. I would've never been able to get her to go down to sleep like that a month ago.

Mport90

Routine routine routine! My little guy will lay in his rock and play after bath time bottle and swaddle and fall right asleep! Never had to do anything else he knows it's bed time.

mammasuzelov

I don't think their is a magic formula, it's whatever works for your baby.

katy4128

Mine went down awake at about a month old and at 11 weeks he has decided that that is no longer his cup of tea. Ugh

nycgirlkat

At 2 months my LO will not nap on her own if you paid her a million dollars!!! I have to rock, wear or wheel her in the carriage when she is obviously tired to get a nap. She is so nosey and curious!

Night is easier....pj's, swaddle (arms out), bottle (slightly warmer than room temp) and bassinet (sometimes she's drowsy and falls asleep on her own, sometimes she is out cold and a few times she has been too overstimulated to get to sleep so it takes a few tries). My DD has been a tough customer since day one!

BiggerinRealLife

She's always been a self-soother. From what I can tell, it's on a baby-by-baby basis.

bumpuser10354689

At first I swaddled and then walked/rocked him until almost sleep, then bed. Now I just swaddle and right to bed. Somewhere I just skipped the step and he went with it.

Airynn Chica

Ah we don't even try as it's not a big deal for us! DD1 we talk her to sleep alone at 9 months and I think we will do DD2 around 6 months. For now we rock or walk her (DD2) to sleep and hold her for 10-15min and then lay her down. She usually stays asleep for 5-6hours then but starts off sleeping downstairs until we go to bed and we then take her upstairs.

Naps are another story and she most often will not stay asleep if I put her down. If she does stay asleep it will be 30-45min and only in her seat not her bassinet (I try everyday though)

Jennick602

Baby is 11 weeks and happy to lay in her cot, helped having a mobile for her to look at, she then falls asleep, in the hot weather having a fan in her room also helped.
It was hard at first but don't give up