Need Sleep Advice

MelanieCSU

My son will be 8 months old on Friday (5/8/15). He was born almost 6 weeks prematurely so his adjusted age is 6.5 months. My son used to sleep great in his crib until he and the rest of my family got a really awful cold and I started to co sleep with him, it's the only way any of use would get any sleep. Since that time my husband and I have been trying to get our son back into his crib. He goes down in his crib at night anytime between 7-8pm, he falls asleep on his own after about 10-15 minutes. He will sleep in his crib until about 10-11pm but then refuses to go back into his crib at that point so I usually end up sleeping with him in a bed in his room. My husband and I both work full time so we have to get some sleep somehow. We really want to transition him back into his crib full time any suggestions on how to do this? Also, my son still feeds every 3-4 hours at night, he refuses to go back to sleep if he isn't fed. I'm really torn as to if he really needs to eat at night due to him being born prematurely and still being small (1% on the growth chart). Any suggestions would be great.

Bigboobsmcgee

The inconsistency and the co-sleeping is making it hard for your LO to stay in the crib. He's probably confused. I think it's going to take some work on your part to get him back in the crib but it certainly can be done.

You might want to read up on some sleep training techniques, pick one you like and stick to it night after night. I'm sure it will be hard and your LO WILL cry but if you are consistent, you will be able to get him back in his crib. But you can't give up and bring him to bed with you!

As far as feeding in the night goes, I would think you should ask your Pedi about that. He might truly need those calories.

Des321

My son used to wake up every 2 hours every night, and also wanted to eat every time in order to go back to sleep. After doing some reading recommended by his pediatrician, we figured out that he wasn't actually hungry, it was just a negative sleep association that had developed over time. I was never a believer of the CIO method, but the book I read helped me to understand that it is perfectly ok as long as you know nothing is actually wrong with your baby. It only took 3 nights of crying about 30 minutes before he started sleeping through the night without needing to eat until he fell asleep. come up with a plan and stick to it so he doesn't get confused. Just trust your instincts and do what you feel is best. Hope this helps!

stacysimpson15

The best advice anybody could've ever given me was to get a large loud fan and put it in your bedroom and leave it on all night. My baby would always wake up every three hours to feed but she wasn't necessarily hungry. For those of us who have to wake up early in the morning and go to work waking up every three hours in the middle of the night it's not healthy for anyone in the home. After a couple of nights using the fan he will learn that he needs to sleep and not have to be fed all night. My doctor told me that if I don't have to wake up in the middle of the night to eat, then my baby doesn't need to wake up in the middle of the night to eat either. hope this helps. best of luck with your LO!

Bigboobsmcgee

stacysimpson15 said:

The best advice anybody could've ever given me was to get a large loud fan and put it in your bedroom and leave it on all night. My baby would always wake up every three hours to feed but she wasn't necessarily hungry. For those of us who have to wake up early in the morning and go to work waking up every three hours in the middle of the night it's not healthy for anyone in the home. After a couple of nights using the fan he will learn that he needs to sleep and not have to be fed all night. My doctor told me that if I don't have to wake up in the middle of the night to eat, then my baby doesn't need to wake up in the middle of the night to eat either. hope this helps. best of luck with your LO!

Wow. This is such horrible advice but doesn't surprise me from a pediatrician. A baby is NOTHING like an adult and their needs are very different. It's sad that you couldn't realize this on your own. Sure, working parents need sleep but you sort of give that up temporarily when you have a baby.  

OP, I do agree with the fan but only for white noise. We have one in both my kid's rooms and one in my room as well.

pchung

Babies wake up at night because they have a need.  That need can be food or cuddles.  Most premies started out slower eating because that part of them had not developed yet.  Most doctors will encourage feeding a premie whenever they want food.  Night time feedings is normal.  Every parent is tired.  You are not alone.  Just remember that this is a short time period in your babies life. 

Bigboobsmcgee

pchung said:

Babies wake up at night because they have a need.  That need can be food or cuddles.  Most premies started out slower eating because that part of them had not developed yet.  Most doctors will encourage feeding a premie whenever they want food.  Night time feedings is normal.  Every parent is tired.  You are not alone.  Just remember that this is a short time period in your babies life. 

Yep. This is sound advice.