Baby Sleep Questions

adiaz132003

Since we are starting to approach that magical 3 month mark, their sleep is gonna start changing/mild sleep training will start. Post all baby sleep/nap related questions here.

adiaz132003

Shall I start? Lol Preston sleeps for only 45 min at a time for naps, which is fine as long as he is waking up energized and happy.  We just have a little issue with going to sleep.  I am trying to set him down drowsy but awake so that his sleep transitions can be smoother.  Our pre-nap routine is just a little cuddling and a song then he goes down.  Issue is that while he is trying to settle his arms go flying everywhere and he rubs his face like crazy which knocks the pacifier out and he'll cry.  He's been out of the swaddle for over a week and this is always an issue. Once asleep he's fine and nighttime is great, it's just day sleep we have issues.  Besides getting rid of the pacifier (which DH and I agreed to let him keep it till after the 6 month mark unless he starts waking every hour needing it) and going back to the swaddle, are there any tips?  How long does this crazy arm waving last?

Bear14+

Startle reflex lasts for a few more months. Have you thought about a Merlin Magic Sleepsuit or a Woombie? MMS can be used around 3 months and while it doesn't stop them from touching their face, it makes it a lot more difficult to keep their hands there. They have to be in a crib for the suit. 

HeartLikeMine3

Sounds like he still needs the swaddle to settle. I understand you not wanting to have to break habits later on but the startle reflex will go away and then it won't be as big of an issue. We used the merlins Magic sleep suit with DS but it's very hot and bulky. Worked great for us then because it was winter but I couldn't put LO in it yet. We live in Texas and she would melt it did work very well though 

adiaz132003

I wish there was way to keep his hands down without the tightness of a Swaddle.  The reason I want to go swaddle free is more because the tightness is not good for their breathing especially when they have reflux.  He already has raspy breathing sometimes so I want to reduce risks as much as possible.

meggyme

Maybe one of the sleep sacks a few sizes bigger so it's not tight on his chest? That way it would keep his hands contained but not pinned down.

vintagevix2016

adiaz132003 said:

I wish there was way to keep his hands down without the tightness of a Swaddle.  The reason I want to go swaddle free is more because the tightness is not good for their breathing especially when they have reflux.  He already has raspy breathing sometimes so I want to reduce risks as much as possible.

Damien knocks his out too but not because of the startle reflex. It's almost like he is trying to keep the pacifier in by himself and since he doesn't have a lot of control, he just ends up knocking it out when waving his arms about. I usually sit by him and gently hold the pacifier or watch for when he is about to knock it out so I can keep it in. Once his eyes close, I slink away. I may have to go in a couple of times and repeat the process until he is finally out but it seems to work for us.

He's been out of the swaddle for a long time since he prefers to have his arms free and the startle reflex doesn't wake him up (we noticed that since Day 1). I use sleepsacks during naptime and at night. You could try that and keep his arms in it rather than putting them through the arm holes? They tend to be loose enough to not bother the breathing for reflux so I'd think keeping the arms in might work. I imagine there are sleepsacks out there that don't have arm holes but I haven't checked.

Bear14+

What about the woombie? 

laurendiaz02

We have the Merlin suit (it's inside out to dry) but haven't used it yet. Seems too hot. Lol. Remind me of a baby straigh jacket  

Bear14+

I've never had any problems with the cotton suit and I live in FL. DS never was overly warm. I think the cotton one has poor insulation. 

lac1252

When is it recommended to stop swaddling babies? LO is still in her bassinet at 9 weeks and sleeps in a long sleeve cotton sleeper. She often kicks out of her swaddle before morning so I don't think she really even needs it anymore but since we sleep with the AC on I feel like she needs that extra layer to be warm enough while sleeping. What is everyone else doing if you're not swaddling any longer?

adiaz132003

lac1252 said:

When is it recommended to stop swaddling babies? LO is still in her bassinet at 9 weeks and sleeps in a long sleeve cotton sleeper. She often kicks out of her swaddle before morning so I don't think she really even needs it anymore but since we sleep with the AC on I feel like she needs that extra layer to be warm enough while sleeping. What is everyone else doing if you're not swaddling any longer?

They say to stop swaddling once they start rolling over for safety reasons.

lac1252

adiaz132003 said:

lac1252 said:

When is it recommended to stop swaddling babies? LO is still in her bassinet at 9 weeks and sleeps in a long sleeve cotton sleeper. She often kicks out of her swaddle before morning so I don't think she really even needs it anymore but since we sleep with the AC on I feel like she needs that extra layer to be warm enough while sleeping. What is everyone else doing if you're not swaddling any longer?

They say to stop swaddling once they start rolling over for safety reasons.

That's what I had always heard. Thanks.

lm45678

https://www.sleepingbaby.com


anyone one have any experience with the zippity zip? I saw it on shark tank and am interested.

May be a good solution for Preston @adiaz132003 since it's not tight on the chest- can't vouch for it personally but looks interesting!

ohiocourtbabymomma

laurenm2123 said:

https://www.sleepingbaby.com


anyone one have any experience with the zippity zip? I saw it on shark tank and am interested.

May be a good solution for Preston @adiaz132003 since it's not tight on the chest- can't vouch for it personally but looks interesting!

I was just going to recommend the zippity! A friend of mine has one and swears by it specifically for transitioning frombthevswade. I am thinking of ordering one myself. 
https://www.sleepingbaby.com/collections/zipadee-zip

adiaz132003

ohiocourtbabymomma said:

laurenm2123 said:

https://www.sleepingbaby.com


anyone one have any experience with the zippity zip? I saw it on shark tank and am interested.

May be a good solution for Preston @adiaz132003 since it's not tight on the chest- can't vouch for it personally but looks interesting!

I was just going to recommend the zippity! A friend of mine has one and swears by it specifically for transitioning frombthevswade. I am thinking of ordering one myself. 
https://www.sleepingbaby.com/collections/zipadee-zip

Oh I've heard of these.

adiaz132003

I'm thinking since naps are our only issue, I'll try the swaddle.  He takes such short 45 min naps and I bet the swaddle will help him sleep longer until we can break thing 45 min map thing.  We are trying the wake to sleep method.  I go in at 30 min and just touch him or make a sound till he stirs but then I end up sitting here, hands at the ready to catch if his arms go flying.  He stays asleep but obviously not in deep sleep otherwise he wouldn't be moving.  Am I doing it right?

Bear14+

A 45min nap at this age is considered very normal! LO only naps for about 30 minutes at a time during the day. DS was the same exact way. I was about ready to pull my hair out...black out shades, swaddles, everything. I drove myself crazy trying to "fix" it, but really, I just learned to embrace it until his brain was ready to let him sleep longer. He eventually did learn to sleep longer during the day....it took a while though. 

Bear14+

https://www.preciouslittlesleep.com/your-nemesis-the-short-nap/

kaitielynnrichardson

@adiaz132003 Cole has silent reflux and I am not a fan of the tight swaddling anymore either-- I use a swaddleme wrap and swaddle him from the armpits down- loosely, or I put him in a baby bag.. (I'm sure that's not what it's called so I have attached a picture.)  He loves it because he can keep his hands free by his head but his legs are in the bag.. He sleeps so much better in it.

adiaz132003

So I have come to terms with the pacifier on that I know it helps Preston fall asleep but I feel like it's not normal that he will only ever get sleepy with it.  I can get him drowsy  by walking/rocking and as long as he doesn't have gas he will be chill but if I hold still he fidgets like crazy and gets upset, as soon as the pacifier is in he goes completely still and limp.  Anybody else have a baby that just refuses to even settle, forget sleep, without your help?  


Side note: I used to worry about the pacifier because I didn't want to have to keep putting it back in. For this nap I did a half swaddle (very loose with an arm out) and put him down with the pacifier.  5 min later the cries started but I had just heard of something called protest cries vs emotional or "I actually need you" cries and let him go for a few minutes as I was typing the above comment and he suddenly just stopped and fell asleep.  He's never done that and maybe because at first cry I'd go put it back.  I always let him fuss a little and make noise but I had never heard of a protest cry before cause I assumed a cry means they have passed the point of no return.  Anyone find this protest cry thing to be accurate?

vintagevix2016

Damien has taken to sleeping until 9am or 10am each morning. I know I should be rejoicing (and I currently am from the comfort of my snuggly bed) but it seems odd to me. He usually wakes up each night at around 2am/3am for a feeding, then again at 6am/7am. He would then either go back to sleep until 8am or be up until he went down for a morning nap. Now he gets fed at 6am/7am, goes back to sleep and is down until 9am or 10am. He's a bit squirmy at times but not fussing and is definitely asleep when he squirms. Am I just imagining something unusual that isn't unusual at all?

adiaz132003

vintagevix2016 said:

Damien has taken to sleeping until 9am or 10am each morning. I know I should be rejoicing (and I currently am from the comfort of my snuggly bed) but it seems odd to me. He usually wakes up each night at around 2am/3am for a feeding, then again at 6am/7am. He would then either go back to sleep until 8am or be up until he went down for a morning nap. Now he gets fed at 6am/7am, goes back to sleep and is down until 9am or 10am. He's a bit squirmy at times but not fussing and is definitely asleep when he squirms. Am I just imagining something unusual that isn't unusual at all?

I don't think it's unusual cause if I didn't have an alarm/baby I would wake up at different times too.  I actually try not to let Preston sleep past 8:30 cause he's on a kinda sorta schedule which has made bedtime easier although since his naps have been weird he now goes to bed anytime between 7:30-9 depending on when his last nap was.  Last night we were out all day so he got a ton of sleep and wouldn't go down for his evening nap at 5 which would give us an 8pm bedtime. He fell asleep in his rocker for a twenty min catnap at around 6 and didn't get tired till almost 8.

vintagevix2016

@adiaz132003 When we was up at 8am, I'd usually have him down for a morning nap by 9:30am or 10am (depending on how much he's fighting the nap) and he'd sleep for 45min to 1.5hrs. I toyed with waking him up when he started sleeping past 9am so that we could maintain our loose schedule but wasn't sure. Part of me wants to let him sleep however long he wishes to do so buuuut I do want to keep working on our schedule. I also know that part of me was traumatized when my husband woke him up early one time and he spent the next 4hrs crying his eyes out. I'm thinking that's why I'm so hesitant to wake him. 

rlbrooks84

adiaz132003 said:

So I have come to terms with the pacifier on that I know it helps Preston fall asleep but I feel like it's not normal that he will only ever get sleepy with it.  I can get him drowsy  by walking/rocking and as long as he doesn't have gas he will be chill but if I hold still he fidgets like crazy and gets upset, as soon as the pacifier is in he goes completely still and limp.  Anybody else have a baby that just refuses to even settle, forget sleep, without your help?  


Side note: I used to worry about the pacifier because I didn't want to have to keep putting it back in. For this nap I did a half swaddle (very loose with an arm out) and put him down with the pacifier.  5 min later the cries started but I had just heard of something called protest cries vs emotional or "I actually need you" cries and let him go for a few minutes as I was typing the above comment and he suddenly just stopped and fell asleep.  He's never done that and maybe because at first cry I'd go put it back.  I always let him fuss a little and make noise but I had never heard of a protest cry before cause I assumed a cry means they have passed the point of no return.  Anyone find this protest cry thing to be accurate?

I haven't had a LO do protest cries at this young an age yet it at least haven't realized it. When they get older they do a lot more protest cries. I'm trying to do baby sign language with Charlotte so maybe she'll be able to tell me what she needs better. My first two also have speech issues so if she follows in their path that'll make life easier. We'll see how it goes, never hurts to try.

vintagevix2016

@rlbrooks84 We're doing baby sign language too! We had two doctors with a baby that lived above us last year and the taught her some of the sign language. It was amazing to watch! Her movements were obviously not very precise but her parents knew exactly what she was trying to communicate. 

Bear14+

adiaz132003 said:

So I have come to terms with the pacifier on that I know it helps Preston fall asleep but I feel like it's not normal that he will only ever get sleepy with it.  I can get him drowsy  by walking/rocking and as long as he doesn't have gas he will be chill but if I hold still he fidgets like crazy and gets upset, as soon as the pacifier is in he goes completely still and limp.  Anybody else have a baby that just refuses to even settle, forget sleep, without your help?  


Side note: I used to worry about the pacifier because I didn't want to have to keep putting it back in. For this nap I did a half swaddle (very loose with an arm out) and put him down with the pacifier.  5 min later the cries started but I had just heard of something called protest cries vs emotional or "I actually need you" cries and let him go for a few minutes as I was typing the above comment and he suddenly just stopped and fell asleep.  He's never done that and maybe because at first cry I'd go put it back.  I always let him fuss a little and make noise but I had never heard of a protest cry before cause I assumed a cry means they have passed the point of no return.  Anyone find this protest cry thing to be accurate?

The pacifier is actually more normal than you think for sleeping. Babies like to suck, it's soothing for them. It could be your boob, bottle, finger, or pacifier and most babies will pass out if they are tired. 

I really wouldn't worry much about it all, they usually fall out once they reach a deep sleep. At some point, I used to put multiple pacifiers in DS's crib and he would put them back in himself. When he was 12 months I got rid of them and he only cried for a few minutes on night 1 and it was forgotten right away. 

adiaz132003

Mommas with gassy babies.  Anyone having issues with gas pain while trying to sleep?  Every now and then Preston gets gas so bad it won't let him even get to deep and he only sleeps 10-15 min at a time.  What do you do to help them sleep or is there a better way for then to sleep when they are super gassy?  Whenever this happens he gets a crapnap it will be on and off sleep for like an hour or so and I'm worried that it's not really the kind of sleep he needs.

vintagevix2016

@adiaz132003 Yuuuup. I give him gripe water and that seems to help a lot. I also try to burp him, sometimes that helps too.

adiaz132003

Wow Preston has been asleep for over an hour! That's a first.  Maybe it's because I fed him before his nap cause he was crying and won't calm down.  Not sure if that's the reason or if he is just getting better with naps.

Eta: Is "nursing to sleep" defined as letting them fall asleep at the breast or is it simply a feeding before a nap even if LO is awake and eyes open before the nap?  

amangels2

@adiaz132003 I've noticed Sam's naps have been progressively getting longer, which I find interesting.  But a few weeks ago I was lucky if he slept 20 minutes, then I noticed he was consistent napping for 35 minutes and then his naps in the last few days have been 45min-1hr. He usually takes four naps a day. 

bray1214

adiaz132003 said:

Wow Preston has been asleep for over an hour! That's a first.  Maybe it's because I fed him before his nap cause he was crying and won't calm down.  Not sure if that's the reason or if he is just getting better with naps.

Eta: Is "nursing to sleep" defined as letting them fall asleep at the breast or is it simply a feeding before a nap even if LO is awake and eyes open before the nap?  



Stuck in the stupid box. Nursing to sleep is refuring to them falling asleep at the Breast. Maybe baby just needs a snack. I bottle feed. At 10 weeks old my daughter eats 6 oz every 5 or so Hours during the day. Right before bed she crys for an oz or Two depending when she least ate. She'll be fully awake during the whole feeding. She takes her pacifier after she's burped and changed and falls asleep. Without her snack she won't. 

bray1214

I should also mention. At night she sleeps from 7-12 hours depending on her mood since 8 weeks. 

vintagevix2016

Agreed, I think nursing to sleep means the baby falls asleep at the breast. It's rare that Damien does it but it happens from time to time. He will often get sleepy though, which makes putting him back to sleep at night much easier. He usually nurses after he wakes up from a nap and I have to soothe him to sleep with other methods for his naps in that case. I would love to nurse him to a sleepy state for naps but he won't have it.

adiaz132003

Wow he slept for 3 hours then only stayed awake am for an hour and a half.  He also slept for an hour and a half this morning at stroller Boot camp and now he's sleeping again. What's up with this kid?! Lol god I hope this doesn't mean he'll be up all night.

vintagevix2016

adiaz132003 said:

Wow he slept for 3 hours then only stayed awake am for an hour and a half.  He also slept for an hour and a half this morning at stroller Boot camp and now he's sleeping again. What's up with this kid?! Lol god I hope this doesn't mean he'll be up all night.

My husband is always worried when Damien takes long naps but his nights have stayed consist. I hope Preston follows suit!

bray1214

adiaz132003 said:

Wow he slept for 3 hours then only stayed awake am for an hour and a half.  He also slept for an hour and a half this morning at stroller Boot camp and now he's sleeping again. What's up with this kid?! Lol god I hope this doesn't mean he'll be up all night.

I find baby's do what's best for them. If they sleep all day it might not mess up his schedule they might just need sleep. A lot of brain development happens during sleep. When Jocelyn turned 8 weeks old maybe two days into the week she hit a growth spurt where all she did was sleep and wake up to eat flash a smile or  babble for a minute and go back to sleep. And it stayed like that for 10 days.  But she still kept her bed time longer. 

vintagevix2016

Damien woke me at 6am with the sound of him sucking on his fingers. At night this has always been a hunger cue so I picked him up to nurse. No dice. He must have been sucking in his sleep because sleeping is all he did when I tried to nurse. I laid him down again and he immediately started sucking. I waited a little bit and tried again, same thing. I guess he was just trying to soothe himself but now that's throwing me off. I keep thinking he is hungry and can't fall asleep because I keep waiting for him to cry. I've lost my nightly hunger cue! I hate waiting for him to cry because he's hungry. 

meggyme

Jackie has been sleeping in about 3-4 hour stretches through the night, but after her 6am feed, she can't seem to stay asleep until 8. She'll wake up at 7 and again at 7:30 wanting to eat or be held. If someone holds her she'll sleep another 2 hours no problem. Not sure how to change her behavior or if I even can, but I miss "sleeping in."

adiaz132003

meggyme said:

Jackie has been sleeping in about 3-4 hour stretches through the night, but after her 6am feed, she can't seem to stay asleep until 8. She'll wake up at 7 and again at 7:30 wanting to eat or be held. If someone holds her she'll sleep another 2 hours no problem. Not sure how to change her behavior or if I even can, but I miss "sleeping in."

Preston did this for a couple weeks where between the hours of 5:30 and 8 he would fuss.  I would feed hi. If he was hungry then put him down just like I do at night.  As long as his eyes were not open and he wasn't crying, I let him stay there but I would go in every now and then and reassure I was there by putting a hand on him but not talk to him.  Now he will still fuss a little but doesn't wake up until around 8-8:30

meggyme

She's been actually crying during that time. If I bring her into bed with us she sleeps fine. I prop her up in the boppy and she falls right back asleep. Not something I want to perpetuate, but for now it's self preservation. It's frustrating that she won't sleep equally as well in her bassinet. And she's in the room with us, so any little sound she makes I hear.