Babies: 6 - 9 Months
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Does your DD/DS STTN?
Mine doesnt and I REALLY need help. I feel like my child is the only one who doesnt. She hasnt a day in her life.
She used to sleep for about 3-4 hour stretches max. Now with her teeth coming in, its more like 1-2 hours. I have had it! I am tired. My marriage is suffering because of it. We are both so tired and cranky.
We tried CIO/FIO 2xs. Doesnt work. She cried HARD for over 3 hours the second time. We have tried cereal in her last bottle. We have tried feeding her a lot more during the day. We have tried schedules and routines. NOTHING works. I dont know what to do.
Some people tell me "She will do it when shes ready." When the heck is that going to be?!?
Please help me if your kid STTN. If yours doesnt, I feel your pain. :-(
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Re: Does your DD/DS STTN?
Never sttn
With teething and a growth spurt we regressed. The pedi (rightly so) said we need to be upping his formula intake. I started this yesterday and he woke up once out of habit and fussed himself back to sleep. Then he woke up once for a bottle. I'm hoping the increase in formula will lead to better sleep.
I feel your pain - GL!
My youngest hasn't STTN a day in her life. My older daughter didnt either until 13 months when it all just clicked and she became the world's most amazing sleeper.
It really will happen - it might take a while, but it will. In the meantime, do whatever you hve to do to get the rest you need (cosleep, swing, rock n play, ect).
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This.
I was very opposed to bedsharing at first. We tried and tried to get DS to STTN, and it just wasn't working, even when I had him in a PNP right next to the bed. He would sleep for 2-3 hours, then wake up over and over again. Out of desperation, we used to bring him into the bed at 4am, 5am, etc when he would wake up, and he would sleep so well once we did so.
Finally, when he was about 6 months old, I gave in and decided to bedshare with him. I looked up multiple sites online (Dr Sears is good) to find out the safest things to do: install a bedrail, have LO sleep between you and the bedrail (not between you and DH) get rid of heavy blankets, etc. Also, I found out a couple things on the Dr Sears website that really reassured me that bedsharing can be just as safe as crib sleeping if done right (check it out and you'll see what I mean).
I have to say every situation is different and every parent does what works for them and their child only. But I have to say that deciding to bedshare was the best decision I ever made. DS and I now get 9 hours of sleep every night. And it just feels so natural to me to have my baby next to me. (Once again, every situation is different, so if you don't feel comfortable with this, I'm not trying to convince you that bedsharing is the only way to go.)
GL!
We had the same issue with my DS. At 6.5 months, his teeth came in and he was getting up every hour. Even after the teething was done, he was up every 3 hours or so. We decided to bedshare and it was the best decision I ever made. At least when he was getting up multiple times a night, I could just roll over, put his paci in/rub his back for a minute, and he was back to sleep.
I think people are always scared to bedshare because A. they're scared they're doing something dangerous or B. the baby will never leave their bed ever and they will be stuck bedsharing until their child goes off to college. I can assure you that neither one is true. There are safe ways to bedshare, and you can even transition them to their own bed after bedsharing.
GL!
Can you tell us more? What are you routines? What time does she go to bed? Where - crib? What is she wearing? Temp of the room? Music?
I know some people recommend bedsharing, but to me that would be a last resort. I have brought the baby into bed a few times in the morning to nurse and I was so paranoid I'd roll on her I got horrible sleep.
My kid STTN and I mostly chalk it up to luck but maybe we can help trouble shoot.
Bed sharing was what was hindering L from STTN for us. He started sleeping through the night when we put him in his own crib, let him CIO, and didn't go in and check in on him. The first time we tried sleep training and checked in on him, it only made it worse.
It also helps that he doesn't need to nurse himself to sleep. We notice his tired cues, then just scoop him up, kiss him and lay him in his crib.
Not us! In the past week or two she has started sleeping from maybe 10 or 11 until 3 or sometimes 4. So on the best of nights I might get 4+ hours in a stretch, but that's rare. We went through many months of the 1-2 hour deal.
My only advice (and obviously, I'm no expert!) is to try to feed her as much as possible during the day to stock her up on calories, then work on stretching out feedings at night. I arbitrarily decided that if LO had eaten in the past 2 hours, then I would turn on her seahorse and pat her back until she falls back asleep. If it had been over 3 or 3 hours then I would feed her. It took many nights of back patting, leaving her to fuss, more back patting, etc, until she seemed to get just a little bit better.
It sucks.
I just wanted to thank you for this. IRL so many people act like parents of crummy sleepers are to blame and it's so refreshing to have someone say that a lot of it is luck!
I agree with this. Absolutely. I've had 3 children, read every sleep book around, and discovered that the first 2 sttn when they were ready and not a lick sooner, regardless of what sleep training was done on them. My 3rd is a crappy sleeper. At her best she's slept a 4-hour-segment of the night, but that's always followed by hourly wakeups.
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Don't try to do sleep training when your LO is in pain - whether it be teething, or in our case, reflux. If LO is crying, it could be a medical need and not just out of habit.
I really like the baby whisperer books but have not gotten to try them yet as DS has been suffering with reflux and we've been changing meds. If CIO didn't work, this is another avenue to try.
I'm scared sh!tless of teething and have no experience with it, but I think that some kids are more sensitive and have a lower pain tolerance than others or become agitated more about seemingly small things. You are doing nothing wrong!
It could help to do a crib and baby check. Is it too hot? Too cold? Nightlight shining in eyes? Think of things that would wake you up and put yourself in your baby's shoes... And in the least, find ways to be patient and accept no sleep until some teeth pop through. Then consider alternate sleep training since CIO did not work.
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I would just make sure you have a consistent routine and an early enough bedtime. Also, if you have sleep associations such as rocking to sleep or a pacifer then they will interefere with getting through different sleep cycles.
I really do think they STTN when they are ready though. We've been consistent in what we have done at night from day one so I am sure that helps, but it is also just luck.
You can help them get there through sleep training, but again you have to be consistent and have to be willing to have a couple of very hard nights.
Good luck!