SLEEP :(

Un4getabl2

After reading the posts below about the lack of sleep makes me wonder what you gals are doing. I don't plan on using the CIO method but what else can I do to ensure my LO learns how to put himself to sleep and yet comfort him? Do you go in every time he/she starts crying? I feel so lost  

 

thanks 

 

(I put my LO in the crib for a nap 38 minutes ago... and still nothing ) 

virginiagirl11

I'm still nursing or rocking DS to sleep.  It usually takes less than 10-15 minutes so I don't feel that it negatively impacts our days.  I feel fairly confident that he will simply grow out of these things once he has a few more months under his belt.  All of the other things I was worried about up to this point have turned out this way (sleeping in the crib, swaddling....he weaned himself from swaddling and adapted to crib sleeping very easily, I think just because he was a little older and more ready for it).

DH agrees with me so we're just going to keep an eye on it. 

eta: Yes, we go in whenever he cries.  We give it a few seconds to see if it's truly an awake cry or if he's sleep-crying, but if he's awake, we go in and hold him and do a few laps around the upstairs until he falls back asleep.  Patting/shushing him while he's still in the crib is not effective for us.

vanfox

virginiagirl11:

I'm still nursing or rocking DS to sleep.  It usually takes less than 10-15 minutes so I don't feel that it negatively impacts our days.  I feel fairly confident that he will simply grow out of these things once he has a few more months under his belt.  All of the other things I was worried about up to this point have turned out this way (sleeping in the crib, swaddling....he weaned himself from swaddling and adapted to crib sleeping very easily, I think just because he was a little older and more ready for it).

DH agrees with me so we're just going to keep an eye on it. 

eta: Yes, we go in whenever he cries.  We give it a few seconds to see if it's truly an awake cry or if he's sleep-crying, but if he's awake, we go in and hold him and do a few laps around the upstairs until he falls back asleep.  Patting/shushing him while he's still in the crib is not effective for us.

All of this, only patting sometimes works if he's very tired and just looking for reassurance.

amyedwards0713

Keep in mind this is all saying that we know he doesn't need anything (he's been fed, changed, he's just sleepy and not wanting to go there).  We've been CIO.  I get up at 5am for my job so this 4 month wakeful is killing me.  He wakes up at 4 and therefore:  I wake up at 4.  We go in to reassure, but we don't pick up.  We plug in the bink, etc.  Then we leave.  If he cries again, we give it 5 minutes then repeat.  We've been working our way up to 10 minutes, but he normally falls asleep after about 20 minutes of the in and out.  (Meaning I'm evil and he cried for about 15 of them.)  I'm trying to get him to stop napping in his swing too, so we started doing it for naps as well.  We've been at it 3 days and it's not great, but it's getting better.  Last night I heard him wake up 3 times, twice he went back to sleep after only a minute or two.  The third time I was up with the crying for about 15 minutes.  He's learning something...In the meantime my heart breaks just about every time, but I know there's nothing wrong with him, he just doesn't want to sleep even though he needs to!

SandiaPinaMama

At night, I nurse LO change dipe, top him off, and put him in his bassinet awake.  He puts himself to sleep.  I leave the room, and only go back if there is crying on the monitor.  If there is crying, I nurse a little more, and then put him back down awake.  This almost never happens.  He now puts himself to sleep for naps wherever he happens to be when he gets tired. 

misssurly

I think every baby is different and not every baby can put themselves to sleep... sometimes I feel like I'm the only one still rocking LO to sleep but same as PP, am hoping she eventually grows out of it. Mine was colic for the first couple months and needed to be held ALL the time. At least now she's getting better being put down once she's asleep.

One steps at a time I guess

We put LO in the crib, usually she wakes 45 minutes longer... we give her a minute to fuss/cry before going in and then try to reassure with shushing and bum patting. Usually doesn't work so we rock her asleep again in the dark room and usually the 2nd time down is the charm for the night. Or next 5 hours if I am lucky!