Suddenly won't sleep unless being held, help/ideas PLEASE!

JessJ222

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Need some major sleep help here! 

For the last 4 nights, DD (5 months next week) will not sleep unless being held.  It's ridiculous.  We are/have been rocking her to sleep and then putting her down to sleep in her crib once she is asleep, but the last 4 nights no matter when, how many times we have tried or how many different ways we have tried she wakes up and starts crying the instant we place her down.  We pick her back up and she is a sleep within seconds to minutes again.

Background:  Used to be a champion sleeper.  Was STTN at 6 weeks old up until 3 ? months old, when I assumed we were going through the 4 month wakeful period.  So since 3 ? months, she has been waking up most night (occasionally will still sleep 10-12 hours) at 3-4am and refuse to be put down unless.  Most of the time after she is deep asleep, so after being held for like 30 minutes we could get her down and get a couple more hours of sleep.  That was at least manageable.

Now she won?t be put down ever.  Whether it?s 8:00 (her bedtime) or the other dozens and dozen of times we have tried.  I know it?s only been 4 nights, but we are a total loss of what to do.  The only way she has slept the last 4 nights is in our arms.  We obviously cannot sustain this.  We were planning on doing some sort of sleep training at 6 months, but I am just not comfortable with letting my not even 5 months old cry it out.  Also when she does cry, she gets super angry very quickly and often will scratch her face.  I don?t think it?s a method that would work for her.  Nor can I imagine myself letting her cry like that. But at the same time not sure what else to do.

Any ideas? 

She isn't hungry, so feeding won't help.

Also pretty sure she isn't teething as she isn't showing any other signs of teething and falls asleep perfectly in our arms.

 

JessJ222

Sorry for the weird formatting.  I copy/pasted.

MrsBoike

When she does this do you pick her back up immediately? Have you tried lying her down and when she starts to scream talking to her and patting her or whatever soother technique she likes until she passes out? Maybe she is going through a clingy stage where she just wants to be close to you and Daddy. Not sure if that's any help but that is what I would do. Hope it gets better for yall!!

RazorRose

MrsBoike:

When she does this do you pick her back up immediately? Have you tried lying her down and when she starts to scream talking to her and patting her or whatever soother technique she likes until she passes out? Maybe she is going through a clingy stage where she just wants to be close to you and Daddy. Not sure if that's any help but that is what I would do. Hope it gets better for yall!!

 

Your daughter has GORGEOUS eyes!! Oh my goodness!

Carebear517

Ugh, we are going through the same thing. Last week we had started Ferberizing him and it was going so well with less crying each night and only one wakeup at 4 am to eat. Then, this week he cried for an hour 2 nights in a row and we went back to just rocking him to sleep, thinking maybe the week before was some kind of fluke and maybe he's still too young. But as soon as we put him down he wakes back up, at night and for naps. It usually takes 3 times before he stays down whereas before even though we had to rock him to sleep he was staying asleep the first time we put him down.

I think he is just going through a clingy phase. It sucks but hopefully it will pass. We are shelving the sleep training for a few more weeks and then we will try again.  

dairygirl19

My LO is a bit younger but does this sometimes.
I've learned to wait for a full out cry. Before that I a) let her "talk" for a bit b) go in and give her paci back c) make sure she's warm enough. That works about half the time.

When it's a full out cry I go get her. She falls asleep being held then which sucks. Sometimes I stick in her carseat and rock it with my foot or put the carseat on the floor and turn her sound machine on and leave again. Knocks her right out. Not ideal, but it works and sometimes (she doesn't do it too often) I take what I can get.

genekelly

Are you still swaddling?  We still swaddle LO at night and for naps(just his arms and leave his legs free).  I don't know if your LO is rolling yet so that might not be an option for you.   Sometimes what works for LO when he is crying at bedtime is putting him in his crib and resting a firm hand on his tummy or side and slowly patting him while shushing.  I think the hand makes him feel less alone.  GL!  Hope LO is back to a champion sleeper soon!

Snapdragon750

What do you mean, she won't be put down?  You mean she cries every time she is put down?  Isn't that pretty normal? I know you've said you're not comfortable letting your baby "cry it out," but have you tried to see what happens if you let her cry for just a few minutes?My baby will occasionally fall asleep in my arms, but she always always ALWAYS wakes up the second I put her down and starts to cry.  She usually stops after a minute, but almost every night I have to walk away from her with her crying (sure I can pick her up and soothe her, but the same thing will happen the next time I put her down so it's a lost cause).  I can't imagine what my life would be like right now if I never left her room unless she was already peacefully asleep.  Because it DOES NOT HAPPEN until after I leave.Not saying this is necessary for all babies, but it is for mine, so it might be for yours and is worth a try! 

Nancy729

Whether you plan to do any kind of sleep training or not, you may find Ferber's chapter on sleep associations interesting.  We were having the same trouble with our son - we'd rock him to sleep, and he'd either wake up the instant we set him down or within 45 minutes and then need to be rocked again.  We were getting NO sleep.

Because we were rocking him to sleep and placing him in his crib, he was waking up where he did not fall asleep, and Ferber suggests that is very scary and prevents babies from being able to put themselves back to sleep because they are freaked out.  Imagine if you woke up where you did not fall asleep? 

Interesting read, and will help you understand more of what is going on with your baby..just a suggestion.

We rocked our son to sleep from the moment he was born, but when that stopped working, we had to find a different solution.  Now he falls asleep in his crib and pretty much stays asleep.  If he does wake up, he is able to go right back to sleep often without any crying at all.