FTM sleep question

twocents6708

My LO is almost 4 months old. I consider myself to be an AP parent although I did not know that my parenting style had a name until a few months ago Anyway, cosleeping turned out to not be P's thing. We moved her to her crib at 3 months and she started STTN on her own. I always nurse her to sleep and sometimes rock her. I love this and although most of my family says that this is spoiling her, I disagree. DH can rock her to sleep if she wakes up and she will nap on his chest often but when it comes to actual bed time it is a no-go with him. It worries me that if I ever am gone or we go out late one evening, she will not go to bed for anyone else.  Will she outgrow this as she gets older or I am creating a monster by nursing/rocking to sleep?

mamabirdof4

My DD was EBF and always rocked to sleep by me...When she was 10 months old I was really sick and had to be in the hospital....She did great with DH...He was able to sooth her just by rocking.  I rock all my babies to sleep until they don't need it anymore...seems to be around a year or so.  I will never regret it...time goes by so quick.  Just enjoy it.  I have twins now and it is hard to rock them to sleep but we still do it because we feel it is really important. 

We have a 2 and 3 year old who can easily put themselves to sleep even though they were always rocked to sleep...we just let them decide when they were ready to give it up. 

Kristi1971

Mamabird stated this nicely - time goes by so fast.  It may not seem like it at the moment, but that moment just left.  They grow up so fast.  Quality time is never too much, never a spoiling.  At least IMO, that is.  Rocking them to sleep is your way to have some good quality time - the last thing they remember before they go off to sleep.  I will rock sometimes, but because I have twins, it's harder to rock them both, so I sing them to sleep a lot of the time.  I just make up my own songs for them and sing.  They really love it, because they can hear my voice and focus on me as their little eyes close.  I love the closeness it brings to me (and I assume to them). 

As for DH, I have had to let go of some things (and it's not easy either). When DH is caring for the girls (because he may be home and I am not or whatever the case may be), I've had to tell myself that he will figure it out...figure out a way that works for him.  My way may not be his way and vice versa.  If he has a way to put them to sleep that works for him, good for him! 

TiffanyBerry

Well, see... you say "it's a no-go", but I imagine that *eventually* she will go to sleep.  If you *HAVE* to go somewhere, she will not remain awake for hours and hours and hours and hours on end until you return.  Even my crappy, mommy's-girl daughter won't.  That's not to say that she might have trouble going to sleep without you (but, hey, you're mom - that's normal).  But she (and your husband or whoever) will manage to find a way.

If you know you're going to be out regularly, then I would certainly work on trying to help her learn another way to go to sleep.  If you don't expect that, then I see no reason not to work with what your little one needs.

We're not big going out people, I don't travel for work, and my daughter has always needed a lot of help to go to sleep.  My husband *can* put her down (in a different way than I do, because she won't tolerate the same methods from each of us and never has), and has the few times it's been necessary, but it's harder.