LO wants to scream himself to sleep... :(

weaselwhiskers

EVERY time!  Whether it's a nap (there's a good 5-10 minute stretch of crying/screaming), or at night (sometimes 30 minutes or more).  And when I say screaming, I'm talking about so shrill & loud it makes my ears ring.  Once he wakes up from a nap and eats he is totally fine - all smiles & playful.  He's only staying awake for about 1 1/2 hours before he starts showing signs of being tired (eye rubbing, slightly fussy, etc).  That's when I put him in a dry diaper and swaddle.  He's happy until I pick him up & start to rock/sway and then he gets upset.  What is this?? He just started doing this over the last week or so.

Also, trying to transition him to napping in the pack n play rather than his swing, but he doesn't nap as long and when he wakes up he SCREAMS and sometimes won't eat for me.    I've tried elevating his head in the pack no play but that doesn't seem to make a difference.

Any help/advice??  Thanks so much!

Jennyanydots26

weaselwhiskers:

 He's happy until I pick him up & start to rock/sway and then he gets upset.  What is this??

Have you tried NOT picking him up and rocking/swaying with him and letting him try and fall asleep by himself?

EveryNameIWantIsTaken

I'm confused.  Does he scream when you lay him down or do you try to rock/pat/whatever him and he screams then?

weaselwhiskers

Jennyanydots26:

Have you tried NOT picking him up and rocking/swaying with him and letting him try and fall asleep by himself?

Well, no - I swaddle him on our bed and then take him into the nursery.  I guess I could try letting him nap there, if I build a nest around him with pillows & such...

weaselwhiskers

EveryNameIWantIsTaken:

I'm confused.  Does he scream when you lay him down or do you try to rock/pat/whatever him and he screams then?

I hold him and sway/pat him until he falls asleep.  I've tried putting him down drowsy but his eyes fly open & he starts to cry. 

So once he's swaddled & laying there on our bed, he is usually looking up at me calmly & sometimes even smiling.  I pick him up & head toward the nursery and he starts crying/screaming/wiggling.  I sway/pat/shhh/sing, etc until he falls asleep.

janinekrause

so he is crying when you are holding him? try putting him down instead? my LO actually now is better off on her own sometimes then when i hold her when she is tired. She is 4 1/2 months.

 

janinekrause

i see you say he cries when you put him down, but if he is crying with you anyway, maybe if you walk away it will lessen? Some kids just need to cry before they fall asleep. DD cries hard when she is overtired only.

catrinawaves

Yup, DD has done the same thing her entire life. I felt like I couldn't soothe her. She wouldn't even let me nurse her to sleep, which is what I did with DS. It almost seemed all of our swaying and rocking was actually upsetting her, not calming her down.

I've never been a fan of CIO, but nothing else was working, so in desperation I read Ferber's book and decided to give it a shot a few days ago. I thought she was going to cry for hours that first night...turns out, she cried for less than 30 minutes, which is the same as she usually did in our arms.

Tonight she cried for a couple minutes, then made some sounds for a few more, and was out 10 minutes after I put her down. She still cries more than I'd like when she goes down for naps, but overall she still cries less than when we were holding her until she was asleep.

I've come to the conclusion that she releases tension from crying, unlike other babies, like DS. It totally makes sense now, since there were so many times I'd get her to sleep on me, and she'd wake up before I even put her down, incredibly angry. In hindsight, she was being overstimulated, and just wanted to lay down in her crib.

Your LO might still be too young, but it might be worth considering some CIO if things don't get better. GL!

EveryNameIWantIsTaken

Yeah, I'd probably put him in his bed and see what happens.  Maybe even try dressing him and swaddling him in his bed so you don't have to move him?  I'm not saying leave him to cry if that's what happens, but see what he does.

704bride

Try starting the routine 15 minutes earlier and try not picking him up.  He'll get used to the pack and play soon, so just give it more time.