How much time/effort are you putting into soothing to sleep - esp. daytime

janjag · May 2011

So many experts say to put baby down drowsy but awake. Haha... does anyone actually have success doing this with tiny infants?!? Don't think I had success doing this with my girls until 6 or 7mos! What is the secret I am missing here???

What do you do to sooth? Swing? Bounce? Rock? Walk all around the house wearing the floors out? Sing? Swaddle? Or, all of these 10 times over?

For DS I think the swing works best in the morning. In the early afternoon I lay down with him after nursing (while girls are napping too). Late afternoon is the no sleep zone these days, so I'm going to try wearing him in the Moby today and see if it helps with fussiness.

WDYD?

GHBEA · May 2011

I have to pat Olivia's back to get her to settle. I remember I had to do the same with my second DD as well. It doesn't matter if I am holding her or she is on her side its the patting rhythm that seems to get them to sleep.

janjag · May 2011

GHBEA, the patting works for me sometimes too, but only if I'm laying down with him, and he's already sleepy. I guess my problem is that DDs need me too. I didn't see what your LOs age spread is, but how did you manage this?

MissLadyTay · May 2011

I was just about to post about this!!! "Drowsy but awake" is complete BS. I started trying to lay him down "drowsy but awake" the other day and it has been a dismal failure. I have nursed baby boy to sleep for almost every nap and at night time since he was born. But I'm going back to work soon so I started trying to transition him away from falling asleep at the boob. He will not do it!!! If he's not asleep when I put him in his crib, he wails after a few minutes, even if I'm standing right there with a hand on his chest. And then he upsets himself so much he doesn't sleep at all.

I'm going to keep nursing him to sleep for now and worry about it later. He's happy and sleeps well for now. But I worry that I'm shooting myself in the foot for down the road . . .

mayowife · May 2011

I try to follow the easy method (baby whisperer) in the early stages. Once you're in the habit of feeding the baby when they wake up and not to put them to sleep it helps. The swaddle and pacifier seem to help most when trying to sooth.

HappyGoLuckyGal · May 2011

I put my guy down drowsy but awake, but I think he just has a naturally mellow disposition. I'm not doing anything special. He doesn't use a paci during the day, but it calms him at night if he fusses in his bassinet.

Kmhsswim · May 2011

HappyGoLuckyGal:
I put my guy down drowsy but awake, but I think he just has a naturally mellow disposition. I'm not doing anything special. He doesn't use a paci during the day, but it calms him at night if he fusses in his bassinet.

Same with my DD - just keep crossing my fingers that it continues

bobalina77 · May 2011

I make more of an effort during the day than at night because she seems to have a harder time getting to sleep during the day (duh.. who doesn't?). At night we can pretty much put her to bed wide awake and she puts herself to sleep. During the day I do the "drowsy but awake" thing and as soon as I put her in her crib she's wide awake and won't sleep. I would say it's the light but she has no problem falling asleep in the livingroom and it's just as light lol.

ncbelle · May 2011

I either wear or nurse E to sleep - works for us!

LittleDelany · May 2011

ncbelle:
I either wear or nurse E to sleep - works for us!

This. Although the wearing part just started today. If I want baby to go to sleep, we get in bed and nurse and he conks right out

LadyXaverian · May 2011

I would say I have success with putting her down drowsy but awake 75% of the time. I don't know what the secret is. Maybe it's just my DD's temperment that makes it possible? I feed her and that usually makes her a bit drowsy. About 3/4 of the way through the feeding, I change her diaper. When the feeding is over, if she hasn't fallen asleep on me, I rock her some, sing to her, read to her, or put her in her bouncy seat for a bit, and then when I see her yawning, I put her down. Sometimes she goes down on the 1st try, sometimes I have to go in and soothe her multiple times, and I'd say about 25% of the time, it's a complete failure and she fights the entire nap.

SushiNoMore · May 2011

Kmhsswim:
HappyGoLuckyGal:
I put my guy down drowsy but awake, but I think he just has a naturally mellow disposition. I'm not doing anything special. He doesn't use a paci during the day, but it calms him at night if he fusses in his bassinet.
Same with my DD - just keep crossing my fingers that it continues

This for us, too. We can put our son in his Pack n Play wide awake during the day, and he'll often put himself to sleep. Sometimes, at night, we have to go in a few times, but he often will go to sleep on his own if we put him down drowsy but awake.

I think being in the NICU taught him to self-sooth a bit because the nurses often couldn't (or wouldn't) get to him right away.

janjag · May 2011

SarahL77:
I would say I have success with putting her down drowsy but awake 75% of the time. I don't know what the secret is. Maybe it's just my DD's temperment that makes it possible? I feed her and that usually makes her a bit drowsy. About 3/4 of the way through the feeding, I change her diaper. When the feeding is over, if she hasn't fallen asleep on me, I rock her some, sing to her, read to her, or put her in her bouncy seat for a bit, and then when I see her yawning, I put her down. Sometimes she goes down on the 1st try, sometimes I have to go in and soothe her multiple times, and I'd say about 25% of the time, it's a complete failure and she fights the entire nap.

Hmmm, a 3/4 way diaper change...interesting.

Lisa7310 · May 2011

mayowife:

I try to follow the easy method (baby whisperer) in the early stages. Once you're in the habit of feeding the baby when they wake up and not to put them to sleep it helps. The swaddle and pacifier seem to help most when trying to sooth.

This! With DS1 I nursed him to sleep and then it turned into this horrible cycle of him only being able to fall asleep with nursing. He then would only snack because he would fall asleep, and would wake up multiple times throughout the night, having to nurse to go back to sleep. It was really hard to break him of relying on me for sleep. With this LO I nurse right when he wakes up so that he's awake for a bit after nursing and then falls asleep on his own. He doesn't like being swaddled as much, but LOVES his paci. I usually lay him down drowsy, sometimes he ends up waking up and lays there wide awake for a little bit. I leave him there until he starts to fuss. Then I go in there and give him his paci. Sometimes he spits it out shortly after and will fuss again, I will just keep going in and giving it to him. Usually he settles right down and falls asleep. If it doesn't work I try to pat him or just put my hand on his chest and that usually does it. I'm trying to avoid carrying, or bouncing him so that he doesn't require that every time, especially in the middle of the night.

janjag · May 2011

mayowife:

I try to follow the easy method (baby whisperer) in the early stages. Once you're in the habit of feeding the baby when they wake up and not to put them to sleep it helps. The swaddle and pacifier seem to help most when trying to sooth.

Don't have the book, but do the EASY routine at times during the day. At least I always start the day like that and usually get 2 cycles in. But to be honest he always falls asleep after nursing, even if just for a couple minutes. Sometimes /i'll follow EASY, but after eating and activity he won't go to sleep till he eats again.

I should get the book. Also been meaning to get Baby Wise.

LadyXaverian · May 2011

janjag:

SarahL77:
I would say I have success with putting her down drowsy but awake 75% of the time. I don't know what the secret is. Maybe it's just my DD's temperment that makes it possible? I feed her and that usually makes her a bit drowsy. About 3/4 of the way through the feeding, I change her diaper. When the feeding is over, if she hasn't fallen asleep on me, I rock her some, sing to her, read to her, or put her in her bouncy seat for a bit, and then when I see her yawning, I put her down. Sometimes she goes down on the 1st try, sometimes I have to go in and soothe her multiple times, and I'd say about 25% of the time, it's a complete failure and she fights the entire nap.

Hmmm, a 3/4 way diaper change...interesting.

I am breastfeeding and supplementing with formula. I consider 3/4 after I'm done nursing her. That may not be a perfect mathematical percentage, but it's how I think of it lol.

janjag · May 2011

SarahL77:
janjag:

SarahL77:
I would say I have success with putting her down drowsy but awake 75% of the time. I don't know what the secret is. Maybe it's just my DD's temperment that makes it possible? I feed her and that usually makes her a bit drowsy. About 3/4 of the way through the feeding, I change her diaper. When the feeding is over, if she hasn't fallen asleep on me, I rock her some, sing to her, read to her, or put her in her bouncy seat for a bit, and then when I see her yawning, I put her down. Sometimes she goes down on the 1st try, sometimes I have to go in and soothe her multiple times, and I'd say about 25% of the time, it's a complete failure and she fights the entire nap.

Hmmm, a 3/4 way diaper change...interesting.

I am breastfeeding and supplementing with formula. I consider 3/4 after I'm done nursing her. That may not be a perfect mathematical percentage, but it's how I think of it lol.

Ah, gotcha - makes sense. I do 1/2 way changes all the time... when DS poops while on boob #1

How much time/effort are you putting into soothing to sleep - esp. daytime

Re: How much time/effort are you putting into soothing to sleep - esp. daytime

Choose Another Board

Search Boards