How are you getting LO to sleep long waves at night?

actresscye · July 2011

Please share your techniques for how you are getting LO to sleep at night. Mine is 2 weeks old and I would like to try anything that would get her to sleep for longer intervals. I know in some cases it is unavoidable with cluster feedings or growth spurts, but it's worth a try. Are you nursing longer? Giving more milk in a bottle? Really good song or bounce? Special chair? Wrap? Co sleeping? Anything?

AshleyPT · July 2011

My girl doesn't cry when she wakes up if we're co-sleeping. She still wakes up though.

Ambeerose · July 2011

Umm... I'm still trying to figure this out lol. My lo is 6wks old and most of the time I only get 2 1/2-3 hr stretches of sleep. You just have to deal with it until they start sleeping longer really. Especially at only 2wks old, you really have no control over their sleep unfortunately.

bunnymama625 · July 2011

I feed her as late asp possible- as we are getting into bed- plus we cosleep for another couple of days- she usually sleeps 3-4 at a stretch, but her record after a BAD evening was 5 hours.

IdigDirt · July 2011

I know it's not ideal but LO eats nonstop before bed and won't calm down until I give him an oz or 2 of formula, then he sleeps for hours. Also I put a wedge pillow under the matteress in his bassinet and that helps a bit too.

11kacey · July 2011

My advice is to try a swaddle and also feed her when she is hungry (I know you are doing this already though). Babies change up their habits day to day and week to week. Hang in there! I will say that after M has been cluster feeding for hours during the day and when my husband gets home I do let him give her a half ounce of bm via syringe (we do not do bottles yet) just to give my boobs a break. It also tends to help push her over the edge and she finally naps! Usually this is the last feeding of the afternoon before bedtime. When she wakes up, I feed her again (usually she will take a good feeding) and then diaper change, feed her some more until she is totally calm and almost asleep.. my husband swaddles her and rocks her until she is out. But at two weeks I am not ready to call this anything other than how she is today.. I know that tomorrow she could totally change it up and flip her days and nights. (so scared for this.. I am pretty sure it is coming soon).

gymnst1013 · July 2011

I don't really think there is much you can do that will consistently cause her to sleep longer - not as young as she is. N's longest stretch so far was 5 hours and that was only once. Usually it's more like 2-3 hour stretches.

rainstar752 · July 2011

Though she's not a great daytime sleeper, my LO consistently has been sleeping well at night (knock on wood). Usually I'll feed her one last time at 10:30pm and she'll sleep until 3:30 or 4, then after that feed until 6:30 or 7, so I've been getting 6 hrs of sleep at night. I'm not sure if it's just luck or what, but I would say don't let the baby go longer than 3 hrs during the day between feeds even if you have to wake them. We cluster feed in the evening and I think that fills her up for the night ( like usually a 6, 8, and then 10:30 feed). Also, make sure the baby is sleeping quite a bit during the day- if they get overtired, it will be hard for them to sleep at night. That's easier said than done though.

waterfall11 · July 2011

My LO is a terrible napper (except some mornings) but sleeps great at night. I feed her on one side, change diaper and put in a sleep gown, feed on other side, put in a sleep sack, and then sometimes feed a little more until she is out. she has been sleeping 6 to 9 hours a night before feeding and going down for another 2 to 3. I dont think its completely what we are doing though, I think we got lucky with a good sleeper.

kas80 · July 2011

I have heard that generally it's a weight thing- like they won't sleep through the night or even longer stretches until they hit a certain weight point. I've heard both 10 lbs and 12 lbs and I'm not sure which one is right.

We are lucky if we get 3 hour stretches (though she has slept up to 5 hours during the day) so I'm still trying to figure it out. One thing we've been doing (which is bad) is staying in jammies and sleeping until like 1pm and her best sleep is from 8am-1pm. Of course that throws our whole day/next night off so this week I'm trying to start more of a schedule with us getting up at a normal time and trying to get her to sleep at a more consistant time at night- also I'm going to try waking her up every 3 hours to eat during the day to see if that helps.

LexGator · July 2011

While I think a routine is good, I think it's a crapshoot for most of us right now. My LO slept from 12:30-5:30 last night...on my chest. She's getting up every 3 hours normally, but it is nearly impossible to get her to sleep anywhere but on me. I know one of these nights, she's going to go in the bassinet and sleep...or that's what I'm telling myself to stay sane.

salk72788 · July 2011

Ok my LO is 7 weeks old and has slept through the night (10 hrs) and now consistently goes 7-8 hrs before waking to feed. what i have done since birth is have the SAME EXACT bed time routine every night (time and everything). I put her to bed around 9:30, so at 7 i feed her, then at 8 i feed her then when she goes to bed i give her a little bit more to keep her belly full. this is what i think helps my LO, i dunno if doing the same thing will help with other babies but its worth a try. Also, i do give my LO a nuk at night, however if it falls out and starts crying i would go back in to her room, i DID NOT pick her up and i put the nuk back in after about 5 min of her fussing. she has learned now how to put herself back to sleep without the nuk. I know some moms dont like nuks, so if you dont then that info is no use to u! lol i am only a FTM so my experience is limited, but i am so pleased with how things are going so far (could change any day i know LOL)

Sunidaze · July 2011

We just cross our fingers and hope for a good night. If we get a couple of bad ones in a row, we know a good one is due.

mammcg88 · July 2011

BrandySun:
We just cross our fingers and hope for a good night. If we get a couple of bad ones in a row, we know a good one is due.

Exactly. Lol.

just kita · July 2011

I had been sleeping in the same room with LO, but a couple of nights ago went back to my own bedroom, and I have been getting so much more sleep since then! I wish I had done it sooner. Every little sound he made woke me up before, but now I only get up when he's serious about needing something, which is only once a night around 3-4am.

SarahBXander · July 2011

My LO started sleeping anywhere between 4-6 hours during the night from the first night. Things might change though, I don't want to jinx anything. I don't do anything differently at night, other than turn on the white noise machine and keep all lights off.

amberpro · July 2011

We get 4-5 hours (5 and a half last night!!) consistently now, but only for the last week or 2. He's 6wks now. I would get 4 every once and awhile earlier than that, but it was really a crapshoot (as pp said). I'm not sure at 2 wks if you're going to have much luck with more than 3 hours at a time.

He started sleeping at night better when I got him on a more consistent nap schedule. Also, I don't get that 4-5 hours unless he's swaddled tight, in his bassinet (i.e. not on my chest), with no lights, and his sleep sheep for white noise.

Now that he's 6 weeks, we are starting a consistent bedtime routine, so we'll see if that helps.

march2008 · July 2011

DD has to be swaddled very snug in order to sleep well. We got one 4-hour stretch of sleep this past evening finally! The first 3 weeks though, she did wake every 2 to 3 hours to breastfeed. It's been rough, but I just try to be sure I get at least one nap during the day while she's napping and that has helped me get through it.

hsal · July 2011

salk72788:
Ok my LO is 7 weeks old and has slept through the night (10 hrs) and now consistently goes 7-8 hrs before waking to feed. what i have done since birth is have the SAME EXACT bed time routine every night (time and everything). I put her to bed around 9:30, so at 7 i feed her, then at 8 i feed her then when she goes to bed i give her a little bit more to keep her belly full. this is what i think helps my LO, i dunno if doing the same thing will help with other babies but its worth a try. Also, i do give my LO a nuk at night, however if it falls out and starts crying i would go back in to her room, i DID NOT pick her up and i put the nuk back in after about 5 min of her fussing. she has learned now how to put herself back to sleep without the nuk. I know some moms dont like nuks, so if you dont then that info is no use to u! lol i am only a FTM so my experience is limited, but i am so pleased with how things are going so far (could change any day i know LOL)

This! Since the first night home we have fed and laid down between 8:30 and 9:30. She originally was sleeping from then until about 2:30/5:30/7:30 and last week she went to 5:30/7:30 and last night was 9 pm until 7am.

I have noticed if she's sleeping on a blanket on our bed, shes more more restless than when shes in her RnP. She sleeps for hours straight, even during the day (sometimes from 8 am until 12:30), in that thing!

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How are you getting LO to sleep long waves at night?

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