Community› The Bump Message Boards› Attachment Parenting
Attachment Parenting
New Discussion

Fighting sleep?

mejane123mejane123 member
in Attachment Parenting
My five wk old DD seems to fight sleep sometimes, usually during her daytime naps but sometimes at night f she doesn't NTS. DH and I are absolutely not CIO parents, especially this young, so I was wondering if you APers generally let your LOs fall asleep on their own when they're fighting it or try to hold/rock/walk/whatever them until they fall asleep.

Sometimes she just makes weird grunts, which I know are normal baby noises for that age so DH and I generally let those go because she's usually working on a BM and not in a any kind of distress. When she's fighting sleep she lets out little cries, whines, and once in awhile a single wail, usually in response to startling herself awake.

Usually we just wait until we get the more serious cries before attending to her, maybe giving her diaper a quick peek if its been awhile since a changing. But sometimes it takes a good 20 min of fighting for her to doze off. I know she's still really young, so I don't see it hurting anything to hold her until she falls asleep, but if it's more an issue of her being annoyed than in distress, should we just let her kind of whine/fuss it out?

ETA: I just want to add that we don't expect to sleep train her this early, we're just wondering about what will get her the best rest, letting her fall asleep on her own, within reason, or risking her falling asleep in my arms then waking up again once I try to put her down. She's a great sleeper once she falls asleep. Also, sometimes she seems to get more annoyed if we pick her up, so it's really hard to figure out her cues.
Report Reply to Post

Re: Fighting sleep?

  • mejane123mejane123 member
    imagekbruington:
    5 weeks?! At that age, you pretty much do anything you can to get them to sleep and it doesn't matter where. She's fighting sleep because she's a baby and that's what they do. My 10 month old still does!
    They don't understand much at that age and are still getting used to the world and what their supposed to do. Don't put so much pressure on yourself or the baby :


    Thanks! I know she's still super young, but sometimes she ends up waking when I transfer her into the cosleeper if she falls asleep in my arms, and a lot of times it seems like she's dozing, waking up a little, then dozing some more, so I just wonder if picking her up will just prolong the process. But I'm a FTM, so I have no clue at times. She's a good sleeper once she falls asleep. We just end up at a loss on those days/nights because sometimes she gets more fussy once we pick her up, so it's tough to read her cues.
    Report Reply
  • Loading the player...
  • MouseInLuxMouseInLux member
    at that age DD was sleeping on me almost all the time, in the carrier or on my chest, I just let it happen.
    Lilypie Second Birthday tickers Lilypie First Birthday tickers PitaPata Dog tickers Screen Shot 2012-11-15 at 8.25.16 AM
    Report Reply
  • TiffanyBerryTiffanyBerry member

    Welcome to parenthood.

    Newborns sleep.

    After those first few weeks... Some babies don't like to sleep.  No matter how much they need it.  DD is a super sleep fighter.  It's better now that she's 2.5yrs, but it was horrid at first.

    IME (in my experience), do whatever you need to in order to get them to sleep.  (If rocking/bouncing/swinging you have to wait not until they just fall asleep, but until they are in the next stage of sleep - the limp limb stage - which takes about 20 minutes after first falling asleep.)  A well rested kid has a much better chance of sleeping than a tired kid.  (<-- Yes, this is true.  Overtired kids sleep worse.) 

    IMG_8355
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
    image
    Report Reply
  • beth2882beth2882 member
    I agree that you should do whatever to get LO to sleep.  I am still a big fan of rocking DD...she however is not.  But at that age DD only took like 20 minute naps, she just too a lot of them.  
    Lilypie First Birthday tickers
    Report Reply
  • Linnea503Linnea503 member

    Rock, nurse, wear in a carrier... anything to get the baby to sleep. DS slept in his swing for a LONG time because that was the only place (besides my shoulder) he would sleep. I am in the camp of you do whatever they need you to do to get them to sleep.

    We still rock, sing to, or nurse DS to sleep and he is 13 months. He sometimes falls BACK to sleep "on his own" if he wakes in the night, but we never let him cry for more than a couple minutes. He has never put himself to sleep, we parent him to sleep or bring him in bed with us.

    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
    Report Reply
  • mejane123mejane123 member

    Thanks, everyone, I appreciate the advice. DD was a basket case the other night, she was gassy, hungry, peeing or pooping, and just in general pissed off. Everything worked for about five min, she'd NTS and I'd wait about a half hour, which I nornally do, and she'd wake back up when I laid her down. Finally I remembered white noise, and since it was too late to send DH out to buy one, I put an app on my iPad and stuck it in the pocket of her cosleeper and it worked like a charm. Of course last night she wanted nothing to do with the swaddle, but she let me swaddle her one arm out. She fell asleep but startled herself awake after about two hours so it was back to square one.

    I guess it's just trial and error this early, so we'll just have to work around her schedule. Thanks again!

    Report Reply
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"