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XP: How to put LO down drowsy

cmacoct2012cmacoct2012 member
in Babies: 3 - 6 Months

Just wondering if you have any tips for training LO to go down drowsy and put herself to sleep? Up until now we've been rocking her and putting her down totally asleep. Oops :) We'd like to help her learn how to put herself back to sleep at night...and the first step, I think, is to help her learn how to go to sleep in the first place. I feel like this is going to be a huge battle, and I know I have a hard time listening to her cry. How should we help her learn this skill??

Also, we still swaddle. Is it realistic to ask her to soothe herself to sleep when she's swaddled or should we wean her so that her hands are free (she won't take a pacifier, so she likes sucking on her hands).

Thanks for your help :)  


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Re: XP: How to put LO down drowsy

  • vettymamavettymama member

    I'm not sure how old your LO is but as long as she isn't learning to roll over the swaddle is a good start. We loosely use the EASY method. It only took a few days for us to pick up on his sleepy cues. He loses focus, rubs his eyes, and yawns pretty often. LO is pretty good at self soothing as far as I can tell. We don't let him cry long but even if he is just a little whiny he can calm himself down by sucking on his hands or pacifier. We swaddle him with one arm out so he has the option to self soothe.

    Just keep at it and one day it will work. If not, rocking your baby to sleep isn't the worst thing in the world in my opinion.

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  • Meagan0528Meagan0528 member

    W have been doing this for the past week.  All I did was rearrange his bedtime routine.  I give him a bottle and snuggle/start to wind down, then a quick bath, bed time lotion, then we read a story and I sing him a song and then I give him a paci and put him in his RnP.  He is usually ALMOST asleep by this time.  It's really all about the timing.  I have to get it just right or he will be asleep too early.  Just pay attention to your LO's cues and when she is starting to get really tired, start her bed time routine so you can get her in bed before she is actually asleep.  The bed time routine is important because that gives her the cues she needs to tell her "it's time for sleep".

     

     I wouldn't think the swaddling matters, but we don't swaddle anymore.  For my little guy, it was making him wake up more because he likes having his arms free.   

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  • cmacoct2012cmacoct2012 member
    imagekbruington:

    I think you are putting too much pressure on yourself and your LO at this point. IMO. Sounds like she is waking in the night, not able to go back to sleep and that is what you are trying to fix?? Is she hungry when she's waking? Do you feed her? My LO woke up in the night to feed until he was 6 months old then just stopped.

    I also rocked my LO for months until he was asleep then put him in the crib. He always fell asleep after drinking his bottle so I just laid him down. They don't HAVE to be awake like everyone probably tells you. Do what feels right for your baby based on their cues/needs. Hell, I still rock my LO every night and he's almost 1 but that hasn't affected his sleep and he sleeps all night just fine :)

     

    Thanks for this :) Yeah, she wakes quite frequently at night (mostly to eat...but I'm wondering if nursing is her way of falling back asleep....) - Even when she's not hungry, she can't put herself back to sleep. Some nights she's up 5, 6, 7 times (not all to eat)!! The odd night she'll sleep long periods and only wake up two or three times to feed. Everything I've read says to "put LO down drowsy"...but honestly I don't know how we're going to get her to do that! Hearing your LO is still rocked makes me feel better :)  

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  • kateraidkateraid member
    imagecmacoct2012:
    imagekbruington:

    I think you are putting too much pressure on yourself and your LO at this point. IMO. Sounds like she is waking in the night, not able to go back to sleep and that is what you are trying to fix?? Is she hungry when she's waking? Do you feed her? My LO woke up in the night to feed until he was 6 months old then just stopped.

    I also rocked my LO for months until he was asleep then put him in the crib. He always fell asleep after drinking his bottle so I just laid him down. They don't HAVE to be awake like everyone probably tells you. Do what feels right for your baby based on their cues/needs. Hell, I still rock my LO every night and he's almost 1 but that hasn't affected his sleep and he sleeps all night just fine :)

     

    Thanks for this :) Yeah, she wakes quite frequently at night (mostly to eat...but I'm wondering if nursing is her way of falling back asleep....) - Even when she's not hungry, she can't put herself back to sleep. Some nights she's up 5, 6, 7 times (not all to eat)!! The odd night she'll sleep long periods and only wake up two or three times to feed. Everything I've read says to "put LO down drowsy"...but honestly I don't know how we're going to get her to do that! Hearing your LO is still rocked makes me feel better :)  

     

    this drowsy idea doesn't work for every baby and self soothing is learned at different stages for each baby. I would continue the rocking.  

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