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Babies: 6 - 9 Months
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sleep desperation

mhchaelamhchaela member
in Babies: 6 - 9 Months
I am so discouraged and desperate. My almost 8 month old has never been a good sleeper but this is just ridiculous. For the last month I have been getting up between 6 and 10 times a night. Most of the time he just wants to be held and rocked and will immediately fall asleep but as soon as I lay him down he's up and crying. I'm not willing to do cry it out and even if I wait a few minutes before going in his nursery it always escalates, he never soothes himself. Any advice? Ps: can you die from sleep deprivation? Just kidding... Kind of.
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Re: sleep desperation

  • taraleannetaraleanne member
    Sleep training, there's gentle ways...non-CIO "the no cry sleep solution".  He needs to learn to self soothe so you need help him how to fall asleep on his own. good luck! 
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  • PhieryBFlyPhieryBFly member
    Or bedsharing. Then you don't have to get up and you won't have to CIO.
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  • JTGochnourJTGochnour member
    When my LO was doing that and wanting to be held I would go in and just rub her tummy, or pat her back until she calmed down and then slowly walk out of the room (keeping the lights off and the white noise on the entire time and not talking, just saying shhhhh.) 

    Good luck!
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  • luvmygirlssluvmygirlss member

    You don't have to do CIO, there are plenty of gentle ways. I think it would really help if you started teaching him to fall asleep on his own so that he could do the same when he wakes up in the middle of the night when he wakes from a sleep cylce. However you put him to sleep is exactly what he is going to expect when he wakes up in the middle of the night, and an on average most babies wake anywhere from 3-6 times a night. If they know how to fall asleep on their own, they will and will never wake to signal you to come in and help. Sorry you are going through all of the sleep deprivation, I know the feeling I have been there too...not fun. Good luck
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  • mhchaelamhchaela member
    Thank you! I feel like a dummy, but how do you get them to fall asleep on their own? When I've tried in the past he just lays there babbling until he gets bored, then fusses, then cries. I feel like I'm going to have a nervous breakdown one of these nights so I instinctively just do whatever it takes to get him back to sleep fast. I always tell myself I'll start sleep training as soon as I catch up on sleep... Doesn't seem like it's going to happen.
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  • Pitterpatter44Pitterpatter44 member
    I read (skimmed) the Harvey Karp book for sleep (Happiest Baby...) and found it really helpful when we were having trouble with naps. It has good tips and covers a range of sleep strategies ( not just No Cry or CIO). Easy to read too, unlike some of them that seem like the authors forgot that sleep deprived moms would be their readers! I found it easier to teach LO to fall asleep on her own at nap time instead of at night. Less stressful for me at least. good luck!!
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  • tig594tig594 member
    Have you tried really paying attention to your LOs sleep patterns?  Does he nap and go to bed around the same times each day?  DD worked out her own bedtime and is down for the night on her own between 7:30 and 8:30 every night.  Trying to alter that would cause some chaos for sure. We also sleep better when we're co-sleeping.  When she was in her crib she slept great the first month or two and then started waking up multiple times a night.  Since we've been co-sleeping she's up just once a night.  She also gets a bigger bottle right before bedtime and I think that helps her sleep longer and better, too.  
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  • jlpevjlpev member
    JTGochnour said:

    When my LO was doing that and wanting to be held I would go in and just rub her tummy, or pat her back until she calmed down and then slowly walk out of the room (keeping the lights off and the white noise on the entire time and not talking, just saying shhhhh.) 

    Good luck!

    This. Right now dd is teething & waking up more but not bad yet.
    BabyFruit Ticker
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