Sleep Issues! Help!

Goodygirl77 · December 2013

My sweet girl is almost 6 months old and cannot sleep without nursing and/or being swaddled at night or naps. She has to be held constantly to sleep. I know I can't swaddle her much longer. Right now she goes to sleep for a little while (an hour at the most) in her crib, but eventually ends up in bed with me. I just get so tired of getting up all night long. My husband can't really help much because she just wants to nurse. I tried the CIO method with my first, but I just don't feel comfortable doing that with her. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Oh, and she hates pacifiers, and is only nursing on one side, so that's been fun

Sincerely,
Tired and Frustrated

diana.filipi · December 2013

I don't have advice but I wish you a good nights rest!

Have you considered if she is getting her caloric needs met? Is the nursing just for comfort or is she settled and wanting more again in 45min-1hr? Has she had her 6m pedi visit yet? If she has how were her growth charts? Specifically, how was the height/weight? Did it drop any even if she's a nice little chunk (my point being her growth curve is relative only to her)?
I ask those questions because my 6 month old was doing that around 4m and the pediatrician showed me his growth charts and while he was plenty healthy and such his height/weight had dropped from 72% to 30%. She suggested that his caloric needs weren't being sufficiently met and had me begin doing things to up my milk supply. She also suggested that if I was comfortable with it to supplement with food/formula. I am NOT telling you to do that. You should talk to your pedi. I am saying that it helped us immediately. At 5 1/2 months I began BLW with him and he eats like a freakin' champ. He also sleeps 12-13hrs at night now.

Goodygirl77 · December 2013

Thanks for your comment! Her appt is in a week or so. She has been eating baby food about 3 times a week for several months, so I'm not sure. I don't know much about BLW. Maybe I can research that.. Thanks again

diana.filipi · December 2013

I started him with spoon feeding. I hate spoon feeding but he wasn't ready to feed himself at 4 1/2 months when we started. I went ahead with feeding him that early with the pedi and lactation consultants ok.

BLW actually skips spoon feeding altogether but I had to start this one that way. I transitioned and he is a super champ at eating. You just put hand holdable food on their tray and let them pick it up and eat it themselves. Put 2-3 options and let them pick what to eat and how much to eat.

For breakfast today my 6m old had pumpernickel rye toast with butter, scrambled cheesy eggs and sliced apples. His tray was the same as the rest of our plates.

LisaLisa1980 · December 2013

We used a zipadeezip to transition out of the swaddle & it's been great!! We started at 6 months.

I also nurse to sleep. He's going to be 1 in a few months so I'm cherishing all these cuddle moments. He's also up a few times a night too. It happens but it gets better

Goodygirl77 · December 2013

Wow! Toast, eggs, apples! I would think they would be too young for that. That's interesting..
LisaLisa1980 I just looked at the zipadeezip. That seems like a good transition. Thanks!

taraleanne · December 2013

diana.filipi said:

I don't have advice but I wish you a good nights rest!

Have you considered if she is getting her caloric needs met? Is the nursing just for comfort or is she settled and wanting more again in 45min-1hr? Has she had her 6m pedi visit yet? If she has how were her growth charts? Specifically, how was the height/weight? Did it drop any even if she's a nice little chunk (my point being her growth curve is relative only to her)?
I ask those questions because my 6 month old was doing that around 4m and the pediatrician showed me his growth charts and while he was plenty healthy and such his height/weight had dropped from 72% to 30%. She suggested that his caloric needs weren't being sufficiently met and had me begin doing things to up my milk supply. She also suggested that if I was comfortable with it to supplement with food/formula. I am NOT telling you to do that. You should talk to your pedi. I am saying that it helped us immediately. At 5 1/2 months I began BLW with him and he eats like a freakin' champ. He also sleeps 12-13hrs at night now.

diana.filipi ...interesting, same thing happened to my baby at 4m old. I'm trying to get into BLW but am quite worried about him choking still and unsure about how to go about this so I'm still spoon feeding purees and mush and trying a new food every 3 days. He will eat and eat and eat solids if I let him and never denies food but I'm worried about him filling up on solids and not getting enough milk so I limit it a bit. He is quite interested in what we eat and can grab those baby mum mums just fine but I'm still worried about him choking on hand held food if he gums off to large a piece. He does not have teeth. Can you tell me more about how you did the transition with what foods and how they were cooked/sliced? Like those apples your LO ate for breakfast, were they cooked?? Thanks!

diana.filipi · December 2013

The link below is to a fb page I found when my DD was ready to start with solids. I did very traditional BLW with her. I clicked on a picture on the fb page and then just kept clicking and clicking and clicking to see pics of babies doing BLW. I also read the guidelines at the 2nd link below.

fb page called Baby Led Weaning excellent for the photos of kids doing it
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2855840155/

Excellent Guidelines at this link will answer most any question
https://www.rapleyweaning.com/

diana.filipi · December 2013

The apples were not cooked ;-) In this pic he's eating Raost chicken, carrots, and banana. This was probably his 3rd or 4th meal feeding himself.

taraleanne · December 2013

diana.filipi said:

The apples were not cooked ;-) In this pic he's eating Raost chicken, carrots, and banana. This was probably his 3rd or 4th meal feeding himself.

Thanks! OK, So...basically the short of it is this: don't wait 3 days between foods (we are low risk for allergy and quite frankly this is taking FOREVER!!), just give them chunks of what you are eating, the chunks should be large enough that they can grab and hold it and then they have to gum off a piece they can handle- which may make them gag as they learn how to manage this. That's it? I just told my hubby this and he says "I don't trust it". Lordy, I have to have his support! And yesterday I just held a whole banana up for my son to gum and he got a chunk off and then gagged (too big) and my FIL had a bird! Of course the old-school folk won't get it but I can see what scares them. I like the idea, it's just hard for me to process it all. Like, was that a big chunk of chicken in your son's mouth in photo above? And we don't worry about him choking on a thread or something?

I guess I have some reading to do...thanks for the links!!

luvmygirlss · December 2013

Have you tried laying her down drowsy but awake? I think she needs to learn to fall asleep on her own, so that she doesn't rely on you...

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