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Gentle tips for sleeping...bonding dolls, lavender, etc.??

littledaisieslittledaisies member
in Attachment Parenting
Hi I'm new to this board.I had no idea it as on the TB but I'm hoping maybe some of you have some other tips for sleeping. 

My LO is 7 months and has never been a great sleeper. He wakes up multiple times at night for a feeding which is fine with me. I wish he gave me more hours but I'm fine with the night feedings.  My problem is with the beginning of the night. We do our bedtime routine: feeding, bath, pj's, lotion, book then nurse to sleep. We have a little space between the pj's and reading because he gets really upset when you get him dressed. It ends up waking him up more so we take our time. He's usually asleep by 7:30. I nurse him until he falls asleep and wait until he latches off. After that I place him in crib in his own room. He sleeps for about 30 minutes then wakes up crying. Either my husband and I will go in rock him and he goes back to sleep immediately. This goes on until  about 11:00 then I give up and bring him into our bed. 

Typically these were only bad nights and they didn't happen too often but the last month or so it's every night.  Before I did the same routine, put him to bed, he would sleep until 12 sometimes 2, nurse and go back to sleep either in our bed or his crib. That was very manageable for me. While he was sleeping I was able to prep everything for work and daycare and get to bed early. Now it's impossible to do that even with my husband taking turns. 

I'm wondering if anyone has tips or alternative methods that can help him stay asleep. I read about bonding dolls that hold to scent but I'm not sure if something like that is worth it. I've tried laying him down in his crib awake or sleepy instead of nursing to sleep but that ALWAYS is a disaster. He ends up crying hysterically and gets even more upset. 

Sorry for the long post!
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Re: Gentle tips for sleeping...bonding dolls, lavender, etc.??

  • Emerald27Emerald27 member
    Hmm...what time does he wake up in the morning? Maybe 7:30pm is just a bit too early a bedtime. You could try 8:30 instead, or just follow his tiredness cues.

    Could you wear him in a carrier while you get some things done, then do his bedtime routine?

    Also, if there's space in your room, you could bring his crib into your room and remove one side, raise or lower the mattress until it's level with yours, and push it up against your bed. That might make cosleeping easier - you can have him in your bed as much as you like, and scoot him into his space when you want to.

    Have you made the room very dark? A white noise machine or fan can help baby sleep better too. Lastly, keeping the room cool and him dressed warmly (but not too warmly) is safest and best for sleep.
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  • Emerald27Emerald27 member
    edited January 2014
    Also, frequent night wakings to nurse at LO's age are very common and absolutely normal. Breastmilk is metabolized quickly, and night feedings provide a lot of baby's necessary calorie intake. AND they are very good for helping maintain your milk supply. Baby should wake at least every 3-5 hours to nurse, and as little as every 2 hours, especially if he's in daycare and not nursing frequently during the day.
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  • jcsumm0jcsumm0 member
    Do you think he could be teething?  You might try treating the teething pain and seeing if that makes a difference.
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  • littledaisieslittledaisies member
    @Emerald27 I follow his sings for when he's ready for bed. It's usually around 7:30 but I adjust it based on how he's acting. 

    Do you keep the white noise on all night? I have noise machine that works for about 25 minutes and turns off. I will try keeping his room completely dark. He has a night light on but I will that. He was in our room for the last 6 months. I moved him hoping sleep would improve but it's exactly the same. 
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  • musicalmama5musicalmama5 member
    littledaisies said:
    @Emerald27 I follow his sings for when he's ready for bed. It's usually around 7:30 but I adjust it based on how he's acting. 

    Do you keep the white noise on all night? I have noise machine that works for about 25 minutes and turns off. I will try keeping his room completely dark. He has a night light on but I will that. He was in our room for the last 6 months. I moved him hoping sleep would improve but it's exactly the same. 
    That could be why he's waking 30 minutes after you put him down. I keep the white noise machine on until I bring him into bed with me.
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  • Emerald27Emerald27 member
    edited January 2014
    @littledaisies It's actually very healthy for baby to sleep within sensory distance of his parents (in other words, where he can hear them). The sounds of snoring and sheets rustling and snifflings and rolling over, etc., help baby sleep securely and also help rouse him when it's time to eat. It's good for brain development too, and makes breastfeeding easier - i.e. Baby doesn't wake completely before you get to him to nurse, and thus goes back to sleep more easily.
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  • pixieprincsspixieprincss member

    It sounds like a normal phase, though that doesn't make it any les tiring! Can baby stay asleep in your bed rather than being moved? Can one of you stay in with him, maybe alternating nights? This too shall pass! The 30 minute thing to me sounds like a sleep cycle--maybe he's asleep and nursing for 15 min and then 30 min he sleeps in the crib and then at 45 min he wakes? Perhaps if he made it through at least that first sleep cycle next you one of you, he's be more apt to make it longer without after that?

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  • Mrs.AmyDylanMrs.AmyDylan member
    If he is waking at 30min each night, can you go in at 20-25 min and watch for waking signs and pat his back or stroke head until he connects the sleep cycle to the next? 

    DD is in our room, but I bought a real sleep machine (fan/white noise sound). It helps drown out the house noise. I like it too :). Good luck!
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  • PhillyRNPhillyRN member
    My son was a terrible sleeper. We actually hired a sleep consultant because it was so bad. I found that my son was overtired and, as a result, would wake more. With the help of the sleep consultant, we got him on the right schedule and he started sleeping better. We had to do a 6 o'clock bedtime until he started napping well. Maybe try an earlier bedtime?
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