Everyone keeps telling me that I need to let 4month old DD cry it out. She hasn't slept good since the week before Christmas. I am exhausted. Last night I hit my breaking point. On day 5 of work and no sleep at night. She is waking up every hour screaming. Hysterically screaming. She is still swaddled and next to my bed because I nurse at night and she never was a great sleeper. So last night I put her in the magic sleep suit filled her belly and put her in the crib. (Where she naps) she was out by 8. No crying. At 9 she was up hysterically crying. My dh tried to calm her it didn't work. So then I did. At 10 she was awake crying again. And so on. Every hour. This has been a week of this hour sleeping crap. I am exhausted.
How do you close the door and let them cry it out when I still have to get up to feed her? How will I hear her hungry cry and not this every hour cry? Any ideas or help. Please.
SIGGY WARNING//TICKER WARNING//PAIF
Long of the Short:
TTC since April 2013 DH 42 y/o I'm 30 Dh had vasectomy reversal Feb 2013 after 3 months developed scar tissue
First Re appt was September 2013 OOP for everything minus meds
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Baby Girl is due August 27th
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Re: How long do you let them cry?
No, you do not need to make your 4 months old CIO. IMO that is way too early for crying it out.
Your LO is crying because he needs something. Address his needs.
There is also a lot more to CIO than just closing the door. Please do some research on this before attempting it again. Maybe when your LO is 6 (or more) months old.
**** Formerly Snoflakes4eva****
This. Sorry OP but your LO is far too young for this. 4 months is a really tough age and they go through a huge sleep regression at this age. Google "4 month wakeful" for more information.
Also, if you do sleep train at some point, please don't just wing it. You need to do some research. Right now you can't tell the difference between a hunger cry and a pissed off cry so ignoring your LO would be terrible. She's probably doesn't want to be swaddled anymore. 4 months is a little old for that IMO.
I also don't think you can do any sort of sleep training if your LO is swaddled and/or in a sleep suit. Your LO should be moved to the crib, only having a few nightly wake-up's and generally old enough and ready for sleep training.
When I did sleep training with my kids they were only waking once a night for a bottle, usually around the same time and waking other times just for the heck of it. Those were the wake up's that I tried to eliminate. I let them stop waking for a bottle when THEY were ready.
I know you are tired but you have to put in the leg work to 1) get rid of the swaddle and 2) move to her own room in her crib and away from you and then think about sleep training.
I hear ya! And I have been there. I think you are just in the middle of the 4 months sleep regression. Just remember that every baby is different and what works for your friends wont always work for you.
We tried to sleep train at 4 months (only a couple of days) and it horribly backfired. My DS would cry until he vomited and then cry some more. When we started sleep training at 6 months, it was noticeably different, and DS figured out how to sleep soothe in just a few days. DS (now 18 months old) now sleeps 12 hours every night, and doesn't even cry when he is put down.
**** Formerly Snoflakes4eva****
I truly do not believe this. And if it is true, it's sad. A little tiny 8 week old baby is waking for a reason
Ok let's brainstorm. Is she in her crib in the magic sleep suit or in your room swaddled? (I tried the sleep suit with DD and she hated it. I sent that shit back to Amazon the next day!)
Do you use white noise? Dark room? Is she fine during the day? Not fussy like an ear infection or even teething?
This most definitely could just be a phase but that doesn't make things easier on you. Waking every hour would suck really bad so it leads me to believe that something is up.
@Bigboobsmcgee she has been in our room in a pnp swaddled. On an incline because I suspected when she was younger she had some minor reflux. I have tried the sleep suit. Neither one of them bother her. She doesn't seem to mind either. Today she rolled from her back to her stomach at 19 weeks. And then back to her back. So there goes swaddling now. We have a fan plus white noise app on my phone. Dark room with black out curtains. After her shots for about 4 days she was very cranky. And ran a temp for the first two days. I gave Tylenol. No fever now. Not teething. Not an ear infection. She's a happy girl again all day. Falls asleep at 8p and up every hour crying hysterically. I'm nursing and giving formula. She takes both from me with no issues.
I'm at a loss
So I fed her a bottle of formula (she gets normally a bottle a day) kept her unswaddled and she slept ok. Not great but ok. Was down at 9 up at 1230 to eat. 230 just to cry (I patted her and she went back down) and 4 to eat again. At 4 she just wanted to stay awake so I kept her up for an hour before I put her back down. According to dh she slept till 7. So some progress. Let's hope it keeps getting better.
Do you use white noise? The rain CD on loop SAVED US. Just loud enough to be soothing (too soft and it won't be comforting, the womb is loud) across the room from the baby. Swaddled? We found that the pod with a zipper (versus the velcro or traditional swaddle wrap method) was far more comforting for DS.
Is the issue multiple wakings or just the initial settling in to sleep? Its antiquated advice to CIO an infant that young. It doesn't actually "teach" them anything other than you won't come when they need you to be there. The reasons they cry are varied and honestly I am a advocate for meeting needs first.
I know its really rough when this happens, but its truly a stage that will pass. I've been through it twice.
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If rocking works then do it. You can wean them off it at a later date. At 4 months there is a lot of development that makes sleep difficult. Shorter and lighter sleep cycles are happening.
There is no magic cure but time, unfortunately. When baby is neurologically & emotionally able to sleep for longer stretches then they will.
It could be that the mattress gets cold or that they don't like being surrounded by the bars (it can be frightening). DD & DS tolerated the pack & play with a fuzzy fitted sheet for a couple of months before they refused that too.
Eventually we went with a toddler mattress on the floor. Baby proof & anchor all furniture. We put a baby gate in the door way. I still end up bed sharing with both frequently. It's all just a phase & none of it lasts forever.
I know it's against many "parenting book rules" but I don't really believe that you can "create bad habits" with sleep. I think a kid needs what they need to fall asleep. Every kid is different. Even some adults need a certain combination of factors to fall asleep.
So, I mean, I've caught crap for saying this-- but I maintain one of your ways to save sanity is to roll with the changes. I nearly drove myself into the ground & was miserable trying to follow different sleep books & parenting methods. Finally, I said "fuck it & fuck this. I'm doing this my way." Things have been a dream ever since & I feel no guilt or frustration.
As far as falling asleep by themselves-- babies at this age need help. The end. It's unreasonable, in my experience & research with sleep experts I've written to, to expect any child before 6 months to fall asleep by themselves. Some get there before others, but like anything else (rolling, crawling, walking or talking) every baby is an individual. This is another thing baby will grow to do on their own with time. Before 6 months their brain is just not developed enough (generally) to calm themselves enough to sleep.
Add separation anxiety & all the new input data from new things. The brain just needs assistance. There will be multiple periods like this all the way through childhood.
My advice is to find a method that works until it doesn't. Then adjust to another method & do that until it doesn't work anymore. There is no wrong way as long as the kids' needs are met. I'm not a fan of CIO, but even that method can be done in a caring way that works (after 6 months old though-- I'd even prob wait until 9 months old).
Good luck & I hope you find a rhythm that gets you (and baby) more sleep.
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Right now my goal is to get lo back in the bassinet for at least half the night. We never planned to Cosleep, but my back to work coincided with sleep regression and here we are! Don't let anyone bully you into anything you and LO aren't ready for.
I am a FTM but my biggest parenting philosophy right now is to do what works now and worry about later... later! This may come back to bite me, but I really just don't believe in making life harder on myself because something may (or may not! ) become a "bad habit". They are babies and they will change drastically over this first year. Adjust with them and be flexible... it will help make this crazy process a whole lot more enjoyable!
You really think a kid won't cry for no reason? You only have one young baby huh? You'll see...
Absolutely keep rocking him. Don't even worry about that or creating bad habits. I still rock my 15 month old before every nap and before bed
I can't remember if you still swaddle? Does your LO roll?
When we were going to transition from the RnP to the crib, I moved the RnP to DD's room and let her sleep in it in there for a couple weeks. She was still swaddled at the time. Then to move to the crib, I rolled up blankets and put them under the sheet on each side of her. Then I unswaddled her arms but left it wrapped around her middle. I still left the blankets under the sheet in her crib though. Eventually when she started moving I took the rolled up blankets out. I left the swaddle around her waist because she seemed to sleep better that way.
Try everything you can think of. @primrosemama is wise and gave good advice above. Do something until it stops working and then try something else. Hang in there! This will get easier.
Haha!! I agree with the sentiment of what you're saying @shaley29, and agree specific to babies. Older kids are a completely different ballgame. My 4 year old's reasons for crying are pretty weak. My favorite from this morning is because she didn't like the knife I used to spread the butter on her bagel.
My 4 year old cried this morning because it was raining and his hat and coat would get wet!
I understand CIO is a touchy subject but I can't stand when people come in to a conversation, guns blazing, all dead set on something they have yet to experience. Good luck trying to prevent your baby or kid from crying. I wish you the best of luck on that!
@Bigboobsmcgee I will mourn the day my son stops wanting to be held and rocked in the gliding chair! I think I have him figured out. He hates being flat on his back and he is rolling over now. I put him to sleep on his belly and had 2 successful naps in the crib today each over an hour! I still have a SIDS fear so I basically watched him breathe on the monitor. BTW I got the mesh liner too. I stopped swaddling months ago because he just kept trying to break out. My game plan is to use cribs for naps until he outgrows his dreamglider and by then he may be 6 months and SIDS risk goes way down so I think I'll be able to sleep with him on his belly. I think the rates are pretty low once a baby rolls over anyway. As far as sleep training I'll deal with that in a month or so depending on how he's doing and what he needs.
Thank you everyone for all the advice! I wish everyone else luck with getting much needed sleep!!
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Started a week before she turned 4 months and she turns 5 months next week. We are still in it. I'm currently rocking her because she's been awake since 1130. Still WIDE AWAKE! Good luck.
Best advice is drink more coffee. This crap sucks