December 2015 Moms

Sleeping alone

Hey ladies. My DD will not sleep alone. She had to be held the entire night. I am currently sleeping in a recliner every night with her. I've tried the rock n play, bouncer, crib, bassinet and none of them work. The moment you put her down she cries. The doctor didn't seemed worried but mommy needs to sleep in her bed. Any suggestions?

Re: Sleeping alone

  • Loading the player...
  • @ATolentino89 how do you co-sleep? Do you use a little bed or something that separates your lo? To get a 4 hour stretch of sleep, I usually put DS on my chest. It's been fine so far, but I feel guilty when I wake up. Thoughts like what if he rolls off and falls off the bed? What if DH rolls over and bops him?
  • laurabwalkerlaurabwalker member
    edited January 2016
    @leek71983 Can you wait even longer to try and put her down? I sometimes wait 30 plus minutes, and then at least get an hour of sleep.
    For cosleeping you can get a bed rail or an actual separate bed that will attach
  • I bed share with my LO bc it's easier when I'm breastfeeding and making sure they're still breathing at night. I also did the same with my two other children.
  • We use a heating pad in the rock n play. We struggle during the day, but she seems to get it at night when we transfer her in once asleep. Hope you get some sleep soon!
  • We are currently bed sharing though sometimes I can get him in his bassinet for a few hours. I sleep so lightly now that when he moves I wake up. I seem to tune into all of his grunting at night and when that picks up I know he's awake for a feeding so that process is so much easier and more relaxing.

    I have no fears of him falling off but I think someone mentioned a rail. Also this:
    He's a grumpy butt right now.
  • @ATolentino89 Thanks! I may look into the rail or the item in your pic. Pretty nifty.

    @laurabwalker I may try waiting a little while longer to lay him down. I put him in the RNP, but he gets so fussy. At his last appt, the nurse practitioner suggested putting him in his own room. She said I'll sleep better and he probably will too. We'll figure it out eventually. Thanks!
  • I'm not doing a separate room until he's maybe six months. I'm paranoid and he just needs me close when this tiny. But if it's the only way you can sleep, do it. I bed share some, it's been fine. I got desperate for sleep and just pass out with him on my chest sometimes. I think I'm actually more aware of him that way.
  • groovylocksgroovylocks member
    edited January 2016
    Baby is better than i am at this. I WANT to bed share very much because I'm assuming i have an over-abundance of oxytocin or something. I just want to snuggle all the time. But i'm a thrasher. It's not safe for us I don't think. It's barely safe for my husband. 

    Olive loves her bassinet. I think it's luck of the draw with babies. I'm not sure what we did to make her happy sleeping alone. She just always has. But we use white noise (or "pink noise") swaddling and soft, high thread count sheets. We also keep the bassinet jammed up against my side of the bed and i frequently wake up to find my hand in it. Maybe she smells me and it relaxes her? No idea. But those are the things we do.

    Oh also, even at her young age, she has a distinct sense of "nighttime" - she won't sleep in regular bursts during the day. Her naps are short, or long, or i don't know, whatever. At night she has a strict and very habitual sleeping routine. She knows the difference. Maybe it's that?
  • DD hasn't slept alone once since she came home from hospital, she will only sleep if someone is holding her. So it's been 4 weeks of her sleeping in my arms almost round the clock and me sleeping on the couch for more comfort. I don't really mind though and we both usually get at least 7 hours of sleep each night so I figure if it works for us, I'm not going to feel guilty. In the next month we'll work on moving her to RNP slowly.
  • hbonwes said:

    Hey ladies. My DD will not sleep alone. She had to be held the entire night. I am currently sleeping in a recliner every night with her. I've tried the rock n play, bouncer, crib, bassinet and none of them work. The moment you put her down she cries. The doctor didn't seemed worried but mommy needs to sleep in her bed. Any suggestions?

    Sometimes I'll pull the crib mattress out onto the floor and make a cot next to it so I can snuggle with him in "his bed". It helps him get used to the firmness of his mattress and I can easily roll away once he is comfortable and asleep.
  • My DS1 was exactly like this and he would only fall asleep after nursing. So I got a bunch of pillows and propped myself up sitting in bed. I would get the boppy and lay him on that to nurse. And when he was done i would just lay my head back, wrap my arms around him and have the boppy help hold him in place. I can relate to just needing some sleep and that's how i did it. Good luck!
  • Baby is better than i am at this. I WANT to bed share very much because I'm assuming i have an over-abundance of oxytocin or something. I just want to snuggle all the time. But i'm a thrasher. It's not safe for us I don't think. It's barely safe for my husband. 

    Olive loves her bassinet. I think it's luck of the draw with babies. I'm not sure what we did to make her happy sleeping alone. She just always has. But we use white noise (or "pink noise") swaddling and soft, high thread count sheets. We also keep the bassinet jammed up against my side of the bed and i frequently wake up to find my hand in it. Maybe she smells me and it relaxes her? No idea. But those are the things we do.


    Oh also, even at her young age, she has a distinct sense of "nighttime" - she won't sleep in regular bursts during the day. Her naps are short, or long, or i don't know, whatever. At night she has a strict and very habitual sleeping routine. She knows the difference. Maybe it's that?
    This. I will second luck of the draw.
  • DD slept on her own for about 3-4 weeks. Then she was suddenly inconsolable if I put her down, even if she'd been deeply asleep moments before.
    When I was pregnant I was adamantly against bed sharing. I still believe back is best and am working towards getting her to sleep in our cosleeper (and eventually crib). But we both need to sleep. And if that means she gets help for daytime naps and sleeps on my chest at night then that's what happens. I'd much rather do that then stay awake all night and it's gotten to where I sleep very lightly and don't move at all when I'm sleeping so I'm much less worried.
  • taysun said:

    DD slept on her own for about 3-4 weeks. Then she was suddenly inconsolable if I put her down, even if she'd been deeply asleep moments before.
    When I was pregnant I was adamantly against bed sharing. I still believe back is best and am working towards getting her to sleep in our cosleeper (and eventually crib). But we both need to sleep. And if that means she gets help for daytime naps and sleeps on my chest at night then that's what happens. I'd much rather do that then stay awake all night and it's gotten to where I sleep very lightly and don't move at all when I'm sleeping so I'm much less worried.

    My DD sleeps on my chest for half the night and then when we do our night feeds she's so sleepy I can move her over, does it not freak you out that she's on your chest? I sleep fairly light but there are some nights I don't and I wake up in panic. Urg just wish she'd sleep beside me. What method are you using to transition?
  • TomekiaBTomekiaB member
    edited January 2016
    I am not a fan of bedsharing but DS disagreed so DH let's him. DH starts the night with him and gives him to me to bf or when he gets up for work. I generally take longer to fall asleep than DH and DS so I've noticed DS actually frequently opens one eye to make sure DH is still holding him and that he hasn't been tricked into sleeping in his bassinet...the few times we've successfully transferred DS to the swing or bassinet he has woken up in about 20 minutes absolutely livid he was left alone. Cosleeping he will sleep 4-5 hours and wake up to eat and fall back asleep. A nurse in the hospital taught me about cosleeping safety and said newborns hate sleeping alone. Another nurse said as long as we don't smoke, do drugs or drink excessively it is not that taboo and is actually good for BFing.
    *typo
  • kdoak2015 said:

    taysun said:

    DD slept on her own for about 3-4 weeks. Then she was suddenly inconsolable if I put her down, even if she'd been deeply asleep moments before.
    When I was pregnant I was adamantly against bed sharing. I still believe back is best and am working towards getting her to sleep in our cosleeper (and eventually crib). But we both need to sleep. And if that means she gets help for daytime naps and sleeps on my chest at night then that's what happens. I'd much rather do that then stay awake all night and it's gotten to where I sleep very lightly and don't move at all when I'm sleeping so I'm much less worried.

    My DD sleeps on my chest for half the night and then when we do our night feeds she's so sleepy I can move her over, does it not freak you out that she's on your chest? I sleep fairly light but there are some nights I don't and I wake up in panic. Urg just wish she'd sleep beside me. What method are you using to transition?
    It used to freak me out but I've gotten used to it. I usually try to move her during the night if she's deeply asleep.
    I'm trying to get her used to daytime naps by herself. That way it's much less frustrating if she wakes up. So usually I'll get her to fall asleep in the moby and then put her into the cosleeper which lives on the couch right now. Sometimes I'll put her on the floor on her play mat. I've started getting maybe 30-60 minute naps doing that but it doesn't always work.
  • Bedsharing here too. She sleeps on my chest or next to me. It worried me at first, but it's been 2 months now and we both sleep great and have a nice sleep routine now. My dd just loves touching me. Even during the day of I'm not holding her I'm wearing her.
  • taysun said:

    kdoak2015 said:

    taysun said:

    DD slept on her own for about 3-4 weeks. Then she was suddenly inconsolable if I put her down, even if she'd been deeply asleep moments before.
    When I was pregnant I was adamantly against bed sharing. I still believe back is best and am working towards getting her to sleep in our cosleeper (and eventually crib). But we both need to sleep. And if that means she gets help for daytime naps and sleeps on my chest at night then that's what happens. I'd much rather do that then stay awake all night and it's gotten to where I sleep very lightly and don't move at all when I'm sleeping so I'm much less worried.

    My DD sleeps on my chest for half the night and then when we do our night feeds she's so sleepy I can move her over, does it not freak you out that she's on your chest? I sleep fairly light but there are some nights I don't and I wake up in panic. Urg just wish she'd sleep beside me. What method are you using to transition?
    It used to freak me out but I've gotten used to it. I usually try to move her during the night if she's deeply asleep.
    I'm trying to get her used to daytime naps by herself. That way it's much less frustrating if she wakes up. So usually I'll get her to fall asleep in the moby and then put her into the cosleeper which lives on the couch right now. Sometimes I'll put her on the floor on her play mat. I've started getting maybe 30-60 minute naps doing that but it doesn't always work.
    We are doing this also I tuck her into the back corner of the couch and put a pillow infront of her and she sleeps like this for a few hours during the day. Glad I'm not the only cray cray person who sleeps with their baby on their chest.
Sign In or Register to comment.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"