does anyone have any good sleep training suggestions??

Amy - posted on 12/01/2009

thank you ladies, it took me forever to get my circle of moms back up, for some reason it wasn't working... he is in a good bedtime routine and has been since day one. his problem is now naps and waking up twice a night. he's on cereal once a day and i nurse him every two hours, it just doesnt seem to be enough

Pauline - posted on 11/05/2009

hi i play soft music it help heaps to slow down and it relaxing to them and befored u know they be asleep, it the fear of being apart for u that keep them up sonce u have lullybye soft music it make them more secure in being unattacted to u and u will no the diffence

Jess - posted on 11/04/2009

Howdy! I suggest trying the routines and helpful hints mentioned in the book 'Save Our Sleep'. We had a fantastic first few weeks and then a fussy few weeks, our boy now at 6 weeks. I heard about this book and of the success of the routines, got the book and on the first day of trying it out we had a happy baby and a very happy and suprised me! We put our boy in him bed wrapped up nice and snug, making sure we get him to bed while still awake. He would cry what they call a protesting cry and after a few minutes or more he would be asleep. If he cries in hunger or with wind we go in and do what is needed. But a protesting cry is much different to the others. It makes it easier for me to know when I can get things done, when I can sleep and helps me have lunch earlier than 4pm!

Pia - posted on 11/04/2009

I tried a book written by the Baby Whisperer AKA Tracey Hogg. Not only does it address sleep issues, it addresses all sorts of things from feeding to playing. Check it out, I loved it and for the most part it worked. Baby will change things every now and then when he hits milestones, but stick to a night time routine and you should be able to deal with it easier.

Don't let him cry himself to sleep, he's so young and he needs your love and nurture. That's our job:)

Anna - posted on 11/04/2009

15 weeks is still really young - he will probably change his needs and habits a lot still before he settles into a routine. At that age, they are still establishing in their brains that there is a difference between night and day so you can't expect too much of them. Just take it easy and try and rest yourself as much as you can during the day.

I liked the book 'the no-cry sleep solution' by Elizabeth Pantley. It has a lot of different ideas to try in various situations. It's great if you are like me and feel it is too mean to leave a small child alone to cry themselves to sleep, like many people on this site would suggest.

Nikkie - posted on 11/04/2009

I absolutely loved the book "Sleep Sense" by Anne Faure. It has made such a difference in my baby's sleeping habits!!

Wendy - posted on 11/03/2009

I was havign the same issue with my son around the same age. The best suggestion is get him into routine. It worked amazing for me. I started giving him a bath a the smae specific time every night and let him stay in there until he was ready to come out( not neccesairly when I was ready) and followed with his night time feeding. In the beginning he didnt always fall asleep right away, even though you could tell his was tired. I would just walk around with him for a while and made him feel safe and then placed him in his crib with nice soothing music and walked away. He would fuss for a little a while but usually within 5 minutes he was out like a light...it just takes persistance. Crying is natural so its bound to happen..and it makes them tired...eventually he associated bath time with bed time and his crib with sleep. It works like a charm now..

Whitney - posted on 11/03/2009

Maybe he is over tired? I agree with Shanna. Try a bedtime routine. They say that babies associate sleeping with dim lighting, calming music/white noise and warm bath. I did the same thing and nursed my to sleep. Try it for 3 nights in a row, they say that is how long it takes for babies to adjust.

Brenna - posted on 11/03/2009

I have 4 children and have never had a problem with any of them not sleeping. The longest that one of them took to sleep through the night was 5 weeks old. The other 3 were sleeping through the night by 2 weeks old. The trick is when they are young, very young, is to put them to bed awake. Don't start rocking them to sleep or holding them until they fall asleep because that is what they will want forever, which makes life a lot harder for parents. They might cry for awhile and thats ok, they will get use to it in a couple of nights. The more you go into their room, the more they know you will try to sooth them-which in return they will cry more. I would leave them alone so they can learn to sooth themselves to sleep, best thing to do- although it can be hard. It just takes a few days, but don't let them cry for hours. A half an hour to an hour is ok. Believe me it works every time!! Good luck!!

Shanna - posted on 11/03/2009

When my son was more like 10 weeks he got to where he would drive me CRAZY at night. He wouldn't go to sleep for me until he was just exhausted from crying. I would have to call my mom and freak out on her to calm down. lol. Anyways, I finally started a bedtime routine with him and it really seemed to help. I used that Johnson & Johnson Bedtime Bath. I am not sure if it was that or the routine, but it helped. It was playtime, bath and lotion, maybe a book, and I would nurse him to sleep!



Good Luck! :) It will get better soon!