Self settle babies.

Anita - posted on 03/14/2010

My daughter was great with that until she started teething. And the more she gets the worse she wakes at night wanting a bottle. I don't know how to get her to stop now either. Dr said tough love. :(

Sarah - posted on 03/14/2010

My son's pediatrician told us at four months to start making him go to sleep on his own. He said that if our son cried for more than a half hour to calm him down and try again. We did this for about 1-2 weeks and he has settled himself to sleep ever since. You just have to be consistent and not give in.

Lindsay - posted on 03/13/2010

My son Ethan is most def a self soother. He goes to bed every night around the same time (8:30). He is always awake when he goes into his crib and all his dad and I do is turn on his mobil once and give him a few kisses and tell him we lovwe him and goodnight about 10 minutes later he is done babbling and is sound alseep. He has been sleeping is his own crib in his own room from the day he came home from the hospital and has been sleeping through the night since about 2 months old. We have always had him on a schedule and it seems to work for him. He is very content to be by himself which is good so he doesn't require my attention 24/7. This works out for his dad and I so we have a few hours of us time before we call it a night.

Christi - posted on 02/15/2010

My 10 month old has never been able to put himself to sleep and I don't even try. We co-sleep, so he wakes up a lot to nurse, but I would never make him cry it out because he just gets louder and louder. I read a statistic on BabyCenter.com that said that for babies 6-9 months or so, only 1 OUT OF 8 babiesa actually slept through the night. I think we often have unrealistic expectations about babies sleeping. Most babies are going to wake up sometimes because of teething, colds, being lonely, etc.

Amanda - posted on 02/12/2010

Ben has always settled himself to sleep. I think what helped with this is that he was premmie (5 weeks early) which meant that he spent three week in the special care nursery. As there were only 2 staff in the nursery (and once up to 12 babies) he would sometimes cry and no-one would come (which broke my heart at the time). However I think this meant that he learned to fall asleep on his own, and once he came home he just continued to do this. Every night he gets bath, massage, bottle and bedtime stories, then popped into bed awake. We kiss him goodnight, turn on his music, turn out the lamp and leave. He falls asleep no problems and rarely calls out during the night (and if he does call out we don't have to get up to him - he just goes back to sleep). I think setting up strong sleep associations helps, such as music, stories etc.

Marika - posted on 02/12/2010

Thats tough! It depends on what you can handle and the temperament of your baby (or so I believe) I have 4, 2 were good sleepers 2 were not. One of my middle sons, no matter what I did could just not self settle and sooth etc. after a VERY stressful couple of days, and consequently a sick little boy, I bit the bullet for the everyone's sake and just returned to the same routine. My9 month old only just recently started to self settle to sleep day or night, but she wakes during the night and only goes back to sleep with a b/f, very frustrating. I will take steps to tackle it soon.

Kerry - posted on 02/11/2010

clarification: wasnt normal at this age, as in they are plenty old enough to self sooth themselves back to sleep.

Kerry - posted on 02/11/2010

My son would wake up 1-3 times a night, and he's my first, so I didn't know it wasn't normal. A friend told me this is what she did, so I tried it and it worked: 1st night: go in and keep a very happy upbeat voice, pick baby up and say its time for bed, hug and lay back down in bed, cover etc. Leave and let him cry. 2nd night: Go in with same voice and cover back over, soothing voice tell him its time for bed, but dont pick him up out of his crib. Leave, let cry. 3rd night: just make sure he's safe, dont let him see you. Should be good by night 5. Thats what I did and since then my little guy hasnt woken me up once at night! Hope you are willing to try it and it works! :)

Jen - posted on 02/11/2010

I agree Erica...it is very difficult to find the time to read the books and then use any new suggested methods that sound good for you. Because I had no time when my triplets were newborns, I didn’t have a chance to read anything until they were almost 3 months old. But I was desperate and wanted to get more sleep. Once I felt like I had a grasp on what the books were telling me, I started sleep training on a Friday, and all three of my boys were sleeping all night (630pm-ish to 630am-ish) without any pacifiers in 3 days. It is very difficult, but can work. I really believe what works, or what is right, is different for every mom and every child. But it helps to get suggestions from all walks.

Kirsty - posted on 02/11/2010

My LO just drifts off and when she wakes up in the night she puts herself back to sleep has done since she was 4 weeks old

Erica - posted on 02/11/2010

To Jen and other Moms...I tried reading these books and others...but the same with all of them, I felt the reader could not utilize the suggested methods unless you were able to read the books the first few weeks...the methods are almost impossible to incorporate one you and tour baby already have set into a routine. Not to mention, what new Mom has time or alertness to read a book in the first few weeks of a baby's life?

Maggie - posted on 02/11/2010

my son is a thumb sucker and went to bed awake and happy up until about 8 months. we have switched from his hammock to his bed so that adjustment has made it a bit tougher for him as he no longer has the snuggly closeness and movement of the hammock.

great books - the no cry sleep solution - elizabeth pantley AND the sleep lady's good night sleep tight - kim west.

Jen - posted on 02/11/2010

I have triplet boys that just turned 2 and a 9 month old little girl. all of them require nothing to sooth them to sleep, or back to sleep if they wake up. I really depended on two books "baby wise" and "healthy sleep habits, happy child". if you have any questions let me know. good luck!

Erica - posted on 02/11/2010

I still can't get mine to sleep unless nursing her in bed with me...or in her swing! I've always been so worried the swing could deformed her growing body...but it remains to be the only way I can get some rest alone. We've tried bassinet, cradle, hammock, rocker beds, nests, crib, and have tried letting her cry it out. People that recommend the cry it out method (doctor, friends, lactation consultant) always say the same thing...that it will only take a few days...but we gave it a good two weeks...and she still cried bloody murder. I'd love to know if you find a solution...I am also in need!

Michelle - posted on 02/11/2010

my nine month old has never needed anything i guess i never started with anything ive always just stuck him in the crib turned on the music thingy on the side walked out turned off the lights and he went out with the light lol since he finally started sleeping through the night at about five or six months sometimes he will babble to himself in his crib before he falls asleep but i usually put him in there around seven and call it a night.

Katherine - posted on 02/11/2010

my 10 month old son goes to bed with a comfort blanket and sometimes a dummy but settles himself really well x

Alana - posted on 02/10/2010

It's not that i don't enjoy rocking and singing him to sleep, cause i do and it is a special time, but he does wake alot through the night and i figure its because he doesn't know how to put himself back to sleep.

Heidi - posted on 02/10/2010

For the start my son always needed brestfeeding to fall asleep. But since 6months I only carry him to his bed, put blanket, tell him in soft tone that it's sleeping time say good night turn of the lights and walk to other room. Same goes when it's naptime so room don't even have to be dark. If he wakes in the night I DON'T turn the lights on, I only pet his hair and/or back and tell him it's sleeping time.

LauraBeth - posted on 02/10/2010

I never really thought about letting him go to sleep on his own he has done it a couple of times though, when it is bed time I set him in his crib to let him know thats what we are fixing to do then i will go make his bottle (a couple of times when I have put him in his crib he went right to sleep), but i enjoy putting him in his bed so much that I love the night time routine that I have with him, It really is one of my favorite things that I look forward to each night, holding my precious child and singing to him, and him looking at me and smileing it truely is a wonderful thing.

Annie - posted on 02/09/2010

My son Alex also never needed anything for him to fall asleep. He never really took a nook, and we never really BF ( I pumped, and bottle-fed). I put him in his crib when he's awake, turn on some lullebys and he's set. He even falls asleep like a champ at gma and gmpas with out the lulelbys. He's 10 months old now, and he's been sleeping through the night since I went back to work at 6 weeks.



I can only say that the earlier that you get your kids to fall asleep on their own, the easier it will be for you.

Heather - posted on 02/09/2010

my son refused his soother once he turned 4 months old but he still takes a bottle to fall asleep. Once my son is asleep i bring him upstairs and put him in his crib and he falls back to sleep on his own.



All babies have a way of soothing themselves, some babies cry, others suck, others have a favourite blanket or toy, some need a sensory free enviroment (ie dark room) some babies require a few things to fall asleep,



My son is a 'sucker' to fall asleep then just being in the dark room with his fave. blanket puts him back to sleep, my daughter as well (shes 2 yrs 1 month old), shes a 'sucker' too, mind you she ONLY gets a soother when shes in bed, and she has to have a teddy and her cup with water...My husband and i are trying to brek her of the soother but as i said, shes always been a 'sucker' even from day one! so its proving to be a bit of a challange for her, AND US! lol