Sleep Tips

Cori - posted on 11/28/2008

I'm lucky that both my daughters slept through the night between 3-5 weeks. I don't know if that was my routine or if I'm just blessed.. but here is what I did. As newborns I would feed them every two hours during the day so they were awake and well fed. Now (at 3 months) I suppose you would just try to limit her naps to maybe a total of 4 hours a day. At night I wouldn't pick her up unless she was all out crying. If she was just stirring or fussing a little.. I'd leave her in there and see if she would fall back asleep on her own. If you do need to get her just try to keep it dark and quiet.. try not to talk to her.. meet her needs and put her back down. For about a week I knew she would cry just because she wanted to be held.. so I would let her cry for about 5 minutes, go in her room and settle her down.. then I would let her cry 6 minutes.. etc.. but I never went over 7 minutes. After a week of that she learned to soothe herself.. which is a big part of them sleeping through the night.
We found that our baby actually slept better when we took her out of the bassinet in our room and put her in a crib in her sister's room. (Less snoring?)
She also loves her mobile in her crib and now I can put her down at "bedtime" turn the mobile on and she goes to sleep. It took many many steps before we could get to that point though.
To be able to put them asleep while their awake, I think you have to have some sort of routine going so you know they are tired and well fed enough for it to work.

Fathima - posted on 11/28/2008

I must admit I am terrible!! I know she must go down awake so ahve only myself to blame. However daddy taught her how to fall asleep on her own- while mommy was working! So now she sleeps like a dream for him and gives me a hard time!! I ahve stopped the rocking, singing etc- now if she rubs her eyes or yawns I put her in her cot and she does moan a little bit and then falls asleep! I must try to be a bit more firm! Guess we teach them all the bad habits and then complain about it! LOL

Gemma - posted on 11/28/2008

I find that doing a 'dream sleep' helpes Mikey go off for the night, he mangaes upwards of 6 hours straight sleep. What I do is dim the lights play his fav tiger toy which plays soothing music, and dont make eye contact.

Kristy - posted on 11/27/2008

Can't say this one enough, make sure you put her to bed AWAKE...this way she will learn to self-soothe and won't rely on you to put her back to sleep when she stirs. I use to rock, sing, swaddle and give my little man a dummy before bed and couldn't work out why he wouldn't sleep through the night...now he sleeps a good 7hrs straight without a feed. I took away his dummy and put him to bed while he was still awake. He gets PLENTY of love and attention and lots of play time during the day and evening, and our bedtime ritual is a feed, bath, massage/play, more feed and story then off to bed. Works like a charm! The more you keed using props like a dummy or rocking to sleep, the more she will rely on it to fall asleep and stay asleep

Fathima - posted on 11/27/2008

Lindsey- u are so lucky!! I put her in her cot last night for the first time cos she wriggles and woke up and she was not next to me!! She was lying lower down across the bed! Almost had a heart attack so promptly fed her and put her in her cot and she was quite happy!! Thanks for the tip- we use the fan at night too which works!

Lindsey - posted on 11/27/2008

Leo started sleeping though the night at 8 weeks. I was so lucky. Our dr. said that the sleep cd's can actually stop them from going into full deep sleep. We do have a fan on for white noise. We do the same ritual every night. Nurse, top off with 2 oz formula, diaper change, jammies, swaddle bed. Even if he's wide awake he goes out like a light. Try doing bath time right before bed time. I've heard that helps some baby's.