IM HAVING PROBLEMS PUTTING MY 5MOS. OLD 2 FALL ASLEEP ALONE...ANY HELP?? PLEASE

Alexandra - posted on 02/07/2010

THANK U

Shaquoia - posted on 02/07/2010

I would have to agree with many of the moms here. Routine, routine, routine is key. If you establish a bedtime routine, even nap time, then your baby will learn that okay..this is bedtime. With my 5 month old we always have bath time, THEN the bottle (I emphasize the THEN because just think about how you feel after you take a shower and grab a bite to eat, ready to sleep right?) and shortly after she's off to dream land. I just started this past week putting her in her own bed and the first night she cried but I was persistent in laying her back in her bed getting her to understand that this is where she was supposed to sleep. By Thursday she pretty much put herself to sleep. Routines aren't hard for babies, they are harder for us because we want to always comfort our little ones. It's good to rock your baby to sleep but you have to stay somewhat strong in establishing a routine that way you won't be saddled down all night trying to put your little one to sleep.

Helen - posted on 02/07/2010

I was having the same problem for about the first three weeks after she was born. And thankyou to the community nurses that came around for the first two weeks, trained my daughter to sleep when she was put in her basinette. First they swaddled her and then put her in basinette then they allowed her to have a 5 minute frustration cry. Once the 5 minutes were up and she was still crying they then comforted her, bur not picking her up, then left the room when she became calm again. They continued this for about 1/2 hr until she fell asleep. I did this for a couple of days and she now goes down with little effort. It is a matter of training them what to do. Plus routine is good. I also have a iPod playing all her music as she is going to sleep which I find works well too.

Becky - posted on 01/29/2010

I will say I am very fortunate to have a great sleeper. However I was having a problem with him falling asleep, I would rock, pat, bounce anything to get him to sleep, finally when nothing worked and he would not stop crying, I laid him in his bed, pulled his blanket up around his face, (he has been a belly sleeper since 3 weeks) put a pacifier in and he did it on his own. He wants to put himself to sleep, that was the problem, He didn't want to be held he wanted to be left alone.

Veronica - posted on 01/29/2010

I use to have that problem with my daughter she would not go to sleep if she wasn't in my arms or in her swing. What worked for me is I foung a toy that I could hook up to her crib and it lit up and the fish moved around and played music and she just looks at the light and eventually falls asleep. It broke my heart to hear her cry the first couple times but I just kept puttin her binki in her mouth.

Jocelyn - posted on 01/29/2010

I put my daughter to bed at around 8:30- 9:00 every night. I place her in her crib, give her her pacifier, turn on her glow-worm or mobile, and she has a teddy bear attached to her crib that plays a heartbeat. I then take her blanket, which has to be soft side down, around her face and she begins to fall asleep. It takes around 10 minutes on most days for her to fall asleep. The best thing that I use that really started to work for her was her mobile. I have the Fisher Price Precious Planet one that has the remote and plays up to 20 minutes of music. It also has a projection screen that lights up and shows the different animals on the umbrella of the mobile. This was the best thing in the world because it grabbed her attention and she began to fall asleep just staring at it. I eventually winged her off of the mobile and now I just play the glow-worm shaped like a seahorse for her. It only plays 5 minutes of music but it works. The teddy bear plays 45 minutes of the heartbeat. I would give this a try.

Natascha - posted on 01/29/2010

I had the same problem and i just let him scream his head off... i know some people thinks it bad but hes got to learn sometime... the best way i get my son to sleep is i have a johnny jummper and i let him jump his little heart out and when he gets tried i put him to sleep and out he goes all night long

Jill - posted on 01/28/2010

After my daughter screamed for two and a half hours last night I got out The Baby Whisperer and read some highlights. Chapter 9 is about undoing bad habits, which I definitely perpetuated (napping in the swing, giving her the boob to get her to sleep) and were fine at the time but now that they don't work anymore. I didn't know what to do. I tried what the book said about getting her to fall asleep by herself in her crib and it worked tonight. She never falls asleep in her crib by herself and tonight she did (hopefully it's not just because she was so tired from last night!!). Basically, the book says that when they cry, pick them up and soothe them but ONLY for as long as it takes to get them to stop crying and then put them right back down. Do this as many times as necessary and eventually they will fall asleep. In the book, the author talked about a case where she had to pick up the baby 126 times!! It only took me 5 times and she fell asleep. You also have to know the clues to look for that your baby is tired and make sure you put them to sleep before they become overtired and get cranky and find it more difficult to soothe themselves. Anyway, I'm a fan of doing whatever works, but when the stuff that's been working doesn't work anymore, try this!

Kristina - posted on 01/28/2010

I had the same exact problem with my five month old daughter. I had to rocker her everynight and nap time to get her to sleep. But then we started a routine that we do the same thing every night. We eat cereal, bath, lotion, PJ's, say good-night to the moon and close the curtains, turn on her puppy that sings lullaby's for ten minutes, put her into bed and say good night. It took a few nights of doing this and then she took right to it. Kids and babies LOVE routine.

Chelsy - posted on 01/28/2010

i used to have the same problem but now he wont even let me rock him to sleep i have started laying him on his tummy and patting his back and he usually goes right to sleep

Kenya - posted on 01/28/2010

My son just turned 5 months on January 21st and I still have to rock him and pat/rub his back before he goes to sleep. The only time he goes to sleep in his crib on his own is after a feeding when he's really, really sleepy. If I put him down too soon, he holds his head up, plays, or rolls himself over.

Georgia - posted on 01/28/2010

i read in a magazine that it helps if u make the sleeping area more welcome. put a shirt of yours that smells like u in with him. maybe a stuffed animal that he is familar with. i found that when i put my shirt with him he sleeps better. maybe his matriss is cold. i have to put a heating pad under his sheets with a thin blanket over it. then turn it off once it is warm. i let my baby cry for at least 30 mins n get himself tired then try n feed him. i have to go threw it every night. but him getting himself tired then he will sleep harder. good luck

Alexandra - posted on 01/28/2010

THANK YOU!! :)

Emily - posted on 01/27/2010

There is nothing wrong with rocking or shushing to sleep at this age. I hate that so many doctors push the CIO techniques. Sure doctors are health experts, but that does not make them parenting experts. I think you should do what works for your baby, and if that is rocking him to sleep, do it! Trust me, you won't have to do it forever. I rocked my son to sleep for about 18 months, at which point he was able to fall asleep on his own. I never had to do CIO. If it breaks your heart, don't do it. They are only this little for so long.

Brittany - posted on 01/27/2010

Alexandra i feel the same way about letting him cry himself to sleep , i tried it one night and he cried full force screaming for almost an hour until i gave in and picked him up and he fell asleep within like 5 minutes. I really don't mind rocking him to sleep but when i am gone for weekend with the National Guard and i am being deployed next year, i just feel bad having my husband deal with that.

Khaye_telogss - posted on 01/27/2010

try to change the sleeping your son used to ,or try some helping tips for your son to sleep fast or to sleep better

Andrea - posted on 01/26/2010

same here, but i'm not too worried yet. i figure when he has a set feeding schedule(like 3 meals/feedings a day by 6months) then the rest will fall into place. every now and again he does falls asleep on his own in his rocker or on the floor... sometimes he wakes in his crib early morning and then kicks himself back to sleep... i figure he knows how... when he's tired and cranky i rock him or bottle/nurse him... i still think it's early enough in his life that sleep is more important than how or where... he sleeps in his crib at night and during the day with me or his rocking chair... start small and try not to stress out... baby steps...

Sandra - posted on 01/26/2010

We, have this problem too. But I am working on sleep training him so that he can fall asleep on his own. I use a combination of the No Cry Sleep Solution and Baby Whisperer. There are many techniques to use including Ferber and CIO. It has been a rough go ... and we have had a few setbacks (I had surgery) but the most important thing is CONSISTENCY and ROUTINE. Now we are at a pretty good sleep schedule, he goes to sleep around 8pm and wakes to eat only at 10 pm, midnight and then 3 am. He is breastfed so he still wakes frequently to eat but he goes right back to bed. My first son was formula fed and it was easier to get a sleep routine in place and he slept through the night sooner. Have you tried swaddling? We use this as part of our routine and it helps the baby feel more secure and helps them to fall asleep on their own. We are still working at this and I think my second son is going to be much harder to train than my first boy.

Alexandra - posted on 01/26/2010

I WILL..I MEAN ONCE I GET HIM TO SLEEP HES FINE @ NIGHT. I JUST HAVE TO WAKE UP LIKE 2 TIMES TO FEED HIM. THE DOCTER TOLD ME TO LET HIM CRY HIMSELF 2 SLEEP ONCE IN A WHILE BUT IT BREAKS MY HEART...LOL

Brittany - posted on 01/26/2010

YES i have this problem also its starting to die down but i also have to cuddle and rock and all that stuff to my son also . If you figure out some thing that makes him sleep alone please let me know