how does everyone put their baby down to sleep between feeds?

Becca - posted on 04/27/2010

My daughter would fight sleep all the time. Sometimes i could nurse her to sleep and leave her on my bed, other times i couldnt. She got to a stage where she was over tired no matter how much i tried to get her to sleep so i started letting her sleep in a sling or baby carrier. I found this worked well as a last resort, even if i only did this on the days she was real over tired

Tanya - posted on 04/27/2010

I have a ten month old and most of the time I lie down next to her, nurse her to sleep, and then leave the room. We cosleep though, and that isn't for everyone.

Lerin - posted on 04/27/2010

I agree with what Sylvia said. Also wanted to add- Have you thought of 'teaching' him how to suck his thumb? If he nurses to sleep, and gets used to go to sleep with something in his mouth, then you pull them off and they wake up and the whole thing starts over. Thumbsucking is a lifesaver in our family. My trick was to teach them when they were happy, alert & awake, and then once they could get the hand to the mouth, and then the thumb away from the fist. It's different than a paci, b/c they aren't going to 'lose' it. Something I've noticed between my EBF thumbsuckers, and my friends EBF non-thumbsuckers, is mine seem more independent, b/c they can soothe themselves.

Amanda - posted on 04/27/2010

Thank u all so very much for all the great information and tips what a lifesaver!!!! :)

Sylvia - posted on 04/26/2010

I just used to nurse mine to sleep. And then sometimes lie down and have a nap too :) I didn't get much done around the house, and some days that was frustrating, but I kind of figured DD would never be that tiny and needy again and meeting her needs was really my main job at that point. (Although at a certain point you do need to do laundry, and eat.)

Do you have a sling or a wrap or some other kind of carrier? You could try wearing him more (my DD always napped best in the sling when she was wee), which would meet his need to be close to you while also allowing you to feel like you're getting something else done :)

It's definitely harder to get babies to sleep once they've passed "sleepy" and gone into "too tired". Learning to catch that magic window is hard at first, but if you watch carefully for a few days you should start to see the signs, whatever they are for your individual baby, that he's getting sleepy.

Leigh - posted on 04/26/2010

My little guy faught naps like a champ until he was about 14 weeks old. Then all of the sudden it was like he decided. "Oh, maybe I should nap during the day." and he went down without a fight. I know your stress and anxiety. Mine would turn into a screaming madman by 3-4pm b/c he was so tired, yet he wouldn't nap. Around 12 weeks old I started putting him down in his crib 2 hours after he last woke up. After a while he fell into his nap routine. Sometimes he would scream and I would go back in after 5-10 mins and sometimes he would fall asleep. In the beginning he would only nap for 20 mins, so it was like I was putting him down for a nap constantly. But as time went on, his naps lengthened. At 7 weeks old, do whatever you need to in order to get him to nap - use the swing, the bouncy seat, take an afternoon drive, use a sling. It's not until they are older that they start falling into a routine.

Jessica - posted on 04/26/2010

My baby is now 9 weeks old. A few weeks ago I started placing him in his rocker for his naps. I then turn the vibrations on and usually give him a pacifier. I'll stay right there with him most of the time and within 10 minutes he's sleeping. He's gotten used to going to sleep without me holding and rocking him which is nice once in a while. It sounds to me like all you have to do is get him used to putting himself to sleep. Hope this has been helpful for you.

Kristin - posted on 04/26/2010

That sounds right. He doesn't know how to put himself to sleep so being over tired is just stressful to him. If you can spare the time, just sit quietly with him and sing a song or read a picture book. When he gets sleepy, then lay him down. It's going to take much practice on both your part. He's getting big enough to have longer periods of awake time, so you may not get him to sleep between each feed. Nap consolidating can help with this. Also, he's tiny right now, so don't worry too much about getting much done.