need help..

Nikki - posted on 03/31/2010

I forgot to mention too... some nights when she wakes up I can bring her to my bed, nurse her, then when she's done and droozy I carefully caring her back into her crib. I know it's not "laying her down awake" but I get my bed and she stays relatively sleepy!

Elizabeth - posted on 03/30/2010

OH! one more idea that may help, Since the baby's used to sleeping with me, I put the over shirt i was wearing today into his crib. I got the idea from watching Grey's Anatomy a long time ago and forgot about it, my DH suggested it tonight. worked like a charm. He had started stirring, and when he could smell "me" next to him, he fell right to sleep.

Elizabeth - posted on 03/30/2010

It's ok Amy, i really understand. Hey Everyone i have great news, i stuck to strict schedule, bathed him, brushed his teeth, read 2 books and put him in bed w/ a bottle (i know it sort of nullifies brushing of the teeth, but I'd like to start good habits early.) i guess I'm doing a combination of the whispering and Ferber method, i stood by his side holding his bottle until he settled down, once he did, i left him and he cried once, I went to him, laid him back down and in a few minutes he was out. He was out for the night in his own crib within 30 minutes! I'm a happy mommy. :D

Nikki - posted on 03/30/2010

I had (and still have) a similar problem. My daughter (now 10.5 mos) always had to be held (awake or asleep) and every time I laid her down, she would wake up. Even now, I have to try to time it perfectly and wait until she's in a certain sleep phase to lay her down or she'll sleep fine in our bed (I can put her in her crib at bedtime and naps but when she wakes at night I'm up for 1-3 hrs trying to lay her down, comfort her, sneak out of her room, etc). We both get way more sleep if I haul her in my bed (but I know thats not a good habit). I can't do the cry it out, just can't. I've briefly tried Ferber but it makes her way more mad when I come back into the room to sooth her. I've tried the Baby Whisper's method of sitting beside her and soothing her (that worked best!! but of course takes a long time and more than 3 days)... any advice? I feel like I get so tired I just give up and bring her to bed.

Kasmira - posted on 03/29/2010

Hi, my son went through this becasue we had been putting him to sleep in our arms not quite realising what we were setting him up for. But at about 6 months i decided to teach him to settle himself but wasn't willing to let him cry for very long. I started by settling him in his cot by rubbing his tummy rather than rocking him until he was comfortable falling asleep in his cot. Then i moved onto something similar to the Ferber Method, i think, i would put him down and wait 1 min before going back in and resettling him. And i progressively waiting longer and longer. He is now 11 months and i can put him down and walk out and he puts himself to sleep without any trouble.
However it was a long process and sometimes stressful.

Schmoopy - posted on 03/29/2010

Elizabeth, sorry I sounded harsh. The written word is tricky! I was just trying to be brief, ya know?

Anyway, just wanted to say that the Ferber Method can be REALLY difficult to implement. Your baby will likely cry quite a bit the first night - and for several nights thereafter. But stick with it!!! If you're consistent, you should start seeing results after 2-3 nights. My daughter cried like crazy for 1.5 hours the first night but was "cured" by night 4 - I could put her down and she'd fall right to sleep on her own without any fussing at all.

If you can, enlist a partner to support you during the process. It's almost impossible to resist going in to comfort your baby when she's crying at a fever's pitch for more than a minute. You could also try listening to headphones and watching the clock. And keep reminding yourself you're doing this for your baby's welfare. You'll both be much happier when you're through to the other side.

Good luck!

Jennifer - posted on 03/29/2010

with my oldest charles, i did the "cry it out" solution. It was HARD, to hear them cry like that but now he is 3 yrs old and a great sleeper. It took a total of 3 days to get him to completely fall asleep on his own but once it happen it was great. We did our bed time routine and then laid him in bed and every 5 min would go in until he feel asleep, then day two every 8-10 minutes (only went in once before he fell asleep) day 3 he didn't cry he just laid there and was asleep within 5 minutes. Good luck!

Elizabeth - posted on 03/29/2010

Amy, at first this post seemed a little harsh, but then i read the link, and came back and re-read it. It's good advice and I'm going to try it. I guess i can see the importance of making sure the baby is awake and falls asleep in his own bed. Starting tonight I'm going to set a good bed time routine, and gradually increase the waiting time. What i like best about this theory is that you don't have to let the baby cry it out. Thank you for posting that link... I know it may help me get my son to sleep on his own faster than the way I'm doing it, which has taken months.

Schmoopy - posted on 03/29/2010

Sounds like your baby has a sleep association with being held.



My daughter did the same thing. After sleep training her for 4 nights, she became a fantastic sleeper - 11-12 hours a night, which she still does at the age of 7. I know he's recanted much of his earlier work, but I highly recommend reading Ferber's book. It worked for us when nothing else did!



http://www.babycenter.com/0_the-ferber-m...



Don't wait for her to grow out of it. She needs good sleep for her developing brain, and it's up to you to teacher her how to get it.

Elizabeth - posted on 03/28/2010

I knew better to let my son sleep in bed with me b/c it's a hard habit to break, but my son got the flu at 7 months and the only way he'd sleep was with me. I didn't think anything of it, being that when i feel yucky i just want lovin' too. Well now he wakes up, several times a night and will only go back to sleep if he's with me. Everyone says to make sure he's fed and changed and what not and let him cry it out... but I can't let him cry, b/c when one person is getting up for work at 6am and the other is getting out of work at 6am, so he'll be waking someone up. What I'm finding is working, slowly, Each time he nods back off i stick him in his crib.... he wakes up i comfort him and put him back in his crib. I'm finding that he's sleeping more and more on his own. Hope that helps. Also, we got a living aquarium fish tank lamp, he'll watch it until until he nods off- for naps.

Richelle - posted on 03/28/2010

thank you very much..Im still going to try..it is so hard. specially when her dad is around. I wish she will grow out of it like your son. Thanks again.

Natasha - posted on 03/28/2010

i had this same problem with my second boy, i was lucky he grew out of it but i know it can be soo hard..... the advice i got given was just let him cry but i found that 2 hard..... wish i could give you some better advice but i do wish you well and hope you can get it all sorted and get some sleep b