How to get infants to sleep once and for all

Maria - posted on 04/28/2013

Perhaps the vibrating baby sleeper app (link below) for iphones could be helpful. It works by sending soothing and relaxing vibrations through the mattress and creating white noise..

Good luck!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/vibrating-baby-sleeper/id599959685?ls=1&mt=8

Mia - posted on 08/16/2010

i think this study is way too small to mean anything. just by the responses here you can see that it doesnt always work.

its such a tricky topic, you cant really say for sure what the trick is to get them to sleep. when i read the title to this i thought to reply with "well you get a bat and whack them on the head, that will put them out once and for all." like whats with that title? babies are babies and most wont "sleep once and for all" and if they did it would be a bit worrying! i hate that articles like this make us search for the magic formula when there is non, and makes us feel like we're not doing something right if our child doesnt stay down for the night. i think these type of articles cause more frustration than anything else.



last night at about 7:30pm (after my husband tried to put her down for a nap an hour ealier and she refused) i had some time to really connect with Alysha. i mean i always connect with her, but cant do it for exteneded periods at a time coz theres always interuptions, but last night we had a non stop bonding session for about 40mins straight. she such a cutie, i made her laugh so much, she loved it!

and then straight after i put her to sleep and she was dead tired so was easy to fall aseelp but then she woke up 15mins later and was full of life again. she couldnt wait to play with me & laugh. oh gosh it really was hell, as it took another 4 hours to get her down for her night time sleep..which in total made it about 6 hours or trying to tire her out and get her to sleep.



so maybe i stuffed up by giving her too much attention too late in the day? i dunno. but it can sort of feel like if you give them too much attention then they dont want to sleep coz its much more fun to be awake? its all a fine balance i think, and what works one night might not always work the next. thats why parenting can be so exhausting.

Meghan - posted on 08/15/2010

ARGH!!!! I don't think J could get anymore freakin attention and comfort and routine...and the kid STILL doesn't want to sleep.

*Lisa* - posted on 08/14/2010

Hmmm well my almost 1 year old goes to bed pretty happily these days just wakes frequently (as I'm sure you've heard me grumble about before). Our bedtime is very similar to what the study suggests: dim lights, reading time, feeding, cuddles. He's usually pushing me out the door so he can get to sleep by bedtime (seems like that anyway hehe). I would also like to read more about that kind of research.

Cynthia - posted on 08/14/2010

@ Becky - I don't think that ALL children respond to this method and temperament does play a role in their findings to a certain degree, imo. That's why it would be nice if we could review the entire study.



Interesting scenario...while I was breastfeeding my son, he would sleep through the night like a dream until 7:30-8pm at 2 months of age and would only give me a hard time every once in awhile with his naps, otherwise no problems. Once he was weaned, however, that's when the problems started. He refuses to nap and now wakes up between 4:30-5:30 am for the day! Thankfully, I'm usually able to persuade him to nap with a feeding and the early rising? I've learned to adapt. Is this coincidence? Most likely, being that he was hitting his mobility milestones around the same time. I'm still emotionally available to him now as I was while I was breastfeeding. Did weaning him have an adverse affect on his sleep cycle? I guess I'll never know.



So, as to the validity of their findings, there always exceptions to every rule. Humans are unpredictable as a species and infant/toddlers are even more so being that they are forever evolving and exploring their new world.

Becky - posted on 08/13/2010

The article is lovely, but I don't know if I agree with it. I've always been emotionally available to both my kids. I've never let them CIO. We've always co-slept, either in separate beds in the same room or in the same bed, and I've always answered every single cry, yet my kids are terrible sleepers. My almost 4 year old didn't sleep through the night until he was 3! My 21 month old still wakes multiple times through the night. I'm baffled?!

Chatty - posted on 08/13/2010

Does that invitation include my flight?

Nikki - posted on 08/13/2010

Dana, I have a 9 month old you are more than welcome to come and snuggle to sleep!!

Chatty - posted on 08/13/2010

By physical quality you mean touching, snuggling, physically bonding etc.? Yes, I agree!

Awww.....I wish Roxanne was 10 months again so I could rock or snuggle her to sleep. Now that she's a bit older she's not much of a snuggler...unless she's sick or upset. Is it wrong that I sorta like it when she's sick? lmao

Cynthia - posted on 08/13/2010

I agree Dana.

It would be nice to have access to the full study. Although I do agree with the article I also feel that they should better advocate that both emotional and physical quality would be the ultimate weapon in the parent's arsenal. Balance is key in my humble opinion.

Having said that, after posting this conversation my son decided he did NOT want to take his morning nap. He has a cold and is teething at the same time. Someone should do a study on how to get a baby to sleep once and for all while they're teething. UGH! I had to skip the morning nap with him and put him down earlier for his afternoon nap and he's been sleeping for over 3 hours now. PHEW! I decided to forego my house cleaning and take a nap myself because I'm utterly exhausted right now. Dealing with a teething 9 1/2 month old is difficult but add a cold on top of that and it's damn near impossible. LOL Sorry, went a little off topic there.

Chatty - posted on 08/13/2010

P.S. By the title I thought it was going to be about CIO or ferberizing! Pleasantly surprised!

Chatty - posted on 08/13/2010

Great article, Cynthia! While I can't comment on the validity of the study, I will say that I TOTALLY agree and it's definitely applicable in our home.



A quote from the article....



"They argue that feeling safe is ultimately a prerequisite for achieving deep sleep"



I absolutely believe that to be true. I also believe that an infant/toddler feeling safe is a prerequisite to be successful at almost anything. I believe Roxanne is more independent and self assured as a result of feeling safe and secure in her environment. It all kind of leads back to the "AP" style parenting.