What are your babies' sleep habits like? Don't want to CIO!

Lies - posted on 11/09/2009

Hi,

I have a 3 month old daughter. We let her sleep in her own bed from the moment we got home from hospital, then one week old. We never have had any problems with her not wanting to sleep.
The first four weeks she still woke up at night to drink her milk (bottle milk). From then on, she slept a little bit longer every night. Now she drinks her last bottle at 20.30 hrs, and falls asleep around 21 hrs. Sometimes she makes loud noises at night, but it's in her sleep (although i go check everytime!). I do the same ritual every evening before i put her in her bed: i put on her music, we cuddle in the swing-seat and when i see her eyes are shutting (not sleeping!) i put her to bed. I have been doing this since she was about 4 weeks old, and since then we never have had problems with her waking up at night...
During the daytime she's awake a lot! She naps for about 30 minutes - 1 hour and then she's awake!

Good luck!!!

Tania - posted on 11/09/2009

Quoting Raquel:

HI,
My son just turned 1 and we are still breastfeeding. I've been trying to ween him with formula as our pediatrician suggested not starting milk until after 18 months but my son just won't have it. He spits it out! I tried mixing it with breast milk but he won't fall for that. This week I started mixing it with orange/banana juice. It sorta tastes like a melted creamsicle but he atleast will drink some, not enough to wean. Now the only reason I even wanted to wean was because he has never ever slept the entire night. We co-sleep but he does not self soothe. The only way to get him to sleep is on the breast. We have had a set routine since he was born of bath, lavendar lotion, reading 3 bedtime books, nurse and then sleep. He falls instantly asleep after his milk and will sleep approx3-5 hours but after that, its every 30-60 minutes and it seems the closer to morning the more he wakes up. The ped suggested giving him water or expressed milk in case he is just waking up with thirst but he won't have it. He only wants to nurse! I love nursing him but honestly he tends to bite me in his sleep and that has become quite painful. We are seriously considering the Ferber method, I just started reading the book but hate to see my son cry. Especially when he is upset he can cry for a long time!!

Raquel,

For so many reasons, mixing your milk with juice to give your 1 year old is not a good idea. A child sleeping 5 hours is considered 'through the night'. It is normal, especially in breastfed childred, for them to wake often after a long sleep like that. When he wakes the first time, how long does he nurse before he falls asleep? Perhaps you should keep him awake for that first night nursing as long as you can, to make sure he get in a good nursing before falling back asleep. He may very well sleep longer thereafter. It is also very normal that your 12 month old does not soothe himself. He is an infant! He shouldn't have to soothe himself. My son will be three years old in 3 months. He does not self-soothe. He is a child and should and deserves to be soothed by his mother. We still breastfeed. About 6 months ago, we night weaned - he was still waking sometimes 4 times a night! He has been now sleeping though the night for about 4 months. Your child is not ready to night wean. Those small babies still need the night time nutrition. It is normal and healthy. If you have any questions, please do not ask your doctor. They have very , very little training in breastfeeding. Consult a Lactation Consultant as your local hospital. Their services are free.

Tania - posted on 11/09/2009

Putting cereal in a bottle is a choking hazard, because a two month old doesn't have the swallow reflex to get cereal down. Some babies are more developed than others. So, some will do fine (like yours) or others may choke. Babies have died from this. It is very bad to give advice when you are not aware of possible bad outcomes. Babies should not be receiving any cereal until 6 months of age, minimum. And even then, cereal is questionable. In addition, cereal is filling your child with empty calories. Waking at night to feed your baby is part of being a parent. Every child will eventually sleep though the night.

Raquel - posted on 11/09/2009

HI,
My son just turned 1 and we are still breastfeeding. I've been trying to ween him with formula as our pediatrician suggested not starting milk until after 18 months but my son just won't have it. He spits it out! I tried mixing it with breast milk but he won't fall for that. This week I started mixing it with orange/banana juice. It sorta tastes like a melted creamsicle but he atleast will drink some, not enough to wean. Now the only reason I even wanted to wean was because he has never ever slept the entire night. We co-sleep but he does not self soothe. The only way to get him to sleep is on the breast. We have had a set routine since he was born of bath, lavendar lotion, reading 3 bedtime books, nurse and then sleep. He falls instantly asleep after his milk and will sleep approx3-5 hours but after that, its every 30-60 minutes and it seems the closer to morning the more he wakes up. The ped suggested giving him water or expressed milk in case he is just waking up with thirst but he won't have it. He only wants to nurse! I love nursing him but honestly he tends to bite me in his sleep and that has become quite painful. We are seriously considering the Ferber method, I just started reading the book but hate to see my son cry. Especially when he is upset he can cry for a long time!!

Tania - posted on 11/07/2009

Wow, some of these responses are amazing. Offering water, instead of formula. Or adding cereal?? How about be a parent and feed your child!! A two or four month old should NEVER be supplemented with water. That is just insane.

I breastfed (and still do so at 32 months) and my son would take up to 6 times a night. It is proven, and I am sure you are aware because you seem to be knowledgeable, that breastfed babies are less likely to die from SIDS. Babies who sleep through the night have an increased risk of SIDS. I know it can be hard, just be thankful your baby is waking up. It is completely normal for a breastfed baby to wake to feed. My son has been sleeping through the night for about 4 months - he will be 3 years old in February.

When he was smaller, I would rock him to sleep while nursing and then put him to bed. We co-slept. So, when we would wake, he would just nurse himself back to sleep. We didn't co-sleep at first, but with him waking so much, I needed the sleep. So, in our bed he came. We all slept wonderfully. Give it time. You baby will start sleeping longer the older he gets.

Pamela - posted on 11/07/2009

four months is WAY too early to CIO for anything or to expect anymore than 6-7 hours of sleep without feeding. Their stomachs are too little to go any longer than that. He is waking for a reason.Wake him and feed him more frequently during the day, that way he can go a little longer through the night. A baby's sleep pattern is not the same as ours. Swaddle him for naps and bed. There is nothing wrong with a baby falling asleep at the breast and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Millions of babies fall asleep at the breast and go on to be great independent sleepers. You must Use your own judgement, this is YOUR baby, no one else's. Stop listening to bad advice, even from your pediatrician. They're good at medical issues and that's it. You need to learn to tight swaddle him correctly to get more sleep. Your Pediatrician should never recommend to CIO for a baby under a year old, unless you need a break. Also use a pacifier, non-nutritive sucking is essential for little ones. It's keeps their calming relfex turned on. I would suggest finding a Happiest Baby Educator in your area to help you.

Laura - posted on 11/06/2009

My daughter was breastfeed till just under 5month, she would wake about every 2hrs to feed at night (she fed more at night than during the day) and always fell asleep on the breast. alot of people will tell you your doing the wrong thing and to let them cry?!! but if it feels right then keep going!
personally i could NEVER leave a baby to CIO. don't worry in time he will sleep more and more. my daughter started sleeping through the night from about 10month but we still have nights she's up 3/4 times and shes 16month (went onto bottles at 5mnth which everyone said would make her sleep through- not a chance!)
the fact you have a routine is great, you don't need to 'fix him' theres nothing wrong, some baby sleep orthers don't (as tiring as it is!)
the thing that got me through the months of her waking every 2hrs was the thought that for only a tiny bit of her lifespan, she needs me to feed and comfort her to sleep, in no time she'll be too big to get rocked to sleep and you never get those years back!

Veerle - posted on 11/05/2009

Hi, my "baby" is one year old now. He still wants my breast! Sometimes I need to feed him four times a night. It is hard, because his father left us two weeks ago. But I read somewhere, that you sleep deeper and that de quality of the sleep of a breastfeeding mum is better. That's whats giving me strenght. I also tried everything. Even the book: "Lekker slapen zonder huilen" (Good sleeping, without crying." did not help us. So now I'm trying to feed him downstairs and put him in his bed awake. I do it since three days. He cries but everyday a bit lesser. I take him into my arms en hug him and walk him a sleep when he keeps on crying.

I wish you a lot of courage and patience!

Bye,

Veerle

Donna - posted on 11/05/2009

I have to agree with Merideth that routine is good. I have a 2 and a half year old that fell asleep at breast and I would carefully put her to bed hoping she wouldn't wake. She would wake every couple of hours and rely on me to put her back to sleep. I tried controlled crying and it was so hard and I hated it. My second daughter I used a routine from a book called save our sleep by Tizzie Hall. It is fantastic. It sets out clear routines so the baby learns when they are going to sleep. My 4 month old is an excellent sleeper now and goes to sleep looking at her mobile. I found once she was able to put herself to sleep she slept through the night and wakes smiling. Its hard but it's better than dealing with sleep problems when they are in a bed and can get out 2 or 3 times a night!

Natalie - posted on 11/03/2009

I also breast fed my baby and woke up 1 or 2ce in the night to breast feed untill 4 months of age. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, in fact its natural. After weaning from the breast onto bottle, she sleeps through the night (11 - 12 hours), maybe waking 1ce to have another bottle.

The routine you have is great! Showing baby tremendous love is always a must. I dont believe in CIO, it may work and make your life easier but I think its just cruel and unatural. I have had the exact same bed time routine as yours since my baby was born. She is 6 months now and after the routine, we dont even have to rock her to sleep anymore, she knows its sleep time and once placed in the cot awake but drowsy, she turns her head and drifts off to sleep. At 6 months, they are mature enough to understand sleep time. If you like, you could introduce a special blanket or teddy that will help associate baby with night time sleep. My baby also only napped for half an hour several times per day at first, but at 6 months she is napping an hour to two at a time. Perseverence and love is always the best way to deal with babies.

Wishing you and baby the best!

Stephanie - posted on 11/03/2009

while my son was breastfeeding he would only wake up once durring the night. he was only breastfed for a few months but afterward he would sleep all night long and if he did wake up crying for no good reason thats when i thoughed up and let him cry it out and then he was back to sleep in no time but the first time you start cuddling him you are asking for trouble because then you have to start that routine all over again and yes it was also suggested by the doctor. because if you keep up with the picking him up everytime he wakes up he is going to think that that is the way its supposed to be and in a way will spoil him (spoiling him with attention isnt good for him either). well anyways good luck with whatever you deside and hope all goes well

Keenan - posted on 11/03/2009

My son finally sleeps the night through at a year old and if he does wake up he puts himself back to sleep. I am soo pleased beacuse now i get the well deserved rest that i have been lacking for the past year, as well as him. But he wuld wake up fourty five minutes after i would first put him to sleep. Then maybe five six times a night. And I would be soo exauhsted that i would just put him in the bed with me instead of getting up numerous times. I spoke with the pediatrician and she gave me some info on it and told me he was a trained crier. It meant that he knew I would always come and get him any little whimper he made. I woud give him milk twice in the night then bounce him back to sleep. And somenights he would just wake up and be wide awake and want to watch the tv. But I finally took the advice from the pediatrician and others and let him cry it out. As much as that broke my heart it was good that I did that. Now he is finding his own comfort and we both get good sleep. The first night he cried on and off for two hours. And I was in the other room trying to do thngs to keep myself busy beacause i just wanted to go in there and hold him and rock him to sleep as my maternal instinct. But im glad a didnt. Now we are both benefiting from it! So as much as you dont want to do it your going to have to eventually. Especially if you have to go back to work. Mommy and baby both need to be well rested!

Jessica - posted on 11/03/2009

Man i wish my baby would go to sleep before 11 and stay asleep..Ive tried many times and once i lay him down he wakes up or within an hour or so..

Angie - posted on 11/03/2009

One thing that I found helped with night sleeping was never really letting my babies wake up at night. As soon as they started the "hungry cry" I was out of bed almost at a run. I nursed on one breast, changed their diaper, nursed on the other breast and put them right back to bed. They were asleep almost before they knew they were awake. I didn't speak to them, I didn't turn on any lights, I barely looked at them. They soon learned that there was a difference between night and day. They all slept through the night by the time they were 12 weeks old. And by "slept through the night" I mean 9pm to 6am.

Jessica - posted on 11/03/2009

I tried the cereal thing with my first baby and she was sleeping through the night at about 4 months..My second baby not so well..he wouldn't even take it, but it just depends on how tired they are..For instince when my baby got thrush all he would do is scream during the day, then that night he would finally fall asleep at 11 p.m. and didn't wake up till 8 a.m. so it really depends on what's going on but he's been sleeping about 6-7 hours a night since he was 2 months old with occasionally waking up once to feed and go right back to sleep..

Jessica - posted on 11/03/2009

Plus if you try to keep them awake to eat more at bedtime it helps them sleep better, only thing that sucks is that he fusses and screams all night until he goes to bed and I have no clue why..

Jessica - posted on 11/03/2009

At 4 months old my baby wakes up between 6-7 a.m., awake 2 hours or so then takes a 2-3 hour nap, awake 2 hours then takes another 2-3 hour nap, awake 2 hours then nap for 30 min-1 hour and then he stays up till 11 p.m. and sleeps all night, maybe wake up once..Hes been on the same routine since he was 2-3 months old unless he's sick then he dosn't stay asleep at night as much..

Rebecca - posted on 11/03/2009

My little one is 4 1/2 months. She goes down between 9-10pm with a feed (we BF), sleeps until between 12-1am feed again and she's down until between 6-8am.

Rachael - posted on 11/03/2009

I think 4 months old, especially for a breastfed baby, is a little young to not need a feeding at night. i don't think you should let him cry it out if he actually is hungry either. but if he is crying just because he wants to fall asleep in someone's arms, then yes let him cry it out.

Traci - posted on 11/03/2009

I didn't have a lot of issue's with my little one and sleeping at night but i really think CIO is not the answer at this age!! I really think he's too young to understand the game in "if i cry mommy will do what i want" when they get older they do start to play those games where i think letting them cry for a little bit is something you have to do, but not at 4 months!! Does he always cry when he wakes!! Cause when my daughter was younger Sometimes she would wake but wasn't crying just fussing, me being slower to get going in the middle of the night took a little longer to get up and the one time she just went back to sleep, so i learned that she was often an active baby in her sleep she would fuss and kick but not actually wake!!So i'd say if he's just fussing, sometimes little whines but never actually starting to cry give it a few minutes see f he settles himself!! Or even sometime a soother works and they'll sooth themself back to sleep!!!

Becci - posted on 11/03/2009

I went back to college when Andy was 4 months old. I was terrified because I thought that the lack of sleep was going to interfere with my studies. To my surprise just the week before I started classes he slept from 11pm to 6am for the 1st time. He had been waking up for a AM feeding before that. 11pm to 6am....now that I could handle!

Who knows how babies set their sleep patterns. I was told by my Mom & Grandmothers' that they set the schedule. Maybe cut down to 2 naps a day or play with him even more then you already do to tire him out. Also make sure that you have a black-out curtain in his nursery because the rising sun will wake a baby. It sounds like you are doing everything right....just wait & see what happens. another thing my Mom told me was wait 2 weeks. Because if they are doing something that you don't particularly enjoy it usually changes, I've noticed it with my kids, but then again everyone's different.

Jo - posted on 11/03/2009

my son started sleeping through the night at 2 months old, we NEVER have let him cry it out, we are firmly against it. We follow "The Baby Whisperer" techniques by Tracy Hogg, go to www.babywhisperer.com if you want to know a gently way of teaching your baby to sleep without nursing to sleep :)

Gwen - posted on 11/03/2009

I didn't and still don't CIO w/ daughter. She slept all night at around 9 weeks, started waking multiple times again around 5-6 months, once a night for another several months, etc. Now, for the most part she sleeps all night, with the occasional waking.
I have always responded to her cries w/ in a few minutes. Maybe she didn't sleep all night as quickly as some CIO babies, but building the trust/security/bond is more important to me. Attachment and bonding are the most important component of baby's first 3 years of development. I used to get frustrated thinking everyone else's baby was sleeping except mine. That is definitely not true! Just read through the message board and you will find tons of other parents dealing with the same thing. I applaud you for responding to your own instincts and your baby's needs! :-)

Hanna - posted on 11/03/2009

my son started at around your baby's age. for some reason, it's harder in breast-fed babies than bottle fed babies (can be milk, just from a bottle) because they wake up to hang out with mommy rather than just to eat. i would swap out that middle of the night feeding for a bottle (pump & give) to make sure that you don't take your son out of the crib in the middle of hte night. just put the bottle in his mouth, check his diaper (pull it up from the side to see if he pooped, if he didn't no need to change him), then lights out back to sleep. my son was bottle fed (refused to latch on) so while i went through hell trying to regulate my milk supply, getting him to sleep through the night (8hrs) was not that bad.

but i also put my son to bed late (11:30-12) to get him on our sleeping schedule that way even when he wasn't fully sleeping through the night, he'd wake up around 6am (as opposed to 4 am) and we got at least 5-6 hours of continuous sleep. at around 4 months, we started "tanking him up on food" (after reading the baby whisperer), i.e. giving him an extra feeding in the last 3 hours before bedtime, than helped to prolong the sleep time a bit. and once we started cereal (at 4.5 months b/c i could no longer keep up with his appetite), he started sleeping about 10 hours a night.

one more thing. see if you can keep your son up for 4-5 hours before bed. i.e. if he goes to bed at 8, see if you can keep him awake from 3-4 pm, that way by 8 he'll be really tired and stimulated to sleep. you'll have a CRANKY baby for 3-4 days, but he should be able to sleep longer when you put him to sleep at night. good luck!

Cindy - posted on 11/03/2009

Quoting Gwen:

Quoting Cindy:

Quoting Gwen:

Quoting Cindy:

I know you wont want to do this but if you're desparate enough you'll do it because our son started sleeping through the night when he was 2 months after we started mixing single grain rice cereal in with his formula. It works like a charm! He sleeps from around 9:30pm to 5 or 6am. So if you want him to stay asleep through the night then do it. If you'd rather have to wake up to feed him then dont do it.

I've heard this suggestion lots. And I beg to differ. Offering a baby cereal too early on can acutally make him sleep WORSE. Did with my baby... I tried offering him some cereal before bed mixed with lots of breastmilk and given with a spoon. And he slept worse! I think it upset his tummy.

Furthermore, I suspect that for those parents that cereal "worked," their baby was actually just ready to sleep through the night.

Wel actually I beg to differ because even up to the time of right before we started mixing in the rice cereal with the formula he woke up 2 times a night, what mixing in the rice cereal with the formula did was keep him fuller longer which is why he sleeps through the night. Also there was one night not too long ago where we didnt feed him the rice/formula mixed before we put him in bed and it just so happened that night he woke up in the middle of the night hungry. But you said you did it with a spoon, using a spoon for that would be alot harder which is why we use a bottle for it, 2 tablespoons of rice and 2 tablespoons of formula in 4oz of water.

I did it with a spoon b/c putting it in a bottle can be a choking hazard for young babies. Also, it disrupts their ability to properly regulate calorie intake.

 

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the advice and it seems to have worked for many people.

How is it a choking hazard? I'm not asking to sound sarcastic, just asking cause I'm genuinely curious.  Plus the rice and formula mixed isnt really that thick where I would have to use a spoon. It seems to go through the nipple just fine and he doesnt seem to have any problems. Oh and the doctor said he's gaining weight just fine.

Gwen - posted on 11/03/2009

Quoting Cindy:

Quoting Gwen:

Quoting Cindy:

I know you wont want to do this but if you're desparate enough you'll do it because our son started sleeping through the night when he was 2 months after we started mixing single grain rice cereal in with his formula. It works like a charm! He sleeps from around 9:30pm to 5 or 6am. So if you want him to stay asleep through the night then do it. If you'd rather have to wake up to feed him then dont do it.

I've heard this suggestion lots. And I beg to differ. Offering a baby cereal too early on can acutally make him sleep WORSE. Did with my baby... I tried offering him some cereal before bed mixed with lots of breastmilk and given with a spoon. And he slept worse! I think it upset his tummy.

Furthermore, I suspect that for those parents that cereal "worked," their baby was actually just ready to sleep through the night.

Wel actually I beg to differ because even up to the time of right before we started mixing in the rice cereal with the formula he woke up 2 times a night, what mixing in the rice cereal with the formula did was keep him fuller longer which is why he sleeps through the night. Also there was one night not too long ago where we didnt feed him the rice/formula mixed before we put him in bed and it just so happened that night he woke up in the middle of the night hungry. But you said you did it with a spoon, using a spoon for that would be alot harder which is why we use a bottle for it, 2 tablespoons of rice and 2 tablespoons of formula in 4oz of water.

I did it with a spoon b/c putting it in a bottle can be a choking hazard for young babies. Also, it disrupts their ability to properly regulate calorie intake.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the advice and it seems to have worked for many people.

Cindy - posted on 11/03/2009

Quoting Gwen:

Quoting Cindy:

I know you wont want to do this but if you're desparate enough you'll do it because our son started sleeping through the night when he was 2 months after we started mixing single grain rice cereal in with his formula. It works like a charm! He sleeps from around 9:30pm to 5 or 6am. So if you want him to stay asleep through the night then do it. If you'd rather have to wake up to feed him then dont do it.

I've heard this suggestion lots. And I beg to differ. Offering a baby cereal too early on can acutally make him sleep WORSE. Did with my baby... I tried offering him some cereal before bed mixed with lots of breastmilk and given with a spoon. And he slept worse! I think it upset his tummy.

Furthermore, I suspect that for those parents that cereal "worked," their baby was actually just ready to sleep through the night.

Wel actually I beg to differ because even up to the time of right before we started mixing in the rice cereal with the formula he woke up 2 times a night, what mixing in the rice cereal with the formula did was keep him fuller longer which is why he sleeps through the night. Also there was one night not too long ago where we didnt feed him the rice/formula mixed before we put him in bed and it just so happened that night he woke up in the middle of the night hungry. But you said you did it with a spoon, using a spoon for that would be alot harder which is why we use a bottle for it, 2 tablespoons of rice and 2 tablespoons of formula in 4oz of water.

Cindy - posted on 11/03/2009

Quoting Kate:

Quoting Cindy:

I know you wont want to do this but if you're desparate enough you'll do it because our son started sleeping through the night when he was 2 months after we started mixing single grain rice cereal in with his formula. It works like a charm! He sleeps from around 9:30pm to 5 or 6am. So if you want him to stay asleep through the night then do it. If you'd rather have to wake up to feed him then dont do it.

It's kind of hard to mix cereal in with your breast milk if you're nursing. Plus there is no evidence that cereal makes a child sleep longer. There is still a lot of confusion on both sides. No studies have been conclusive one way or another as far as I know.

Well before we started mixing in the single grain rice cereal with formula he woke up just as much as your breast fed babies do. So after we started mixing some in with the formula he now stays fuller longer hence the reason why he sleeps through the night now.

Gwen - posted on 11/03/2009

Quoting Cindy:

I know you wont want to do this but if you're desparate enough you'll do it because our son started sleeping through the night when he was 2 months after we started mixing single grain rice cereal in with his formula. It works like a charm! He sleeps from around 9:30pm to 5 or 6am. So if you want him to stay asleep through the night then do it. If you'd rather have to wake up to feed him then dont do it.

I've heard this suggestion lots. And I beg to differ. Offering a baby cereal too early on can acutally make him sleep WORSE. Did with my baby... I tried offering him some cereal before bed mixed with lots of breastmilk and given with a spoon. And he slept worse! I think it upset his tummy.

Furthermore, I suspect that for those parents that cereal "worked," their baby was actually just ready to sleep through the night.

Joan - posted on 11/02/2009

Mine both started to sleep thru the night at about 2.5 months. they'd take two 1-2 hr naps in addition to that each day until they were about one, then just one nap/day. As babies they pretty much let us know when they were tired and they'd go to sleep. Now, at 3 and 4 yrs old, we have our routine and they go to bed at around 9pm til 7am. We didn't stress over it, didn't force anything and it's worked out well. Neither child resists going to bed. The only rule we ever had was they had to sleep in their own crib/bed. We didn't want them sleeping in our bed and then having to break that behavior.

Kate CP - posted on 11/02/2009

Quoting Cindy:

I know you wont want to do this but if you're desparate enough you'll do it because our son started sleeping through the night when he was 2 months after we started mixing single grain rice cereal in with his formula. It works like a charm! He sleeps from around 9:30pm to 5 or 6am. So if you want him to stay asleep through the night then do it. If you'd rather have to wake up to feed him then dont do it.

It's kind of hard to mix cereal in with your breast milk if you're nursing. Plus there is no evidence that cereal makes a child sleep longer. There is still a lot of confusion on both sides. No studies have been conclusive one way or another as far as I know.

Katherine - posted on 11/02/2009

Quoting Gwen:

What are you babies

My son is four months and wakes about every three hours, more in the early morning. The ped we visited recently said, "The only way to fix him from night waking is to let him cry it out." I am NOT AT ALL comfortable with letting him do this. He is breastfed and I am in the process of trying to get him in the habit of falling asleep without the boob. He naps about four times a day, for about 30 minutes each time. He'll nap longer if I let him sleep on/with me.

We have a routine sleep routine/bedtime. Bath, song, lavender lotion, nurse, rock, sleep. 8:00 pm every night.

What is your baby's sleep pattern like? How about naps?

Any tips for helping baby sleep longer/wake less without making him cry himself to sleep?

When did you baby start sleeping through the night?

Gwen there is a community on here called Co-sleeping and attachment, try it out. I am the same way!!!  So against CIO.  The moms there have a ton of great ideas.

Cindy - posted on 11/02/2009

I meant to say our son started sleeping through the night when he was 2 months old.

Cindy - posted on 11/02/2009

I know you wont want to do this but if you're desparate enough you'll do it because our son started sleeping through the night when he was 2 months after we started mixing single grain rice cereal in with his formula. It works like a charm! He sleeps from around 9:30pm to 5 or 6am. So if you want him to stay asleep through the night then do it. If you'd rather have to wake up to feed him then dont do it.

Lydia - posted on 11/02/2009

We didnt have the issue of the bf thing because we didnt bf. However to help wean off some of the nighttime feeds we only offered her water instead of a feed. If she was genuinely hungry then wewould offer a top up feed but most of the time she went to sleep when she realised she wasnt getting a feed for comfort. However 4 months is still quite young and he may just need the night feeds for a while longer.



We dont have a routine so I cant help there - she just goes to bed when shes tired. When she was smaller we did controlled crying (CIO wasnt for us either). If she kept crying for longer than 3-5 minutes after we left the room we would go back in and tuck her in and stand by the cot with a hand on her back to reassure her that we were still there until she calmed down and we could leave (sometimes this wasnt until she was already asleep).

Meredith - posted on 11/02/2009

Routine is good! I am a firm believer in holding them as much as you and the baby want! They are only babies once and grow up fast! I did do the crying thing.....around 4 months old I would feed them before bed and then i would rock and get my son to the point of almost being a sleep then i would go lay him in his bed keeping one hand on his back until he got comfortable and slowly left the room. if he would cry i would let him cry like 5 mins then go to him, pick him up, calm him down and then lay him down again, but if he cried a 3 time, i would just go to the bed not pick him up and pat his back sing, tell him mommy was here.....it's hard but they MUST learn to sooth themselves..... i let my boys take as many naps as they wanted, however i did NOT KEEP them awake....let them sleep when they want and of course take naps with them if you can....everything else can wait until later! slow down ur feedings at night....i stoped night time feeding at around 5 months and my 2 nd son started sleeping through the night at 6 months 1st boy took longer!be patient every baby is different and only do what you are comfortable with!

Sally - posted on 11/02/2009

I personally feel that ALL babies are different, no matter what anyone says. My oldest 2 kids (now teenagers) slept through the night from day 1. My youngest now a toddler.. not so much. He would get up at least once or twice in the middle of the night usually because we made the mistake of giving him a bottle and he would need a changing... I digress. I wouldn't let him cry it out either!! Sure when they're older and you know they're crying for attention by all means, don't succumb. However, I was always holding and comforting my 1st 2 and as previously stated they slept through the night as well as only cried when they were hungry! The new one Daddy stayed home to take care of while I work 70-100 hours a week, He did NOT hold him all the time...maybe something there. I don't know. I suggest you really try to tucker him out before your calming routine and that way he'll sleep harder and longer. Also, do you take him outside everyday? I've noticed with this one he's not only better behaved but sleeps more if he's gone outside that day. I've also heard that from other parents about their childen as well. Trial and error is the name of the game, Good luck!

Minnie - posted on 11/02/2009

Considering that there are soporiphic hormones found in milk I hardly think it's an unnatural thing for a baby to fall asleep at the breast. Rather, it's an easy and natural way to get baby to sleep.



My 12 month old has nursed to sleep for nearly every nap/nighttime waking since the day she was born.



At four months she nursed on average, 3-4 times an hour of a few minutes each, aside from naps. She has yet to sleep longer than three hours during the night without waking to nurse back to sleep. At four months old she didn't have a set routine.



At 12 months old she's fallen into a sort of rhythm, which is wake around eight, nap at about ten to noon, nap at around three to four, and then go to 'bed' at nine. Then she will wake around 3-4 times during the night to nurse.



Breastfed infants are expected to receive at least 25% of their nutrition during the night (reasonable considering that prolactin, the hormone responsible for milk production is in its highest concentration during the night) for at least the first 12 months. A pediatrician who 1. thinks that a four month old does not need to nurse during the night and 2. Assumes that that child will never sleep on his own without being forced to CIO is both utterly uneducated and insensitive to the child's physical and emotional needs.



Go with the flow. Your baby is normal, his sleep and eat patterns are going to change constantly over the next few years- and it's completely illogical to assume that a baby needs to be trained in order to sleep. I promise you you will not have to nurse him down in his honey moon suite!