Baby waking up to play at 3 am.... help!

Frances - posted on 01/22/2010

Good to hear, I would at first try the nurse to sleep first then when mastered that one I would then ride out the put in and try the same again hoping in a month you will have a baby that will settle himself. sometimes it hard to listen. also you could start trying it with day time naps if you nurse him then. and from birth I have had a rainforest cd that runs while they go to bed like you would in a beauty salon It has worked for all three so i think it relaxes them, I was having problems putting him down for day time nap from about 9mth so i found he slept well in the pram so i used to roll him up the back yard under a big tree and listen to the birds and all the noises and let him scream it out only took a couple of days, i used to do it at the same time every day.

Jen - posted on 01/22/2010

Frances... I really found your post encouranging but I do have a question. I have been nursing Colden to sleep. Should I stop this and let him cry himself to sleep right off the bat, or just when he wakes up at night?

Frances - posted on 01/22/2010

Just remember babies are smarter then us... they know when to expect things and how to get things. I have 3 under 3.5yrs and all are in bed at 8pm and wake from 7.30 - 8am. In my experience routine is the key do everything the same each night. and if there is no risk of them waking other children then you should try and let them scream it out this will only take a couple of days before they get the hint. I find a dinner, then bath and a rub down "gets rid of any wind they might have" then either wrap them or put them in a sleeping bag then bottle or breast and bed if you do this every night the same routine within a week I would think they will be sleeping, and if they wake try and just ignor it for that week if it doesnt change then I would go to Karitane and see if they can help. Our good friends had a really bad sleeper and she went there but they couldnt fix it until spoke to another mum and she told her weetbix in the morning might be the problem so she cut it out and believe it or not that was when she started sleeping thru so, give them a go. But for a routine to really kick in it takes about a week and stick to it, if you need to go out thats fine but make sure you dont miss bed time 3 nights in a row as this can undo all good work. I hope this can help, would love to know how it goes

Ashley - posted on 01/22/2010

maybe try keeping him up a little later than usual put him to bed around 9 9.30 he should sleep longer then my 3 month old goes to be any where between 7-9.30 and wakes up at 4.30-6 for a bottle then back to sleep for anotyher 3hours

Kimberley Deane - posted on 01/20/2010

if you want his bedtime to be earlier, try putting the time earlier by 15 mins a week, it will take a while to get to the desired time but it is easier for them to get to used to.

with my daughter i found a warm bath, a bottle with a cuddle settles her from 8pm - 9-10am and she doesnt tend to wake up in the night at all, if she does, i make up a bottle and give it her in her cot and leave, she falls straight back to sleep no fuss at all.

she has been like this since she was 3 days old,

Jen - posted on 01/20/2010

Thank you for the help! I have to admit he's pretty spoiled right now. He has a fit if I don't pick him up. He has dinner around 5:30, so that shouldn't affect him, but I have gotten into the bad habit of nursing him to sleep... I know... doing things I said I never would! Time to try letting him cry. I'm sure its harder on me than him lol

Elissa - posted on 01/20/2010

i tried putting struan to bed at 8 and it worked for about 2 days then he started waking at 3. so i put bedtime back to 10 and he settles quicker and sleeps longer. It cuts down on my time but is better for him. we also use lavender baby bath and talc to help him relax.

apart from that sometimes we have bed nights and tried to get him back to sleep - once he was awake from 1 - 5am. we just kept the room dark, persevered and tried to catch up with the sleep another time - sometimes they're just not going to sleep, they go back to normal eventually so just take a deep breath and remind yourself its only temporary.

Jacquelyn - posted on 01/20/2010

Keep anything fun out and away from the crib and make sure the room is dark so things arent as easy to catch his eye. Also what i was told was to let my son cry/fuss for 15mins then go in and pat his back or give him his bink. You should not pick the baby up out of the crib or it will form a habit. Then if they don't fall asleep leave the room for another 15mins and so on. They said this will show the baby that you won't go get them as soon as they start crying. Hope this helps. It worked pretty well with my son. Good luck!

Naomi - posted on 01/20/2010

My son does this a lot (nearly 7 mos) and it's part of their developement, they're becoming very curious, which can be quite difficult for parents to deal wth, obviously or you wouldn't be asking for help lol.



I feed my son, try the cuddles, and if he doesn't go to slepp I set him back down in his crib and walk out, lights completely dark. I dont say a word to him,minimal interaction which can be hard.



I wait in my room, sometimes reading a book or talking to my hubby who works nights. I fhe starts crying I go in, pat him on the tummy or roll him from his stomach to his back (again and again and again lol) ad give him the blanket. Wait a minute or two, walk back out. If he's full out crying, I pick him up, but I usually don't have that happen, thankfully.



Maybe take a look at when he's eating. If hes also had a history of night terrors where he wakes up screaming, he's most like;y having a sugar high while sleeping, causing vivid and frightening dreams. My doc recommended that I give my sn dinner about and hour or two before I expect him to be asleep.

I hope some of this helps, and I really hope this new phase goes away quickly for you!!

Sara - posted on 01/20/2010

My daughter(same age) was doing that....I let her cry. I turn on the mobile and let her be. She stops after a few minutes and falls back to sleep, sometimes she will play for a little while before falling back to sleep. After a few days she stopped doing it.

Sara - posted on 01/20/2010

My daughter(same age) was doing that....I let her cry. I turn on the mobile and let her be. She stops after a few minutes and falls back to sleep, sometimes she will play for a little while before falling back to sleep. After a few days she stopped doing it.

Sara - posted on 01/20/2010

My daughter(same age) was doing that....I let her cry. I turn on the mobile and let her be. She stops after a few minutes and falls back to sleep, sometimes she will play for a little while before falling back to sleep. After a few days she stopped doing it.