I'm About to Go Crazy!

It sounds like you have tried everything. Just in case. When my daughter would not be swaddled or lay in a crib. We (my mom actually) first got her to sleep in her car seat since it craddled her without the blanket and we put the bouncer that vibrated against it. Wow was this a fun balancing act but it worked. She moved up to the bouncer than the swing and eventually I spent a week getting her to sleep in her crib. She is now almost a year and sleeps most of the nights in her crib. I do however give in when she wakes up and co-sleep. Good luck.

Have you tried to give him a bath @ the same time every night and a night time bottle because that got my daughter on track she knew that bath time was not play time but relax time...

It seems that he is over tired by the night time because he hasn't have enough sleep. My son used to get over tired specially when we went out because he needed the quiet to sleep. I used to let him cry for a little time and he would fall sleep eventually. When they are soo tired it is hardly anything you can do, but let them fall by themselves. Do you rock him a little or do you just put him down, sometimes rocking helps. Sleeping with him migh not be a good idea either, he will get used and it seems that is not helping that much. I am not opposed to babies sleeping with their parents, it just seems that he is not getting good sleep that way. Try to put him on a schedule over the weekend if you can get some help from husband of somebody else. Good luck!!!

I am a single mother of 4. I had twins when my oldest son was 2 1/2, so I know what you are feeling. My twins would take turns waking up at night to breastfeed, which is equal to zero sleep for me. I'm curious to hear if flipping him helps?!

You can try keeping him in your bed or get a co-sleeper where his crib is connected to yours. It will allow you to hear him when he first stirs- feed him/change him quickly and quietly and then back to bed- try not to fully wake him, no playing, no joking etc. Do everything you can to develop a bed-time routine (bath before bed, try adding lavender essential oil to bath water and lavender scented baby lotion-its very soothing and calming/purchase a meditation cd or soft sounds cd and only play it at night/keep the lights off, get a night light so you can see) and try to never FULLY wake hime at night. Keep everything in your room, pampers/wipes, have the bottles already made in the fridge or even better if you are breastfeeding.

Also it may help to have movie time for your 3yr old during the day, where s/he can watch a movie when the baby & you take a nap (or make it his/her naptime also if you can be that lucky!) You stay in the same room with your child, even have them sit on the bed, so you can feel them get up and know they are getting into something (make sure the room is "safe" and lock the door), this way you can rest, if not fully sleep-it helps! Make it something s/he can look forward to and they have to be quiet or no movie- also make an outdoor activity for afterwards.

Most importantly, this may sound unusual, but it worked for me. For now, for your sanity, you have to acept that you are going to get only a few hours sleep and ask for the patience and strength to get through this time. Really and truly deep down ask and you will find the strength to get through it. I found the more I fought it, compared it to what used to be, what could be if only if..., the more it "hurt". Once I accepted it, I no longer felt tired even though I got the same amount of sleep.

You have the strength to do this, believe in yourself.

May you and your family continue to be blessed
A.

I also have a month old baby boy and we just went from co-sleeping to independent sleeping. It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. We just try and keep the same routine every night, bath, food, change, songs and then bed. I always keep the bedroom dark when its bed time, only the TV light and his favorite toy. We go to bed around 7 but no later then 10. I only allow him about 3-4 naps a day depending on how long they are. Keeping yourself and your baby on a schedule is very important especially when you are making the change from co-sleeping to crib.

For me co-sleeping was convenient for the first month, now its just a pain. We do some times take the afternoon naps together. Its takes some patients and will power. I would recommend to put him to sleep first... rocking, singing whatever works and then putting him in the crib. Make sure he is dead asleep! If you think he might be half awake he will notice you've put him down and cry. I tried that for the first two nights with Shawn the same thing every night and now he goes to sleep in the crib on his own with out the pacifier.

Also, your baby may not like lying flat on his back. Shawn is a side sleeper, so we bought him this sleep positioner that safely allows him to sleep on his side with out rolling over on his face or back. It was about $30 but it saves me sleep time and keeps me worry free. One more thing I would like to add... stimulating your baby will help to keep him awake more during the day. Try taking away one nap time a day, the shortest one, by stimulating him and encouraging play time. These things worked for us and I hope there helpful to you.

Hope you get some sleep soon!
T.

M., I only have two kids, but I have 4 younger siblings that I was on night duty with because my mom had to work the graveyard shift. Can you believe, 6 kids, and all radically different! That's why some things that helped your older one are not working now.

The biggest thing you can do to fix this is to get the confidence that you can do this. If you're flustered, which every mother is, it just makes the baby more tense. I hear you that cosleeping worked for your older one, but kids are all different, and you or DH may be waking him with small sounds or movements you make sleeping. I don't know this, about your child, rather I'm asking, is he sensitive to that?

Have you talked to the grandmas? Let me tell you, grandmas can do anything, because they are full of that confidence I'm talking about! They may already have routines that they used with you or DH that they are confident in. Would either one let you stay with them for a week, where you can let grandma interact with baby and you watch what they do? I ask this because I have a good friend who has done this for a few friends of hers, and they were sleeping through the night in 3 days. Similar to the Nanny show, she tells the parents what they already know, but the kids' and parents' faith in the Nanny is the secret ingredient. What do you think?

Hi!

I know where you're coming from!! I had 2 under 2 and had no help. My first was collick, unlike your son. My third is breastfed and sleeps with us. Don't let anyone make you feel bad for that - as long as you take all the proper precautions.

Here are a few tips for dealing with your infant. Hope *something* here helps!!

- Try to get some help. Even if it's a teen coming in after school so you can get a few hours sleep. The kids NEED for YOU to be rested.

- Whatdoes your pediatritian's office say?

- Infant swing

- Adjust feeding times and/or amounts. Possibly hungry.

- Try fennel tea. Boil water, add about tsp to cup water, filter into bottle. If he won't take it, add about tsp sugar. My in-law's are arab. I was desperate for sleep, so I tried it. It worked!!

- Treat for gas. Try over the counter, if that doesnt work, do "leg lifts": while baby is on his back, lift legs up like when changing diaper, sometimes helps to rotate legs in circle at hip

- Massage! With warm olive oil or scented baby lotion... work limbs, back & tummy. When massaging tummy, work gently clockwise to help digestion. Do online search for infant massage for more details.

- I swear by swaddling. It mimicks the feel he had in the womb.

- Have you tried a warm bath before bed?

- For getting him used to sleeping in crib, try to put something of yours (shirt) in with him. Especially if you breastfeed. Getting him to sleep without you will take lots of time and patience. Don't feel like you're giving up or that you are a bad mom if you co-sleep. It's difficult to "train" many many infants to sleep without mom.

- That's all I have off-hand. Also, check www.babycenter.com
http://www.babycenter.com/baby/babysleep/index/?s_evar2=b...

best wishes

Is your baby overtired? Mine sometimes refuses to take naps and she keeps us up late on those days. Seems backwards because you'd figure they would be tired! But try getting him down for a couple of naps during the day, about mid morning and mid afternoon. Mine youngest still sleeps with us because I'm still breastfeeding. Don't feel bad about letting your baby sleep with you. They are only this little once! Just take a few precautions. =)

HI M.! :) I feel you in regards to you being up all night. My son was like that as well, while I was going to school and working full-time. My suggestion is to try to keep him up as much as you can during the day. Then at night, choose a time to put him to bed every night. The key is consistency. Once he is on a routine, he will get used to it. Before bed, give him a nice warm bath with that special night time bubble bath. Read him a story or rock him with a song playing. Thereafter, put him in his crib and leave him there. I know that he is going to cry, but eventually he will fall asleep of crying. This will not be easy at first, but believe me...it will get better. The key point is consistency. Hope this helps!

My first question is how is his appetite? My second daughter started eating baby food at 2-3 months. Formula was not enough to keep her tummy full through the night. I would suggest you try some baby rice in his evening bottle and read a quiet story to him to settle him down. Then put him in his crib to go to sleep. This may take some time for him to readjust to sleeping at night. The other option is to keep him awake longer in the day which would tire him out and maybe sleep better at night.

Hope this helps

K.

I have three kids my youngest is 14 months. She got her days and nights mixed up early. What I did with all three of my girls when I noticed they were having this trouble was I kept them awake from about 5pm until 7:30 or 8pm I played with them or just talked to them. Then I would change them give them their last bottle and they normally fell asleep at the end of their bottle. I would lay them down and they would sleep eight hours. I never did the cosleep thing, but that is just me. I also have always made sure there was noise while they sleep in the day vaccuum, did laundry, watch t.v., listen to music what ever. Now my kids sleep through pretty much any kind of noise even thunderstorms. My husband was in the Army for 10 years and we used to have soldiers over to play cards and what not. They were all so amazed that the noise we made didn't disturb our kids. The last thing I can tell you is to relax, take a deep breath, and be patient it will get easier.

A friend of mine went through this, the nurse told her to keep him up during the day a little at a time. Wake him up from his naps a little early every day and see what happens in a week. It worked for her, just slowly increasing his awake time during the day. If this doesn't work I would ask your pediatrician his advice.

GOOD LUCK!
T.

An overdose of Tylenol will cause liver damage. Please dont use it as a sleep-aid.
1. Ask your doctor for some medication to help him sleep.
2. Make sure he stays awake as much as possible during the daytime.
The only other idea I can think of is to leave him at a relatives or a 24-hour day-care so you can get a good nights sleep.

Have you tried swaddling? "The Happiest Baby on the Block" has SAVED our sanity with this baby! I highly recommend it - some babies need swaddling until they're a year old!!

Hi honey...

I can relate to the sleeping problems... my son was pretty irregular.. then when he was about 3 months old I found an article, followed it to the letter, and within the week he was sleeping with minimal interruption from 8:30 pm to 6:30 am. Here's what you do:

1. Pick a time for your baby to go to bed, no matter WHAT. We chose 8:30 so we could have some alone time before we went to bed. In your case, you might want to make baby's bedtime an hour earlier than your toddler's bedtime, that way the toddler won't be kept up by the baby.

2. About 15-20 minutes before bedtime, give your baby a nice soothing bath, dress him in some comfy jammies, give him a little bit of milk or water (if milk, clean out his mouth afterwards). Just get him comfortable, and used to the idea of a winding down routine. Talk to him, coo and make him feel calm, safe and secure. He'll feel it, even if the first few days he still seems wound up. Also, make sure he's burped.

3. Turn out the lights in his room except for a night light... pull up a glider, rocker, or comfy chair next to his crib and put him in there. He'll kick and scream and yell, but you just sit in your chair and take a little nap. He'll calm down eventually and go to sleep, even if you have to tune him out until he does. (Your being there will make him feel safe, which will eventually calm him enough to get over being in his crib). If he cries for, say, over 30 minutes, it's okay to reach in and stroke his hair, belly, back, whatever works. He'll eventually stop crying and just pass out. Whatever you do, DO NOT PICK HIM UP. If you do, it'll turn into a game of control.

4. Keep doing this every night. You'll notice that he'll start fussing a lot less when he's put in his crib. After a couple of days to a week (maybe more, depending on your little guy) you should be able to move your chair away from the side of the crib to the center of the room. Then, after that, you move the chair to the doorway. This lets him have a smoother transition. Eventually he'll be ready to go straight into his crib with no fuss, since he'll be programmed for sleeping at 8:30. My little guy was already rubbing his eyes by 8:15!

I REALLY hope this helps you. It can take a lot of patience, since you;ll basically have to sit there and just tough it out while he yells, but if you stick with it you'll have a regularly sleeping kid in about a month or less. I felt this system was a lot kinder than the one where youjust plunk them down, leave the room and let them cry it out.

As for your toddler not letting you sleep.. I think you're right, the poor tyke just wants her mommy to herself. I noticed you said you try to occupy her with something else... have you tried making her mommy's helper? It worked with my baby's cousin... she was starting to get very jealous, and then I decided to make her Auntie's Special Helper and she would hand me his diaper, or his bottle of shampoo, or the box of cereal, nd help keep the baby entertained. She got lots and lots of praise for her efforts, and she felt like she was a part of the whole thing instead of feeling like she had to compete with my baby. And since she was sharing the work, by the time I was ready for my nap, she was ready to take one with me, and that was special Auntie time too.

Keep me updated, and good luck! :-)

Hi M. -

Bless your heart for going through this trial with your 2.5 year old son. I have some questions for you:

(1) Does your son nap and if so, what time of the day and for how long?

*If he does nap, try to get him to do so right after lunch and only for two hours max. Wake him up with a favorite snack and let him play until dinner. If you need some tips on how to get him to nap, I have some ideas too.*

(2) Does your son eat late meals?

*Don't let your son eat anything after dinner assuming that you eat this meal between 5 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Definitely stay away from sweets right before bed, even fruit and juice drinks.*

(3) Does your son watch TV before you try to put him to bed?

*About 30 mins. before bed time, start winding your son down by reading him books, playing soft music, or engaging in soft chatter. My kids like to have warms baths before bed and that helps them go to sleep. DON'T let him watch TV, even cartoons, before bed because he may get over-stimulated. When kids are this way, it makes them hyper and irritable.*

(4) What type of physical and mental activities does he do during the day?

*If you don't do this already, let your son run off his energy at a playground. Also, you can start teaching him how to write his A-B-Cs and how to color, which always made my kids exhausted because they had to put so much mental effort into the exercise. When your son reaches three, he should go to some sort of pre-school, even if it's only part-time, so that he can expend his energy in positive ways.*

My biggest overall piece of advice for you in this situation is to close down the entire household for the night. Make your two-year old think that EVERYONE is going to bed so that he doesn't have any options to distract himself from sleeping. Also, stay with him at his crib side until he goes to sleep, or you can do what "The Nanny" suggests and wait outside of his room until he cries himself to sleep. I like staying crib side because if you've succeeded in tuckering him out during the day, it won't take long for him to fall asleep if he thinks everyone in the house has done so too. I know this may be an inconvenience at 8 - 8:30 p.m. at night, but I assure you that a week of this exercise will pave the way to independent, peaceful sleeping.

Let us know how it goes. Blessings to you and yours.

This must be sooo hard for you. Take a deep breath. Try to readjust his clock by waking him from his naps for playtime, by making sure he doesn't snooze too late in the afternoon, and by keeping his room dark at night and light during the day. Try not to let him sleep in long intervals, wake him when he stirrs but isn't awake yet and make playtime very exciting so he will be tired. Please don't give him meds without talking to your ped first and not letting him sleep at all for 24 hrs could be detrimental to his health! Also, don't try to be too quiet during the day so he can't sleep too soundly. What helped me when my kids were babies was to feed and change them in the dark as best I could and I only changed them if they pooped. Room darkening shades are really great too if the room is a bit light. Well, I've thrown out all of the advice I know about switching them to night sleep. I hope something helps! Good luck and remember this time in babyhood only seems like forever while it happens. It'll be better before you know it!

A.

Hey M. i know what your going through!!! mu oldest son was almost impossible to put to bed at that age but i got some wonderful advice from my mom that really helped!! my son loved the body contact and the seccond i went to put him in his crib he would wake up screaming and be up 4 hours!!! my mom told me to put a blanket over my chest and a pillow on his back to help absorbe the body heat so when i put him in bed he didn't get the cold chill down his back. and the whole night and day sleep patern could be solved if you takehim outside during the day and get him adjusted to the light plan more outside activities during the day and make it something that both he and your other will both enjoy or about 2 hrs before bed time take your little angel into the bathroom and run a nice warn bath climb in and let him play until he is ready 4 bed i hope everything works out for you!!! let me know... K.

Hello M.,

Have you tried adding a little cereal to his bottle at night? We have done this in the past for our girls who are now 8 & 4 yrs old.

Good Luck, I hope you are able to find a method that works for you, I can relate to your situation, my youngest is 9 wks old tomorrow.

Hi M....
at 2 months they should be on a 3 hour routine. so if he wakes at 7 put him to sleep at 830 and awake again at 10, then sleep at 1130 and up again at 1 and so on.... I used the book called "the baby whisperer by tracy hogg" and got my baby to sleep through the night by 4 months!!! is a no cry sleep solution, and a lot of work, but well worth it!!!! I had the same problem with my boy and it took about a week of hard hard hard work, but that was it!!!! now he's 11 months, takes two good naps during the day and sleeps from 7 to 7. I highly recommend it!!! let me know if I can help in any other way!!! I feel your pain!!!!
C.

Hi M.. Well I hear ya girl. I had previously put in a similar request a few weeks ago. Check it out I had alot of good responces,but I tell you after the time change last week I have been up at aruond 4 every morning it seems that she hasn't gotten used to the time change. It doesn't matter if I've gotten 3-4 hrs. sleep when that sun rises I'm up. I hope that your 3 yr old takes naps.maybe you could squeese one in to. Try a warm bath and alot of rocking. Do cartwheels in the day to keep him up and feed him really good before the bath but do it later in the evening around 8. I hope that everything works out for you.I'm still holding my 4mth old.

I went through the same thing with my daughter. At times I wanted to die I was so exhausted. My husband is in the Coast Guard so I was alone with her for the first three months. What I did was I started a strict routine every night. I would give her a bath with lavender bedtime bath. I would put her in cozy pajamas and give her a bottle and a small amount of rice cereal. I would feed her with a spoon. Then I would put her in a swing until she passed out. Then straight into bed. There were nights I let her sleep in the swing I was so tired. Or, I would rock her to sleep and put her in the crib. This will NOT work right away. It took a good week or two before she adjusted. She still woke up in the middle of the night, but at least I got a few hours in of sleep at a time. Every baby is different, so it may not work. Good luck. I feel your pain. Just keep trying different things. You'll find what puts him to sleep.

Hi there, I have 4 children, no longer infants..thank goodness, I don't know how long this allows me to write, so first of all, call me ###-###-#### K. (live W. Bradenton)
First of all, I must say DON'T WORRY THIS WILL END REALLY SOON, that is first, it feels like forever, but it won't go on much longer, things will change very soon. First of all, YOU DELEAGATE BEDTIMES, please please do not let your baby RUN YOU. I mean, you set the bed times always and forever! That means, at night when you think its the time for he/she to go to bed, put the baby IN HIS/HER CRIB....PERIOD THE END. Make sure baby isn't hungry, isn't wet/dirty, loved, rocked whatever, and put baby down PERIOD THE END. Shut the door or whatever you have to do. Every night at the same time. If that is hard because the baby is restless, bathe the baby right before bed every night. Make a routine every time at the same time. DO NOT GIVE IN AT ALL! Also, the baby needs at least two naps during the day, no if ands or buts, or the baby will be over tired and have problems sleeping at night. Instructions during the day is not the same at night other than make sure baby gets up in the morning with you,same time every day (8:00am whatever) and keep baby up/play feed and so on, take a walk, whatever, then put baby down for nap, make sure baby is clean, fed, loved up, then down he/she goes, shut door, no if ands or buts, and same for later nap. You must sleep during these times or at least on one of the naps. It might sound easy, but the real trick is YOU. Not the baby. It is how well you can do this. No waivering. You must stick to your guns. Routine is very important, the same thing as much as possible every single day. And no giving in. Make appointments around nap times, etc. The more you stick to the schedule, the easier it will be for you and baby. You have an over tired baby. And an over tired mom. Call me if you like.

M. I haven't had little babies for quite a while my youngest will be 7 next week. However!! Both of them would sleep in the swing with the blowdryer noise on. It was the only way I could get them to go to sleep when they were that young. It is called white noise and calms the baby down. After they are good and asleep you can turn it off of course. The cool setting would have to be set or you some other sort of white noise. This may help. It is the only thing that helped me. Neither of my children had colic either. That is a whole different ball game. My neice had that it is a nightmare. But eventually we figured out what worked for her. People tried to make me feel guilty about the swing and blowdryer but when you are dead on your feet you will do what ever works. I'll be praying for you. Be encouraged this phase won't last forever.

A.

This will sound funny. But take him by his feet and flip him head over heals. I did this to my son at 2weeks old. He slept through the night for that day after. My grandmother told me about it. I thought it wouldn't work. But what could it hurt to try it. SO we did and it worked.

A.
mom of five, homeschooling k,1st x2,3rd

This will be hard but it worked for me!! Although you are exhausted from staying up all night, make sure your son DOES NOT sleep during the day!! period. Try to keep him occupied either with toys, anything that will make noise to keep him up as long as you can. If he dozes off, don't let him sleep more than 30 minutes. Make sure he is definitely awake by 4pm and don't let him sleep thereafter. Give him a bottle of rice cereal with his milk at bedtime and this will keep his tummy full as well.

Did you ever breastfeed? If yes, then he loves the touch of a body. Try a nice soft blanket with your scent. Sleep with one of his blankets to catch/grab your scent and give it to him after a few days so that he feels he's next to you. Get him a teddybear something that he can hug/grab at night.

Avoid carrying him during the day as this only reinforces the carry me behavior, although they're cute at that age but very smart. They know what they want. Good Luck M. R
Sincerely, S.

Hi M.,

Our daughter was colicky, and she also had her days and nights mixed up. We actually ended up fixing this problem by accident. My husband's father, who lives in Oklahoma, was gravely ill when our daughter was 6wks old. We had to drive from Central FL to Oklahoma with a colicky 6wk old. Believe me, it wasn't fun. What we did was drive at night. At that age, the car was still putting her to sleep every time, so we drove at night for 12hrs, then stopped at some family in Miss. and hubby rested during the day while I dealt with Katie's colic (which was now mainfesting during the day since she'd slept almost the entire 12hr drive). Then, the next night, same thing, another 12hr drive until we reached Oklahoma. By the time we drove home, she was starting to sleep at night on a more regular basis. Those two night drives seemed to help her get her days and nights straightened out. I know you have a toddler to take care of, so I don't know if that's a possibility for you or not, but it is something to try. Since you're not getting to sleep at night anyway, it's not like you'd lose any sleep by giving it a try! :) Just be sure to make a big Thermos of coffee to keep you awake. Oh, also we got one of those Fisher Price baby gliders that Walmart has ($69). That seemed to help her too. Good luck!

Try a warm bath before bed. Johnsons even makes some type of sleepy time lavendar baby wash to calm him. That bath would keep mine up and awake for a half hour or so and then wipe them out for a few hours afterward.
My son was the same way! He acted as if you were putting him on a hot stove if you put him in the bassinette or crib. I kept him with me when he was tiny, it was easier especially since he nursed every 2-4 hours. When he was 6 months we began the process of "getting him out of our bed" by placing him in his crib and letting him cry for 5 min the first night, 10 the next and progressively waiting longer until he finally got used to his bed. But the intolerance for being placed in his crib started day one. I honestly don't even know how he knew the difference when he was sound asleep but he always woke if you placed him in his own bed. We even tried a hot water bottle to warm the crib and removed it just before placing him there.

M.,
First of all do you have any help? Like a husband, boyfriend, Relative that can help you out and give you a break? This would help you a little. Have you tried to keep him awake during the day? Try that, turn lights on, open all window shades, don't cover the baby up all snuggly just maybe leave him in his onsies and socks. I know you are tired but if you can try this for a few days you might be able to get his schedule back on track. I had this problem with my daughter she was the same way. Slept during the day and awake at night. It was difficult but I tried keeping her awake during the day and it took some effort on my part but finally her schedule changed.
Also it helps if you try to nap when the baby naps that way you rest. Forget about the house if it gets a little messy. You dont want to get yourself into a nervous breakdown or something. Its better to recooperate your mind and body. Well hope this helps.
Be blessed
L.

Have you tried keeping him up longer during the day?

I would try to keep him awake for longer during the daytime hours and try to cut out any late afternoon naps. I know that with you already being exhausted that you are probably loving every minute that he does actually sleep and I also know that it is very hard to keep a sleepy baby awake but maybe if you can keep him awake longer for a couple of days then he will get his days and nights back in the right order and you can get some sleep.

Good luck

M. N.

I definitely wouldn't give him Tylenol to get him to sleep (it can be hard on the liver).

My children don't always go to bed when I would like, BUT what really worked for my first child was a solid structure/routine. Mind you, I don't always stick to this now (which might explain my own exasperation over morning routines and getting out of the house in a timely manner), but I thought I'd share what I "think" helps:

Keeping an evening routine (for that matter a morning/afternoon/evening routine) seemed to help. After work, I would always feed my son first (usually the same time every evening). Then we would eat (husband and I). Afterwards, one of us would do the dishes while the other bathed my son. For us, the bath was really key to calming him down (and us too). Full tummy of food, warm bath, and then warm milk in a rocking chair with dim lights and routine soothing music. I am learning that children REALLY do long for structure and routine. It helps them to figure out what happens next. Even if they don't get it right away, they'll sense the pattern.

I have heard of many babies getting day/night mixed up. I'm not sure how to gently break the cycle, but I understand that it has to be done. Much more difficult with more than one child in the house and nowhere to go for privacy.

Hang in there and realize that we all have gone through some days/weeks... of exasperation (my second child had colic). Good luck to you :)

OK, my son was the same way. I've read some of the other responses, and some of these moms are right...DO NOT let him sleep with you. Once he starts, he will only want to sleep with you. I have a friend whose 4 year old still sleeps with her and not in his room. Anyway, if you put him in his crib and he won't stop crying, try buying a swing. My son slept for hours in the baby swing because it rocked him to sleep. And when he did wake up, he had the fish and the lights to look at. Hope this works for you....the swing was how I got any sleep at all.

Who is in charge here...you or the baby....He MUST sleep with you...!!!!! Or is that more convenient for both of you? There is the crib that latches onto the bed so the baby feels close to you maybe you should invest in that. Take baby steps let him know who is in charge and that you NEED your sleep but in due time he will come to realize his days and nights and sleep better for you. Good luck and hope you get some rest soon.

Dr. William Sears' book The Baby Book has a wealth of information, a lot of it to do with co-sleeping problems. gives some tips on day/night confusion... I'd really recommend it... I have it and it has saved my sanity SO many times!

Whatever you do, don't get Babywise. It'll perpetuate the problems you're having!

DON'T GIVE HIM ANY TYLENOL IF HE'S NOT SICK...

I know what you're going through. I went through that with both my youngest children, My son, whose 4 now and my daughter who is 2. With my son it was like that till he was exactly 7 months old. I started putting him in a swing at the low lever, that swings from side to side (like we mom's do when soothing a baby) and would wrap him up in one of my pjs, or shirt with my scent on it and slowly but surely he would start to fall asleep. Once he was out completely, I would carry him to his crib, even though there were times I would just let him sleep there and I would sleep on the sofa, but at least I was able to get some sleep. It would also help, that I would try to keep him up as much as possible during the day. These methods worked for both my kids and since I had learned with my son, it worked sooner with my daughter. The important things is to stick through it and try to keep a routine. But don't let him feel abandoned, if he cries carry him until he calms down and then put him in again, eventually he'll just stay calm and stay in the swing. Key word is patience.

I hope this helps you.

Good luck.

M.,

What formula is your baby on? Babies should sleep well and if they do not then it sounds like he is lacking food.

There are liquid vitamins for babies at the health food store but they are only given first thing in the morning. Some people say DO not give food until one year. I ran a nursery many years ago and some babies are ready for more stuff very early.

Are you swaddling him? Mine had to be wrapped up tight for MANY months in order to feel secure. You could try that as well.

Try changing formula or if on breast milk, check to see how much he is getting. Babies go through amazing growth spurts and need lots of food. Then they should sleep for at least 3 hours. Try organic plain yogurt watered down. OR Blended bananas with added water or milk. Ground up oatmeal with water or some sort of milk and see if that helps to satisfy him. Some other mothers would be horrified by my advice but I have never seen a baby have a reaction to the types of food I have suggested.

Other mothers say to go to the pediatrician, which you could do, but I never really had any luck with that. The other thing that might sound weird, is he could be teething. Mine got her first teeth at 3 1/2 months.

You are right to NOT give Tylenol as it is a drug.

See if these ideas help.

I would be interested to hear what works.

D.

This will be hard on you, but try keeping him up an entire 24 hr cycle. Don't let him sleep until the following night.

Hi M.! {{{HUGS}}} I can so relate with having a toddler and a newborn to try and care for...it will get better, I promise!!!
I am not trying to be harsh...get baby out of your bed. He must sleep with you because you are letting him. I know there are mom's that are pro co-sleeping or whatever its called, I am not going to debate whether its right or wrong, (its just not for me) but you are probably partly keeping each other up.
During the day, keep everything bright...lights on, activity, movement, playing, sound. Is he napping during the day? Only let him nap for a few hours, or less depending on how long he's going. When he does sleep, put him in his crib...it is not a bad thing for a baby to cry...its what they do. At night, start a routine, same time every night: bath, pj's, nurse/bottle, book and bed. Even read the same book. (the going to bed book by sandra boynton still knocks my kids out) Put him in his crib, tell him goodnight, I love you and walk away...it is not a bad thing for a baby to cry...its what they do. (yes i put that in twice on purpose) Make sure room is dark. I dont believe in no sound, but a light music station or classical. Same thing, every night. He will catch on but you have to be consistent... it will be much harder to get him out of your bed when he is older, and sooner or later you will want him out, (tho it sounds like you do already.) Good luck and let us know how things are going.

Try humphries #3 it has belladonna in it so it helps them to sleep and if he is sleepin at night then he has to wake up during the day. you can try to give him baths to wake him up during the day, play with him, change him every so often, change his clothes put daytime clothes on him during the day and pj's at night, if that fails well then you might have to change your sleepin habits for a while until he adjusts. Then at least if you have the same sleep schedule if wont be so bad.

M.,

Do you have someone to help you???? That is really a key factor it sounds like. A newborn and a 3 year old, call a friend or family member to help you keep him awake ALL day, play with him, feed him...he will start sleeping during the night...it just takes a few nights for it to kick in and reverse the cycle. My daughter did the same thing but I was a single mom so I called a friend who kept her awake ALL day, then gave her Tylenol around 7, she went out like a light. Each night she slept a little longer. (while I napped). I never had success with her in her own bed so for my own peace of mind, she slept with me.

hi M.-
congratulations on your second baby!
with out sleep life is pretty miserable! druging your newborn is a horrible idea and i'm glad you agree. not to mention the serious damage it can do to your baby! your baby is only 2.5 months, he still needs the comfort & care of your womb. are you nursing or feeding him formula? i ask, b/c if your nursing and consuming sugar and/or caffine that could be keeping him up during the day.
have you heard of the book called The no cry sleep solution?
my children are 3 & 2 and i still refer to it once in a while. you should pick up a copy and start getting your little one to sleep. you can change his sleeping patterns pretty quickly at this age. in the meantime, you need to get sleep so your not feeling crazy! can your husband alternate nights w/you? or have family or friends come over in the day time so you can nap. if your working, i strongly reccomend you get that book asap! i hope this helps,i've been there and it's pretty miserable. remember: this too shall pass! continue to be patient & loving and if you get the book it will be better.

hello,
ok don't give him tylenol. that is crazy.i had the same problem with my first child. you have to put up with crying start during the day with naps put him in his crib and let him cry for about 15 min go in ther after 15min DO NOT TAKE HIM OUT. try to calm him and then walk out. do not let him sleep with you, that started the whole ball rolling with him not going to sleep. I have 4 children my youngest is 14 months he take 2 2hr naps during the day and goes to sleep( in his own bed at 7:oopm to 7:00 am.You can email me at ____@____.com if you need to

jennifer

Have you tried Humphreys #3? It is an herbal remedy. It won't put him to sleep, but will be soothing so as to help him relax. Also, Chamomile is very soothing. I wouldn't recommend giving him Tylenol or any other medication if he doesn't need it. He will develop a tolerance to it and it won't work when you need it to.

Hi there, start off by taking a breather...Don't be irrtable, the baby feels that and makes him probably cry more. It's so hard to walk around on an hour of sleep, I know, is there any family member who can watch your 3 year old so you can get some rest? He will cry alot at first when you leave him in the crib but they get use to it. Set your rules and stand ur ground, put the baby in the crib. I use to let my baby wait to eat a while at night so he could get tired and eat and knock out, and it worked. Try to stay positive!!! Hopefully time will zoom by so u can get some rest, u poor thing.