Sleeping Problems - Camptonville,CA

I have three boys. My first slept on his back, no problem. My last two would not/will not sleep on their backs. So, they both sleep on their tummies and have since birth. I feel very comfortable letting them do that. They sleep well and so do I. I hope this helps. I know the fear of SIDS and sleeping on the tummy, but my mom remembers when I was a baby that they used to say kids should sleep on their tummies. I don't think they really know what causes SIDS. I hope this helps.

Have you tried putting him on his side? I know the peds don't recommend this, but I did this w/my baby when he was new, because he slept much better that way. Also, my midwife believes it's safe to put them on side or tummy once they are able to lift up their heads.

Have you tried putting him to sleep in the car seat? My daughter slept at night in the car seat for the first 2 or 3 months... naps were on me in the rocking chair. She also needed white noise to block out our noisy house...sounds of a fan are her thing. After the car seat, she was easily transitioned to crib for both day and night. It is a phase and will pass.

Let him sleep on his tummy. My son was the same way. Just watch and make sure he is sleeping on a flat smooth firm mattress with no blankets or fluff around his face that could potentially obstruct his breathing. (look up all the risk factors of SIDS, that was what reassured me that it was okay for me to let my son (and us!) get his sleep laying on his tummy.) Let him be on his tummy during the day time too so he has opportunity to exercise his neck and can lift and turn his head as he needs to.

My son's first through-the-night sleep was in an infant chair. That's how I figured he COULD sleep through the night but just did not like being on his back to sleep. Swaddling and making him cozy instead of flat out on his back will help him sleep longer, if you're not ready to put him on his tummy to sleep.

That is SO normal! There is nothing wrong with your son. Some babies just need more touch & comfort than others. My son was the exact same way. I wore him in a sling during the day and he napped in there...I could get stuff done and he would sleep at least an hour for naps, sometimes 2. At night I started swaddling him in the Miracle Blanket and that really, really helped (we swaddled him til he was 5 months old!) They outgrow it slowly as their brains & sleep patterns mature. My son is now 20 months old and takes a 2 hour nap in his bed every day and sleeps 7-10 hours in his bed at night (and we never used cry-it-out). Enjoy this sweet time that he wants to be held, because it won't last long!

My daughter is 3 months now and been there done that. If you just wait it out it will get better. I put her in the crib with white now playing. She is so used to the noise that she would go to sleep. Also I bought a Star noise machine with lights from fisher price and it helps her fall asleep by looking at the lights on the wall. She now sleeps 7-9 hours a night and goes to bed every night at 8. Whew it was a tough one but it works.

Good luck

L.

Get a sling that you like and are comfortable in (get 2--so you can wash one and use one!) and let him sleep in there on you. Lots of days, that's the only place my 3-month-old will take a good nap, too, and his older sister was the same way. Babies are hardwired to want to be with their mamas--it's a survival instinct, if you think about it.

K.,
Try putting a shirt or something you have worn with him in the crib, he probably wants your smell.
W.

our son was the same way and i think it's normal. anthropologically speaking, babies should want to always be with someone because they are helpless. so it's normal. we held our son always for the first few months. when i transitioned his naps to the crib, it took time and patience. he also would wake when i put him in the crib. so i got a stool (you can buy at Target) and a book and i sat there with him while he went to sleep. lots of patting and 'jiggeling' him to sleep. then sit there until you are sure he is completely asleep. please, do not have him 'cry it out.' i think it is bad for baby's self-esteem and confidence!!

That sounds so tiring for you! Please know that these little "phases" do pass..I promise!

As for a suggestion, have you tried swaddling you son in a blanket before laying him down? My daughter didn't care for it (she preferred a Boppy pillow), but my son, like yours, did not like to sleep if I put him down. Someone showed me how to make the "baby burrito" and it worked GREAT! Anytime he had a hard time going to sleep, I would bundled him up he immediately calmed down and went to sleep. To swaddle him, here is a site that gives the directions: http://www.babycenter.com/0_swaddling-your-baby_125.bc (You can also google it and I even saw a demo video on YouTube.) Good luck! -E.

I followed the advise of the Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child book, because I had twins and couldn't NOT have them sleep. That book was a godsend. My now 7 year olds are amazing sleepers, and have been since they were 4 months old (when I read the book out of desperation!) They napped 2x per day at very regular hours for a long time, then down to 1x and then none, but they always were able to sleep on their own after I followed the suggestions in the book.

Also, I noticed the response about putting something in the crib for him that smells like you -- my only hesitation is that at 2 months old, it might cover his face and be a risk.

Good luck!

K., my now 5 month old daughter was exactly the same. She flat out would NOT sleep on her back - her pediatrician told me to let her sleep on her stomach since she had pretty good head control early on and could pick up her head and turn it from side to side. She slept much better like that - she liked the pressure on her tummy. She still hates being on her back! :) As for the not sleeping in the crib - my little one also liked ONLY sleeping on mommy - she was an incredibly sensitive baby and knew the second I wasn't holding her. However, don't panic, they do come out of this stage - I thought she never would and I would never be able to sleep without her laying on me again! We tried a bunch of stuff with limited success - shirt smelling like me in the crib, we put a heat pad on her sheets so they were warm before laying her down (your body is nice and warm and the crib is cold), music, etc. Basically when she hit about 3 mos. she all of a sudden loved her swing (HATED it before). Up until a few weeks ago she would ONLY sleep in her swing during the day and nowehere else. I guess what I'm saying is that it's trial and error for a bit - what works now (or doesn't) won't be in the case in a week or two but it will pass!! Talk to your pediatrician about getting the go ahead for tummy sleep but as long as he can move his head well and there aren't tons of blankets and toys in the crib & no one in the house smokes it's not the worst thing in the world. Good luck!

please rent (I heard you can rent it @ the library) OR buy it- I own it & it was worth the $. The happiest baby on the block. the best parental dvd I have ever watched. it is based on helping your baby be as happy as he can be in the first 3 months & beyond. My husband & I watched it on our daughters 3rd week of life when she seemed to have some colic & we cried we were so happy to get some help that worked & have used what we learned ever since. (she is now 6 months old & sleeps 12 hours @ night)
Good luck!

You can get one of the crib "positioners" that don't let young babies roll around. Let him sleep on his side and see how he likes it. Wear a nice, soft T-shirt for a few days without washing it, then lay it down over the positioner so that it smells like you.

Good Luck,
K.

It's normal for a baby to want to be closest to his mommy for the first 3 months at least. If you're not comfortable with safely co-sleeping (google James McKenna for a book on how to do this safely), then I suggest you put something in the crib that smells like you. You should NOT try any cry it out methods of sleep training until 6 months at least (if ever). The Baby Whisperer website has information you can access immediately (google "tracy hogg baby whisperer). I've also really liked the recommendations in the "No Cry Sleep Solution" book (actually, I have the one for naps since I've never had night problems because we co-sleep). It outlines how to set up a more comfortable crib condition conducive to getting an infant to sleep there instead of your arms - AND it also gives good tips on how to transfer a sleeping child from your arms to the crib without them waking up! I just used this technique last night and this morning and it worked like a charm! Also remember that "schedule" and "routine" are not part of an infants' vocabulary under 3 months old. Best of luck!

thought i'd pas this on...

Sleep Baby Sleep! - Sleep Seminar January 31, 2009 11 am – 12:30 pm

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