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Q
San Francisco, CA
My almost 18 mon old is having trouble going to sleep and sometimes waking in the middle of the night crying (loud). He has been sleeping very well the last few months, so this was a surprise. We are now on night #5, we usually try singing, reading, talking to him, cuddling/holding him for awhile, but typically we have to put him down and for him to cry a bit before he sleeps. The other advice that i have read/ been told is to camp out with a sleeping bag in his room. I would rather not have to do this. Are there any other suggestions out there that have helped? i.e. nightlight
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Q
Barnstable, MA
My 3 and 1/2 month old sleeps in his crib but gets up every 45 minutes. He doesn't want to eat (I'm nursing) but just wakes up. My husband or myself will give him a rub on his tummy and he goes back to sleep just to wake up again 45 minutes later. Any suggestions to help him sleep longer?
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Q
Tampa, FL
Hello!
I wonder if anyone has advice on how to get your child 14 months old to fall asleep on her own. Just put her in the crib, say goodnight and relax???
I am not one who can let her cry it out as I have tried several times only to have her hit her head on the crib, or go walking in to a snot filled face because she has just cried for 10 minutes straight. She has no problem putting herself to sleep during the day but at night she won't just go into the crib and put herself to sleep. What I do is put her in a seat, give her the bottle and she puts her self to sleep. No problem but I DO NOT want to give her the bottle in her crib to put herself to sleep. Does anyone have any suggestions on a slow transition to make this peaceful for both her and I? I am also trying to wean her off her bottle so I don't want to throw too many changes at her all at once.
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Q
Provo, UT
Recently, my 12 week old daughter who wakes up once a night to feed usually has been staying up for an hour to an hour and a half after her feeding. She would do this once in a while before but this past week has been doing it almost every night. I know this may be fairly common in babies this age but it is very frustrating! She does not scream in her crib but will fuss every five to ten minutes so I just go back into her room over and over again giving her a pacifier until she finally falls asleep. She recently has also been doing this when we put her down to sleep for the night so it gets pretty exhausting. I have read up on sleep training methods, such as ferberizing but am not sure if she is still too young to start incorporating these methods. Any ideas? I would certainly appreciate any responses. Thanks
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Q
Seattle, WA
sooo ive noticed that makenzie sleeps longer if shes in her papasan or swing...as of right now shes been alseep for 5 hours. of course i have to pick her up and move her upstairs now that aaron and i are ready for bed....
it doesnt have to be turned on or anything..she just sleeps longer being upright. is that normal? is it alright? i dunno if its just more comfy or if its the position...the "mattress" on her bed isnt very comfy feeling, its almost just like the changing pad on alexis' changing table, only ticker. very very firm. should i try to elevate her a little in bed? or does anyone have suggestions on safely padding her bed?
i dont want her to get used to it or anything...its just kind of nice for her to sleep longer.
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Q
Detroit, MI
My twin girls, who are 8 months, go to bed around 7:30-8pm and they are bright eyed at 5:30am or so. I would love to sleep until 6:30-7, but I don't see this happening. When does sleeping in later begin???
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Q
Milwaukee, WI
Hello all. I have a 5 month old daughter who within the past week has started waking up at night several times. She was sleeping through the night for quite a while now, but got a virus last week and has been waking up several times since. She is now healty again, no fever, cough, or even sneezing for the past several days now, but she still continues to wake up at night every hour on the hour. Last night took everything out of me. Anyone out there with the same issue?? Will she go back to her regular sleeping pattern soon, or do I have to start letting her cry it out????
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Q
St. Cloud, MN
my son reciently started to wake up every 45 minutes during his naps and every 2 hours in the middle of the night what is going on? how can i help teach him to go back to sleep on his own? and to stop waking up so frequently? he is 4.5 months old.
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Q
Dubuque, IA
My son who is 6 months old just recently got over a cold before the cold I had him in bed by 8:30 and sleeping at the lastest 9:00. I would put him to bed he would cry for 10 min then i would go in and pat his back and he would calm down and be out in 10-15 mintues after that and sleep until 3 in the morning or later. When he got sick he got held a lot b/c all he would do is cry unless I had him and he slept alot either on me or he slept in bed with me (he would start coughing and end up throwing up so I liked him near me). Well now he wont' sleep in his crib he thinks I have to hold him. I love holding him but now his bedtime routine I was using isn't working anymore he won't calm down if I go in there unless I pick him up and as soon as I do that he is out but as soon as I put him down he wakes up again. I have been letting him CIO for the last three days b/c I don't know what else to do. He isn't getting to sleep til after 10:00 and I can't stand to let him CIO I feel so bad doing this. I don't know what to do to get him to want to sleep in his crib again. Is CIO the only way to get him back in there. I have tried holding him til he is alseep but as soon as I put him in teh crib he wakes and and cries. He has never had to CIO except those first 10 min but then he usually went to sleep right when i came in. Everyone my sister, husband, mom says to leave him CIO I seriously am having a hard time doing this. I usually feel like crying right a long with him. Any help would be great. I have no clue what else to do to get him back in his crib. Also he has been so clingy to me during the day to the point he doesn't want to be put down and wants me to hold him which also started after he got his cold. He has also gotten to the point he wont' go to his dad either. I am not really for CIO but at this point I have no clue what else to do.
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Q
Detroit, MI
My 4 1/2 month baby is waking up every night. Usually 2x a night, i find this odd since at 6 weeks he started sleeping through the night, (it helps that we swaddle him). About a month ago we moved him into his own crib in his room, and thats when it started, I figured it was the adjustment of being in his own room, however he's also teething. My question is, I know its probably not a good idea to nurse him every time he wakes up but its the only way to calm him down, he's inconsolable until i feed him, does anyone have any other suggestions????
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Q
Dallas, TX
Hi! I have a beautiful 5 month old daughter (my first) who has been co-sleeping with us the last couple of months. I want to break this habit and we have been working on getting her to sleep in her crib...but it's been hard. I started co-sleeping bc she gets up 2-3 times in the night and i am such a zoombie and i guess have taken the "easier route" to get some sleep. But we realize we need to stop this habit for fear it will never stop...and fear she'll never sleep in her own bed. Plus we want our bed back!
Here is a usual night for me: I'll put her down in her crib to sleep (and she's fine) at 9pm. She'll wake up (like clock-work) at midnight to eat (which i'll put her right back down and she usually falls asleep in her crib). Then she'll wake up at 2am (i'll feed her in bed with me and try and put her back in her crib but she cries and sits up screaming so i'll bring her in bed with me) and she'll sleep till about 6am-7am usually. The past 2 weeks she has been getting up at 4am and babbles and wants to play in our bed so I will put her in her crib and immediately she screams! We really want her to sleep in her crib and i have been trying to put her back in the crib everytime after I feed her. And what is up with her playing at 4am! ?
So my question is...how do i get her to sleep in her crib? I know a lot of it is my doing- just being strong and not bringing her in bed..but how do i get her used to her own? Another thing...Our room is right across the hall and even with her door closed my husband hears her crying and screaming and says, "go get the baby" so he can have peace to sleep...i feel bad and get her and bring her in bed....i am frustrated and tired and want my bed back so we all can sleep better! what to do? any advice would help!!!
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Q
Atlanta, GA
My 7 1/2 month old has been waking up several times in the night recently. I usually give her a bedtime bath and put her down around 8:30-9pm. She used to sleep through the night so well, but now she wakes up and wants to play or just cries for a min and goes back to sleep if I give her the pacifier or a bottle. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on how to get her to sleep better.
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Q
Atlanta, GA
I was wondering at what age other mothers let their child sleep in their own room through the night. My daughter will be 4 months on the 16 and lately I haven't been getting any sleep. She is nursing and during the night she will wake up just to nurse herself back to sleep. I am so cranky during the day and my other daughter is suffering because I am always in a sour mood. My husband, pediatrician and mother have all said to just let her sleep in her own room and cry during the night but I feel so wrong doing this. With my first daughter, she stayed in our room until 6 months and then sleept in her own room, but we still got her if she cried at night. At about eight months, she started sleepinh through the night and now she is the best sleeper. I just feel guilty not giving Kaydence the attention I gave Lily. Am I wrong? Or am I crazy and should let her sleep in her own room? Any ideas on how I can get more sleep and not feel so guilty? Thanks in advance.
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Q
Dallas, TX
Any tips on sleeping through the night? My son is 7 months old and still needs to wake up for a bottle every night. I hear "thats not so bad" but the whole process (including me getting back to sleep) is between and hour and an hour and a half. (Its 3:00am and he is in his crib screaming as I just put him back down) I have tried giving cereal before bed, and that is even worse (too many carbs?) I have tried letting him cry it out, and he just will go in and out of sleep for hours until I get up. I was setting my alarm at 11:00 to give him a bottle (in hopes that one day I will be on a normal sleep schedule and still be awake at this time - I am going to sleep now around 9:00 because I know I will be up!) That worked OK, but he would only "last" until 5:00 am and be up - if I give him a bottle later in the night, sometimes he will sleep until 7;00...Help! Im single, doing this alone, and working full time...Im pretty pooped - Thanks!!!
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Q
Dallas, TX
At around three months old my oldest son (now about to be four) began to sleep through the night so when my second son (now at 10 months old) turned three months and began to sleep 7-8 hrs at a time, I thought I was set...
That lasted about a month, when he began to wake up crying between midnight and three am every night (this has been the last seven months)
Occasionally I am able to soothe him back to sleep with nothing more than a gentle patting on his back, but he began to cough (the air in our old apartment was very dry and a humidifier wasn't strong enough to work in the boys large room)
I began to give him a bottle of formula, usually six ounces, and he would go right back to sleep
My pediatrician told me to STOP giving in to him and doing that, but when the air is so dry and I can tell he is dried out, I don't want him to get himself sick (he is getting over that nasty cold everyone seemed to have in January, on top of teething and allergies)
I wanted to know if anyone out there had any advice to give on handling this situation... I hate to give in to him every night with a bottle, I have begun to give him only a few ounces of water instead of formula, so maybe that will help, but it has been over a month since I have slept for more than 3-4 hours straight, and I have become more than exhausted.
Any advice will be welcome!
Thanks! ~g
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Q
Detroit, MI
My son Easton is 7 1/2 months old. at his 6 month check up, the Dr. said he sould be sleeping through the night. He does about once a week. the Dr. told me instead of giving him a formula bottle, to give him a water bottle, b/c he is just waking up out of habit. I don't know what to do, or how to get him to sleep through the night? I tried giving him jar food before bed, but that seems to make it worse, like he gets an upset tummy!! I really need some suggestions!!! I'm exhausted!!!!
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Q
Boston, MA
I have a 4 month old son who used to sleep through the night. (If you can believe it.) But now, he will only sleep for about 3 - 4 hours a night and then wake up every hour on the hour. My husband and I have really tried to keep him in his crib by going in and changing his diaper, putting his pacifier back in his mouth, etc. to help him fall back asleep. He usually does fall back to sleep for about an hour and then wakes up again. Is there something I can do to help him sleep through the night again or could this just be a phase? We're really trying hard not to bring him in our bed but since we've all been sick and need our sleep, we've brought him in and he sleeps fine between us. HELP!...we need our sleep and our bed back before he turns into our bed hog and won't sleep in his crib at all!
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Q
Madison, WI
Hi! I am wondering if anyone could give me some suggestions for my child not sleeping through the night. He goes to bed in his own bed and then at about 2 a.m he wakes up and cries until we go get him! My husband and I are not getting any sleep so we put him in bed with us. We are not fans of letting him cry it out and won't do that. So if anyone has had this trouble and has any advice we would greatly appreciate it! Thanks so much!
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Q
Minneapolis, MN
I'm wondering when I should expect my 7 month old to sleep through the night and I mean the full 11-12 hrs without needing a feeding. Currently, she is able to sleep at least 9-10 hrs straight without eating, but in the past month or so she's gotten into this habit of waking every 3-4 hrs after going to bed at 7 (waking at 11ish and 3ish). So we've tried to let her "cry it out", because we discovered that she was eating only about 1-2 ounces at the 3am shift (breastfed at 11). She has slept 12 hrs straight through on a few nights, but in the past couple nights she's beginning to wake a couple times again and is a little fussy (no all out crying), so we leave her and she does go back to sleep on her own. BUT now she's waking at 4 or 5am hungry. When she used to sleep until 7-7:30. UGH! So, I'm wondering if I should go back to feeding her at 11pm and then let her "cry it out" at the 3am time, so she sleeps through 'til 7am. OR should we continue as is since she appears to be making it through from 7pm - 5am and trust that that 5 am feeding will eventually fade out (maybe at 8 or 9months)? She's a good sleeper, but quite inconsistent and has been inconsistent with her sleep patterns for the past couple months. I want to get sleep!! All thoughts/comments are welcome :) Thanks.
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Q
St. Cloud, MN
My son is 7 months old and he doesn't sleep through the night. He has on occassion, 3 maybe 4 times. We have tried letting him cry in the hopes he will cry himself back to sleep. That doesn't work. He sleeps in our room and I think he sees us so he just keep crying until we pick him up. He cries like he is hungry but when we try to feed him he sucks at the bottle for a little while but then just wants to cuddle. Lately he has been getting up 4 times a night. He usually takes a morning nap and an afternoon nap. We try to make sure his nap isn't too late in the afternoon. He hoes to sleep between 7:00 and 7:30. We have tried keeping him up later but he just gets SUPER crabby if we do that.
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Q
Albany, NY
Hello all! I'm seeking any advice that you may have to cure my sleep troubles. My daughter is 3 months old and sleeps wonderfully through the night. She is perfectly healthy with the exception of some baby reflux. She has a very mild case thank goodness and we have a rolled up towel under the mattress of her crib which is located in our room - I have not gotten up the nerve to move her to her own room yet. So even though she is in our room, sleeps through the night and I have a video monitor I still cannot sleep! I have tried having a glass of wine before bed, making sure the house is picked up and the chores for the day are completed, making a list of what to do the next day so it's not running through my head, and taking a walk or a bath before bed. I even tried some sleeping pills but I fight through the drowsiness. I guess I am paranoid that something will happen in the middle of the night and I will sleep through it (though I have always woken up in the past). During the day I end up so exhausted that my husband or mother will take the baby so I can sleep and still knowing that she is safe with people I trust I cannot sleep. I have gone up to almost 60 hours before crashing on the couch - and that's what happens. I get so tired I will just crash and fall asleep because I can't be awake any longer. This is neither safe nor healthy so I'm looking for advice from anyone who may know what could be going on or who have experienced this before. Thank you all!
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Q
Dallas, TX
I have 7 month year old twins (born about 2 months early) and I am wondering when is a good time to let them sleep with their blankets all night? They currently sleep at night on acid reflux wedges but I am considering trying to let them sleep in their cribs without the wedges. They use a blanket when they are napping but I am so leary of letting them have it at night while I am asleep. They love their blankets! Any advice is greatly appreciated.
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Q
Minneapolis, MN
I have been back to work for two weeks now and since that time my daughter is waking up more often during the night. Right before I went back to work she was starting to fall into a great routine. Going to bed around 10:30 and waking up at 5 to feed and fall back asleep until about 9. I know that 10:30 seems rather late but my husband does not get home from work until 8:30. Well, now that I have been back to work she is getting up at 1, 3 and 5! I am breasfeeding and some moms have told me that she may just be stocking up at night because she knows she has to take the bottle during the day. Has anyone else experienced this? Before I went back to work, when she did wake up she would eat for about 5 minutes and be back to sleep - now she latches on and wants to stay on as long as she possibly can. I need advice...
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Q
Eugene, OR
I have tried every suggestion that I have got on getting my daughter in her own bed... They don't work. She is so set on getting out of her bed that she gets so worked up. I need her to be in her own room badly and dont know what to do. I am in school and need time at night to study so I can suceed. I know she would be very helpful with my studies but, she's only 15 months old. HELP!!!
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Q
Sacramento, CA
My son is almost 7 months old. He is on solids three times a day now and I'm breastfeeding him. I had been breastfeeding him to sleep both at nap time and at bedtime letting him suckle for as long as he wanted. Sometimes he would suckle the entire nap. It was exhausting. My pediatrician told me to stop letting him do this because he needs to learn to fall asleep independently. During the day we have a new routine that usually works and I can put him down without feeding him and he'll take a nap, but at night he is waking up usually around 1am to eat. This is after he's had solids around 6pm and nursed around 7:30 or 8pm. He also wakes up crying multiple times at night and I give him a pacifier and usually he'll fall back asleep. This is just getting very tiring. He doesn't have anything medically wrong with him and there aren't any teeth coming through yet - I took him to his doctor last week just to be sure. The pediatrician says that at night I also need to not be nursing him to sleep and that if I do nurse him that I need to wake him up before I lay him down. He has accidentally woken up before I've laid him down and then he cried for 30 minutes - my husband and I tried everything to sooth him. I'm just not sure what to do. I'm so tired during the day because of his night waking that all I want to do is sleep. I feel like I'm not being a good mom or a good wife because I'm so tired all the time and starting to get frustrated. Please help!!!
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Q
Knoxville, TN
I know it may sound strange and it is nothing new, looking back at his newborn pics he was doing the same thing. He sleeps with his eyes open, not all the way but between a tiny slit to almost half way open! Any of your kids do that? He goes for a sleep study soon and I will mention it to them, but I wanted to ask you all too. Thanks!~N. J.
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Q
Seattle, WA
I am posting this again because it didn't get sent out right the first time.... (thanks for any of your help, I really need it this time)
My almost 3 year old son sleeps with us for at least half the night every night. He usually wakes up around 11 or 12, I am asleep and my husband is most of the time awake so he just gets him and brings him to our bed. And we are not a co-sleeping family. I swore I wouldn't have any of my kids sleep with me on a regular basis, just special times, however, here we are.
I have to wake up at 3am for work three days a week. So on those days if he would wake up and I was gone my husband would just bring him to our bed and let him sleep with him. Well, after a couple months I struggled on my nights off and broke the habit, 2 different times. We believe in the cry it out method so that's what I did and it worked great. I slept in the hall (and so did my husband a couple times) for an hour or two and it only took a few nights. Well it would only last a couple months until one night when my husband would be too tired and just bring him back in bed when I was at work, so I just got fed up with it and didn't want to ruin my nights sleep knowing my husband could just ruin it. Don't get me wrong he helped too. And now he's ready to help for good! So he's promised once we fix it he won't bring him in bed again (until he understands).
So 6 months (or more) of my son in bed with us every night, we are done. But now I have no idea how to break it. Here's the other problem. My son LOVES his dad and when it comes to bedtime he wants nothing to do with me. I can't even tuck him in bed, and when I've tried going in his room in the middle of the night he just freaks out and screams for his dad. But I really don't think my husband can do it alone. But if I do it I'm afraid I'll literally be up with him for hours.
Oh and another reason we need this problem fixed is because I'm expecting baby number 4 in April.
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Q
Houston, TX
My 4 1/2 month old son has been sleeping through the night since 10 weeks old. He sometimes wakes up around 2am lately, and he did that about 2 months ago and I upped his oz thinking he was hungry and that seemed to work. But also, when he woke up 2 months ago, he WAS hungry and you could tell. But now he just wakes up, and I can usually go in and give him his pacifier and he stops crying instantly and usually will go back to sleep, but then he might wake up again 10-15 min later and I go and give him the pacifier again, he goes right back to sleep. Sometimes we might do this 5 times until he really falls back to sleep for a few hours. I don't think he is hungry since he does usually go right back to sleep. When he was waking up hungry, it was a completely different cry and you just knew he was ready to eat. I have tried waiting about 5 minutes before going in to see if he would soothe himeself back to sleep, but after the 5 min or so, I go and put the pacifier back in so I can go back to sleep too. Am I doing this wrong? I've toyed with the idea that he may be teething because his hands are ALWAYS in his mouth and he's been drooling (which he's never done before). I'm sure there are others who have had this happen, so any advice you have would be great!
Also, he has been sleeping since day 1 on a sleep positioner that puts him at a slight incline. He really is too big for it now and I want to transition his so he is just sleeping on his mattress. I tried once about a month ago, and he was waking up all night long! I put the thing back for the moment until my Husband and I were ready to up and down all night again, then he got sick so we left it alone because the incline actually helped him with his congestion. Anyway, we are ready to try again. Any suggestions on making this an easier transition? Thanks ladies!!
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Q
Detroit, MI
Hello all, my son has never been a child that slept all night. He has eczema which normally wakes him up in the middle of the night( I havent found anything to help him sleep or stop itching). I recently found out that he is allergic to wheat, soy, milk, eggs and peanuts. Once up, he cant get back to sleep so to keep him from screaming and hollering all night( I live in an apartment mind you), I started to bring him in the bed with me. Now every night even if he isnt itching he cries out until I go and get him and brings him in the bed with me. It wouldnt be so bad for me if I didnt have to hold him. He wont lay in the bed beside me. He wants me to hold him on my chest and he will go back to sleep instantly. He wont let his father do it. He only wants me. Sometimes I am so exhausted from holding him all night and getting up EVERYDAY, that I dont know what to do.....Please HELP!!!!
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Q
Chicago, IL
My 8-month old finally began sleeping well at 6 1/2 months to the point where I can put her in her crib, leave the room and she falls asleep by herself (and finally stays asleep!). However, two days ago, she began pulling herself up and standing in her crib and now she just screams and won't lay down and go to sleep, so I can't really use the "let her cry" approach because I have to lay her back down. She does this for both naps and bed time. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
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Q
Boston, MA
It is funny b/c I remember reading requests from Mothers about this when it did not apply to me. Well now I have a 10 month old baby boy who "used to" go to bed without much of an issue. Now that he has learned to pull himself up in his crib, he does so at bedtime for sometimes up to 1.5 hours. It is obviously wearing on my nerves. I think he all set for bed; in pj's, fed, read to and seems tired. Any ideas suggestions for getting him not to do this? What I do now if just stay close by and go in every 5 - 10 minutes and help get him to sleep.
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Q
Cleveland, OH
i need some advice on what to do about my 10 month old getting up at midnight wanting a bottle. it's always midnight that he wakes up, regardless of what time he fell asleep, and he won't go back to sleep without a bottle of formula. then he'll be out until about 7 in the morning. i've tried just giving him a couple ounces of warm water, but he just cries harder. is it typical for babies at this age to still need a bottle in the middle of the night? i know all babies are different and have different needs, but should he be past this by now? we sleep in the same room, but this has happened when i stick to the couch as well. is there anything that i can do?
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Q
San Francisco, CA
My son, who is just about 5 months old, will not go down to sleep unless he is nursed. i don't mind the night time feed as he'll fall asleep on me and when i transfer him to his crib he'll sleep through the night (most nights). However, if he wakes at 10pm or so, it is cry, cry, cry unless i nurse him back down. Daytime napping has also become a struggle. he will not go down on his own. i can tell he is tired, but he chooses to fight the sleep and cry, cry, cry unless i nurse him. I give him loveys during the daytime naps, but these only comfort him for so long. he has not taken a pacifier since he was 2 months. now, when offered, he just chews on it. it is exhausting me and i feel he is eating more than he should. while trying to nap yesterday, he ate 4x between 8am-12pm! he is already in the 95th percentile for height and weight. i just want him to go down on his own, but feel we have already established a pattern that he is too comfortable with. any suggestions?
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Q
Philadelphia, NJ
Upon bringing home our new little girl, my husband and I thought her sleeping habits were a fluke. However, for the last 8 weeks, like clock work, she would go to bed at 8pm and sleep between 6-8 hours straight through, only waking for one feeding. Just this week, however, she will go down at 8 but wakes up just about every 1/2 hour to hour. My husband and I let her cry for a few minutes to see if she will settle herself down, but to our dismay, she continues this awake/sleep pattern until about 11:30. Once asleep, she then wakes a few hours later. Is it normal for her sleep pattern to change? Will it change back? Her daily schedule has not changed. She still naps for about 3 hours in the afternoon and cat naps on and off like she always has. We have noticed that she has been drooling more, but I thought it was too early for teething. My husband is worried that she is manipulating us already, but I thought it was too early for her to understand how. We are distraught and would like to hear from some parents who have had similar issues and perhaps get a few suggestions.
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Q
Minneapolis, MN
I have a 7th month old daughter who over the past month has been waking more and more at night. She started sleeping through the night at 2 months. At 3 months we let her cry it out to break her from not going down at night and she's been fine ever since. The past month she's been sick with a cold, teething, etc. and she's not been sleeping well, or going to bed well since all this started. Now she is fine, no teeth, not sick, don't know if we should let her cry it out again? Also, I keep reading that we should be putting her to bed awake. Do a lot of people do this? I nurse her to sleep...and put her down asleep. Any thoughts on this? I'm worried I'm doing something wrong.
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Q
Detroit, MI
My 4-month old will not sleep in her crib. She was 1-month premature and needed to eat every hr for the first month of her life. She sleeps well in a MOVING carseat or in the arms of anyone, but not in her crib. We have tried other places for her to sleep such as bouncy seat, swing, pack n play, but have had not success. We have also tried white noise and heart beat machines, pictures and things that smell like me, heating pads, inclined planes, positioners, pacifiers, putting her in crib after she falls asleep in our arms, etc. but nothing works. We have even tried letting her cry it out for over 2 hours. She takes 2 2 1/2 hour naps during the day and will sleep on me for 4 hour periods at night. Please offer suggestions.
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Q
Grand Rapids, MI
Recently, my daycare has decided to be more "by the book" and really put the babies to sleep (no blanket for those under 1) in their cribs during the day. The problem is my son LOVES his swaddle. And while he always sleeps in his crib at night, he's always wrapped tight. Husband and I thought we should support daycare's efforts to have him nap sans swaddle and tried it this weekend. It wasn't pretty. He was so tired and would pass out immediately, but then wake-up after 20 minutes. This happened repeatedly until 3pm when we caved.
My question is: Knowing that he clearly still sleeps best while swaddled, will it really hinder daycare's efforts if he's swaddled everywhere else but there? Should we instead pull the plug at home even though he seems to still dig it?
What would you do?
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Q
Seattle, WA
now that makenzie is 13 weeks, id kinda like to transistion her to sleeping without being swaddled and hopefully soon move her into her room with Alexis...
ive gotten her to sleep 2 times with out being swaddled, one time she fell asleep eating and i held her for like 20 minutes before laying her down...the other time was similar circumstances. every other time ive tried, she startles herself awake. ive tried not wrapping her as tight, and just leaving her arms out but it doesnt seem to matter. if shes not wrapped tightly she just wakes herself up. alexis stopped wanting to be swaddled around this age, and i was hoping makenzie would do the same but it doesnt seem like it..
currently, shes sleeping in our room in a "portable wooden crib" (kinda looks like this: http://frn.sdstate.edu/Lending_LibraryPics/Inventory%20Pictures/Wooden%20Crib%202310.jpg) next to my side of the bed. id like to move her into the "kids room" with alexis, but not sure when. alexis is great at sleeping at night, and very rarely wakes up unless shes hurting from teething. id kind of like to keep it that way lol id hate for makenzie to wake her up and then have to deal with getting 2 kids back to sleep.. any suggestions?
EDITS:
i suppose i should add that she already kicks out of any blanket i swaddle her with..when we go to bed i also put a second blanket over her and tuck it under her (we sleep with the window open and i dont want her to get cold) but she always kicks that off too.
dont know what brand it is, but ive tried a swaddle blanket with velcro and she wriggles and kicks out of that too. she gets up usually 2 times at night...tho my "night: is probably different than all yours lol i usually go to bed around 12 or 1, and she wakes up around 2 or 3 and then at 6 or 7. i usually get up for the day around 8 or 9.
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Q
Erie, PA
Hi there! I've been swaddling my little girl since we came home from the hospital becasue it is the only way she'll sleep a length of time. She is a mover and a shaker and unless she's swaddled she wakes herself up at night. My question is that she is now 6 months old and I know I should get her to sleep on her own without being swaddled, but I'm not sure how to go about it. I've thought about loosening the swaddle blanket gradually, but I worry about her pulling the sides of the blanket up over her head. Any suggestions/advice is greatly appreciated.:)
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Q
San Francisco, CA
Hi ladies, I am a new mom of a 4 1/2 month old baby girl. She has been swaddled since the day she came home and has always loved it! For about the past month, she's been breaking out of her swaddle and starts to cry since her arms are a little out of control. Over the last week, she's been getting out of the swaddle much more quickly. I've heard about one arm swaddling so thats what we're doing to wean her from the swaddle all together, although she still seems miserable with any mobility. is this just a patience thing and I need to deal because it will take time!?? Any feedback would be so appreciated! Thanks so much!
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Q
Minneapolis, MN
I have a 5 1/2 month old little boy who has to be swaddled to sleep, the tigher the better. We have to double wrap him to get him to keep sleeping! We have tried the sleep sack, and he sleeps for about 10 minutes and cries awake. He is now in his crib after about 5 months in the bassinet. We put him to bed awake and he likes his music aquarium to get to sleep. So we are wondering do we just keep swaddling? Is there a good reason not to? Could it be harmful? And how to transition out of it? Any thoughts or ideas would be helpful!
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Q
Chicago, IL
So I am due at the end of August with my second child and my firstborn will be 29/30 months when the baby comes. I have been having fears that he will start climbing out of the bed late summer or early fall and we would have to do a transition into a big boy bed. It is probably a silly fear but I would hate to have to do such a big transition with a newborn. So my question is should we assume he needs to switch then and just bite the bullet now and put him in a big boy bed? Or should we hope he makes it to late fall/early winter and do it then? If you have any advice that would be great. I have seen many of my girlfriends switch their toddler before their second came, although their toddlers were younger than mine at the time, and had a difficult time with night wakings, shorter naps, and getting out of bed numerous times.
Also are they in twin/full beds or toddler beds?
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Q
New York, NY
My 13 month old has been teething for most of the summer and I have noticed a rather bizarre pattern when she tries to fall asleep. She doesn't cry but will yell, kick, giggle insanely, bite, roll around the bed, run around the house, or chatter nonstop... basically behave in a very hyper, overtsimulated fashion. She has great difficulty settling herself down. She can't even nurse to sleep which is usually a guaranteed success. Once the teeth fully cut through the behavior ends and she goes to sleep just fine. Unfortunately, this behavior has been happening on and off for weeks because the most recent pair of teeth are taking FOREVER to cut through all the way. Has anyone else had this problem? She sleeps fine once she falls asleep but it can take two or more hours for her to get there and this totally disrupts her routine. We medicate (Tylenol or Motrin) on nights when she is really in distress (i.e., pulling her hair ) but I don't want to do this every night. Any help would be appreciated because we still have many more teeth to go! Thanks!
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Q
Los Angeles, CA
How do you get a 6 month thumb sucker to sooth himself by some other means? Pacifier, chew toys, rocking and mobile swings haven't worked; and, I know that even somee of these could develop into bad sleeping habits; but, tried them anyway...because I'm so tired. Getting him to stop is a must since he sucked it raw. Not really his thumb but rather the skin at the base of his thumb between his thumb and pointer. It has turned into an open soar and we are treating it with polysporin and a sock (as a glove). This was recommended by his pediatrician; but, I suspect it will happen again once the soar heals which is why I want to prevent it from carrying on.
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Q
New York, NY
My 4-month-old daughter has recently started drawing up her legs and then thumping them both down on the mattress. She does this repeatedly and sometimes makes a slight writhing motion in her upper body as well. She wakes up in the middle of the night and does this too. She does not seem to be in pain but does not necessarily seem soothed by the movement either. I initially thought it was gas or abdominal cramping, but am more doubtful now. Any ideas?
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Q
Savannah, GA
My 6 month old used to sleep until 7 am, since the time change she now gets up at 6am,(i know her body still thinks it's 7am)this means that her naps are now an hour earlier, she still goes down at the same time,(i tried pushing it back but it is impossible) how can i help her get back to the 7am? I don't want to leave her in her crib becouse she will cry, and she doesn't understand the clocks went back, any advice??
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Q
Chicago, IL
Just wondering thoughts/experiences on the following...
1. Transition to "big bed" before or after potty training?
2. Transition to "big bed" (i.e. twin bed) or just convert the crib and THEN move to twin bed?
3. For twins, thoughts on splitting them up into two separate rooms and then transition to big bed or do all at once?
4. Tips for getting them to sleep in big bed?
This is my next big hurdle next to potty training coming up and just wanted to get feedback on other's experiences. Thanks!
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Q
San Francisco, CA
Hello Bay Area Moms!!
I have a 5 1/2 month old and a 28 month old (2 years), both girls. I returned to work in October and have been soooo tired. I figure that this is normal, but I have been feeling out of sorts with myself. I get home and by the time I wash clothes, prepare dinner and give baths, I feel like I ran a marathon. I have to wake up by 5 am and have been sleeping way past that nearly everyday. So far, I have not had problems with my job, but before I do encounter any I would like to resolve this issue if possible. Is something wrong with me or is it normal to be extremely tired with two young children? Please help! Any advice is appreciated and will this pass?
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Q
Phoenix, AZ
I plan on moving my son to his big boy room after our daughter arrives which would make him around 18 months. My question is should we get him a toddler bed or a twin mattress lay it on the floor with bars so he can't fall out? I know that the twin bed would be a better investment but I am not sure which option would work best for the transition. If any one has tried the twin bed I would love to hear how it went and the same for toddler beds and transitioning so young.
Thanks in advance for any help,
T.
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Q
Los Angeles, CA
Ok -- this site has helped me with so many confusing issues with my little one and SOOOO here is another: My 23 month old gets a bottle just before bedtime -- and eats a proper full meal usually a couple of hours before bedtime -- BUT STILL WANTS A BOTTLE during the night -- SOMETIMES twice a night... I was told to slow down the process by giving less and less in the bottle and now its down to 3 ounces -- but I know he just wakes up and expects it -- is there any way to handle this situation better? It is difficult to just take him completely off this pattern because we have a renter in another room down the hall and we dont want to keep him crying to wake her? So unsure if there is another way other than just totally taking him off?
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Q
Rochester, NY
I have a five month old daughter whose sleep habits have recently changed (as one can expect). She used to sleep 8-9 hours a night continuous sleep. She now sleeps 12-13 hours continuous, only stays awake for an hour or little more then requires a nap. Sleeps sometimes for 2-4 hours, wakes eats, plays for a bit (hour or little more) then naps for another 2-4 hours. The last few days all her naps have been combined...into ONE big long nap. I put her down at 1:30 for her afternoon nap and had to wake her at 9 pm for bathtime, bottle and bedtime. Should I be concerned? Or is this just one of those growth spurts?
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Q
Philadelphia, NJ
I'm interested in learning what others think about whether or not to have crib toys (music/light-up crib toy and some stuffed animals) in with a child while he/she sleeps. My son is 6 months and is now old enough to play more with the few things we have in his crib. I'm not sure if this helps soothe him and keep him calm in his crib longer before I go get him, or if they distract him from going back to sleep & getting a good nap!
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Q
Dallas, TX
I've been co-sleeping with my baby who is now 11 months. I'd like to transfer him to his own crib. I've tried to do this a few times but he cries when I put him in it because he's used to nursing to sleep with me in my bed. I don't want to try CIO method. Any other suggestions? Also need to know how to night wean.
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Q
New York, CT
I want to start planning for moving my 17 mo old out of her crib. I am debating between a toddler bed, and a double bed, but leaning more towards a double, something she can keep until she's out of the house! Any great recommendations for a particular style of bed, that is low enough for a toddler, that would work for a teenager?
Thanks!
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Q
Kansas City, KS
After 2 years of dealing with infertility issues and a 3 week NICO stay after arriving 7 weeks early, I think it is safe to say I am a little worrier when it comes to my 6 month old son. He has never slept in our bed, but sleeps next to our bed in a pack and play. I am wanting to transition him to sleeping in his crib in his room, but have 2 issues:
1-When I try to lay him down drowsy in his crib for his nap, he fusses and eventually falls asleep, only sleeping for about 30-45 minutes. My mother suggests laying him in his car seat in his bed to get used to the area and then eventually laying him down in the bed?
2-I think it is more of a psychological thing for me: a fear of something happening, me not hearing him, etc. Just curious how other moms dealt with this.
Thanks!
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Q
Denver, CO
I have been blessed with 2 very good sleepers. For months they have been on a very good schedule: 2 naps (10-12, 3-5), then sleeping at night from about 8 or 9 to about 7 or 8. I talked to the pediatrician at their one year and he said to keep them on 2 naps as long as they would like. They don't always sleep during those times, but often do, and if not are happy playing in their cribs.
This last week or so, their schedule has been changing. When I put them down around 10, they will play for up to 2 hours, then fall asleep. That means they aren't up until 2 or so. I'm wondering if they are moving toward just needing one nap. I'm very much in favor of letting them do what they need and try not to enforce a strict schedule. How do you make the transition to one nap? I've tried letting them stay up until they ask to go to be or get tired, but they get too cranky to stay up all afternoon/evening without another nap so moving things later has just led to them sleeping later in the evening. Any ideas for making this a smooth transition?
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Q
Houston, TX
My baby boy is 6 months old. He has slept swaddled since he was born. He is a good sleeper with the swaddle on. He has given up his middle of the night feeding and we usually only have to go in to give him his paci a couple of times a night.
A few days ago I decided to leave his arms out of the swaddle so that he can get used to sleeping that way. It has been horrible! He will only take naps for 30 minutes at the most. I am having to rock him longer to get him to sleep. I cannot lay him down drowsy but awake for naps. He will only go to sleep on his own when I put him to bed for the night.
He fusses and cries at night like every hour. He takes the paci out and it falls behind the crib. We are tired of going in there to paci or rock him.
Will he evntually get used to having his arms free and sleep good again? Should I keep swaddling him? I feel like he is old enough now that he should not be swaddled.
I plan on discussing this with his pedi when we go for his 6 month check up on monday but I wanted to get some other moms advice because y'all have been there, done that.
BTW- I have 3 sleep books. Dr. Sears, Baby whisperer, and Healthy Sleep-Healthy Child (cry it out did not work with my son, we only tried it once and he would not give up, it was too traumatic)
Thanks in advance!
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Q
Los Angeles, CA
My youngest daughter is 6 months and slept through the night up until a couple months ago. Now whenever i try to lay her in her crib for naps or bed she wakes up. She does it even if i've just fed her or rocked her. I've tried putting something in the crib that smells like me and it doesn't help. I have a nightlight in the room and her older sister sleeps in the same room with her. Not sure what to do.
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Q
Phoenix, AZ
I'm trying to find a good book on parenting for newborns & infants - sleep schedules, feeding schedules, crying, etc. I'm 5 months along with our first baby and would like to get a head start. I've heard several good & bad comments about "Baby Wise" and a few other books I've looked into so I'm not sure what real moms actually find helpful out there.
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Q
New York, CT
Hi, My youngest son is 6 month's old. I can not get him to sleep threw the night. He only wakes up once. My other two children at that age would sleep threw the night. It is hard for me. I am a single mother. I don't have anyone to help with him waking up. Then, I have to be up at 6:30 to get my other two children ready for school. Does anyone have any ideas on things that I can try to do to see if it will help. Thank you for your time.
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Q
Philadelphia, PA
I have an 10 almost 11 month old baby who still sleeps in the bed with us. I am not a fan of cosleeping at all but her dad is becuase the baby is breastfeed and if she was in the bed she didnt cry at night, she just snuggled up and nursed. Okay now she doesnt need to nurse at night anymore (actully she hasnt needed to for awhile i've just been recieveing resitanse from both her and her dad) and i think it's time for her to sleep in her crib. Any suggestions? She shares the room with us cuz we only have a one bedroom apartment but she does have her own crib.
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Q
Sarasota, FL
My 7 week old loves to nap on his belly. I want to switch him to belly at night as well. Does anyone else tummy sleep? I know the SIDS risk, but he sleeps happily this way. Tummy sleepers come out of the woodwork and let me know.
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Q
Richmond, VA
Hello!
This is my first time asking a question... a little shy.
I am the mother of a beautiful 18weeks old baby boy. For the past week he has started rolling over onto his stomach during the night. The Doctor says that once they start rolling there is no real need or way to stop them, so I just let him ly.
But the problem is that he rolls into his bumper. Usually his face is right in the crack between the crib and the bumper. I am afraid that he will not be able to get enough air with his face smooshed! For some reason he hasn't realized yet that lying on his stomach in his crib is just like lying on his stomach during "tummy time" so he doesn't really turn his head to the side or try to roll back over onto his back. My husband also brought up the concern that if we take the bumper out he will hit the bars of his crib. I am so confused. Should I take the bumper out?? Thank you in advance for any and all help!
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Q
New York, NY
My 14 month old daughters are now refusing to go to sleep in the cribs. Once I put them in they start screaming. So I have been sitting on the floor inching my way closer to the door for the past three nights. I know this is similar to the furber (spelling?) method. My question is - At what point do I just put them in their cribs, say my good nights, and leave the room. Really it is one who starts crying and the other feeds off her sister. It has been better. The first night it took them 1 1/2 to lay down and sleep. Tonight it was 20 to 30 minutes. So I think it may be getting better. What should I do?
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Q
Salt Lake City, UT
I'm curious as to how other moms handle bed time with their infant. I have a two month old baby girl and she sleeps well and everything I'm just trying to prepare for the future because I have a two year old that has sleeping issues (I've posted questions about him). I'm wanting to know if other moms, around bed time, let their baby sleep in a chair, on the floor, in their arms, or where ever while the mom is still up at night or if you put your baby in their crib? I'm thinking "bed time" for the future would be around 8:00 or so, is it okay to let her sleep downstairs while I am still awake and doing things downstairs or should I always put her in her crib or maybe just make sure to have her in her crib after her late evening feeding around 10:00pm?
~Thanks to everyone in advance!!
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Q
Philadelphia, PA
I have a 10 week old baby girl who has great difficulty taking naps during the daytime. She is usually awake from 6am till about 7:30pm,when she crashes after about an hour or so of fussiness and crying from just being tired. During the day she will become tired and fall asleep on my shoulder...but soon after i put her in her crib, within 10-15 minutes she is up again and fussing. I attempt to leave her in her crib for a bit to see if she will put herself back to sleep. Inevitably, she wakes up even further and begins crying for me. At this point, she is now awake and won't go back to sleep. She has about two or three of these instances throughout the day until, as mentioned before she will crash around 6pm and cry until she cries herself to sleep on either my shoulder or my husband's should at around 7:30pm. She then will sleep five or so hours, getting up again at midnight. At this feeding she is wide awake and has difficulty calming back down, and often we can't get her back to bed until after 2am. Only to wake back up again at 5:30 or 6am. HELP!!! We are afraid of this becoming her routine and her having difficulty sleeping EVER sleeping through the night! Any suggestions for helping her nap during the day and get closer to a routine in which she sleeps through the night would be WELL APPRECIATED!!!
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Q
Erie, PA
I recently posted a question about my 11 month old who wouldn't sleep through the night; I guess I jinxed myself because now she does sleep but is up and running by 4AM!!!!!! I try to keep her up later but she gets so exhausted it's impossible to keep her up after 8. We use the earlier bedtime because I have to have her up by 7am during the week. When she wakes up at 4 I know she's still tired but fights it and it takes a good hour to get her to sleep again and by then it's time for me to get up. According to her caregiver, she takes an AM nap for about an hour and occasionaly will take an afternoon nap between 30 min to an hour around 3 or 4pm - is this normal?
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Q
Milwaukee, WI
My son (10 months) used to sleep till about 7am. For the past month he has been getting up at 5:00am. We have tried everything: going to bed later, going in at 5am (when he wakes up) and telling him that it's not time to get up, rubbing his back, a noise/sound machine.....anyone else have other suggestions? He takes two 1 1/2 - 2 hour naps each day.
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Q
Charlotte, NC
My son is 9 1/2 months and is a great sleeper. He takes 2 naps a day usually totaling 3 hours and sleeps about 10 hours at night. Lately he's been waking at 4:20am instead of his usual 5am. He goes to bed by 6:30pm. He's just an early little guy. My pediatrican suggested putting him to bed 15 min earlier, which I tried and it worked for about 3 nights. Today he's back to up at 4:20am!!! I'm tired! Has anyone had this experience? I should also mention that when he wakes he's usually either wet through the diaper or his diaper weighs 10lbs. I already put him in the next size up diaper to account for this. I don't know what else to try. I've looked into overnight diapers, but he's only 20lbs.
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Q
Chicago, IL
Hello,
We have been very blessed to have a baby girl that 'slept' great...up until last week. She is 7 months. Starting a couple of weeks ago she had been using her feet to move herself up against the crib. We have a breathable bumper pad so I'm not worried about that. She used to go to sleep with no problems too. NOW, everything has changed. When scooting her way to the top of the crib, she gets stuck. We go in to move her, but I think that's the wrong thing to do. As I am typing she is in her crib SCREAMING. Last night she woke up at 11 and decided to start rolling from back to belly in every direction. She only rolled over in the past when she felt like it. Well, now she's rolling all over the place and getting herself stuck (her head is in the corner of the crib). This a.m. we woke up & she was finally sleeping on her belly.
I can go on forever. Point is...I think going in to move her is the wrong thing to do. Do we just let her cry and cry and let her figure it out herself? We feel terrible seeing her like that.
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Q
New York, NJ
Hello! My DS is 6 months old. I have been swaddling him for sleep since he was a newborn. He sleeps relatively well - he usually goes down for the night around 7pm, wakes up once between 11 and 4, and then sleeps until 6 or 7. I am breastfeeding, and we recently started cereal in the evenings. When I went for his 6 month check up the doctor said I needed to wean him from the swaddle because it's a strangulation hazard. I use the kiddopotamus swaddler, so it seems highly unlikely he could get all the way out of it, but you never know. Also, he is getting more mobile and I think he might sleep even better if I could get him used to sleeping unswaddled. However, every time I have ever tried to lay him down unswaddled he starts to fling his arms around, rub his face, and generally get completely discombobulated and wide awake. I know I could probably go cold turkey and let him CIO, but is there a gradual and systematic way to wean him? I think he needs to learn to self-soothe a little bit more now, but I would rather not go the cold turkey route. Has anyone dealt successfully with this issue? I can handle a little crying, but honestly the most I have ever let him cry so far is about 5 minutes, and that was so hard! Please let me know if you have any suggestions!
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Q
Minneapolis, MN
My girlfriend is a new mom to a 8 month old daughter. She has been trying to ween her daughter off the bootle when she puts her down to bed for a nap and at bedtime. She has tried to replace the bottle with the nuke and her daughter will not go for it. The reason why she is trying to ween her off the bottle at bedtime only is due to ear infections. She has also tried replacing the juice/milk with water but her daughter just screams and cries until she gets the milk/juice. She also has tried rocking her and patting her on the back. None of these things works for her. I told her she has to let her daughter cry it out and after a few days she will go to sleep. However, she wants other moms opinions as well. Any advice on this for her would be great!!! Thank you everyone!!!!
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Q
Atlanta, GA
My two year old pulls her hair as she falls asleep. Sometimes I find chunks of hair in the bed. She pulls it out and one side of her hair is almost gone. I cut it down once when she was younger, but now it's long and healthy except for herpulling it out. I try to keep it in cornrows but she pulls those too.
She will not keep gloves on her hands so otherwise, I don't know what to do. Any suggestions?
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Q
Los Angeles, CA
Hi there! My 13 month old recently started snuggling up to the pillows on our couch or when she wakes really early the last few days I have been grabbing her and bringing her into bed. She just loves plopping her little head onto the pillow and sleeps quite nicely. I know that if you give a child a pillow it needs to be small and firm, so that there is no danger of suffocation. She's not a great sleeper, so if there's something that helps her sleep I am all for it. When did you give your child a pillow? Did it help them sleep longer and/or comfort them. Please let me know! Thanks!
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Q
Boston, MA
Ok, my LO has never been a good napper until we went down to one nap - around 11 mos. Then she slept like a dream! 11-12 hrs at night, 1.5-2.5 hr nap during the day. I couldn't believe it! Life was GREAT!
Now the last few days she is up to her old tricks. I seriously can't take it. After nearly a year of nap HELL I do not want to go back there. I am out of patience. I also nap when she naps as I am a horrible sleeper at night, so her naps are precious to me.
Here is our sleep routine:
7:30am-ish - wake
12:30-2:30pm - nap
8:00pm - bed
The last couple of days she has had a hard time going down for her nap. Yesterday she woke after 1 hr 20 min - screaming, and I was able to rock her back to sleep. She slept for another HOUR, and cried when I woke her. Huh?
Today she cried for 15 minutes before falling asleep, woke after 45 min, and I could not use any form of tricks to get her back to sleep. I tried getting her back to sleep for an hour. No way, no how. She just wanted to play.
Huh? Seems opposite of yesterday!
Last night she had several night wakings - none that were too long, and she put herself back to sleep, but I am nervous where this is headed.
Thoughts?
Please help. I can't do this nap hell again! I would love some advice.
P.S. Not sick, no fever, no Separation anxiety, and no teething, so I am frustrated and confused!!!
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Q
Spartanburg, SC
I have a 6-month old daughter and am curious to what others are doing regarding their babies schedules (if they have one). What does the typical day look like? Also, what is your baby eating at this point? Being a first-time mom, it's nice to hear what others are doing at this point! It would be helpful to see schedules and foods your child is eating (including quantities). I appreciate anyone willing to share! Thanks.
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Q
Chicago, IL
Hi. I am a first-time mom of a four-and-a-half week-old baby girl. I have been trying to figure out the "normal" range for sleep. She seems to do cluster feedings in which she wants to breastfeed every two to three hours and then she wants to go four or more hours between feedings. Sometimes she's asleep for most of that time. We were working very hard to get her weight up and also working hard on the nursing because I was hospitalized for a few days because of a serious uterine infection and she had trouble going back on the breast. My lactation consultant said not to let her go more than four hours without nursing. Currently she is breastfeeding well and gaining more than an ounce a day; her pediatrician is thrilled. So two questions: At what point do you think I can let her go more than four hours between feedings? (Right now I set an alarm and wake her if she doesn't wake herself.) Should I be concerned that she wants to sleep so much? How much wake time is "normal" and healthy for a month old baby? Lots of times she eats and wants to go back to sleep--or at least during the day she wants to! Thanks for your thoughts.
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Q
Kansas City, KS
My 10 month old boy has been pretty good about sleeping through the night (from 7 p.m. till about 5), but in the last few weeks he has been getting up around 2:30 or 3. When I walk into his room he is wide awake and ready to be up. It takes me about an hour of rocking and a bottle to get him back to sleep.
I got into this habit with him a few weeks ago when he was sick with an ear infection, but now that he is healthy again I am wondering if I should let him stay in his crib and cry it out....
My husband and sister ( mom of 3) says if I keep getting up with him at 2:30 he will get in the habit and I will never sleep again. But I feel bad leaving him in a crib when he cries...
Any mommies have opinions as to what I should do? Pick him up or let him cry it out?
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Q
Indianapolis, IN
I have a four week old. He is fantastic! We just aren't sure when we should start to make him sleep in the bassinet. At this point either my husband or I hold him when he sleeps at night. During the day and evening I can put him in the bouncey seat and get some things done around the house, but that only lasts for an hour or so. At night he will sleep for three to four hours at a time, but only if we are holding him. I don't want to create sleeping problems for later. When is it time to push the issue. I feel like it is too soon right now, but I also miss sleeping with my husband. One of us is either on the couch with him or most often in the recliner with him.
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Q
Phoenix, AZ
I have a baby boy who just turned 5 months old. We have always swaddled him at night, and currently he is "sleeping through the night". I put that in quotes because he sleeps for at least 6 hours straight a night. Some nights it is 6 other nights it is 10, but usually it is 7-8 hours (He does sleep at night in his own room in his crib). During the day, we let him sleep arms free, or I babywear him. When he naps with his arms free (in his crib, or playpen), he is a "cat-napper" and sleeps for 15-20 minutes. When I babywear him (I have a wrap and a sling) he naps for 1-2 hours. We have recently tried having him sleep at night arms-out unswaddled, but he kept waking up (3-5 times both nights we tried). I want to know if any of you other mamas swaddled you child this long, and how you transitioned to sleeping unswaddled. I want to make sure that keeping him swaddled this long is okay and I am not going to "stunt" him in any way. He does not roll over, but he does push himself up on his arms and scoots (a little, but usually backwards). He also can sit on his own but when he gets tired or sees something he will tip over to his tummy or back to get it. Also, he seems to like being swaddled. He does not fight it at all, which makes me wonder if I should just keep doing it until he doesn't want me to do it any more. Your thoughts?
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Q
Minneapolis, MN
My husband and I have found it best to swaddle our 4 month-old son before he falls asleep. Without swaddling, he waves his arms around and hits himself in the face and wakes up. He also tries sucking on his hands, but this only makes him more awake. His pacifier soothes him - his hands/fingers never do. Hence, we try to keep the hands away.
Recently, our son has begun to "bust out" of his "Kiddopotamus"/swaddler more and more often, trying to get his hands in his mouth and trying to rub his eyes. We've tried to lay him down without swaddling, but don't find it to work well at all. When will we know it's the right time to stop swaddling? How long do parents normally find swaddling helpful?
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Q
San Francisco, CA
My son just turned 5 months and in order for him to sleep at night, he needs to be swaddled. I'm wondering what's is the appropriate age to stop swaddling? What age was your little one and how did you get him/her to sleep with out it?
Thanks in advance
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Q
Dallas, TX
At what age (and/or developmental stage) did you move your babies to a big kid bed? Every time I put my 16 month old on a regular bed/mattress he sleeps like a baby (excuse the pun). It is a constant battle to get him to nap and sleep through the night in his crib. I don't know if he doesn't like the hard mattress or he's cold or what. I've tried making the room lighter and darker. I've tried giving him a variety of different blankies. We've tried letting him cry it out & we still don't see any progress. He even slept better in my MIL's playpen when we visited for the holidays. I think I've slept through the night about four times since he's been born and mama is getting worn out. Anyone have any insight?
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Q
Pittsburgh, PA
Hi -- my son is 15 months old and not a good sleeper in his crib. He sleeps beautifully in our bed, alone or with us. I've been thinking that the move to a "big boy bed" (either a toddler bed or a regular one) may help him sleep better than his crib. Does anyone know the recommended age to move a child out of his crib? When did you do it? Thanks in advance for your replies!
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Q
Washington DC, VA
Hello Everyone - I have an 11 week old daughter who still needs to be swaddled to go to sleep. She is now getting so big it is becoming more difficult to effectively swaddle her. If she gets her arms out before she falls asleep she ends up waking herself up. I have tried a couple of times to get her to sleep with her arms out, but she does not get a good nights sleep (and neither do I) when her arms are out. So I need some advice. How old was your baby when you stopped swaddling? How did you get them used to sleeping with their arms out? Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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Q
Los Angeles, CA
So i know my 8 and 1/2 month old twins can sleep all night because the do it almost every other night. One of them has gone three night without waking up for a bottle until last night. I cant figure out what causes the difference. they eat the same thing for dinner and through out the day and they dont wake eachother up. So any suggestions...
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Q
Los Angeles, CA
My son has been a good sleeper since we brought him home from the hospital. He was going to sleep at 8-8:30 and then waking up to eat at 10:30 or 11 p.m. and being able to sleep until 5:30-6:00. But the past two weeks he hasn't slept through the night at all! Last night he woke up like 4 times, and I have to get up and coax him back to sleep and then eventually nurse him at like 4. He's never ever woken up more than once a night! (he would wake to eat at 10-2-6) He's about 17 pounds, so he's a big guy, and I'm wondering if he really is just hungry? Last night my husband said to me "maybe we just need to try giving him rice" I did not want to feed him rice to make him sleep and wasn't planning on gioving him any foods until at the very least 6 months, but I certainly can't continue being woken up 4+ times a night. I know I probably sound spoiled that I've had it easy until this point but I want to know, is he just waking up because he wants to see us and he knows I'll get him and help him when he cries, or is he truly hungry. When I finally decided to feed him this morning, he was sucking like crazy on his binki and he latched right on and nursed and nursed like he was starving. During the day he can't stay up longer than an hour at a time and I make sure he sleeps at the very minimum 45 minute naps but usually an hour or more. He is exclusively breastfed and sleeps in a cradle in our room (we only have 1 bedroom). So should I give him rice and if not how dod I get him back to his good habits?
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Q
Chicago, IL
My 4.5 month old boy has always been a pretty good sleeper - goes to bed around 7 or 7:30 and usually sleeps until around 6 or 6:30 with 1-2 wakeups to eat. For a long time he was waking at 2 AM and then 6. Then he switched to 1 AM and 4 AM, and woke up again at 6:30 or so. This was fine, but for the last week he has been *wide awake* after his 4 AM meal! I put him down in his crib, and sing his goodnight song (which I *only* sing to him when he's going to sleep for the night - not for naps) and his eyes are wide open and he talks to me. For the last week he's stayed awake fussing on and off until about 5 AM when I either give up and take him into bed to nurse him to sleep (which always works) or nurse him to sleep in his rocking chair and put him back to bed. Either way, both my husband and I lose about an hour of sleep and when he does this he usually sleeps until 7 (and one time when he cried a lot he slept until 7:30).
He clearly is not ready to get up at 4:00 AM since he's back asleep so shortly afterwards. My question is, what can I do about this? I've tried changing his diaper so he sleeps better (and not changing his diaper - maybe that wakes him up more?) I don't talk to him because I don't want to encourage him. Any ideas?
Looking at previous posts, I think maybe this is pretty common for a 4.5 month old baby. Do I just wait it out...?
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Q
San Francisco, CA
Hello,
I have a 3 month old little girl who will not nap in her crib or pack and play. She will nap while someone holds her, in her car seat if we are driving around (but wakes up once we take her out of the car and set the car seat down somewhere) or in her swing. My mom is going to begin watching her, since I'm going back to work on Monday, and we were hoping she would be napping in the pack and play by now, but no luck. My mom doesn’t have a swing and we don’t really want to part with ours or buy a new one for her house since we are assuming this is something that will pass. She sleeps great at night (cross my fingers that continues) and can sooth herself to sleep at night if we put her in her crib when she's a little bit awake. However, when we try to put her down when she's asleep for a nap she wakes up instantly. Her room is dark when we put her in there and we play the same CD of soothing sounds that we do at night. Any ideas of how to get her to nap in the crib or pack and play?
Thank you so much!
C.
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Q
Atlanta, GA
Hello ladies! You have been such great supporters in the past I thought I would ask for help again! My daughter is almost 4 months old and still isn't making it thru the night. First, what is your 4 month old's daily schedule? I haven't set nap times or anything for her. I just let her sleep when she falls asleep. I know this is bad! I know she usually takes one around 10/11, 3/4 and a power nap around 6:30 for about 30 minutes. She has been coming to work with me which is nice but hard b/c I haven't been able to focus on putting her on a schedule. She will start daycare next week so hopefully that will help put her on a routine! Secondly, she is making it several hours at night - I give her a bottle around 8 or 9 and she sleeps until 3 or 4. Most of the time lately though she drinks maybe a couple of ounces or just needs me to give her her pacifier to go back to sleep. I'm thinking she's not "hungry" she just needs help to go back to sleep. Any suggestions? I know I should put her to bed "awake" and do sometimes but it's hard when she falls asleep, dead asleep, when I give her her last night bottle. I am getting really worn out with still having to get up with her and work. Now I am about to take on a second job and know that I am going to crash if I don't get her sleeping all night! I appreciate any help you can offer!
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Q
Minneapolis, MN
My almost 9-month old daughter frequently has irregular breathing during her sleep, usually in the a.m. I have read before that during R.E.M. or light sleep babies tend to have irregular breathing patterns, etc. Occasionally, she will appear to be taking several quick breaths. Otherwise she seems fine, her color seems normal and does not appear to be in distress. Still it sort of freaks me out. Any ideas?
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Q
Austin, TX
I was wondering if anyone out there has any advice for me. My son is now almost 3. He's been sleeping in his "big boy bed" since he was 14 months old. He used to love going to bed on his own and would go straight to sleep. Now he refuses to go to bed unless he's in my bed. And of course, I give in after an hour or two of screaming. His bed time is at 8pm, he listens to soft classical music, has a night light or two, and we even leave the bedroom door open for him... but he still screams and yells. We've tried letting him watch tv but that keeps him up even longer. I just don't know what to do. I'm at my witts end and ready to pull my hair out! Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated! Thanks for listening!
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Q
Chicago, IL
My 22 month old is an AWESOME sleeper. He takes a nap every day from 1-4, he's a nightmare without it and he looks forward to it. On occasion though, he doesn't go to sleep right away. He will eventually but after 45 minutes or so I start to feel bad and wonder if he's just not tired. He never cries, he just sits in his crib and reads or talks to himself. He will fall asleep eventually but I hate leaving him in there too long plus, is he just falling asleep because he's in there and what else is there for him to do? What would you do? How long would you wait? Is it cruel to leave him in there for that long? I usually say if he's not asleep by 2:30 or 3:00 I'm getting him out but he always falls asleep first. It's very rare but it still bothers me when it happens. Thanks.
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