I have been having a problem getting my daughter to sleep again. She won't sleep next to me without waking up. she hates her crib and arches her back to be out of it. we have to sleep in the same room together because I live with my mother. I have a fisher price swing that she sleeps in for short naps but it seems like that is all she can sleep in. the music is the only thing that makes her go to sleep or makes her calm when she is fussing because she is tired. Last night she slept for a total of 4 hours the WHOLE NIGHT. she did not go without her nap and was not overtired. she did not sleep too much during the day so her days and nights are not mixed up. this has been going on for a while now but had a stretch of about a week in which she slept for only 5 hours at a time some nights. I thought it had gotten a little better and I was getting some sleep but now I am back to none again and it is really getting to me. I have been going through this since the day she was born. I am interested in knowing what to do instead of crying it out. she just gets so worked up she makes herself throw up. thanks.
Some nights she sleeps with me. when she wakes up she wants the bottle to go back to sleep so I just give it to her without moving her and she usually, let me say usually, she goes right back to sleep. I think she gets tired of sleeping in the same place so when she does, I just move her to the swing because she sleeps well in it. she likes to be surrounded by something soft. if she wakes up I just press the button for the music and she goes right back to sleep. if she is hungry she doesn't go back to sleep until after the bottle and then she goes back in the swing. but those nights she stays up until all hours are the worst because we (me and my mom) are so tired trying to get her tired enough to go to sleep. we try rocking, feeding, cuddling, ect. and nothing works. oh well. she just doesn't know how to get herself to sleep yet. I think she is too young to do it. she will let me know when she is ready though.
There is a wonderful article on this very subject in this issue of Mothering Magazine. You can pick itup at Barnes and Noble. I think you'll feel much better after reading it.
S.
I totally recommend the book "On Becoming Babywise." It made such a difference for me with my daughter and she's been a great sleeper ever since I implemented her schedule.
I would also recommend hanging a sheet (we just used thumbtacks in the ceiling) to curtain off her crib from your bed so that she can't see you if she wakes during the night. That may help too...
Good luck!
K.
Ooof, I'm sorry to hear about your unrestful nights. I don't know if any of my suggestions will work, but they may be worth a try.
You say she sleeps well in her swing. One of two things you can do...just let her sleep in her swing for the night. If she gets even 6 - 7 hours in, that's better than 4. Second, you could let her fall asleep in the swing and move her after she's in a deep sleep. Maybe she likes the coziness of the swing...do you still have the sleep positioner? I still use mine even though my babe is five months. She likes feeling cozy & it comforts her. You can move your babe from the swing, after she's out cold, and put her in the sleep positioner in her crib.
Options not including the swing are rocking her before laying her down. Do you have a small CD player? Plug it in, put on some soothing music (my 2nd child listened to Sade, Frank Sinatra, & Tony Bennett of all things) and rock her to sleep. Plunk her in the crib when she's done.
You might want to check her crib. Is there something uncomfortable there? Check the mattress, the sheets, the blankets. Maybe the a/c vent is nearby or blows on her? Maybe you have a ceiling fan on that's too breezy?
I hope your nights improve!
I agree with another mom on the use of a humidifier. My son would wake up just about every hour on the hour until we got the humidifier. Now he sleeps for about 9-10 hours every night with only a few disturbances.
Another thing you may want to try (if you haven't already)is a music mobile for the crib or some type of crib vibrator. I think Playskool makes one. My sister said it really helped with both of her childern. If your daughter is sleeping in the swing ok, maybe its the motion that's helping.
Also, do you think that maybe she is going through a growth spurt or possibly teething? There are so many things that can disrupt their sleep and trying to find out the reason can be frustrating. I hope these suggestions will help and that your sleepless nights will soon be a thing of the past. Hang in there.
I started using a "white noise" machine for my boys when they were around 4 months old. You can pick one up at Target, near the pharmacy, it's a sound machine that has ocean sounds, running streams, lot's of calming sounds to help soothe your baby. It really helped my boys go to sleep, but the best is it helped them go back to sleep if they woke in the middle of the night.
Hope this helps!!
C.
If she was my daughter I would swaddle her, lay her in the swing, and let the music play! She might still be a little uncomfortable about being out in the world and not know how to get herself to sleep. There's nothing wrong with leaving her to sleep in her swing if she gets more hours in. Remember she was in constant motion before she was born! Once she gets a little older and more comfortable with the world then she'll sleep without a problem. Hope this helps!
hi, L.!
i am a 43 yo stay at home mom of three boys....2,6, and 8. ask your pediatrician about possible reasons for your child's waking up. my middle child did this until he was diagnosed with enlareged tonsils and adenoids. my last child did this until he had his adenoids removed and was put on prevacid to control reflux [gerd]. he never spit up... his "indigestion/heartburn" was enough to wake him up at night. he has been sleeping through the night now since he turned 1 1/2. good luck !!!!!
M.
L., God Bless you! Have you tried one of those crib aquariams? Mine saved me! Good Luck,
A.
Well L.- I feel for you!! Living with your mom can be stressful at times-been there-and I know when I was at my moms I always jumped as soon as the baby cried so it wouldn't disturb my mom or anyone else. This can be very tiresom. Also,if it's the crib, maybe try putting a pillow under her so she is sleeping at an incline-my son likes that. I put a feather pillow in his crib so it supports his upper body and head and conforms to his shape.Very comfy. Also. try swaddling her. Maybe she wants that feeling of security again.Good luck to you!!!!
I used white noise and Hylands teething tablets. Don't know if I spelled that right. They are over with the vitamins at stores like walmart, target, and drug stores. They are a soothing tablet, so it won't make her sleepy but it will help to calm down. They helped my son sleep through the night. You can ask your doctor more about them. I hope something helps.
L.,
I can feel for you. My son was colic and fussed alot and only slept for 4 hours and then he wou;d wake up for a bottle and go back to sleep. He to was sleeping well and then all the sudden it changed. Your daughter is just going through a phase. Maybe she is needing more foods before bed to satisfy her or she is teething. Thts the bas thing about babys, you never know and it is so frustrating. I feel for you being a single mom nad doing it by your self. Its hard b/c you share the room with her. YOu definetley do need to make her sleep in her own crib, its better and safer for both of you. I bet you dont get a good nights sleep b/c your nervous about her, either rolling off or you rolling on her. Is she on solid baby food yet? With my son I bought a real small fan and put it in his room, the noise seemed to help him sleep. He is now 11months old and sleeping about 10-11hrs a night. Make sure you get a night;y routine. Give her a bath, then bottle then night night time. Try and be consistent. I hope this helped. Hang in there it does get better. Your at a tough stage. Babys are alot of work and can drain you more than any job out there. let me know if you have any questions?
My middle daughter did not like her crib either, I ended up putting her to sleep in the pack and play crib.
I don't know if that will help your little girl to sleep but maybe. And maybe even talk to the dr about if you can give her some chamomile drops or something along those lines to calm her to sleep.
Oh, I feel for you. My dd was the same way. She would cry so hard she would throw up. It made it much harder to deal with things. So I do feel for you there.
My dd was like this and it kept getting worse. She would wake up fussy and cranky. Nothing seemed to work. I put off letting her cry it out until she was 10 months old. It was so hard to even think about, especially with her throwing up. So I finally did it. After that, she has been a great sleeper. I believe my dd was so cranky and not being able to get a good night's sleep because she just had to learn how to get herself to sleep. Once she learned to do it on her own, all those stressful nights that lead to tired, stressful days were over. Trust me, I know how hard it is.
Since you asked for other things besides crying it out, have you tried a humidifier? My kids both like noise at night and that always helped.
I hope it gets better soon. Until it does, maybe try to catch a nap with her during the day.
