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View Full Version : What works to keep baby asleep?



verrine
11-27-2004, 06:34 PM
DS goes to sleep easily after nursing, but then wakes up 10 minutes after he is put in the bassinet. He stops crying as soon as I pick him up. He really prefers being held over your shoulder, maybe it is the pressure on his tummy? But you aren't supposed to let them sleep on their stomachs.

DH says he should cry it out but that seems so wrong with a 6 week old. I get frustrated & tired with holding him all the time. Lately I've been nursing him in our bed so that I can leave him in place when he falls asleep. But that doesn't seem like a good idea long-term.

Karenn
11-27-2004, 10:47 PM
We've been going through the same thing here. DD is 9 weeks old. Here's what *sometimes* works for us:

Ultra short periods of wakefulness: she took her longest nap today after being awake for only 45 minutes. I nursed her and put her in her crib. For the most part, I find that DD is more likely to do the 10 min wake up when she has been awake too long. If she's had a good nap (more than an hour), I try to have her ASLEEP within 1 1/2 hours of waking up. If it was a short nap, I try to have her sleeping sooner.

Swaddling: I keep her arms really snug so that when she wakes up she doesn't flail all over the place and get herself even more awake.

Using a sling: I'll try for 20 or 30 minutes to get DD to fall asleep & stay asleep in her crib, and if that doesn't work, then I put her in a sling or the baby bjorn and let her sleep there for an hour or two. Then she's better rested, and more able to sleep when I want to try to get her in her crib next time.

Honestly, I also like your idea of nursing him in your bed and letting him stay there. It's not necessarily a long term commitment. As he gets older and more able to fall asleep on his own, he might be more able to sleep in different place. My philophy this time around is to do what I need to do to get DD to sleep and worry about bad habits when they really become a problem. (last time I worried so much about causing bad habits that we ended up without any way to put DS to sleep, and one overtired baby. It was not fun!)

I really like Marc Weissbluth's book Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child. His ideas about sleep usually seem to ring true with how my kids act.
Good luck!

verrine
11-29-2004, 06:34 PM
I will try the book :) . He hates swaddling & only accepts the sling or the swing sometimes. It's all about being over the shoulder. He also likes sleeping on my breast after nursing so sometimes I'll just stay in the chair because I'm not going to get anything done anyway & at least he's not screaming.

Karenn
11-29-2004, 08:40 PM
Oh, your DS sounds just like mine was! He was an over the shoulder baby too. He and I lived in the recliner the first few months! It does get easier...

beramer
11-30-2004, 03:49 PM
My DD was the same way. She loved to be vertical. When you put her down she in her basinett she woke up. Don't worry--she is 5 months now and we can USUALLY put her down with no problem.

Some things we did...
She prefers to sleep on her side. She would usually roll on her side herself(yes she did this in the hospital before we came home). We found that she woke up less when we put her down this way.

The doctor recommended that we roll receiving blankets and bundle up on either side of her. She did not like to be swaddled because she likes to kick, but she did want to feel that comfort of being cuddled.

I also put a receiving blanket down in the bassinett because I thought the cool touch of the percale sheet might be waking her up a bit. I never did buy knit or flannel as I intended.

The doctor also recommended having a blanket or object with you every time you nurse. Then you can leave it with the baby when you put them down. Then they can still smell you next to them. The first time my DD took a good nap without being held I had done something like this. I had to change my T-shirt so I took the old one and bundled next to her--she slept for 1 hour.

I hope some of this helps--it does get better!!

mamamimi
12-01-2004, 02:00 PM
My DS still does not sleep for long alone. However we have chosen to cosleep and it is working for us. There were some ideas on www.kellymom.com for sleeping and I plan to try a few. One was to use a rice bag or sock (I never used the one they told us to take to L&D so noe it will have a use). Anyway you warm the rice bag in the microwave and then wrap it in a shirt you have worn but not washed. This way the baby feels the warmth and smells you. We are going to try it soon so I can't tell you how it will work.

When DS was that small the swing worked much better than the crib or bassinet.

Saartje
12-17-2004, 03:14 AM
You might want to have your baby checked for reflux; that can sometimes cause babies to be uncomfortable on their backs. If that's the case, putting him to sleep on an incline may help.

I think you're right to not let him "cry it out." If you're going to do that, it should be with an older baby. With a baby that young, there is no "it" to cry out. They're not playing games with you; if they're crying, they need something, even if that something is simply to be close to you.

You said your baby will seldom accept the sling; you might want to try a wrap carrier, if your baby prefers a vertical position.

About your nursing the baby to sleep in your bed and leaving him there... worry about long-term when you get there. ;) For now, just try to not do that every single time, since letting him be used to a variety of ways of going to sleep will make it easier on you in the long run. In the short run, though, do whatever you need to do to get some rest.