sleep

[sthole]

Isn't there some saying that says something about a baby sleeping when they need to sleep? Not my DD (11 weeks). She fights sleep tooth and nail. And it just gets worse as the day goes on. And I'm so sick of hearing about my friends who had kids that would fall asleep anywhere (ie in their swing or bouncy). Aaahh!! Is this something she'll grow out of? Does it ever get any better?

[katiesmommy]

My DD wouldn't sleep just anywhere either. For the first few weeks she would only sleep with me, then she would only sleep in her swing for another couple of weeks. She got to a point where she didn't want to sleep anywhere. Now she's 18 months and she will only sleep in her bed, in her room. She was fighting and fighting me everyday, I was going out of my mind, this is going to sound so terrible, but at 12 weeks I got to the point that I had to let her cry it out. I felt like I had no other choice. After a few minutes she would fall asleep, after a couple of days, she stopped fighting it, she just wouldn't go to sleep unless she was in her bed, but as soon as she was in that bed, she was out. I guess I just wanted to let you know that you aren't alone and it will get better because I thought I was so alone in my descision and that it was never going to get better.

[KrisM]

DD is almost 4 months and definitely prefers her cradle. She'll cat nap in the car, but only for a few minutes. Never in the swing or bouncy. Do you try to put her down for a nap about 2 hours after she's up? That's what we do and she goes down pretty easily. If she gets too tired, it's awful.

[overcome]

Sleep is soooooooooo difficult. I went through my whole pregnancy researching everything, but it never occured to me that my dd wouldn't WANT to sleep. What about "sleeping like a baby?"

Mia never slept ANYWHERE (read..bouncy chair swing, car seat, no where)except for my chest (or DH). I was really going out of my mind. Finally, I went to my ped. out of desperation and she said let her cry for 10 minutes and let her sleep on her stomach.

At 3 1/2 months, that what I did. I was so tired I didn't even worry about SIDS. HOnestly...it took a couple nights, but she finally started sleeping in her crib for longer periods of time. She has slept on her stomach every day of her life since then.

She is doing sooooooo much better now with sleep, but she still gets up at 5AM most days and usually only take 2 45 minute naps during the day. It is all relative...

The kicker is, every kid is different, so whatever we post here may or may not be something your DD experiences. The most difficult part is that you will almost have to "wait and see". While you are waiting and seeing you can try different things, but I warn you that is also frustrating.

I was just telling a friend of mine that I can't really remember many details from when Mia was just a few months old...I was so preoccupied with sleep issues and wondering what the hell I had gotten myself into....Do whatever you can to make your life easier, and try REALLY REALLY hard to just appreciate your DD. One day, she HAS to sleep and I hope that day is sooner rather than later!

Oh my, this turned into quite a ramble...hope something I said helps.

Big hugs Mama!!