Sleep

[Evie76]

OK, so you people are going to think I am obsessed with the sleep issue......... I know there are "rules" but I don't think I am following them.

I did try the "Time to sleep video" (controlled crying), but I found it too traumatic....

Now I give Daniel a feed, rock him to sleep and then put him to bed (in his own cot) - he sleeps all night, so lack of sleep isn't an issue. This morning he even slept until 7am!! I got an hour sleep in.

Two questions:
Do you think my technique is going to come back and bite me on the bum later?
How do you get your baby to sleep?

[Beach Mama]

Mmmm - Isabelle falls asleep on the bb at night - and doesnt fight sleep at all...daytime is a different issue, she doesnt fall asleep feeding, wont fall asleep if left alone and awake, but will sleep if held and then will wake after anywhere from 5 minutes to 40 minutes.... Im trying everything too - even if it means pacing with her to get her to sleep.... and i agree controlled crying is really distressing for me and her and so not really an option....
Dont think I helped much sorry!!! Good luck!

[shellbell3]

My advice is if something works and your happy with it don't change it. I really wouldn't worry about it unless it becomes a problem.
At night when first going to sleep she on her own stopped needing the breast and settled herself. But thru the night she still needed the breast to resettle until we decided to cut down night time feeds and settle by patting, cuddling but as your son already sleeps well overnight thats not really a prob.
Our main prob we had was daytime sleep she stopped using the breast to settle and was hard to settle and we used a modified version of CC involving patting and picking up/ lying down.

[Rachel]

I'm afraid I'll be of no help as we rock/pat our DD to sleep. At night she sleeps really well, in the day is a different story (I think I have already been into her 6 times since putting her down and that was only and hour ago!). I worry about creating bad habits too but I don't know what else to do as I cannot just let her cry - It tried it briefly the other day, ended up picking her up after 5 minutes and she just cried and cried for 20 minutes as if to say 'how could you do that to me mummy' - I felt so guilty! Good luck, I will be checking back on this thread!

[ShootingStar]

When Jesse was younger he use to get a bottle then id rock him to sleep. Then he started to get mighty heavy! So after his bottle, id start rocking then when he started to get sleepy would put him in bed just before, so he'd fall asleep in there. Slowly i then started putting him in bed straight after the bottle and stand there with him. Then eventually id put him in and go to the other side of the room where he wouldnt see me, so if he fussed or dropped him dummy i was there pretty quick. Now ive got it to where i can just put him in bed and he self settles completely. This is during the day also. Sometimes (like as i write this!), he'll lie in there talking or playing with his aquarium, but i jsut leave him and he eventually nods off.

Best of luck!

[Annikas_Mamma]

Don't fix what aint broke!!! That being said though, just prepare for the possibility of night waking between 6 & 12 months, which is a very common occurance. At that time, it might be helpful for your bubba to be cuddled, but then put to bed whilst he is just on the edge of sleep. Otherwise, you might find yourself having to do the same each time he wakes up at night, when he is older.

With Annika, we will give her 5 minutes of quiet time before bed. Then we give her a dummy, and wrap her. Then DH gives her another cuddle in a dark room, but not until she goes to sleep. She's then put in her cot, and we walk out.

[Emma1979]

we have a very particular method as we have a very particular baby, strong minded, defiant, doesn't want to miss out on anything while she is sleeping... after going to a day stay sleep program, this is what we discovered works best for her determined little personality...
we have sheets up on the sides of her cot so she can't see out (minimal stimulation), we have the room as dark as possible, i follow the same pattern each time she goes down for a sleep, when she gets tired or grizzly, she is taken into her room, i pull the blind down, then wrap her tightly (its at this stage that she realises it is sleep time and she will start to protest), then i stick the dummy in and rock/pat her for a few minutes to calm her, then she is placed in her cot awake and i leave the room... she will spit the dummy out and grizzle or cry for a few minutes, and i will return to replace the dummy, but give her NO eye contact and in fact duck down and hide behind the sheet of the cot while i stroke her face a few times to soothe her and go SHH SHHH SHHHHH etc. Sounds ridiculous but she now gets herself to sleep in a few minutes (sometimes it can take 10) and this is a 100% improvement on two weeks ago, when she would only sleep in my arms, for the duration of the entire sleep. I basically had her attached to me the entire time except when she was playing on the floor etc, including nights. I was a wreck.

I say do what is working for you, if it becomes a problem you can always fix it later... if you have 'programmed' her to only sleep by rocking her to sleep, you can usually de-progam them if it becomes a problem - it just takes discipline and consistency... i had to let hollie cry and cry at the day stay and it was awful, but the end result was so worth it and i feel she is a much happier baby now that she is sleeping better.

That said during her day time sleeps I do have to replace the dummy each time she wakes, so I am praying this doesn't start to happen in the night time sleeps too, or we will have to get rid of the dummy, and that will be hard.

[Evie76]

Gosh, particular little things, aren't they?

I went to my MIL's place last weekend and she has a rocking chair!! What a brilliant invention - I wish I was a millionaire, then I'd buy one........

[Snacks]

I know there are "rules" but I don't think I am following them.

Ooer - I didn't get the memo

Two questions:
Do you think my technique is going to come back and bite me on the bum later?

No one can possibly know. IMHO its best to deal with today today and tomorrow tomorrow, KWIM? If it works for you now, great! If it becomes a problem later, you can fix it then. Of course, it may never become a problem!

How do you get your baby to sleep?

Usually wrap, place in cot with mobile on, and pat if she's crying. Sometimes she settles herself - a more recent development

All the best with it - you're doing a marvellous job