Help for 5 week old!

[aimeemarie]

Okay, we have accidentally parented our 5 week daughter to nurse to sleep, walk/rock to sleep and to sleep in our bed. These things have to stop!!!

I just don't know what to do. She will sleep in her crib very well, it's just that occasionally I will spend her entire nap period going back in there because she's woken up. Swaddling seems to help this. So, now I can put her to sleep, but not a real deep sleep like I was doing and she will sleep for 2 hours or so. Last night we got her down at 8 for the night, she woke at 11 to feed, I accidentally fell asleep on the couch with her until 3, she woke and ate and then wouldn't go to bed, so at 5:15 I brought her into bed with us, stuck the pacifier in her mouth and went to sleep myself, I'm guessing she did the same after a while. At night, she seems to not want to sleep in her crib.

So, you don't cry it out...but what do you do? I almost want to cry it out, just to see what happens, when I know she's fed, changed, burped and tired, but I don't know what to do!

[Jaime]

here are some things you can read to help you out:

http://www.babywhisperer.com/forum/pat-shush-for-babies-under-3-months-old-vt26672.html

http://www.babywhisperer.com/forum/a-special-sleep-interview-with-tracy-hogg-vt451.html

once you read them, you should have some ideas for a plan on helping teach your lo to sleep.  the thing to remember - once you make a plan (that doesn't include crying it out  :wink: ) you need to be consistent and stick to it every single time.  your dd will cry at first - she doesn't understand why you are changing the rules.  but you will be right there to calm her and teach her the new way.  if you are persistant & don't cave in, she will eventually learn.  she may also start to get it, and then regress.  again, normal, and you will need to be more persistant than she is. 

good luck & HTH 

[aimeemarie]

Thank you for responding. I have already read both the links. I find pat-shh works for us. I think I wrote that post the day before yesterday. Our yesterday was very good! We stuck to EASY and ate on a 7,10,1... plan. As for the sleep, I never had to go back in more than once! I think most times I had rocked her to near sleep, set her down (of course she'd open the eyes again!) I would then pat-shh (sometimes only pat) until her eyes closed and then leave the room. A few times we checked on her she had awakened again but was quiet so we left her to be, and she did fall back asleep. At her night feed I'm not sure what I was thinking because I didn't think she needed to eat but then my dumb self realized that she was hungry, we had a bit of a hard time getting back to sleep until I put her on her side and patted pretty firmly for 2 minutes and went back to my own bed. (no co sleeping last night, yay--this was great!) Today we are up at 7 (this has just become a natural wake time for her). Is this too much sleep?

s 745 am-10:00am
s 1130 am- 100pm
s 230 pm-315pm
s 430 pm-615pm
s 800pm-11pm
s 1120pm-315am
s 500am-715am

That's about 16 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period for a 5 week old.

[Jaime]

that sounds very normal.  yay for you for seeing success!   

[aimeemarie]

Thank you for your advice! I am definately trying not to cave in. We were big co sleepers and last night I could have just brought her in bed, but I kept at it and I didn't have to go back in there after I tried the side position.

AND, I put her down 5 minutes ago after seeing her eyes start to close in the swing, I swaddled her up, put her on her side, patted for a minute and I haven't heard a peep out of her!

[LisbonMom]

Yay, you're getting it right!!!

Just wanted to encourage you to keep at it and don't cave in. Enjoy your new found freedom, and your friend's amazement when you tell them how great a sleeper you have.
Watch out for those growth spurts and happy whispering !!

Sara