BabyWhispererForums.com
SLEEP => Night Wakings => Topic started by: arialvetica on May 17, 2012, 13:46:32 pm
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My son is 7 months old. The night wakings are killing us! I'd like advice on helping him learn to sleep through the night.
He will fall asleep on his own for naptimes and bedtime, but during the night he wakes every 3 hours, for a total of 3 night wakings.
When he wakes at night, baby is usually only half-awake (eyes shut, but crying and looking for the breast).
We don't go to him at the first peep, but we don't let him cry it out. When the sounds escalate to genuine crying (or very loud fussing) Dad goes to him.
Dad gets him, puts him next to me in bed, we nurse, and Dad puts him back in his crib, awake, and he falls asleep on his own just fine.
Daytime routine isn't by-the-clock but there is a rough circadian rhythm to it: Awake for 2 - 3 hours, nap for 2 hours. For example:
8am wake (nurse upon waking)
10am nap (nurse before nap, place in crib while still awake)
12pm wake (nurse upon waking)
3pm nap (nurse before nap, place in crib while still awake )
5pm wake (nurse upon waking)
... in this awake time we normally offer food, he usually ingests just a few small bites
8pm bedtime (dim lighting, medicine, pajamas, story time, nurse, place in crib while still awake)
11pm wake, nurse, sleep
2am wake, nurse, sleep
5am wake, nurse, sleep
When placing baby in crib, we use a pacifier 100% of the time, sleep sheep 75% of the time, and swaddle 25% of the time.
Every nursing session is usually about 8 - 10 minutes on one side, and he seems satisfied.
We always resort to nursing, but we have tried offering his pacifier (calms him down for a few seconds, but then he pulls it out and wails). We have tried other things (patting, rocking, talking, singing) but they got zero response so we gave up.
When he's awake, he spends about 50% of the time playing on his tummy, 25% of the time playing in his Bumbo, and 25% of the time being held (in the baby carrier, on my lap, or on my hip).
Baby is not teething, and I don't believe there are any developmental milestones or growth spurts going on. This is just his normal state.
He does not have a lovie. I was reading old posts @ this forum and thinking that's something we could try.
I'd love advice on how to eliminate these night wakings. My husband and I are exhausted! (Our son seems happy as a clam...he's probably proud of successfully sleep training us!)
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(Our son seems happy as a clam...he's probably proud of successfully sleep training us!)
:D :D I know this is not really funny, but it did give me quite a chuckle. Happy babies are always a good thing. :D
Ok, on to the real stuff. Welcome to BW! :) His routine looks really good to me, in fact I'm a tad jealous. He's definitely nursing enough, so doesn't need all those NFs. Are you only offering him solids at supper time? Since he's 7 mo, you may think about starting to offer them one other time of day as well, either breakfast or lunch, it doesn't really matter. The goal here is to start to drop some of those nursing sessions during the day.
When you nurse him before his naps and bedtime, you say he goes into his crib awake: is this fully awake, drowsy, how would you describe it? Is he capable of falling asleep on his own if you don't nurse him at those times?
When placing baby in crib, we use a pacifier 100% of the time, sleep sheep 75% of the time, and swaddle 25% of the time.
I'm curious about this. Are you weaning the swaddle, or why do you use it only 25% of the time? I'd use both the paci and the sleep sheep 100% of the time. Consistency is key for these LOs.
Ultimately, I think he's just used to the routine of nursing and going back to sleep in the middle of the night. I'm not sure it's a prop issue, if he falls asleep independently, but when you say you always resort to nursing, I think he is dependent on that. In order to break this habit, you'll have to pick a method you're comfortable with (be it shh/patting, rubbing his back, singing, whatever) and stick to it. Yes, he won't like it for the first several times and it might take awhile (1-2 hr is not unheard of) but eventually he'll realize that there will be no feeding and he needs to go back to sleep. A lovey would defintiely be a good introduction here, and he can still have the pacifier in the MOTN, but I wouldn't keep giving it to him or it'll just become a prop. Put several in his crib and guide his hand to them if he wants one.
So, I'd choose a time interval you're comfortable with (maybe start somewhere between 4 and 6 hr), and not feed him before that. Your husband will be key in this as obviously he associates you with nursing. What is typically recommended is that you each take two nights. So, send your DH in to soothe him back to sleep the first two nights and then you take the next two and so on. I'm guessing your DH will be on board as he's already quite involved, but if he's not, you can definitely do the work yourself, it might just take a little longer. The key is you have to be determined not to feed him, because if you cave in and feed him, you'll only be teaching him to cry that long to get fed. So, even if you go over the allotted time interval, he must fall asleep (if for only 15-30 min) before you feed him.
Let me know what you think. We'll be happy to help you through this!
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Thank you so much for your insight!! :) I can see the humor in my son having sleep trained us...my husband is a little more grumbly. :)
To answer your questions...
1. I'm wanting to keep daytime nursing his main source of nutrition until his 1st birthday. I offer more food every day, but for now it's just an edible toy. :)
2. For naps, I put him in his crib Wide Awake. Over the last couple days I've experimented with not nursing him first and was surprised at how well that went! A little more "winding down" fussing, but he still fell asleep within 15 minutes.
3. The swaddle is what I use when nothing else is working. (For example, this afternoon we have been trying for a nap for 45 minutes. I finally swaddled him and he fell asleep within 5 minutes.) I'm going to take your advice and do the sleep sheep 100% of the time. (I don't purposely not turn it on, I just forget sometimes.)
My husband is on board, but we have a few questions. Does the baby need to stay in the crib for this to work? I just imagine my poor exhausted husband hunched over the crib frantically patting a screaming baby from 3am - 5am....yikes! I'm wondering if it would work for him to bring the baby into bed with him (I could sleep in another room)?
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1. I'm wanting to keep daytime nursing his main source of nutrition until his 1st birthday. I offer more food every day, but for now it's just an edible toy. :)
Yes, that's what's recommended, so you're right on. The only thing I'm thinking is that down the line as you drop the NFs, he's eventually going to get hungrier, so offering breakfast at some point should help that. But, you can also start offering the other breast as well and continue with the top up feeds, so solids really do play a smaller role.
2. For naps, I put him in his crib Wide Awake. Over the last couple days I've experimented with not nursing him first and was surprised at how well that went! A little more "winding down" fussing, but he still fell asleep within 15 minutes.
This is great, it will go a long way in helping him to settle without feeding in the middle of the night. :) I would keep those top-up nursing sessions somewhere in the A time, close to the end though, because you don't want him to start waking hungry from a nap.
3. The swaddle is what I use when nothing else is working. (For example, this afternoon we have been trying for a nap for 45 minutes. I finally swaddled him and he fell asleep within 5 minutes.)
Gotcha. The swaddle is a great tool for that, as long as he's not rolling over in it. I've heard of LOs still being swaddled until they're 9 mo old. When you get to the point of needing to drop it, a firm hand across the arms and legs can help them settle when they get into that 'can't get to sleep' state.
My husband is on board, but we have a few questions. Does the baby need to stay in the crib for this to work? I just imagine my poor exhausted husband hunched over the crib frantically patting a screaming baby from 3am - 5am....yikes! I'm wondering if it would work for him to bring the baby into bed with him (I could sleep in another room)?
I would tend to say, yes, baby should stay in his crib for this to be most effective. If you bring him in to your bed, then you're really only exchanging one habit for another that you'll eventually want to break (I'm assuming you don't want to start co-sleeping). DS will also likely be a bit confused here as that's where you usually feed him in the middle of the night, right? Your DH can bring a chair in to sit beaide the crib and reach through to pat DS or put a mattress next to the crib and do the same. If he does want to sleep beside him, then I'd say do it on a mattress in his room and you can more easily remove that prop by gradual withdrawal. Whatever you think will work best for your family and that you can stick with is how you should decide, because consistency will be the key.
It will most likely be best to start on a weekend, so your DH won't have to go to work and can rest a bit during the day. :)
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We were too excited to wait for the weekend LOL. :) I think it went pretty well!
Night #1
8:15pm Bedtime (bath, diaper, medicine, story, nursing, placed in crib wide awake, asleep within 10 minutes)
11:35pm Night Waking (daddy turned on sleep sheep, put pacifier in, rocked for 30 minutes until the screaming/crying stopped, then placed in crib awake, asleep within 10 minutes)
3:00am Night Waking (daddy left baby in crib, turned on sleep sheep, put pacifier in, and applied pressure on baby's tummy for 15 minutes until baby was calm/sleeping (he's not sure if baby was asleep or awake when he left the room))
Despite the wakings, this was the best night of sleep either of us have had in 4 months. We don't officially "co sleep" but our son usually ends up spending a lot of time in bed with us. I'm not opposed to co-sleeping, but I can say without a doubt it does not work for our family! When we're all together, we DOZE instead of SLEEP.
Normally we have 3 night wakings, last night we had 2. Normally I nurse baby to sleep, last night he got back to sleep without nursing (but with some crying/screaming/help from daddy.)
Does it sound like we're on the right track? More advice? Next steps? I want to make sure we don't introduce any new bad habits or dependencies. :)
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We were too excited to wait for the weekend LOL. :) I think it went pretty well!
LOL yes, I know the feeling of just wanting to get things sorted! It sounds like it went really well in my opinion. :)
Does it sound like we're on the right track? More advice? Next steps?
Yes, I think you're definitely on the right track. The next step would be to continue as your DH did with the second waking and keep settling him in the crib. Hopefully, he'll just start to sleep through, but if not after a week or so, then you try to do less and less intervention each night. So, going in and giving him the paci, but using mostly your voice to settle him rather than patting or pressure. Since he's already an independent sleeper, I think once he gets the hang of not feeding, you probably won't have to do much more. :)
Did you end up feeding him around the 4-5 am mark, then? I think at 7 mo, it's probably quite early to expect him to go all the way from bedtime feed until wake up, especially when his night is 11-12 hr. So, definitely keep that one feed for awhile. Other than that, you're on your way. Yay for some good sleep! ;D
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We did a dream feed when my husband got up at 6am. After that he slept until 9am or so, which is unheard of. :)
I'll come back tomorrow to let you know how tonight goes! Thank you SO so SO much for your guidance!
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You're most welcome! Keep me posted. :)
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Last night went well! He stayed in his crib The Whole Night. Two nights in a row without any nursing--my breasts don't know what to do with all that milk!
Night #2
8:15pm Bedtime (Same routine--a few squawks, but asleep within 10 minutes)
1:45pm Night Waking (Daddy turned on sleep sheep, put pacifier in baby's hand and baby put it in himself, and rested his hand on baby's cheek for 25 minutes of crying--once baby was calm, daddy came back to bed and we didn't hear another peep)
5:00am Night Waking (Daddy turned on sleep sheep, gave baby pacifier, and stroked baby's cheek with lovey for 10 minutes of crying--once baby was calm daddy came back to bed. There were a few squawks, but asleep within 10 minutes)
6:00am Dream Feed.
If I had realized the second waking was 5am, I would have just nursed the kid. I'm kind of glad my husband was on duty--it was just one more "practice" session of falling asleep without nursing. :)
Tonight is my first turn at bat. I'm a little worried my son won't be as complacent for me since my name is Milk, but my husband didn't like the idea of every night being "Daddy's night." ::)
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Last night went well! He stayed in his crib The Whole Night.
Woohoo!!! ;D ;D Well done little man and daddy!
Yes, it probably would've been easier to just feed him at 5 am, but good for him for still settling. You can do that from now on, so you don't have to be awake twice in the early morning.
Tonight is my first turn at bat. I'm a little worried my son won't be as complacent for me since my name is Milk, but my husband didn't like the idea of every night being "Daddy's night." ::)
Do you think your DH would be willing to do just one more night? Often, when it goes this well and you have an angel/textbook baby, they can drop habits after 3 nights (it's not guaranteed, but it might be worth a shot). Otherwise, just go in there confident, because he has proven that he can do it. If he senses your confidence, he'll do much better. He may put up a bit more of a fuss, because he wants to nurse, but if you're confident and reassuring he should be fine. My DH and I did this with DD when she was about that age. He did the first two nights and I did the third. After that, she didn't wake. It did take her much longer to settle for me, but I think she got the message. ;) Good luck!! :)
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Unfortunately (or "fortunately," according to my husband, LOL!), I didn't see your post suggesting that daddy do a 3rd night in a row, so I was on call.
Here's how last night went...
Night #3
8:00 Bedtime (exact same routine, not a PEEP after daddy put him in his crib)
10:30 Dream Feed (20 solid minutes of nursing, 10 on each side)
7.5 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Woot!!! :o
6:00am "Night" Waking (Not sure if I should call this a "night waking" or not. Since we did that 10:30 dream feed, I didn't nurse him. I turned on the Sleep Sheep, gave him his pacifier, and then applied pressure to his tummy. Over and over again, he would calm down, I would remove my hand and remain nearby, but as soon as I tried to move away he would start crying. He wouldn't even let me sit on the bed just a few feet from his crib. I eventually pulled a little stool over near his crib so my face was RIGHT THERE. 70 minutes later he fell asleep. At one point he pulled the pacifier out, lost it, and pawed around for it, found it, and put it back in his mouth (all with his eyes closed tight), so that was pretty cool.)
So, not sure what to think of last night. Obviously that super long sleep was delightful. In the past 4 months, we've only had one other full night of sleep, and that was a total fluke. On the other hand, it did take 70 minutes for him to fall back asleep. Thoughts? Reassurance? More advice for tonight?
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I am so glad I found this thread - as I am RIGHT there with you, minneapolisite! I am going to try what katie80 has suggested! Our babies are the same age and are on a similar schedule and I was about to post this same question! Hope you don't mind if I follow along!
My next question is - if I drop a feeding (or 2) in the middle of the night, do I feed more often during the day? We are on a 3.5 hour EASY right now. Do I do this with more nursing or add more solids? She currently has solids as part of the "A" time in between nursings, about once a day. My DD has formula on occasion and we are thinking we might give her that at night so that my husband can do the nighttime routine. I don't get much when I pump so this is better for us when we do a bottle. I just want to make sure she isn't ever hungry!
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7.5 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Woot!!! :o
Wow, awesome!!! Isn't it such a good feeling? ;D He's doing so well!
At one point he pulled the pacifier out, lost it, and pawed around for it, found it, and put it back in his mouth (all with his eyes closed tight), so that was pretty cool.)
That is pretty cool and shows that he'll be great at getting himself back to sleep in the middle of the night without you soon.
Thoughts? Reassurance? More advice for tonight?
Well, I think there were a couple things working against you, probably. One being that he was probably starting to get hungry. I'd say average for a 7 mo old would be 6-8 hr of sleep between feeds. He was at close to 8. Another factor is that he'd had a nice stretch of uninterrupted sleep, so although he wasn't ready to get up and start the day, it's a little tougher to fall back to sleep at that time in the morning. Finally, having you come settle him was different and he was most likely trying to figure that all out. Even though you did things according to how DH did them, it's never exactly the same, and he probably wondered why he wasn't being fed more than with DH. When you noticed he didn't want you to leave, I probably would've just held my hand on him until he was all the way asleep. I still think that's a success considering where he was three nights ago. He seems quite adaptable to change and is already a great independent sleeper, so I think that one time (or even a few) of 'helping' him back to sleep wouldn't hurt anything.
As for tonight, I think you have a couple options. You could give him a little feed if he has that early wake again. I'd do just enough to tide him over til wake-up and know that eventually, he'll push that out on his own or just drop it (either alone or with a little nudge). Since you're doing the DF at night now, I probably wouldn't feed him before ~8 hr (you decide what you're most comfortable with). He's shown he can do a nice long stretch. The other option would be to not feed and settle him again, but give him a bit more assistance if needed. Who knows, since he did it once with you already, he may settle quicker on his own this time.
You guys are doing really well, keep up the good work! I think you have many more of those nice long stretches of sleep in your future. ;D
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ambula603 - You are more than welcome to follow along on this thread. :) If you feel like you need more personalized advice, please feel free to start your own as well or I can split this one off for you.
My next question is - if I drop a feeding (or 2) in the middle of the night, do I feed more often during the day?
The usual thinking is that when a night feeding is dropped, a LO automatically takes in more during the day. At first, you'll notice your breasts are much fuller and DD will most likely take a bigger feed either right away in the morning or for a NF if there still is one. You could definitely add in a small top up feed somewhere in the day or do a dream feed between 10 and 11 at night. I wouldn't replace a feeding with solids at this age, as any solids she takes are likely to be quite small in volume and caloric value. Milk is much higher in calories and much more nutrient dense than anything she would get in solids.
I just want to make sure she isn't ever hungry!
I think this is probably a natural worry of most mothers, especially ones who breastfeed, but be assured, she'll most likely let you know if she's hungry. :)
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katie you are my hero. I hereby nominate you for sainthood. ;D
Last night was a little rough again with a super early morning waking, but we are feeling so much more rested than before!!
Night #4
8:00pm Bedtime
10:30 Dream Feed, which I confess was a little rushed on my part. I probably could have let him nurse longer than I did...I was just antsy to get into bed because I needed to bake cookies super early in the morning.
4:30am Night Waking. Oh the horror. I did everything the same as usual, but it just escalated. Finally daddy came to the rescue. Over the course of 90 minutes he had a few moments where he had settled down, but then re-escalated. By 6:00 daddy needed to get ready for work (and I was already up to my elbows in flour making cookies for daddy's birthday) so we decided to just call it "morning." I nursed him at 7:30 and put him down for a very reluctant nap.
I still feel like we're making progress. Before I found this forum and started following your advice he was waking up and feeding every 3 hours. The last two nights have been basically 8-10 hour stretches of sleep (6 - 7.5 hours between feedings) which is a HUGE improvement. Do you think that's the best we can hope for out of a 7 month old? At what point do you think he can consistently go 8 hours between feedings?
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katie you are my hero. I hereby nominate you for sainthood. ;D
Ha ha, let's not go too far now. ;) I've basically just been encouraging you, you guys are doing all the work! ;D
I think last night might have been a bit of regression. It happens *a lot* in sleep training. A LO basically tests the waters to see if this is really how things are going to be from now on. It usually only happens for a night or two. You are definitely making progress, I'm so glad that you're able to see that. It really helps you to keep being motivated.
Do you think that's the best we can hope for out of a 7 month old? At what point do you think he can consistently go 8 hours between feedings?
This is a hard call. I think he's probably age-wise at the point where he can consistently go 8 hr between feedings. In fact, that's how I read your last two nights. Two nights ago looks like it he went from 10:30 - whenever you fed him in the morning (after 7, I'm assuming because he fell back to sleep), so that's over 8 hr. And last night he went from 10:30-7:30 without a feed, so that was 9 hr. Right? :-\ The hard part is, babies aren't cut and dry, some days he'll be hungrier, he'll most likely go through another growth spurt or two. I'd say pick a time you're comfortable with, and I think 8 hr is reasonable, and continue to settle him without a feed before that mark (if he wakes at 7.5, I'd probably just feed him, but that's your call ;)). Give it a few more days, maybe a week, and if he's still waking we can reassess, but I think he (and you) can do it.
Hope you had a decent day in the end. Happy Birthday to your DH! :)
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I'm glad the regression stuff was normal. Babies are so clever, aren't they?! And I think your math is right. :)
Last night was another smashing success!
Night #5
8:00 bedtime
10:30 dream feed
3:30 night waking...BUT (this is the awesome part!) once Daddy retrieved his pacifier from the floor next to the crib and put it in his hand, he fell asleep ON HIS OWN!
At 5:30am he was in such a super deep sleep that our motion sensor monitor alarm sounded and THAT didn't even wake him. Of course my husband RACED to check on him and he was fine. :) We did another dreamfeed (since we were awake anyway, and it had been 7 hours) during which he woke up and was WIDE awake. After the dreamfeed, daddy put him back in his crib with his pacifier. It's been about 15 minutes and I haven't heard a peep.
I am just so happy I found this forum. I'm running around telling all my friends about this method. I seriously can't believe the progress we've made in just one week!
Katie, I think we are on the right track. If we run into problems in the future should I bump this thread, send you a private message, or start a new thread?
Also, I just noticed your profile says you're from ND--what a small world!!! I grew up in Watford City, went to college in Grand Forks, and now live in Minneapolis. :)
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Yay! That sounds great. Too bad the alarm went off. :-\ I wonder how long he would've gone had you not DF him in the early morning. You'll have to plant a few pacis around his crib now, so hopefully he can just get one on his own and go back to sleep. :)
If we run into problems in the future should I bump this thread, send you a private message, or start a new thread?
If it's in the near future, feel free to just hop back on this thread. If it's been awhile and you think it might be related to a new issue, you can start a new one. And if you're just not sure, you are always welcome to PM me. I'm so glad you're happy to have found the forum. There are lots of wonderful ladies on here who are super helpful! :D
And I think your math is right. :)
Oh, and I'm glad about this, because I have a math degree from said college in Grand Forks. ;)
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Yay for Minneapolisite! Sounds like things have really improved! I need to re-read the thread to see exactly what you did.
As for us, I'm having a hard time biting the bullet to let her cry a bit at night and not feed her every time. She has 2 new teeth and has issues with dairy (that I have been testing in my diet) and I just don't know when a good time to start is. However last night she was up every 2-3 hours and I KNOW she isn't hungry but she just can't self soothe. But then I also worry she has something going on and feel guilty to let her cry.
She easily puts herself to sleep for naps and at night...why can't she do it when she wakes up!?
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ambula, good luck! She sounds a LOT like my son!!! 2 new teeth, up every 3 hours...
I felt HORRIBLE listening to him cry the first night of sleep training, but knowing my husband was there comforting him made it better. It's not like we just left him all alone to cry himself to sleep. :) As you can see, it WORKED and we are ALL happier. The best part is I fee like a better mom to him during the day, now that I'm well rested!
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I felt HORRIBLE listening to him cry the first night of sleep training, but knowing my husband was there comforting him made it better. It's not like we just left him all alone to cry himself to sleep. :)
ambula - This is the key. It will be hard, but there's really no way to break those habits without some crying. It's baby's only way of protesting a change; they are clever little things, as minne has already stated. But, you or DH will be there with her the whole time, so she won't feel abandoned and you will be teaching her a new way. I can guarantee you'll feel very accomplished once she's sleeping more.
However, I would caution you to start only after you feel you have the dairy thing under control. If there is something that is bothering her, you won't want to be questioning yourself during the process. Once you are able to be confident in going forward, both you and she will do much better. :)
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Thanks, guys!
Last night we had a weird start - she fell asleep at my parents' house at her normal time (7:45ish) but when we brought her home around 9:30 and I tried to feed her, she wouldn't nurse. I put her to bed and thought I would be up soon.
She woke at 12:45 but I had stated to DH that I wouldn't feed her until it had was 2 AM. So I gave her the paci, turned on her soother (lights and sounds, I have never done that before because of the lights) and she was OUT. She slept until 3:45! So she went from 7:45 to 3:45 without eating!! Great!!
She did wake at 5:45, as usual, but my breasts were about to explode (DH gave her formula at 3:45) so I fed her. She then slept until almost 8. It was a successful night!
We are going to do the same thing tonight and see how it goes. My oldest daughter slept with the lights and sounds soother so I bought the baby one but we have never really tried it. Hopefully she will be able to push the button on it by herself, like my other child did!
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Hopefully she will be able to push the button on it by herself, like my other child did!
Uhh, brilliant! My son likes to grab the sleep sheep's ankle and bang it against the crib wall, so I had to hang it on the peg shelf above his crib, out of reach. :P I'm so glad your first night went so well. Aren't you just SUPER proud of your daughter, yourself, and your husband? We all deserve a parade.
Katie, my husband wanted me to confirm with you that we "did good" last night.
Night #6
8:30pm bedtime
(no dream feed, i was just too flipping tired for a dream feed)
1:30am night waking (handed pacifier, out like a light)
3:30am night waking (handed pacifier, out like a light)
5:30am night waking (daddy brought baby to me, we nursed, and then i put baby back in crib, out like a light)
My husband was a little nervous about the 5:30am feeding--he was worried that feeding him after crying might "spoil" the training that we've been doing. I say that the kid was crying because he was legitimately hungry, not just because he wanted his old routine back. Tell me I'm right, kthanx. :D
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Sounds good for both of you! I'm headed out of town for the weekend, so will check in on Monday.
I say that the kid was crying because he was legitimately hungry, not just because he wanted his old routine back. Tell me I'm right, kthanx. :D
Yes, you're right! ;D. There's no way he should be expected to go longer than that without a feed.
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Last night was glorious. :) We ALL slept through the night and there was evidence in the morning that the little guy had found various pacifiers on his own in the night. I can't believe how well it is going. Yay! :)
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Awesome!! Well done to you all! ;D ;D
ambula - How are you things going for you?
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May I ask what a 'sleep sheep' is?
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Sure! It's basically a form of white noise. It's a little stuffed animal with a battery operated device that produces different sounds to help soothe a baby. http://www.cloudb.com/ssandf/sheep.html
While it's helpful, I found it quite frustrating in that it only has two settings, 23 min and 45 min. 45 min coincides with the end of a sleep cycle, when babies transition to a lighter stage of sleep before beginning another cycle. They can often wake at this time and if they don't know how to transition back to sleep, having their soothing white noise stop is a hindrance. If you're looking for white noise, I'd suggest a fan or something more constant.
Hope that helps! :)
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Well we had some rough nights over the weekend (getting up every 2-3 hours again) but last night she slept from 9PM - 3AM with no wakings! The best part was that my husband fed her and I never even heard it - so I was able to sleep straight from about 10-6. HEAVEN!
She woke around 6 to eat and was up around 7:30, so that's good.
We are weaning and adding more Alimentum formula. I think it is helping that she doesn't have the diary but I am trying to treasure these last times to nurse her.
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so I was able to sleep straight from about 10-6. HEAVEN!
Wow, sounds great! :) Do enjoy those last days of nursing, it is a special thing indeed.
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We had some regression the last two nights. Help us get back on track? :)
Our routine is basically the same, but he has been eating more solids so I bet his little tummy is at least one reason for the regression. Daytime naps are still going really well. It's these darn night wakings that are our source of frustration.
Regression, Night #1
He had a longer-than-usual awake period before bedtime. We tried for a nap at our usual time, but he show any signs of tiredness, so we let him stay up for a longer stretch (about 4 hours instead of his usual 2-3 hours).
8:00 Bedtime (usual routine)
10:30 Dream Feed
1:00 Night waking (Daddy handed him is pacifier and turned on the sleep sheep = back to sleep)
2:45 Night waking (Daddy handed him is pacifier and turned on the sleep sheep = back to sleep)
4:00 Night waking (Daddy handed him is pacifier and turned on the sleep sheep = back to sleep)
Regression, Night #2
8:00 Bedtime (usual routine)
10:30 Dream Feed
2:00 Night Waking (None of Daddy's usual stay-in-crib tactics helped. By 2:30 baby was FRANTIC. His cries were absolutely heart-wrenching. I couldn't take it anymore and nursed him back to sleep. My husband says I just taught him that if he cries longer and louder he'll get his way. I said I didn't care and I would rather nurse the kid 24/7 than let him cry like that. It wasn't just fussing or even wailing, it was absolutely the most horrible crying I have ever heard in my life.)
5:30 Night Waking (Let him fuss and calm himself.)
6:00 Still awake, but quiet, so I nursed him. He was still wide awake after that, so I decided we may as well just start our day and plan on an early nap. He went down for a nap @ 8:00 without a fight.
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(((Hugs))), don't worry about feeding him at that 2:30 NW. Clearly it was a different cry and he was needing some comfort. He's such a good independent sleeper, I don't think it will cause him to keep doing that to 'get his way.'
Yes, solids can definitely play a part in NWs. Are you offering the new things earlier in the day around lunch time? I usually tried to offer the new foods around lunch time and saved tried and true things for supper in order to hopefully save any issues that happened for day time rather than in the MOTN.
Second, what does the daily routine look like now? From what I remember, he slept two really good naps before. If he's still doing that, it may be time for a tweak. Too much day sleep and too little awake time can often increase NWs in babies this age. Is he close to 8 mo now?
Finally, what about teeth? Is he working on any new ones? Those can often cause some disturbances as well.
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Thank you--I needed that reassurance!
He will be 8 months old on June 13. :)
Last night was a little better!
8:00pm bedtime
10:30pm dream feed
11:40pm night waking (pacifier/shushing in crib didn't work, had to pick him up and shush/bounce to calm him BUT he did calm back down and went back to sleep without nursing)
1:30am night waking (handed pacifier = asleep)
4:00am night waking (handed pacifier = asleep)
Solids: I usually offer new foods around lunch time, but I've done dinner time sometimes too (daddy likes to be home for all the fun!) I'm actually going to offer fewer solids for awhile because I'm concerned about his recent drastic drop in daytime nursing.
Teeth: I don't feel any new teeth coming in, but it's entirely possible that's part of the problem. He already has two on the bottom and the tooth chart says the top two should come in between 8-12 months, so we're basically right there.
Current daily schedule (roughly)
8am wake, play, nurse, play (2.5 hours)
10:30am nap (2 hours)
12:30pm wake, play, nurse, play (2.5 hours)
3:00pm nap (2 hours)
5:00pm wake, play, nurse, play (3 hours)
8:00pm bedtime routine + bed (2.5 hours)
10:30pm dream nurse (7 hours)
5:30am "night waking" nurse (then back to bed for another 2.5 hours)
Total nighttime sleep: 12 hours
Total daytime sleep: 4 hours
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I think it's really all the daytime sleep that's causing the issues. Solids may play a little part and it doesn't sound like teeth are really in the mix, but that's a lot of daytime sleep to expect a 12 hr night still. Most LOs around 8-10 mo are getting 3 hr daytime sleep with a 12 hr night.
You can start to push him to stay awake a little longer during the A times and then still wake him at about the same times as he's currently waking. I'd do it just one nap at a time, so as not to drastically reduce his sleep and cause him to get OT, and I'd probably start with the morning nap. So, for 3 days or so, push him out a bit so that he's getting only 1 hr 45 min of sleep and let him still sleep 2 in the afternoon. Then, push a little more, so he's only doing 1 hr 30 min in the morning and hold it there. Do the same thing with the afternoon nap over a week or two and you should be set. :)
The other option would be to push one or both naps out and keep them the same length at 2 hr each, but then go to a longer day, up to 13 hr. A longer day will eventually happen on two naps, before you start the transition to one, but it's generally thought that a 12 hr night works best. It's up to you, really, and what works best for your family.
What do you think?
Oh and, btw, I chuckled at the tooth chart comment, only because my two have been complete opposites. My DD got her first two (the bottom ones) at 9 mo and didn't get the top two til 15 mo. My DS got his first two (also the bottom ones) at 5.5 mo and at 10 mo has all front 8. :o And his laterals came in on top before the front ones. He was a bit vampirish for a week or two. ;) Apparently, we don't follow the charts in this house, LOL.
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Funny to see Minneapolisite post again - we have gone backwards, too. The past few nights have been the worst ever. She has been up 5-6 times a night. I am REALLY tired!
I added some dairy to my diet (since we are only nursing once or twice a day now) and I think the NW are related to that. Last night she SCREAMED and it broke my heart. It was like she was in pain. So I nursed her but that didn't help in the long run.
I am just ready for her to SLEEP. My DD only takes 35 min. naps with an occasional nap being 1 hour. So I feel like she really needs to sleep at night! But I don't know where to begin. Ugh.
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(((Hugs))), ambula. It sounds like the dairy definitely bothered her. If you'd like more specific help on your routine, don't be afraid to post in Naps or General Sleep too. I have known several LOs who start sleeping better though once their intolerances are under control, so hopefully that will help as well.
How have the last couple nights been, minne?
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Night #4
8:00pm bedtime
11:00pm dream feed
(one night waking in there, no idea when LOL!)
6:30am awake for the day
Night #5
8:00pm bedtime
10:30pm dream feed
6:00am dream feed
8:00am still sleeping
Notice that Night #5 ROCKS!!! I took your advice and reduced his daytime sleep a little bit, and what a difference that made! His nap schedule still needs tweaking (more for my sanity than his, haha) but I think less daytime sleep is the answer. We were still operating on a 6-month nap schedule, when he's obviously ready for an 8-month nap schedule. :)
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Notice that Night #5 ROCKS!!!
Totally! ;D ;D The trick is to just reduce the daytime sleep slowly so he doesn't end up OT. Well done!
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Last night was another all-nighter (the good kind!) Woot!
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;D ;D ;D Great!!!