BabyWhispererForums.com
SLEEP => General Sleep Issues => Topic started by: twoblacklabs on July 30, 2005, 22:01:03 pm
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I'm new to the board - so glad I found it! I love Tracy's book and have started implementing EASY with my 1 month old and so far it's working wonders. He is already sleeping 5 - 6 hours at night! And we are actually getting him to sleep during the day in his crib.
I can usually get him to sleep in 10 - 20 minutes, but I have to actually stay in his room with him and help him fall asleep. He loves to suck, and his pacifier really helps him drift off, but he'll spit it out and wake himself up quite a few times before actually drifting off. If he starts to fuss and move around I'll give it back to him, otherwise just wait and see what he'll do. Usually after spitting it out several times and waking up eventually he'll spit it out and stay asleep, and that's when I know it's okay to leave the room! Is it okay for me to stay in there with him to help him? I don't want to always have to do that, but if I leave the room and he spits his paci out he'll start to cry and then it's harder to get him to calm down.
Also, if he DOES fall asleep somewhere other than his crib (like in mine or my husband's arms) is it okay to move him to his crib? I know Tracy said it's like someone moving your bed outside while you are sleeping, so I don't want to upset him, but it makes more sense than just holding him until he wakes up.
And is the occassional nap on my chest okay? Sometimes I'm just so tired and I want him to sleep that it's easier than staying with him for 15 minutes trying to get him to sleep before I can lay down myself!
I'm looking forward to your replies... and to participating on this board! Lil' Jack is sleeping in his crib right now :). It's nice to be able to type with two hands!
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Hello and welcome to the boards!
You sound like you are doing really well with DS - implementing and staying on EASY can be a bit difficult in the first 3 months, but you sound like you have pretty much got it sussed!
Re: Paci - I guess potentially there could be an issue developing if you have to keep replacing DS paci in order for him to get to sleep - we had the same problem with Mads at around that age - she had a strong need to suck, but anytime she started to relax and drift off to sleep her paci would fall out too early - so we ended up buying her a cherry tipped paci - which she could keep in for as long as she needed. The newborn pacis or orthadontic ones can be a bit difficult for little babies to keep in.
Re: sleeping - I used to let Mads fall asleep on me at times and put her down in her crib no problems - I also used to cuddle her to sleep and don't ever feel like you can't do that anymore - they are so precious and little at that age, I think if you never cuddled him to sleep, or let him sleep on you now and again, you would be missing out on something very special.
When we were doing sleep training with Mads - and I was trying to get her to sleep in her crib for all naps during the day, it felt like we never left her room for a few weeks - so I know the feeling that you are trapped there waiting for them to sleep when they are drifting off, but one day it will all just come together, and you will be able to pop him down in his crib and walk out of the room and he will settle himself off - honest. I think Mads started being able to send herself off to sleep after a few weeks of me being there - so hang on in there!
Good luck and congratulations on your little one!
Dee
x
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Thank you so much for your reply... it's very encouraging to know that I'm not doing this for nothing, and the occassional nap on my chest is okay :). I do love it, and would hate to ALWAYS have to put him down :(. And a goal of a few weeks is certainly do-able... but you're right, it does feel like I'm always in his room staring at him, praying he'll drift off!
What is a cherry-tipped pacifier? I'll definitely pick on up and see if he'll take it. He seems picky when it comes to paci's but it's worth a try.
Thanks again!
Cindy
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Hi!
when my ds was 4 weeks, we did exactly as you are doing. We almost always had to stay in his room on "pacifier vigil" to get him to a certain stage and then he would fall asleep ususally without it. It was very time consuming! Now however he is 9 weeks and doing awesome with little to no help from us or the pacifier. I literally lay him in his crib and as long as he's not overtired he will soothe himself with no pacifier. I always leave him alone for 15 minutes. If he's crying at that time, I will go in a give him a pacifier and shush him for a bit, but usually I only need to do that for the late afternoon nap, or if he's overtired from a bad nap. We also let him sleep in his swing if he's woke up early from a nap and isn't ready to eat but is still tired won't go back in the crib etc... We did this will all our kids and never had any sleeping problems. I think the key is not to let them sleep that way all the time, just occassionally doesn't hurt!
HTH!
Darci