Author Topic: how to get my calm baby to sleep  (Read 1364 times)

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Offline katiush

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how to get my calm baby to sleep
« on: November 29, 2010, 02:35:28 am »
DS is 5 weeks old, and is a very poor napper.
His A time is about 45-50 minutes (includes feed), then we wind down for nap. This is clock watching - if I follow DS's cues, it could be longer.
Following wind down, DS may be in the 7 mile stare, or even closing eyes heavily. I put him down in bed then. Two things may happen. Either a) his eyes open wide, and he wide awake or b) he falls asleep but will wake up within a 1/2 hour or hour
In option a: he usually just hangs out, lying calmly in the crib. I've been leaving him in the past, hoping he will fall asleep on his own. However, he just hangs out in the crib. He doesn't fall asleep, and then up to an hour later can still be awake and only then starting to cry out. It's not usually a hysterical cry -more of a mantra which escalates to a more emotional cry. He also is known to stop crying the minute I come stand next to his crib. Can he already know that I'm there?
How do I get my son to fall asleep???? Am I doomed to spending the next 6 weeks with him in my carrier for all naps?
Katia

Kyprian - 10/27/2004
Matrona - 4/3/2007
Alexei - 10/22/2010



Offline mamatolevi

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Re: how to get my calm baby to sleep
« Reply #1 on: November 29, 2010, 21:18:00 pm »
Hi there! I'm only on for a moment, I'll be back later to post again but I wanted to ask a couple of quick questions - Is he swaddled? Have you tried HTTJ? Be back soon :)
Nikki


Offline anna*

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Re: how to get my calm baby to sleep
« Reply #2 on: November 29, 2010, 23:43:36 pm »
How about shush-pat?





Offline katiush

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Re: how to get my calm baby to sleep
« Reply #3 on: November 30, 2010, 01:44:26 am »
He is swaddled. I haven't done HTTJ because I have a 3 year old at home, and I don't have the time to do that - especially if he's not falling asleep for 45-60 minutes later. I haven't tried pat-shh, because I didn't think I need to do that for a calm baby. Maybe I should try it as part of my wind-down?
Katia

Kyprian - 10/27/2004
Matrona - 4/3/2007
Alexei - 10/22/2010



Offline anna*

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Re: how to get my calm baby to sleep
« Reply #4 on: November 30, 2010, 08:45:09 am »
When they are really small they sometimes need shush-patting all the way to sleep even if they're small. As he gets better at falling asleep you reduce the amount of shush-pat.





Offline katiush

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Re: how to get my calm baby to sleep
« Reply #5 on: November 30, 2010, 19:24:50 pm »
Okay, I will try the shush-patting. I hate shush-patting, and have been avoiding it :) but I guess I need to bite the bullet.
Katia

Kyprian - 10/27/2004
Matrona - 4/3/2007
Alexei - 10/22/2010



Offline katiush

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Re: how to get my calm baby to sleep
« Reply #6 on: November 30, 2010, 20:28:40 pm »
Just wanted to post an a-ha! moment. My daughter was just like DS2 in the napping department, and all these years, I've been saying - why didn't Tracy write about babies like mine? Why didn't she write about the babies who lie down calm and then start crying later, never having fallen asleep. Well, I just went back to my much read and underlined BWSAYP, and it finally jumped out at me on page 186! in the shush-pat section (of course). I probably had a block in my brain because I hated doing shush-pat so much with DD lol
So anyway, that section is now underlined about how you have to shush-pat those infants who wake up when you lie them down even though they were just almost asleep, and who lie awake for a long time.
I will keep you posted as to how DS2 does with this nap. I will admit that I swaddled him and put him in his car seat for this nap. However, he didn't fall asleep for a good 20 minutes, so bit the bullet, took him out and shush-patted him up the stairs to his crib, and shush-patted till he fell asleep. Wish us luck!!!!
Katia

Kyprian - 10/27/2004
Matrona - 4/3/2007
Alexei - 10/22/2010



Offline mamatolevi

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Re: how to get my calm baby to sleep
« Reply #7 on: November 30, 2010, 20:30:28 pm »
Fingers crossed!
Nikki


Offline katiush

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Re: how to get my calm baby to sleep
« Reply #8 on: December 03, 2010, 02:14:18 am »
So day 2 of pat-shush is at a close. Definitely helps DS go down, but it takes FOREVER. His little eyes keep opening and closing. My back is a wreck from bending over the cradle. But I do see how it works. I've been setting a timer to be in the bedroom to check for jolts. I held him through some, but yesterday he had a jolt at the 1 hour 30 minute mark, which I totally missed because I figured he was down for the count.
He always has a jolt at the 40 or 45 minute mark - I've discovered that it is massive, and this is basically what is waking him and shortening his naps. To get him down again would probably take a good 30 minutes....a little infeasible with DD running around. As it is, I'm spending 30 minutes at the beginning of the nap. I hope it gets better....
Do you think I can do wake-to-sleep on my 5 (tomorrow 6) week old? I was going to do it for one nap, but just as I walked into the room he had the big jolt - guess I timed it wrong.
Katia

Kyprian - 10/27/2004
Matrona - 4/3/2007
Alexei - 10/22/2010



Offline katiush

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Re: how to get my calm baby to sleep
« Reply #9 on: December 04, 2010, 02:33:58 am »
Day 3 of pat-shush. For the first nap, DS fell asleep relatively easily, but woke up at the 40 minute mark from a jolt. It took 20 minutes to get him back down, but then woke up 10 minutes later anyway. Ended up just hanging out until time to eat.
2nd nap: jolted at 30 minute mark. Got him to fall asleep in my arms and laid him down on my bed, as DS tends to wake up from the "dropping" sensation into the cradle. Slept for the rest of the time
3rd nap: fell asleep quickly! and slept the whole time! I did most of the pat-shush in his cradle
4th nap (didn't do cluster feed, so regular nap, not cat nap): also fell asleep quickly and slept the whole time
Cat nap: slept in carrier for about 40 minutes
Down for the night: took about 45 minutes to fall asleep. I did pat-shush for 20 minutes, then decided to just leave him be. He fell asleep on his own (but he's been doing that when going down for the night anyway)

Just thought I'd give an update.

Just thought I'd give an update
Katia

Kyprian - 10/27/2004
Matrona - 4/3/2007
Alexei - 10/22/2010



Offline anna*

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Re: how to get my calm baby to sleep
« Reply #10 on: December 04, 2010, 09:20:56 am »
Hey that sounds like really good progress! Are you pleased?





Offline mamatolevi

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Re: how to get my calm baby to sleep
« Reply #11 on: December 04, 2010, 13:01:48 pm »
Glad to see things are getting better! :)
Nikki


Offline katiush

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Re: how to get my calm baby to sleep
« Reply #12 on: December 04, 2010, 14:19:00 pm »
I am definitely pleased :) except that last night was a nightmare :( :(
DS woke up *screaming* from gas twice. After the first time, DS finally calmed down, but then just would not fall asleep!
But he's napping right now, so there is a silver lining to the cloud.
Katia

Kyprian - 10/27/2004
Matrona - 4/3/2007
Alexei - 10/22/2010



Offline mamatolevi

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Re: how to get my calm baby to sleep
« Reply #13 on: December 04, 2010, 16:57:18 pm »
Oh, poor little guy! Do you give him any drops for the gas?
Nikki


Offline katiush

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Re: how to get my calm baby to sleep
« Reply #14 on: December 04, 2010, 19:35:55 pm »
I do. I give him homeopathic gas drops that work really well. I don't know what I would do without them! :)
Katia

Kyprian - 10/27/2004
Matrona - 4/3/2007
Alexei - 10/22/2010