Help!!! New to EASY.

[HelpmeRhonda]

Hi to anyone out there!  I just heard of Tracy Hogg this week and her methods. I have "The Secrets of the Baby Whisperer" book and am ready to give EASY a try. My son is 5 months old and is currently used to falling asleep during a feed. I honestly don't know where to start. He is still usually getting up once or twice a night to feed, which I am ready to change. I am very tired and would like to have some sort of schedule to my day. Up until now I have been 'accidentally parenting'. My son is very chubby due to excessive eating and not reading his signs properly or knowing how to get him to go to sleep on his own. (Along with breastfeeding I have walked, rocked, sung him to sleep). It's time for change, but I don't get it. So far I have tried some PU/PD, but I don't know if I'm supposed to. Plus my son cries when he's laying down, but he doesn't always stop when I pick him up. If I walk out of the room then he stops, but as soon as he's back in his crib he's crying again. He doesn't really take a soother and he sleeps on his tummy. When he is in his crib he kicks his legs almost the entire time. This is the second night that I have been sort of trying to do this, but it's frustrating because I don't feel like I'm doing the right thing. Is it ok if he's kicking his legs? Is he supposed to calm down when I pick him up or pat his back? Or do I just pick him up and put him right back down, even if he's still crying? When do I put him down at first? If I know that he is tired (rubbing his eyes/yawning) but he still seems to be stimulated, how do I wind him down? Or do I just put him in his crib to wind down? I'm pretty sure he's mostly a textbook baby, but he must also be spirited. So far he is just eventually falling asleep because he's so tired. This afternoon for his nap I was doing the PU/PD, pat/shh for close to 2 hours, before I just ended up feeding him for 5 minutes so he would settle down. Then he was mostly asleep when I put him in his crib and he just did the rest on his own. Like I said, I feel like I don't know what I'm doing, or what's best for my son.

[SallyDom]

Hi there it's lovely to meet you!
I am by no means an expert but it sounds just like what I was doing before I discovered BW and it amazed me just how quickly I went from where we where, to having a happier little boy that can nearly always go to sleep on his own happily in his cot.

If you could give us a typical days routine then we can see what's happening and start from there.

I think it would be easier to take one step at a time, maybe start with the not feeding to sleep, or stop the rocking to sleep etc. It would be such a shock to your little one to suddenly have his whole routine changed.

With regards to the pu/pd you should pick your baby up and gentle rock or pat his back etc. only until he calms down and then lay him straight back down. It may take sometime, for the first few times he might cry the second you lay him down but eventually he'll realise that it is ok to go to sleep cos if he does cry you'll be there for him (this isn't to say he'll carry on waking for you to get him, I mean he'll feel say enough to go to sleep on his own cos he knows if he ever needs you, you will come for him). Saying that I find Dominic prefers the shush/pat to pu/pd so it depends on what your baby likes.

If your little one is showing signs of tiredness then take him away from the stimulus, so maybe into his nursery, draw the curtains, make it dim and maybe just sit and sing quietly to him or tell him a story, this will wind him down.

I would start by reading the faq for 'general sleep issues'
http://www.index.php?board=84.0
and 'naps'
http://www.index.php?board=86.0
(Sorry I don't know how to insert adresses so you click on them and it brings the page straight up)

I hope I've been at least a little bit of help, good luck, you will get there it might take a bit of time but you are in the right place here and you will do it

As I said above post your routine so we can make a start
Sally
x

[SallyDom]

(Ohh, the insert links worked, didn't know I knew how to do that! Go me!)

[Nee]

Hang in there, I was feeling the same way as you.  It would take me 1 to 1 1/2 hours to get my DD to sleep.  She has been on easy for 4 months and still sometimes takes me 30 min. to get her back to sleep.  You are doing everything right you just have to remember that your LO has been falling asleep one way for 4 months now and all of a sudden the rules changed on him and he is confused.  Look at it as though you are teaching him a new way to settle himself.  Soon he will get it but I will not lie, it's hard work but it's all worth it in the end   

[HelpmeRhonda]

Thanks for all the advice. I am still reading and trying to figure things out, but I'm looking forward to the end result. Eli slept through the night for the first time two nights ago, so I know there is hope for me out there. I will post again soon to let you know how things went.