Need help from the moms re: sleeping

Joseph is 20 weeks today and still isn't sleeping anywhere NEAR thru the night. It seems ever other night we have an issue and I don't know why or what to do. He is on a schedule so every DAY is generally the same - I don't know why nights aren't.

He always goes down between 7-8PM and will sleep on a good night until 12, eat and then sleep again until 4, eat and then sleep again until 6:30-7ish. But on a bad night he'll wake up every 3 hours or so after he goes down.

He is still in my bed and I want to start the transition to crib ( ) but I don't know what to do if he's still waking in his crib.

Any ideas/advise?

Re: Need help from the moms re: sleeping

Have you tried a pacifier? Logan was waking in the middle of the night (sometimes once sometimes more) and I would feed him to get him back to sleep. One of my friends told me to try stopping the middle of the night feeding by giving the pacifier (I was afraid he would still be hungry but she said -you'll know if they are)......I tried it and it worked ......sometimes it takes a little more efforts than others but most times as soon as I give the pacifier he goes right back to sleep......now (almost 4 weeks after first trying this) he sleeps 10-11 hours with me sometimes getting up once for just a minute to put the pacifier in his mouth.

Re: Need help from the moms re: sleeping

I'm so sorry Danielle! I don't have any advice because it seems, as usual, that Joseph and Alex have the SAME exact sleeping schedule. She goes to bed between 7-8pm, wakes up at 12am and 4am and 7am... it's a major PITA!! And that's on a good night... if she has a cold or is teething, everything is shot to hell and she wakes up like clockwork every 2 hours.

I told my pediatrician about it at my last visit and his exact words were "it's time to start ignoring her". He said that at her weight, she's capable of sleeping through the night and so she's just waking out of habit at this point.

Have you tried using the pacifier? I've heard babies with a strong s*cking reflux wake up just to s*ck and if you stick a pacifier in his mouth maybe he'll go back to sleep?

Re: Need help from the moms re: sleeping

My sister had the same problem with her son (now 9 months),

She read Dr. Ferber's book and now he sleeps through the night. I watched him over night this week and he slept from 7pm to 8 am!!!!

I know that one of the things that she had to do was let him cry for a designated amount of time before she fed him. It was hard but he was sleeping through the night in three days!

Re: Need help from the moms re: sleeping

thanks girls....yes, we use a pacifier and it's not enough. He just wants to nurse. He is 17lbs so I know he doesn't NEED to eat, it's probably more habit than anything else. I know I'm going to need to try the CIO thing although I reaaaaaaally don't want to. He has been napping in his crib during the day so hopefully making the switch at night won't be so bad.

Beth - you tried the CIO and it worked, but not for long? Him and Alex are just TOO alike!

Re: Need help from the moms re: sleeping

Posted by jcndd

thanks girls....yes, we use a pacifier and it's not enough. He just wants to nurse. He is 17lbs so I know he doesn't NEED to eat, it's probably more habit than anything else. I know I'm going to need to try the CIO thing although I reaaaaaaally don't want to. He has been napping in his crib during the day so hopefully making the switch at night won't be so bad.

Beth - you tried the CIO and it worked, but not for long? Him and Alex are just TOO alike!

Re: Need help from the moms re: sleeping

My son at 23 weeks has the excact same schedule like yours. And last night was those every three hours night. He sleeps half the night in the crib and half in our bed.

I kind of accepted the fact that this is his personality. every baby is different. My mom says that I was the exact same way I am just glad he is healthy and wants to eat.

And now that I am back to work I love hugging him in the middle of the night!!!!

Some nights are rough and I get annoyed and then the morning comes and I forget. Babies always change and before you know it they will change their schedules.

Re: Need help from the moms re: sleeping

Danielle- I know it is hard to think of letting him CIO - but trust me - it SAVED my life! It's only bad for a day or two - you will see a change after that I promise!!!!!

BTW - I believe in taking away the paci...he might be waking looking for it! Also - what are his naps like - that is very important!!

Talia had the same schedule as Joseph - it was bad...I was exhausted - now she sleeps at least 12 hours a night straight through...it's worth a shot - he is old enough to break his habits.

Re: Need help from the moms re: sleeping

Are you breastfeeding? One of my friends who breastfed her daughter told me that her daughter used to wake up at night to eat. One night her husband got up and hold their baby and she went to sleep because she didn't find what she was looking for. After a couple of nights, the habit was broken.