OK moms out there....
Thus far we have been completely on Will's schedule...which we totally don't mind. We have been believers in the whole "fourth trimester" thing...but, I'll have to go back to work in a few weeks and have started thinking about how/when to get on a schedule.
I was going to head to Border's and get a book to help me on the subject...but then I thought...why not ask those out there who have experience?
So...tell this new mom....When can I expect to begin some kind of a nighttime sleeping schedule? And...How do I start to achieve this lofty goal?!
Advice please!
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dear steuri...i don't think a sleeping schedule is ever achieved...not to be "glass half-empty" but...i will be anyway. :D your little guy is so stinkin' cute!!! miss you!
ReplyDeleteSo tough. My first struggled getting through the night for years! Yep not great. My second was sleeping mostly through the night at six weeks. If your baby wants to keep sleeping don't wake him up to feed him. I would also recommend trying a bottle of formula around 11pm to tide him over longer. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteOur doctor recommended that you keep him on a pretty strict feeding schedule during the day, and wake him up to feed him during the day if you need to. That way they hopefully start to distinguish between day and night.
ReplyDeleteGavin didn't truly sleep through the night until he was a year. Good luck and don't be afraid to try different things. You never know what is going to work.
Getting the baby on a sleeping schedule that young might be difficult. I started at two months with my kids. You need to do what you think is best though. The important thing is that you have a bed time routine like giving him a bath, reading a story, then feeding him. And it's good to have it at the same time every night. Now comes the hard part. After doing the routine put him down in the crib while he's still awake, hopefully groggy. If he starts crying let him cry it out for 5 minutes (which can seem like an eternity). If he's still crying then go and comfort him by speaking to him or singing. With Jayla I never took her out of the crib but with Blake he was more stubborn and I had to improvise and I took him out but never left his room. Leave the room again and if he starts crying wait another five minutes before going back in. Repeat this until he falls asleep. Eventually he'll get the idea of what he needs to do. Doing this helps him learn how to soothe himself to sleep. The first two nights are really hard but if you're persistent it gets better with each night. After doing this, my kids only woke up one time during the night and at six months they were sleeping through the night. Even though it's tough, I'm so glad I did this because I've never had a problem with bedtime to this day. Well, I guess I'll have some bad nights once in a blue moon but for the most part they know the deal. This technique might not work for everyone so you need to do what works for you, and RJ, and Will but whatever you do be CONSISTENT. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteMy sister does "Babywise" which is a book about scheduling and stuff. Her kids slept through the night REALLY early..within a couple months of birth. She kept them on a 3 hour feeding schedule and naptime schedule. They are amazing kids and I'm so impressed when I go over to her house!
ReplyDeleteJust do what works for you guys. But since Carter is a great sleeper I will tell you what I think we did? It just kinda happened. I think some kids sleep good, some don't. but I also think you can get them on a schedule. Same time everynight is good. Feed right before bed. Put them down not asleep. And it is ok if they cry. I think a schedule is good but don't worry if you are not always right on. Just don't stress about it. Figure out what works for Will! Good luck:)
ReplyDeleteOh, Katie, this is the eternal question, isn't it? We're still figuring things out for Charlie at 7 months.
ReplyDeleteSome advice:
1. Whatever gets you all the most sleep is the Right Way.
2. What works for one family may not work for you.
3. It is super hard to hear your own baby cry but he (and you) will be okay (I still struggle with this though, we haven't really made Charlie "cry it out").
I feel like I have read every book there is to read about sleep. I liked the No-Cry Sleep Solution the best but it still isn't perfect for us.
Babywise has worked for a lot of people but be careful, a lot of professionals in the medical community have debunked its methods.
I seriously do not have an answer for you because I am still figuring it out myself, but I do think a schedule during the day and a consistent bed time and routine definitely help.
Ask your pediatrician for specifics. Chelsea's ped practically acted out what she should do in sleep training James. My ped gives me great advice, too.
Wow, this is a novel, sorry.
Good luck!!
I used to keep my kids up until I went to bed, thinking that if I fed them one last time before getting to bed, it would be longer before I had to wake up to feed. I quickly realized with Katie this was wrong, and stupidly made the same mistake with Hazel. Now that I have started putting her to bed at 8 everynight, with a routine, she is so much happier! I am too, because I have my evenings back. The same thing happened with Katie. Once she got to be a few months older I moved bedtime up to 7:00. I still have to feed Hazel during the night (she is 3 months) but she will have a 7-8 hour stretch after she goes to bed and I usually only have to get up one time, around 3-4) Even if your baby still needs to be fed at 11:00, put him to bed at 8:00 and then feed him at 11:00 and put him back. Also, some people swear by "cluster feeding" I have not tried it, but I am sure it helps. It means closer together feedings before bed, so if he eats every three hours all day, try to feed him and 4,6,8 before bed, or if he is still so little that he can't go too long without eating, then do 6 8 and 10. this should help him get a long stretch of sleep in after initially going to bed. Good luck, I am no expert, there are still bad nights, last night Hazel refused to sleep until midnight, but I started at 8. most nights she is good though. Good luck
ReplyDeleteHealthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child
ReplyDeleteIt's a little on the extre side, but gets you pointed in the right direction. Unfortunately, I didn't read it until I had my last baby...
I'm kind of a 'just go with the flow' kind of mom. But Colin did really well being swaddled, feeding him formula right before bed time, and having some sort of 'white noise' in the background(we use a mini fan). Colin started sleeping really well about 6 weeks. I feel like babies can feel your stress, so if you're chill about it, they'll just kinda do there thing!!!
ReplyDelete