getting baby to sleep at night..

[Courtni's Mum]

I have a 5 month old DD and every night we have issues getting her to go to sleep. most nights we will finally fall asleep around 12pm.

we had colic issues during the first 3 1/2 months which would strike late at night :mad: so she has always had late nights, however i would really love some me time at the end of each day. The late nights also mix up our day time routine cause sometimes I'm just too tired to get out of bed..

We have tried the controlled crying thing and it didn't work. My little girl just screams louder, hyperventilates, throws up and almost chokes. It then takes me about an hour to get her settled I found the whole experience quite scary.....

if anyone has any suggestions on what worked for them I would love to hear them :confused: Getting quite desperate now........

oh yeh sould mention that we do the routine thing every night..

[poshBecks]

5 months ia probably a little early for cc... I would maybe try it again after 6 months.... It was very successful for us. I guess at the moment just settling bub is all you can do :o Sorry I cant be more help...

[Harmony83]

There is nothing worse than not getting your 'me-time' at the end of the day, if my DS doesn't go to bed until late, I get so tired and fustrated! What time is her last daytime nap, are you able to move that up a bit? We used to do the bath bottle bed, and we still do, but he has to have a bath earlier in the afternoon, as it 're-energised' him instead of relaxed him, that seemed to work for us... Is it possible she could be teething? Maybe try some natural teething remedies? Or there is a Brauers remedy to help calm babies if they have trouble falling to sleep... Good luck!

[Baby Girl]

Whenever DD1 would not settle I would take her onto the spare bed beside the cot, turn all the lights off and lie down with her on my tummy and her head on my shoulder (tummy to tummy). It might take a little while and you might have to walk around in the dark for a couple of minutes until bub is ready to stop using you as a jungle gym. If she was very tired it wouldn't take long for her to calm down and be happy to lie down. Once she fell asleep I would very gently put her in the cot and maybe rub her back for a minute or two until she settled. She usually stayed asleep. I quite often found I would fall asleep too and wake up an hour or so later with her still asleep on me.

DD1 was terrible for late nights and I used to have to do this more nights than not. It was an easier for me to settle her like this as it was just a very quiet, calm atmosphere which made it better for both of us. Maybe play some quiet, relaxing music but make sure it is dark and quiet and I wouldn't talk to her, just cuddled her. The best part is you can do this at whatever time you like, not necessarily at whatever time she likes!! I think the dark and quiet helps get them ready to sleep and by you being there, they don't feel alone or afraid.

[reAllytee]

I know how you feel as i went through all of this & am somewhat again with bubs cutting two teeth although one is finally through yayayaya !
Anyways all i can possibly suggest is that when you put bubs down of a nite anywhere from say 6-8pm that at around 10pm you give her a top up feed. Not sure whether you have tried something like this already (?) i know this is usually done for younger bubs but not every baby is different maybe she needs that comfort. I found i had to keep up with putting bubs to bed at the same time & when he started whinging i would sit beside the cot holding his hand so he knew i was there & when he was almost asleep would leave the room. Yes sometimes they start screaming again once you try to leave but i would go back & sit with him again & repeat so i wasnt actually leaving the room unless he wasnt crying i found he was just scared of me not being there. Otherwise as schmell has said trying to get her off to sleep in your arms or next to you then placing her back in the cot once she is asleep could be something to try i used this originally myself when bubs was first going into his cot then proceeded onto the above.
I haent been much help im sorry hopefully your able to find a solution soon.

[Courtni's Mum]

Thanks for all the tips everyone, it's really nice to know I'm not the only one going through this!!!!!.

Yes she is teething so maybe that's making things more difficult :confused: I'll try your suggestions and see how we go.

It's nice to know there's light at the end of the tunnel.

[Baby Girl]

Hey courtni's mum,

Hope you had a better night last night.

It is a definite fact that you are not alone and we have all had those sleepless nights that never seem to end but be certain they do!! I promise!!

Thinking of you...

[JanetF]

Try these and see if they help. I don't believe CC is viable on a child of any age so good on you for recognising that your child was not coping with it! Obviously you're a mama who can look at her child and judge their needs. I hope you find a solution soon :)

Gentle sleep resources.
http://askdrsears.com/html/7/T070100.asp
8 Infant Sleep Facts Every Parent Should Know
31 Ways to Get Your Baby to Sleep and Stay Asleep
Bedwetting
Hidden Medical Causes of Nightwaking
Sleep Trainers: Buyer Beware!
Night Weaning: 12 Alternatives for the All-Night Nurser
Night Terrors
5 Reasons Why High-Need Infants Sleep Differently
Sleep Safety
SIDS: The Latest Research on How Sleeping With Your Baby is Safe.
Co-Sleeping: Yes, No, Sometimes?
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT SLEEP PROBLEMS
"Questions of the Day" about sleep


http://www.naturalchild.com/articles/sleeping.html
An Oversight of Our Culture
Tine Thevenin
Babies Need Their Mothers Beside Them
James J. McKenna
Bedsharing Promotes Breastfeeding
James J. McKenna
Bedtime Story: Co-sleeping Research
James J. McKenna
Newest: Cosleeping
Tami E. Breazeale
Statement on sleeping locations and sudden death in infants
(Research Document)
Hidden Messages
Jan Hunt
Is It Time to Abolish Cribs?
Jan Hunt
Is sleeping with my baby safe? Can it reduce the risk of SIDS?
James J. McKenna
It's None of Their Business
Peggy O'Mara
Need vs. Habit
Tine Thevenin
A Rediscovery
Tine Thevenin
Rethinking "Healthy" Infant Sleep
James J. McKenna
Ten Reasons to Sleep Next to Your Child at Night
Jan Hunt
When Will My Baby Soothe Himself to Sleep?
Jan Hunt






Pillowtalk – helping your child get a good night’s sleep.
http://www.mothering.com/articles/new_baby/sleep/fleiss.html

Selfsoothing
http://www.mothering.com/sections/experts/hunt-archive.html#self-soothing

Cosleeping
http://www.mothering.com/sections/experts/buckley-archive.html#co-sleep

No Cry Sleep Solution
http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth/

15 ways to help your baby sleep
http://www.pinky-mychild.com/features/baby/sleep.html

Crying for comfort:distressed babies need to be held.
http://www.awareparenting.com/comfort.htm

Four month old wakes up frequently in the night.
http://www.awareparenting.com/answer13.htm

Crying spells in 6 week old infant
http://www.awareparenting.com/answer19.htm

Bedtime problems with 3 year old.
http://www.awareparenting.com/answer22.htm

5 year old wants to sleep with parents.
http://www.awareparenting.com/answer18.htm

Unsubstantiated Medical Statements in “Babywise”
http://www.ezzo.info/Aney/unsub.htm

Babywise advice linked to dehydration, failure to thrive
by Matthew Aney, M.D.
http://www.ezzo.info/Aney/aneyaap.htm

Controlled comforting…
http://breastfeeding.asn.au/bfinfo/crying.html

Why not to CIO
http://www.mothering.com/sections/experts/hunt-archive.html#cry-it-out


Australian Association for Infant Mental Health Inc.
Affiliated with the World Association for Infant Mental Health
www.aaimhi.org
Position Paper 1: Controlled Crying
Issued November 2002; Revised March 2004
AAIMHI - Controlled Crying Principles
It is normal and healthy for infants and young
children not to sleep through the night and to need
attention from parents. This should not be labeled a
disorder except where it is clearly outside the usual
patterns.
Parents should be reassured that attending to their
infant’s needs/crying will not cause a lasting “habit”.
Waking in older infants and young children may be
due to separation anxiety, and in these cases
sleeping with or next to a parent is a valid option.
This often enables all to get a good night’s sleep.
Any methods used to assist parents to get a good
night’s sleep should not compromise the infant’s
developmental and emotional needs.

Suggestions for alternatives to controlled crying
Fleiss PM, Hodges FM & Phil D (2000). Sweet Dreams: A
Pediatrician’s Secrets for Your Child’s Good Night’s Sleep. Los
Angeles: Lowell House.
Hope M (1996). For Crying Out Loud! Understanding and Helping
Crying Babies. Randwick NSW: Sydney Children’s Hospital.
McKay P (2002). 100 Ways to Calm the Crying. Melbourne: Lothian.
McKay P (2002). Parenting by Heart. Melbourne: Lothian.
Pantley E (2002). The No-Cry Sleep Solution. NewYork: Contemporary
Books.
Sears W & Sears M (2003). The Baby Book: Everything you need

[20mum]

My baby girl used 2 go to sleep so well, i'd put her in her cot, giv her the dummy and she'd drop straight off to sleep... until she got her 2 month immunisations, then got sick, then we had people staying with us, got sick again and we've just hit the 4 month mark. I AM SO TIRED!!! she doesnt like to sleep during the day and i am trying to get her up at 8am, and put her to sleep from 12-2, but because she keeps having rotten nights, we sleep in instead of getting up. Little miss is very hyperactive and the only way i can get her to hav 2 hours sleep in one block is to put her in the jolly jumper for 1/2 hour before bed, then feed her to sleep. Otherwise she pulls out her dummy and rolls around and plays in her cot. We keep the lights off, the room quiet but she just lays there squealing, while its not as awful as crying, it still gets pretty frustrating. Any ideas how to wear her out and get her sleeping longer? At one stage she was almost sleeping through the night!

[jonabrown77]

Hi, I was having trouble getting my little one to sleep and I found this PDF document extremely helpful, http://www.thepdfportal.com/how_to_get_your_baby_to_sleep_through_the_night_1_ 6.pdf
I hope this helps some one.