I have 3 month old twins, and she's a pretty good sleeper- but her brother tends to wake up as soon as he's put in the crib (they're currently sharing a crib). He can be passed out and completely asleep, and wake right up. I've tried the back, the side- (he sleeps best on his stomach, which I only do during naps when I'm right there)- have tried swaddling, sleep sacks... can't seem to find the right formula. Have even taken them to the chiropractor for adjustments. I'd let him fuss a little bit, but don't want him to wake his sister. Any ideas?
Could he have a little bit of reflux? Our son did that at that age and he would only sleep on his tummy because that helped him the the reflux. I would ask your doctor about that. When they have reflux it is painful to sleep on their back. You could also get a sleep book. We use Good Night, Sleep Tight by Kim West. It is a life saver.
it actually would be detremental to let him cry at his young age.
www.askdrsears.com has many many bits of info about sleeping - and the best thing to remember is that a baby cries for a need, they dont do it to make our lives miserable... they dont understand the difference between a need and a want, and they dont realize that anyone else has needs.
knowing that, just remember to always respond to your baby - dont use the cry it out method - of course, please if you are at the end of your rope - leave the room.
anyway, this is perfectly normal baby behavior. you are lucky that the girl sleeps so well. your son probably just has a different sleep pattern than your daughter. dont be disappointed in him - he just has different needs. dont feel guilty for letting him sleep on his stomach, especially during times when you are right there.
have you tried using a sling? the moby wrap is especially comfortable! find it online! using a sling may seem like theres going to be little chance you get a break, but im sure you would rather your son gets some sleep... and it does allow your hands free to do other things.
again, this is normal, after all, he spent 9 months wrapped up warm in your womb, and thats the most natural feeling - he probably wants to just have that closeness. :D the more you can respond to his needs, the easier he will be able to mature and grow and develop the confidence to sleep alone! :D
I had the same problem with my 3 month old starting about 2 weeks ago....when I actually started trying to get her to nap in her crib. Being the 3rd baby, we she did a lot of napping in the car seat, swing, bouncy seat, etc. My 2 sons (age 5 & 3 now) were just great nappers, so this was new for me. She was having trouble spitting up alot, so we tried different formulas, but nothing seemed to help. As soon as we laid her down, she would get really squirmy, uncomfortable, and pop right awake. I finally called our Dr and she said that it sounds like my little girl might have reflux. We are starting the medicine today so only time will tell.
Hi, my daughter did the same thing when she was younger and someone suggested that maybe she felt a difference in warmth. Going from my warm arms to a cold crib sheet, so they suggested putting a heating blanket in the crib to warm the sheets up. I would take out the heating blanket right before putting her down and most of the time it would work like a charm.
My daughter did this quite a bit too. One of the things I read is that babies' sleep cycles are a bit different than adults. 10 minutes after they fall asleep, they move into a deep sleep. If you wait at least 10 minutes, supposedly they are deep enough asleep that they won't wake up. It feels like an eternity, and sometimes doesn't quite work (although I figure that I just misjudged when she actually fell asleep - it can be tough to tell in the dark!), it does make a difference. Also, if they're able to roll over, its safe to put them on their belly.
He should be relaxed and awake when you put him in his crib, but not already asleep. He needs to learn how to fall asleep on his own. The book "Baby 911" has some great sleeping tips.
Also, you may need to put them in separate rooms for sleeping, at least for naps, so you can let your son fuss a bit.
I also have twins and one of my boys did the exact same thing. It almost seemed like a startle reflex. We tried many different things (swaddles, sleepsacks, elevating the head of the mattress). Sometimes it would help if when we put him in his crib, we made sure that his arms were placed against the mattress so that he would not have the sensation of "falling" if he moved them. But, honestly, he just grew out of it. He's almost 8 months old now and goes right into his crib without a fuss. Hang in there.
