My 2 Month Old

The crying is a Clue. It sounds as if she may have stomach/intestinal problems. Also, some children need more Touch than others. She heard your heart beat for nine months, and that heart beat of yours still sooths her. DO NOT let her cry as you are doing....she will feel all alone, and that will set up life long problems. Just hold her until she feels safe. Another thought is to get one of the carriers that will put her close to you. She will only be little for a while, and the more giving you are as a mother, the more blessings you will receive.

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Hi A.,
my name is P.. I am a mother of three kids and two beautiful grandaughters.when my frist child was a new born (he is now almost 24) in
till he was over 2 months old he would cry all night and day. I was only 18 at the time and i was going crazy.Thank god I had mty mom there to help me. I took him to the doctor and found out he had an allergy to his milk base formula. The doctor took him off the milk base formula and put him on a soybean formula. The frist time I feed it to him I seen a differents. If you have not tryed this please ask her doctor about this. I really hope I helped you. Belive me I know what you are going though.Been there done that..lol. Please let me know if that worked.Sorry if there are any typos in this , I was holding my 20 month grandaughter while writting this. Good luck and ,may god bless you and your family.

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Oh my, how this sounds just like my second baby. She wouldn't sleep anywhere but my arms in a certain position for the first four months of her life. I have a friend who is a chiropractor and he kept trying to get me to bring her in, but I waited four months!!! At my wits end I took my baby in and that was the first night she slept in her crib ALL night. It took several visits to help my baby because her neck was out of wack from the birthing process. She is now 17 months and very happy in her crib. Just so you know I tried all sorts of things that the doctor thought would work and going to the chiropractor was the only thing that worked. Good luck!!!

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A.,
I've heard that the sound of a vaccum will calm a baby down. You might try feeding her, putting her in her bed at night, and then vaccuming your carpets. It's worth a try!
Otherwise, I would suggest giving her some Bendryl to ease her crying so she can fall asleep. I know they say giving babies cold meds is a no no now, but it's been done for ages and hasn't killed a baby yet! You need rest in order to take care of her! Good luck and God Bless!

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Have you tried swaddling her? Even if she "grew out of it" for a while or didn't seem to like it, try it again and make sure the blanket is tight and secure so it can't some loose. Does she get indigestion when she lays flat? Maybe that's why she starts screaming. You can buy certain things that raise the baby up so thay are not completely flat. Now is the time to start a consistent sleep routine so that she can develop good sleep habits. It can take weeks or months for her to get into a routine of sleeping in her crib (or wherever you want her to sleep). Some babies can fall asleep by crying it out, some seed a little patting or rocking. There are so many different theories about sleep, you just have to decide what works best for you and your baby, and then be consistent with it.

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Hi A.,

Well I have a fe tips you can try.
With you holding her and you fall asleep together she gets alot of things and hears alot of things from you. warmth, your breathing, your heart beating.

So here is what I would try:

1) Take a hot water bottle or a heating pad and place it in her crib or her bassinet, wherever you plan on her sleeping through the night. (My personal opinion, I would go for the crib, if you are gonna do this you might as get her used to it now) for now get her to sleep how you are but lay her down where the heating pad has warmed it. Take it away when you lay her down so she isn't laying on it. Also put a blanket between you and her. This way when you do lay her down the blanket will already be warm.

2nd night, do just as you have but lay her down 10 minutes earlier but do the same with the heating pad. Each night cut it down by 10 minutes.

Then when you get down to only 10 minutes start with 2 minutes and go down from there. To where you when you go to her room you tell her good night, love you, give her a kiss and lay her down fully awake.

Now the other part of this exactly what you are during in the evening is what you have to do during the day. So when you are cutting it down during the night time you are also doing it during the day time.

One other key, make her see the difference of the times of day by the amount of light in the house. So when it is early morning get her up, change her diaper and get her dressed for the day. Each time you lay her down for a nap you are getting closer to getting her to lay down by herself with a quick snuggle before bedtime/naptime. When it is nap time keep the house bright, let the sun shine in (if and when we ever get some again) but even the brightness will help. So when it starts to become evening, start shutting the blinds and turning on lights as you keep going through the night start turning downt he tv and shutting off the lights. For in the middle of the night only turn on a night light or even a light in another room.

Once you get her to the point that she is laying in her bed and faling alseep on her own. If she wakes up in the middle of the night, change her, feed her and put her back to bed. This way she learns that waking up in the middle of the night is no fun all I do is eat and go back to sleep. You have to train her to go back to sleep by herself and to sleep through the night. With this you have to make sure she is getting enough to eat in a 24 hour period.

The one other piece of advice is if you want her to settle down when you lay her in her bed, pat her on her butt or the side of the thigh. Pat her fast and with a rhythm and not hard but enough that she can feel it. As you keep going slow down the pats and your rhythm. Get to where you pat every couple of seconds and then 1 or 2 before you leave. Then walk out and go to bed.

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I would never allow your daughter to "cry it out". This only creates a more needy and less trustworthy baby. A baby can never be spoiled. I have a four month old and he prefers to sleep on me, but I have mastered the sneak away technique. I let him fall asleep on me, then I lay him somewhere. Even if he only sleeps for a short while, at least I have that time to get something accomplished around the house. I would recommend letting your daughter sleep in bed with you. My son does this and he sleeps for 12 hours (only waking 2-3 times to breastfeed) Good luck. As they get older their sleep patterns become much more predictable.

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Hello Ashely!

I am certainly not an expert. However, when our little girl was as young as yours, she was very fussy about sleep; in particular during her naps. Sometimes the only way we could get her to sleep was by taking her out in the stroller (good thing that it was summer) for very long walks. She would then sleep for up to 2-3 hours. At the time, she actually slept more soundly when there was a lot of noise around her. Go figure.

Since your baby is still perhaps a little young to expect an exact routine defined for her sleep schedule (where and for how long), you unfortunately should plan on a great deal of experimentation. We gradually had to work in trying naps on my lap while nursing, leaving her in her bassinet, laying her in a baby seat, and then finally her crib. I found that after giving in to holding her much of the time, so she would get her rest and I would get a bit of peace, it was still not ideal, considering she never slept more than 20 minutes or so at a time.

Quite honestly, my best advice to you would be to endure the crying (if that is an option). My partner and I had a difficult time with this at first, as it can be grueling and does make you feel like you might be tramatizing your child. I believe, after working through it for about a couple of good weeks, we were all better off because of it. I also do not feel that it had any ill effects on our baby. She is less cranky during the day and very happy upon waking.

I am not suggesting that ferberizing is the only option or best method, but it did work for us. By the time we were ready to move our daughter into her crib, from the bassinet, it worked like a charm. For months now we've been able to put her to bed, while partially awake, whether it's naptime or at night; she will maybe cry for 2-3 minutes and then she's off to sleep for hours.

When this was a real problem for us I read everything I could get my hands on. I thought up new ideas every day. We tried many approaches. Again, nothing worked like letting her "cry it out", as they say. If you decide that this is right for you, realize that it might take a week or two to see any progress. However, your baby should be crying less and less as time passes and eventually she may not cry whatsoever, or just for short periods of time.

I wish you luck and success!

A.
Stay at home mom and mother of a lovely 7 month old baby girl.

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There are the cry it out and non cry it out camps. I happen to believe it is okay to let a baby cry if it is for a purpose, but not until they are 3 months old, at least. You should read Dr. Karp's Happiest Baby on the Block for tips on how to soothe your baby to sleep until that age (swaddling, white noise, jiggling, side or tummy lying, and sucking). And then Twelve Hours in Twelve Weeks is a good guide for how to get the baby to sleep through the night once they are a bit older.

Believe me, I have a baby who is six weeks today, and I would LOVE to let him cry it out so I can get some sleep, but I think he is still too young. Another six weeks, and I will feel differently. Right now, I jiggle, sing, and shhh him to sleep, and then I put him in his swing. We go through a lot of D batteries!!

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I think your husband needs to get up with the baby, too. You may have to deal with this for several more months and believe me, it will pass, but the husband's bonding with the baby is important, even when she is fussy....especially then.

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I'm a stay at home Mom too, with a 3 month old boy. He won't sleep anywhere but in his swing! During the day I am trying to put him in his crib to sleep for naps to get used to the idea of sleeping there. He wakes up three times during the night still, so I'm hoping he will get used to the crib soon! He is starting to sleep a little bit in his crib, so I think it will just take time. Babies feel most comfortable with their Moms or somewhere with motion like a swing. My son wouldn't even sleep in his bassinet right after he was born unless the nurses swaddled him super tight!

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I am not sure what to do exactly; my daughter cried all day long for three months, and we tried it all. She slept only on our shoulder, in a position that she could be sleeping on her tummy but not flat, I think. (on any chair or bed). It was best for her colicy tummy, I imagine. One way or another, know that at her age, the level of physical bonding she will get will help her become a more happy and secure toddler. Studies show that children who had colic as a baby are happier toddlers. I think it is because of all the attention they get. My personal opinion is that our 10 year old turned out to be the sweetest toddler ever because she was held about 8 hours a day for nearly 4 months.

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I had a similar experience with my daughter when she was about that age. it turns out she had acid reflux. she wouldn't sleep and the other sign was that she would scream after i fed her while burping. You might want to talk with your daughter's pediatrician about the possibility of reflux. My daughter ended up taking Prilosec and Zantac and it improved. By 3 months she was in her crib and sleeping much better!

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Hey A.! Bless your heart - I remember very well how those early days with a new little can be, especially the night time. With your baby being so little right now it may be that she just wants the comfort of "mommy" near her but still she needs to be sleeping by herself (to help set good sleeping patterns for the future)

Or it may be her lack of contentment may be b/c of some other issue. My sister just had a baby 3 weeks ago (her 3rd one) and she was having some of the same problems - her baby wasn't wanting to eat very much & wasn't sleeping well (day or night) they thought she had colic. She took her to the CHIROPRACTOR (like she has also did with her 2nd child & like I've also done with my baby) and she was like a different baby after that. That night she ate better & slept better. Also turns out that she was hungrier than they thought so they just increased her formula feeding by an ounce (total amt. 3-4 oz.) & then she was even more content.

I agree with LEANNA M. --- Taking your little one to a CHIROPRACTOR especially after the stress of birth on their little bodies is THE BEST THING FOR THEM - to get everything lined back up so that everything can function properly. And a chiropractic adjustment for a person of any age is completely safe. It would be good to take her for overall good health & her sleeping better would also be a great outcome! :)

Also another story from my sister -- her 2nd baby was constipated & she took her to the chiropractor & he knew immediately she was having digestive problems. He adjusted her and then either later that day or the next day she had a bowel movement & continued to be regular. :)

I'm not sure if you've ever visited a chiropractor but I just wanted to mention it to you - hey, if it helps it would be worth it, right? Anything is worth a good night's sleep :)

The CHIROPRACTOR I use & HIGHLY recommend is:

Dr. Michael Emery
Barry Road Chiropractic
http://www.barryroadchiropractic.com/ - check for office hrs.
6316 NW Barry Rd
Kansas City, MO 64154
###-###-####
____@____.com

If you're not comfortable with taking your little one to the chiropractor something else you may want to try is swaddling your baby -- I used a swaddle me blanket & my little baby girl really liked it -- http://www.kiddopotamus.com/p_swad.php
-- hope this helps!

Best of luck for getting back to your own bed soon! :)
M. Lang :)

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That sounds like our girls. They both loved sleeping in the swing though. You have to put it on the highest setting and get some white noise going. We usually turned on the bathroom fan. Read the book "The Happiest Baby on the Block" It helped us through the first 3 months with our first child, and the first 9 months with our second (She was much harder). We also slept with them at night, in our bed, for the first 4 months. I found that it was much easier for all of us to sleep. Its really easy if you're nursing too.
Good luck!

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This is such a common problem! My friend had a Christmas Eve baby and she called me with the same question this week. I guess some babies just really need to be snuggled at that age. And it is absolutely no fun to listen to them cry, so don't feel bad if you "give in" and don't try the cry-it-out method at this tender age. My friend's pediatrician said it's OK to let them sleep in the swing or fastened into the car seat. You can worry about transitioning them to a flat surface later. Your family needs its sleep! My friend discovered that the lip of her changing pad was enough "snuggle" to meet her baby's need and she puts the baby on the changing pad in the bassinet. So that may be something to try...

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Hi A.!
I had similar troubles with our son when he was tiny. I went out & found the coolest thing! It's a little light that attaches to the side of the crib, bassanet, play pen or swing & it has heart beat sounds! It also has a sensor that turns it on every time your child cries! So you don't have to get out of bed! It will run for 15 or 20 minutes & then turn itself off again. I think I got mine from Babies R Us.
Anyway, it really helped our son. It might help your child, too! Good luck!

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did you do this from the day you got home with her? if so you and your soon to be husband will have to take turn's sleeping in the chair with her or just lay her in her bed and she will cry herself to sleep it will be hard but it's the only way to break the cycle and you need to do it now or else you will be sleeping in the chair and doing this for a very long time i know i let my son sleep in bed with us the very first day we brought him home and he is 6 now and he wake's up in the night to come sleep with us.

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What Mary B. suggested saved my life. I swear it works. I have one of the BEST sleeping children in KC...or so I think. ;) We started this with Emme when she was about 6 weeks old. We tried the rock her to sleep and lay her down thing but everytime we'd set her down, she'd start screaming. At my wits end (because who can really handle a screaming kid and no sleep) we decided to try and let her cry it out. I'll tell you it only took 20 minutes and she's slept by herself all night long ever since...I'd give it a try. Also, make sure she doesn't has gas, etc. Crying it out and gas drops are life savers! Good luck.

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Hi A.! First, congratulations on your beautiful baby girl. Now, to the problem at hand. She is used to your sent, and hearing the sounds you make (she has heard them for about 11 months now). They make teddy bears, and other things that make sounds like "mommy" does inside, try one of these, and something small that smells like you (maybe tuck a washcloth in your waistband for the day, or sleep with one of her blankets on or under you, to transfer your scent).

Now, you also need to convince your hubby, crying doesn't hurt the baby, it builds her lungs. Some crying is good for babies. And, and haven't you ever just needed to cry something out?

She's a little young, but in a month or so, I would do the "let her cry" method. It's not terrible! Let her cry 15 minutes, go in calm her, let her cry another 15 minutes, calm her, let her cry 20 minutes, calm, 25 minutes, calm her, 30 minutes, etc. It's very hard! But, it will pay off!!! Start on a weekend, (say Friday if he's off weekends), by Sunday night things should be better. DON"T GO IN HER ROOM OTHER THAN THE CALMING TIMES, and just long enough to calm her! Cry on each others shoulder, whatever it takes, but DON"T GIVE IN!!!! Does you/your husband want you in bed with him, alone? Or do you want to be sleeping with her in the recliner when she's 2 or 3? or older? (I have a friend who had to sleep in the bed with her son until he was in grade school!)

Take a deep breath, parenting isn't for sissies!

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Bless your heart! I feel for ya! I can tell you what worked for us, maybe it'll help, who knows-their all different and unique, but it's worth the time to tell ya! My boy had to be swaddled really tightly, like a little baby burrito! He broke free of all swaddle blankets so I had to use the Miracle Blanket that someone told me about online, it's $40 but we used it from 1 month to 9 months (we could only swaddle his lower half at that point, but it was a good transition out of it)
So we:
#1: swaddled him up snug as a bug. (the miracle blanket is different from the other ones, check out the website www.miracleblanket.com
#2: we used a sleep positioner that we got at babies are us, it was slightly elevated and it had bumpers that kind of held him in his spot, made him feel secure
#3: we followed the advise of the Baby Whisperer.

If there is anything I highly recommend, it's the miracle blanket, but almost more importantly is the advise of the Baby Whisperer. She worked for like 14 years with kids who have handicapped abilites and can not talk. She learned how to understand them and communicate. She had her own babies and tried to apply some of the same knowledge to her own children and since that success she has worked with thousands of families to help them ease the tension of not knowing what to do for that unhappy baby. She's great. please check her out. If you go to amazon you can get some cheap copies of her book.
www.babywhisperer.com

but there were nights where he slept in my arms, or in a swing, but not every night. he grew up to be a great sleeper, he even ASKS to go to bed now when he's tired.

Hope this helps. It'll get better, I know it's hard, it'll go by so quickly you won't even know what hit you. Before you know it, that baby will be crawling and laughing and giving you kisses. =)

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Does she have colic? My LO had colic and was like this as well . . . The only place we could get her to sleep was on us . . Unfortunately, we had a wake up call and she fell off of my husband when she was 6 weeks . . It was horrific. At any rate - while in the hospital - I had an epiphany . . . try her car seat! She slept there until she was 7 months old and is now in her own bed! good luck!

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Well, I see you got lots of advise, but I still wanted to let you know that I know your pain. When I had my daughter, now 2, I had a terrible time walking, especially up the stairs in our split level home. Since I was nursing and the only rocker in the house was on the main level, I ended up sleeping with her in the chair so I could nurse her in the middle of the night. Well, this ended up happening for a long time, I can't even remember when we were finally able to break her of it. It was very difficult to break her of it, but eventually we just did the cry out method. It was definitely hard, but once she realized that she was supposed to be sleeping in her crib without me she eventually slept there fine by herself. One other thing that I found was that if I put her on her stomach she went to sleep just fine. I know that with SIDS they say don't do that, but it was the only way she would sleep on her own. Anyway, just wanted to give you some encouragement and say, this too shall pass! Good luck!

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I'm a single mom, living with my parents for a while (so that I can stay at home with my son), so I understand not wanting to let them cry at night! I used to have to stand up with him on my shoulder to get him to sleep. What worked for me, once he got sound enough to be limp (I would actually lift his arm by the wrist to make sure he didn't resist!), I would slowly lay down on my back with him still on me. After giving him time to adjust, I would slowly roll sideways, but still keep holding him just as tight. Gradually, I back out & position him, keeping a little pressure on him until he was settled. I know it sounds simple, but it worked for me.
Now he is 2 1/2 and there are still some times that I need to move him after he falls asleep. Those times, the key is still checking his arm! If I try to put him down too soon....we NEVER seem to get back to sound sleep!

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I had this same problem, and it's a hard habit to break. The only thing that I found that works is to just let them cry it out, I know it sound so mean, but trust me you will feel better after a good night's rest and so will your baby. It is hard to hear them cry, but just laying them in the crib and turning on some soft music really works.

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I just kind of scrolled through the responses, so again, sorry if it's repetitive, but I had a problem getting my 2 month old to stay sleeping in her crib. She would fall asleep in her bouncer, swing, or my arms, then I would lay her down and she was up in 5 min. This had been going on for almost a month before I asked around for advice. Our daycare provider suggested blanket rolls in her crib. Just like the thing they sell with the foam sides to keep the babies from rolling around. I just rolled up 2 larger baby blankets really tight and placed them in the middle of the crib and put her in the middle of them. It worked the first night and every night since for about 3 weeks now. The idea is the same as swaddling - closeness/comfort/security.

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my daughter started doing something similar at 2 months of age. I talked to a friend about it and she told me about her "5 minute method". What she did was put the baby in her bed and let her cry for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes she would return to the babies room without turning the light on or picking her up she would rub her back and tell her it was ok and try to calm her a little and leave. She continued going in every 5 minutes and repeating what she did till the baby fell asleep. The next day she let her cry for 10 minutes. The day after 15 and so on till the baby just went to sleep when she went to bed. I tried it with my baby and it worked! Oh and tell your husband its ok for babies to cry a little and it doesn't hurt them. And if he still has trouble with it have him go in with you and help comfort her.

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I have 3 children under the age of 5. I have gone through the same thing with my 15 month old daughter so here is my opinion. She needs her own bed. I use to rock my daughter until she fell asleep and the put her in her bed. About 5 minutes later(no matter how fast asleep she was) I would hear her cry. I would let her cry until she fell asleep again. In the beginning it took a while but it wasn't long before she stopped. I believe children need to learn to comfort themselves at an early age to help them later. As far as your soon to be husband goes, I would explain it to him. I don't think men like to hear babies cry because they are "fixers" and the don't know how to fix that so the tell you to. It might only take a few days before she gets into her own routine and the crying stops but you have to have to be consistant. He will be happy later when you are sleeping by his side. Good luck!

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A.,
If it is that irritating to your future husband, I would just keep at it during the day. Then, when your baby girl has mastered that, maybe it would be ok to try it at night (night times always seem to be the hardest). Your baby is so young and those first few months are the hardest while your baby figures out her new world. Give her time. I don't think I would teach her to sleep in her swing, though b/c that will never translate into her bed at night. Keep trying during the day to teach her to sleep in her crib at for naps. then, go for the night. maybe that would work.

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A., I had the same problem. What I did was lay down on the couch with the baby on my chest and let her go to sleep. Then I would place her next to me. When I was sure she was still asleep I would slide away and get up. Then I would just place lots of pillows on the floor incase she rolled off. To be honest it took a very long time for this to finally work well. My daughter will be 3 next week and just finally began sleeping all night. I know it's hard but, keep trying and it will be okay.

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Does your baby have reflux? She might be uncomfortable laying flat and she's become used to sleeping upright against your warm body. If she does have reflux the most comfortable position for her is to be upright and there are things that you can do to elevate her bed & things you can purchase for her to be propped up while sleeping. If this is not the case she's probably just gotten comfortable with you holding her. I know that it's hard to let them cry but they have to get used to soothing themselves to sleep in their own bed or you'll be holding her for a very long time. Good luck!

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Not sure if this is the problem or not, but does she have ear problems? Sometimes they say if it's an ear infection, that can't lay down because it hurts. Just one suggestion.

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Have you tried sleeping in your bed with her? Humans are the only mammals on this earth that have babies and make them sleep by themselves. I think letting them cry is cruel. Babies need to know that you are there for them at all times.

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wow there are a LOT of responses to this! i gave up reading them halfway through, so if i'm repeating someone, sorry! i just wanted to say that letting a baby cry a bit isn't going to cause catastrophic damage. just follow your intuition, there's a difference between cries, and you'll know if something is really wrong. your baby will still love and trust you if you let her cry a bit here and there. also, my son was not a great sleeper the first couple months, and we tried all sorts of things, even raising one end of his mattress to help with "reflux". i was finally at my wits' end, and did what i had heard for 9 months you're not supposed to do - i put him on his tummy. it worked like a CHARM. i think he was much more cozy. plus it was easier for him to find his THUMB, which, once he did, he began sleeping through the night and never looked back. it was a lifesaver. and like they told us in our birthing/childcare class, some babies are just tummy sleepers. you have to do what you have to do, in order to get some sleep. i was terrified of SIDS and had to check on him constantly, but he is now a perfect 18 month old who goes down at 7 each night, wide awake, and puts himself to sleep, sleeping until 6 or 7 each morning. good luck!

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Well we don't like to hear our babies cry, but if it's beacuse he has had a hard day at work so have you. I didn't let my kid's cry it out till they were older at least way past the 6 months. My kid's were use to arm's ,I did that. I was afraid to fall asleep due to SIDS. My oldest would fall asleep fine put him in his crib as soon as he'd wake up crying i'd go get him and he's with me for the nite, it was a struggle for months till I became so exhausted we decedied to let him cry it out and it worked it took a few day's but we didn't pick him up from his crib just rubbed his back for a lil while and he became use to hit then it was easier for him to sleep the nite away. My youngest we had her in the crib in our room she did good but I wasn't sleeping so I'd take her out and she'll sleep with me, this lasted for 6 months or so,then we put her in the crib and also let her cry it out it only takes a few nites but it does work. Do you put her in the swing and let her cry? You might try that and if it has music put it on,she may be to hot or cold.You'll be fine she'll get to sleeping by herself,and for the sleeping in your own be part well that'll be a while

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This sounds a lot like my daughter. I don't think I slept in my bed until she was 3 mos old. It turned out that she had acid reflux, so it actually was HURTING her to lay down. That's why she wanted to be more upright. This is a very common condition in babies. More than half of babies experience this in their first 3 months because their esophagus isn't working properly yet. We fed our daughter smaller amounts more frequently, kept her upright after feedings, etc. and it REALLY helped.

If it IS acid reflux, it hurts them to lie flat or even to sit up if they're slumped over because that squishes their stomachs and can cause more acid to come up. (and PLEASE don't let your baby sleep in a carseat as someone suggested-- infants have been strangled in carseat straps when left unattended! If they slump down so their neck is on a strap, they can't scoot themselves back up.)

I highly recommend getting "The Baby Book" by Dr. William Sears. That book helped me pinpoint what the problem was. The Baby Book is great b/c it tells you things to look for, possible reasons why your baby is upset/not sleeping (there are many other things it could be, besides acid reflux), and things you can do to help. If it IS acid reflux, this book will give you several things to try.

If you want to sleep in your own bed, here's something that worked for me: Buy a bedrail so your baby doesn't roll off your bed, then stack 2 pillows up, like stairs. Put your head on the top pillow (a travel pillow worked great for the top pillow), your shoulders on the bottom pillow, and your baby in the crook of your arm (which is on the bottom pillow). I slept MUCH better in this position than in the recliner, and it kept my baby upright. Also, keep your baby upright 10-20 minutes after each feeding, even in the middle of the night-- that REALLY helped us.

I have 2 daughters (18mos & 5yrs) and found that when they were upset, it was because of an underlying issue, which is what you have to solve. Babies ALWAYS have a reason for crying, it's our job as parents to try to figure out what the reason is. Please don't just let her cry-- try to figure out what is wrong. The Baby Book is really helpful in trying to figure out what your baby is trying to tell you. You can buy it on Amazon for $15 or less, and it is SOOOO worth it!

Good luck! Please don't give up on trying to figure out what is wrong with your baby. Try to put yourself in your baby's shoes (so to speak!). If you couldn't talk or move around, you wouldn't appreciate being left to cry by yourself, and you wouldn't trust your caregiver very much. Good luck! You can figure this out!

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it was hard because when i had my daughter after three boys i held her in dissbelive for the first week. We slept in the living room rocker for most of that time. I HATE hearing her cry for longer then a few minutes but i have been that way with all of my kids. My daughter is three months and sleeps eather with me in our bed or in a playpen right beside my bed because sometimes there are nights where she still wakes up.
I have always put my kids on their tummys because thats how i was holding them when they went to sleep on me. I know i have broken every major so called law they try to infect others with not doing even though they themselfs dont have kids but I do what works for my child.

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I didn't read through the other responses to see what others have suggested. Anyway, you have probably already tried this, but swaddling can be a big help. Also, some babies seem to sleep better in a bassinett than a crib due to it being smaller so they feel more secure. We ended up having to let our baby sleep on her side (swaddled). That is against the Back-to-sleep recommendations, but that is the only way we could get her to stay asleep. She often rolled to her side anyway when placed on her back. I think it is not as ideal as on their back in their bed, but may actually be safer than sleeping in a semi-upright position in the swing or carseat (especially since we had a preemie). Taking the baby to your bed may also work, though that is also against AAP recommendations. However, sitting in the recliner all night is very dangerous. If you fall asleep, you could drop her (my husband did this), or worse, she could slide down into the recliner. Many babies have died of SIDS in couches and recliners. Your bed would be safer if you have a firm mattress, keep the baby away from adult blankets and pillows, and you & your husband do not smoke, drink alcohol, or take medications which make you drowsy or less alert.

I wouldn't use cry-it-out with a 2 month-old. They still need help soothing to sleep. They usually just aren't capable of doing it themselves. Usually around 6 months of age, you'll notice a baby being able to soothe themselves to sleep and no longer wanting/needing to be nursed/rocked/walked every time. Although they usually at least need something to hold onto--at least like a little security blanket, or burp cloth, which they are also not supposed to have in their crib.

Hang in there. I know how hard it is.

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You need to be able to let her cry it out. We always used the weekend to "try something" new because my husband didn't have to work Saturday and Sunday. This way the crying won't bother his sleep any. I think she is probably confused and once you get her to sleep in her own bed at night, she probably won't have to cry so much during the day at nap time. I don't agree that you can't let her cry it out at 2 months...unless it is an all out something is wrong scream. When a baby is tired, they will go to sleep. I have twin boys who are now 7 months old and because I can't rock and cuddle them both to sleep, they have been soothing themselves to sleep since they were about a month and a half old! First they took pacifiers, now they've learned to suck their thumb...its fine by me :)

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I work with infants and toddlers. I can often hear this complaint. I would first rule out GERD (reflux). Your baby doesn't have to spit or throw up to have reflux. Reflux can be silent and painful. Some red flags would be: sleeping in reclined position ( on mom's chest), wet burps, arching, increased feedings ( baby seems hungry all the time) etc. Sleeping in a reclined position helps control reflux. Reflux usually strikes at night while babies sleep and they will wake up screaming. I would consult with your pediatrician. It wouldn't hurt to rule it out.

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Hey there A.!

Hang in there. My advice to you is to maybe caover her up in the shirt that you have worn for the day. That way she can still smell you when she is sleeping. About the letting her cry... I say yes. You need to let your soon to be husband know that this is what has to happen. You are not doing anybody any favors by not getting any sleep yourself. On the weekends have him sleep with her. You have to get some sleep! It's not much advice but that's all I've got. Good luck! If it makes you feel any better, I have a screaming 3 year old in my kitchen at this very moment.

-K.

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Unfortunatly, every time you go right back to the chair holding her you've undone any progress made during the day by letting her cry. Even though it's difficult Daddy might just have to deal with the crying for a few days, like it or not.

I had to set a "Cry Limit" to keep my partner from running in and swooping my daughter up every night. He had to let her cry for least 40 minutes before he could go get her, but she was usually asleep in 20.

You might also try a Womb Sounds Bear to help mimic your own heart beat and the sounds she's accustomed to hearing. Those sounds may be one of the reasons she likes you to hold her.

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I had this probem with my daughter as well. I'm sure you are getting lots of peope telling you the same thing. Let her cry it out. When she cries, rub her back but don't pick her up. Your soon to be husband is just going to have to deal with it for a while. It's best to start it on a weekend when no one has to get up really early the next day. My daughter did the same thing until she was almost 2 and I finally had enough. It took about 2 weeks for her to get used to it, but it's fine now. My sister still has to sleep with her 6 year old. You really don't want that. Trust me. You need your sleep as much as she does. You also need to have alone time with your man while you two are still awake. It will be hard for a while, but it's better in the long run.

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Have you tried swaddling her with a receiving blanket? My oldest would not sleep without being swaddled, just like in the hospital. She would have to be wrapped really tight and was like that for about 4 months. When she awoke in the night she was swaddled and went back to sleep, if she had come undone, then she would cry. Worth a try and is only a suggestion. Good luck and God bless.

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It is very hard to hear a baby cry but she knows you will be there to get her. Have you ever put something in her bed with your smell on it like a shirt maybe if she is able to smell you she would sleep better. Good luck

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I know they are now saying that babies should sleep on their backs, but all 9 of mine (ages 31 to 3) slept on their tummys. The last 3 I tried the back thing but they just wouldn't sleep. I told my doctor and he said that as long as there are no toys, pillows and only one blanket around baby, they should be fine. Also, they're finding that babies that sleep on their backs develop slower.
D.

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