Need Napping Help-5 Month Old Only Naps 30 Min Unless with Me and up at Night!

Read these articles:

http://www.lullabyluna.com/2009/04/sleep-ponderings-from-...

http://www.lullabyluna.com/2008/12/happy-new-year.html

let me know if you have any other questions

once nighttime sleep is organized- daytime sleep organizes easily!

C., mother of 3, sleep consultant, sleep blog writer

This is the exact age we used the cry-it-out method, and it was a miracle. A lot of people don't like it, say it's cruel, etc. but we were at our wit's end. You say you tried everything, but you didn't list this. A doctor even recommended it, and several experts recommend it. For our sanity AND our marriage, we had to try it, and it worked wonders. We put our daughter to bed and she cried for 1/2 hour (she was used to us rocking her at least one hour every night). She went to sleep after crying, and in the middle of the night, woke and cried a little, then stopped and went back to sleep. Next night, she didn't cry at all because she remembered, and the rest is history. Same exact pattern with our other daughter. They are both older now and well-adjusted and normal, so there was no harm done. It's not cruel, in my opinion, just one of those things that has to be done to get a good sleep! There is a lot of controversey about this, but when doctors and experts recommend it, there must be something good about it, and it was for us...a great night sleep since she was 5 mos. old!!

The Contented Little Baby Book, by Gina Ford, was a lifesaver for me. It is a scheduling book, with the schedule in it. The first couple of weeks were rough, but once my son was on the schedule, he was on it. It gives some great tips on how to get your little one to sleep through the night.

You can't Ferberize a reflux baby!! Please remember that! It just makes it worse. I actually tried once my son (now 8 months) was put on meds but it didn't work. It just made him go into a complete reflux flare up that lasted days. (that was after a about 2 nights). The thing is, they still reflux on the meds, they just don't have the acid that burns. It's still uncomfortable and can still cause choking.

You are in a R. tough spot. I feel your pain. I was there too! My little one is on prilosec 2x a day and a drug called Motillium at night. You don't have it in the states. (I'm an American living in Brazil).

Anyway, you do need to get her used to the crib. Put her down for nap and if she wakes up, try to sooth her back to sleep. Personally, I don't believe in the don't pick them up. I picked up my oldest and now my youngest if they need it. My little boy with reflux is now starting to get better. His morning nap was 2 hrs and his afternoon was a little over an hour. He got there on his own. I rock him to sleep etc. They feel pain and discomfort and they need to be comforted. The reason why he sleeps well with you is that you comfort him while he sleeps. It will pass eventually.

You can try to stack some books under the head of her crib. It takes 4 to 6 inches of books to make a difference (the bed has to be at a 30% incline). Also try making some additional changes to her diet. Take out anything with acidic qualities (including apples). She can have mango and watermelon (both great for acid reflux babies), avocado, papaya, pear, cooked banana, oat meal, corn meal, all veggies. Does she have issues with constipation? My son does. I have to increase his fiber. I make his lunch and add a lot of spinach or arugula. Stay away from cabbage and test lentils. Peas are great. Stay away from red meat for a little while.

Oh, and rice cereal gave my son horrible gas which aggravated his reflux. Try oatmeal. And you should introduce solids. Reflux babies do better with solids. It takes a little time but you do see a difference. I have a totally different child now at 8 months than I did at 5. Does he sleep all night... no. but he only wakes up twice or some nights only once. It gets better! If you have any questions for someone who has and is in the same situation, you can email me at ____@____.com

Good luck!

Hi There,
Please email me at ____@____.com and I will send you an on-line book that really changed my family's life!!
We have had a horrible time getting my daughter (now 29 months) to sleep through the night. I think it is great that you want to start good habits at such a young age. This book should help you. Or at least put you in the right direction.
It's called "Sleep Sense Program".
I'll send it to anyone who could use it.
Take care,
M.

at 5 months my mom showed me this trick..she would stand on the porch and push my son back and forth in his stroller facing a wall w/ nothing much to look at ..at naptime..sometimes we'd push like 30 minutes to get him off to sleep and he'd nap longer in his stroller..i would wheel him into his room w/ the black out curtains and sound machine..he'd nap for about 1.5 hours that way..he never used a paci so i'm not much help with that.

Awww I think all mommies go through this stage....I'm going on child 4 due in Dec. and will do the same as I did with all the other kiddos. Let them cry it out. Eventually your little one will be able to sleep without you having to put the pacifier back in because she'll learn to self soothe on her own by letting her cry. I know it sounds heart breaking to hear....trust me we all know it's not fun to listen to, but you have to do it, otherwise that little one is going to expect you there every little wimper and guess what...your poor husband is alone in the bed. It won't be overnight, but give it a little time and she'll learn and I'm sure your husband wouldn't mind you being back in your twos bed too!

Oh and all my boys had the pacifier too! We eventually just let them cry and they either figured out how to get it themselves or did without.

Read Richard Ferber's "Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems" ASAP, and start a night time and day time sleep ritual that works for you. Be consistent as much as possible between naps and bedtimes. i.e. have a bottle (or breast), read a book, and give kisses, and lay her in her crib while she's still awake. Let her cry for increasing intervals, with a 2 minute check in between - let her cry 5 minutes, then go check on her for 2 minutes, then cry 10 minutes, then check on her for 2 minutes, then cry 15 minutes, etc. On the next day, start with the 10 minute interval. It's important during the 2 minute checks that you DON't pick her up. Just use a soothing voice, give her a pat on her tummy or back, and tell her it's time to sleep.
For us, it took about 5 days to get him to sleep on the first try, but this system works. The idea is to get her to sooth herself to sleep, and not rely on you putting the pacifier in or holding her until she sleeps.
When she wakes up intermittently during the night, wait about 15-20 minutes before soothing her. If she starts to soothe herself to sleep at bedtime, she'll be able to soothe herself at 3 am too.
Be sure to get your husband to do the same system, to give each other a break. I would take the first three intervals, and then he took the next three intervals. During the week, we would trade off nights - or hours of the night. (I took the first shift from 10 pm to 2 am, my husband took 2 am to 6 am. This way we both got about 5 good hours of sleep each. (not that that is enough, but it's better than none).
Sleep training is hard, and painful! But this solution really worked for us. Consistency is absolutely the key. When we go on vacation, we always have to re-sleep-train for about 2 days when we get back, but it works. Our son is now 2 years old, and we sleep trained when he was about 6 months.

Both of my sons are/were 30min nappers, so I wouldn't fret about that now, just try to work on the night time problems. Could it be gas pains? Does she lift her legs and thump them back down or cry out? My first son started the frequent wake-ups when he started solids at 4mos, I'm sure it was tummy problems. My baby did this the first 4mos or so, but this time around I was sure it was gas and started giving him Culturelle (probiotics) 2-3 times per week and it helped so well! We are just starting solids now at 6mos so will see if he has problems with the new diet.

I tried the cry-it-out a few times during my son's first year, but will NOT do it with my baby. I've learned that they will sleep through the night when they are ready, I feel terrible for 'punishing' my son by letting him cry. It just made him angrier and more awake! By 18months he was a great sleeper, and honestly the 18months of poor sleep are long forgotten!

I'm no "expert" but I am a Mom of 2 kids, and each had different personalities.

To me... I think she is going through or already HAD a "growth-spurt" but her intake has NOT increased, per her growth. Thus, she is waking a lot because she is hungry. And the pacifier at night just ain't doing it.

Next, how long has she been drinking "6 ounces"???? Perhaps, she is able to now take in more? Have you tried that? She is now older, bigger, and her appetite seems hearty. How come you wanted to give her "smaller more frequent" feedings as she's gotten older? USUALLY, their intake amounts INCREASES... and if not, they are always hungry. BOTH my kids had GINORMOUS appetites, and at 5 months old, they were drinking more than 6 ounces per sitting. AND, when a baby has growth spurts, they also often need to "cluster feed."

Anyway, just my observation.
I think, your baby is just hungry and needs more intake, and perhaps more often.

AND, perhaps even during the night, instead of just getting the pacifier. At this age, they still need to be fed on demand. My kids were "big" too for their age... and gee, they had a big appetite at all hours of the day and night. It was a biological thing, especially when they were hitting growth spurts and developmental changes.