Sleeping Through the Night - Pacific Grove,CA

I just wanted to add that you can get more information about co-sleeping from these links:
http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID...
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/23/health/23well.html?_r=2....

http://www.mandjshow.com/videos/co-sleeping-with-your-child/.

Hi M.,
This is my first time on Mamasource but this seems really cool! I remember having my first child and being so worried about when and how long she would sleep. After 5 kids, all who nursed past a year, I learned at about kid #2 not to stress about it. The stress is what's causing the stress, not the actual "kid not sleeping through the night" thing. Bring her in bed with you (you said your huspands cool with it) and skip the "walking to the crib in the middle of the night" routine and everybody get some sleep.
The deal is that you want your sleep, and you're hoping that sense you've gone without it this long, that you should be getting some soon. In a word, or two, FUHGET ABUT IT! Sleeping through the night (for the parent) is a carefully planned and orchastrated event, involving babysitters and/or loving grandparents, or playdates and sleepaway camp, which is a long way off! Be gentle with your expectations of yourself and your baby. Sounds like you are doing a wonderful job as a mom! Be well!!

K.

1 mom found this helpful

i know this may sound a little harsh, but tough love worked for both my son (now 26 months) and daughter (now 4 months). as long as you have the patience for it, it will work for you every time. i've had to use it multiple times now.
after anything where they needed that extra love and attention (whether it be teething, catching a cold, etc.), i would work with them to learn to sleep through the night again without needing mommy's nursing or daddy's extra attention. on the first night you're ready for them to sleep through the night, i would put them to bed using your normal routine. when they would wake up, i would go to them, check them to see if they're diaper was wet (i would usually only do this for the baby, not the toddler), change them IN THE CRIB (DO NOT PICK THEM UP), and after that, i would rub them or pat them on the butt and tell them that they were fine and that it was night night time. depending on how much patience and energy you have, you can do this every 5 minutes (like i've been told) or you can wait a little longer. i went to them every 10 to 15 mintues the first night. the second night, i went go to them every 20 minutes. the third night 25-30 minutes. and so forth and so on. i've never had to do it more than a couple of nights. by the third night, they would not wake up. and if they did, they quickly put themselves back to sleep.
it can be a little trying at first, and very nerve racking, especially for a first time mom, but i promise you, it has helped me out time and time again, and i've been able to be there for them during the day (because i have the energy and i'm not too tired) when they really need me.

This is something that we are very familiar with. My daughter is 15 months and we just got her back in her bed to sleep through the night. I was so done with not sleeping well with her hitting me, kicking me and nursing throughout the night. So, now if she wakes up she only cries for like a minute and falls back to sleep.
My recommendation is she has to learn to self soothe. When she wakes up and cries you have to let her cry it out(if she is in pain or sick then that is a different story). Give her a sippy cup or bottle of water when she cries. It is extrememly hard but for the sake of your sanity you have to do it. It should only take a few nights and pretty soon she will realize that the water is not worth waking up for. I feel for you! Good luck.
Also, check out the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Weissbluth. It is really helpful.

Try feeding her without putting her in bed with you. She will continue to wake-up so that she can share your bed. By changing the routine now, you'll save yourself from many future sleepless nights.

Hi M.,
I"m not there yet but I've heard that the book "the no-cry sleep solution" by Elizabeth Pantley is a great resource for parents who aren't comfortable with "crying it out" techniques. I'm about to read it myself. Good luck!
A.

Wow, we're living the same life ;). My son is also ten months and slept through the night from 2 months until he started teething in August. He has slept through the night once in awhile since, but sleep has really been an issue. The thing is, of course he's always getting new teeth. He's quite affecting by teething, but each tooth seems to come in a little easier than the last. I just keep reminding myself that this will not go on forever, and it has been improving.

M.,
I feel the pain about your daughter not sleeping through the night, It feels as if my son hasn't slept throught the night in forever and he's 2.
I use to pick him up from his crib and put him in bed with us, but then that became such a habit it was like 3-4 times a night and I just was exhuasted. So I started with giving him a bottle (Probably not the best) to get him back to sleep and told him to lay down. Now he sucks on the bottle a little bit and back to sleep. I am also not someone that will allow him to cry it out, so it's been much better and I have become use to waking up 2 times a night now. It's down to 2 times a night if not 1.
I have heard it's a growth thing and by age 3 he might out grow it. But just find what works for you and your daughter and be consistant with it.
I am ok with waking up 2 times a night if my son needs that. I know it's not the best, but the kids are smart, my son will sleep all night at his grandma's house but once he's home he knows the routine and how it works.
So good luck to you.
Sorry I didn't really have much advise but thought I would let you know there are other mom's out there with the same deal.
:)

Hi M.,

I had this same issue with my first son, until his Dr. told me that I should not be nursing him at night at his age. He said that his tummy had grown enough that his last feeding before bed could sustain him until morning, and he was only waking up to nurse out of habit. I was actually doing him & myself a disservice by offering him milk every time he woke up, because I was encouraging this habit and as a result, neither of us were getting enough sleep. The doctor said that if I stopped giving him food to comfort him at night, and instead quickly came in his room to reassure him of my presence, change his diaper if needed, and put him back down, he would stop waking up as frequently. And, he was right.

C. : )

A trick that I tried when my daughter was less than a year old was to sprinkle a small amount of rice cereal (baby cereal-too long I cant remember exactly. Soon after that action, she was sleeping contently thru the nite.