Weeding Through the Rubbish

hello!!

i have 6 months twins they was the same i am using the EASY method of baby whisperer i have been using for 2 months now and is working pretty good for both babys what i do is each baby wake up at 7:00am and then is diaper change,feeding time ,quick bath ,play time i put the babys sometime in a door bouncer and about at 12:00 nap time they sleep for about 2.5 hours and wake up at 2.5 or 3 pm and i star diaper,feeding,playtime another nap at 5pm an wake up at 6 and then we takle a walk for 1.5 hrs.and at 9 pm is a bath and bed time that is working for me because before that they sleep for 30 min max. and the baby boy was awake at 3 am to 6 am
try to read the book .

I dont really think your baby's nap schedule before was bad. If your baby was sleeping all night with only 30-45 minute naps, I would continue that. My baby is 6 months and her naps are getting tremendously shorter.

I know you said you dont like babywise, but it isnt a CIO method. It really has worked for both my children. I have never let them CIO. I will go put a binky in their little mouths but we dont like to hear them cry. We dont deal with that anymore luckily since both my kiddos have become decent sleepers. Please dont discount babywise until you have read it. I hear people say horrible things about it before reading it...I love it!

My daughter taught me so much about having control of a baby, and I had 2 besides her! Her son, at 12 weeks, cried an hour and a half the first night, 30 min. the second night and 10 mins. the third night. Walah! It was over. When I read your post, she said it will take you longer because you've allowed your child to have the control for 6 months. BUT DO IT! The longer you wait, the worse it will get.

I also followed Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child. I know it is hard. Give it some more time.

I know of too many kids that were not able to sleep thru the night till 2 or 3. I still know of 7 year olds who will not go to sleep by themselves and still sleep with parents because of too scared to sleep alone.

My 6 year old happily goes to bed every night at 8pm. I again followed the book with my 18 month old.

It works. Give it more time.

Dear N.,

I have cared for infants specifically for the past 20+ years. All children have their own sleep needs, however with that in mind I would like to suggest something that I have not seen anyone else suggest to you as of yet.
Anywhere between the age of 6 months to a year of age. I notice that some infants in my care begin to take shorter naps during the day, signalling the time in development when they are ready to go longer between feedings. This doesn't always happen at any particular age since as I said earlier each child has their own sleep schedule, some children clearly need more rest than others. Whenever they are ready I guide them toward a longer single nap. I do this by gradually lengthening their morning nap over time, until they go down after their midday feeding. This helps them (usually) sleep longer (usually 1-2 hours). Of course you don't want them to sleep too long or they won't sleep through the night:)

I also want to point out that I have noticed that many (almost all) infants sleep habits change just before they do something developmentally such as crawling or pulling themselves up or even cutting a tooth. Some infants will sleep longer than normal, others begin to refuse sleep, or get nights/days mixed up. If this is the case the child usually reverts back to their "normal" sleep schedule.

As you work on the above mentioned I believe the night routine should run a little smoother. In the meanwhile just hang in and provide a routine for him. I would begin by waking him up at the same time each morning even if he was awake in the middle of the night. Also, if he is awake and content in his crib in the am but it is not the time you have set for him to "wake-up" leave him until the set time. Infants thrive when following a routine. If you offer one consistently he will develop a sleep schedule you can both count on!
As we know consistency is key. I know, "easier said than done".
As he is going through this phase you may need to enlist the help of others in the household so you can get the rest you need to take care of yourself because "When momma ain't happy, ain't no one happy!"

Of course, as you said, each child/family are different. Just take what advice you feel will work for your situation and leave all else behind.

Hope this helps!
Good Luck!
D.
Owner/Operator Love'n Learn childcare
www.lovenlearncc.com

You didn't mention if you are feeding him cereal or solid foods yet.

What I did with all 3 of my boys... by the time they were 4 months old they either got a bottle that had a couple tablespoons of cereal mixed or I made up 2-3 tablespoons of cereal and fed them about 30 minutes before putting them down for the night. This seemed to help then sleep a little longer. all 3 were sleeping through the night (at least 6 hours straight) by the time they were 4-6 months.

Consistency is really the key. It will take at least 21 days to form a habit good or bad. So be consistent in the times he takes naps and the times he goes to bed. I would beware though not to allow him to "play" when he wakes up in the middle of the night- then he will think when he wakes up it's playtime. Keep it dark and quiet when he wakes at night, talk in a whisper, and handle him gently.

Be consistent though. As he grows his need for sleep during the day will probably change, so there may be a few adjustments there... going from 2 long naps to possibly 1 shorter and 1 long, then to just 1 nap.

When my second son was an infant our ped said it didn't matter when he got the sleep, as long as he got 12 hours a day.

Talk to your ped. My third is 3 mos & everytime I think I have a schedule something always gets messed up.

Mine gets up @ 6am, am nap @ 9am; pm nap @ 4. Bedtime @ 9pm. I have to adjust hid schedule sine I have a 3 & 5 year old to contend with. Sean is BF & formula too. I give him formula before bedtime @ night. I noticed that 2 things really mess our schedule up: growth spurts were he is hungry all the time & my husband trying to help but not doing things 'my way' LOL