10 Month Old Not Self-soothing Back to Sleep

try babycalm. Look for it online if you can't find it local.

Iodine also helps with sleep. One drop of lugols iodine a day in water.

yeah he is depending on you to put him back to sleep. He needs to learn to do it on his own. There is a no cry method but I don't know how it works. I always did the cry it out method and it worked for my kids but it can be hard and there are rules to follow with it. Like one of the worst ages to do the cry it out is around 11 months. I guess it's good to do around 6 months and then again between 12 to 18 months. So you might want to wait a little longer. Also there are different ways to do it like you can go in every 5 minutes and calm him down but then leave again. Kids act differently too. With my first it took 2 weeks for her to learn to fall asleep on her own. With my second I waited until she was 13 months and done nursing and she was fine the first night cried for about 20 sec. and that was all. So i think he really does need to learn to self sooth but there are different ways to do it.

Well, I guess I will be the voice of a different option.

He is 10 months old. Think about that. He hasn't even been alive for a whole year and you are already expecting him to be independent of you and put himself to sleep. I much prefer to parent my children to sleep. That means if they need me to help them sleep then I am there for them. If that means waking once or twice a night to snuggle my children to sleep then I do it. It teaches them that I will always be there for them day or night. This translates to them being very secure and out going. There will come a time when they do not need me anymore. Your little man will not still need to be rocked probably by the time he is 2 or 3. Instead you transition to books, snuggles, singing what ever works to help your child unwind. By doing this you are giving your child the tools he will need in the future (as a teenager and into adulthood) to help them relax at night and go to sleep or even how to deal with stressful situations. They will be able to sit down and read or listen to music and it will be a natural ingrained response to calm them down. My DD is almost 4 (and I have an 8 month old). She is very close to being ready to learn to read. She loves her story time and wants us to read to her all the time. Once she learns to read will be at a great time to start transitioning her to going to sleep on her own. We'll be able to send her to her room with a good book and some music and she'll be able to wind herself down and put herself to sleep. No, this will not happen over night but it will happen without tears, without stress and will continue to promote healthy sleep associations that she will be able to use for the rest of her life.

You can try googling "attachment parenting" for more information on the ideas I have talked about in this post. Or visit http://www.askdrsears.com/html/7/T070300.asp

It is difficult but he is only 10 months. The previous poster who said that a 10 month old does not need to nurse in the night is wrong. Nursing at night is perfectly normal, healthy, and beneficial for many years as long as both mother and child are happy.

If you do not smoke or drink and have a safe sleeping environment you can always bring your baby into bed with you. Install a bed rail and ensure there aren't any gaps or heavy bedding. Please see: http://www.askdrsears.com/html/7/t070600.asp

Also, if your baby enjoys being held rather than being put down, try a sling. There are many different kinds that can distribute the weight so that your baby feels weightless. (I still carry my 25 month old everywhere and we do not have a car or stroller) http://www.slingguide.co.uk/ This website is from the UK but still has plenty of information to get you started. Allow your baby to sleep in the sling whilst you carry on doing what you need to do.

Remember, he is not even a year old. It takes time and understanding to become independent. Please do not resort to CIO or sleep training. It takes more than a few weeks or months for your child to understand that he is OK on his own. Just keep faith that he WILL learn.

Good luck :)

He hasn't learned how to fall asleep on his own which is why he needs your help to go back to sleep once he has fallen asleep nursing, in your arms, or swaddled. Depending on where you find yourself on the cry it old spectrum, look into books from the No Cry Sleep Solution to Ferber to Healthy SLeep Habits, Happy Baby - once he learns how to fall asleep on his own, he wont need your help getting back to sleep when he rouses. - At 10 months old, he shouldnt need to nurse more than once (maximum) per night

When my son was 9 months old, I was still waking up in the middle of the night to nurse too, yet my son didn't have such bad problems with his naps as your son does. A total stranger overheard me at church complaining about waking in the middle of the night to nurse and suggested the book "BABYWISE: Giving your child the gift of nighttime sleep." I got it, read it, and within 3 days, my son was sleeping thru the night 9 or 10pm-6 or 7am. He's 27 months old and still sleeping thru the night!

Lots of moms on here will say that they don't agree with babywise becuase it requires letting the baby cry. But I let my son cry for about 5 minutes until I went in there, soothed him, left the room, he cried a little more, then fell asleep.

The two biggest things I learned from Babywise was:
1. Put the baby to bed DROWSY not fast asleep. Yes, he cried, but it didn't last long. And he learned that I'm not going to grab him and rock him again. He learned (at 9months old) that I was there (since I went in and soothed him) and that he had to fall asleep on his own.
2. Your order may be wrong. We often wake up, then have playtime, then eat, then nap. Babywise says to wake up, eat, play, then nap. Most of the book goes into more detail and also talks about feeding too.

I've seen the book at my local library, so check there first if you don't have money to buy it.

I think part of the problem is that he is used to being nursed to sleep, so this is his mechanism for sleep. After the first couple of months, I never nursed my kids to sleep... I would nurse, then bath/book and bed, so they learned to soothe themselves. You might want to start that routine at bedtime... it will be tough at first, but be consistant. Also, at 10mos., a child should not have to nurse in the middle of the night (as long as he is healthy). He is just waking out of habit. He will probably be fine if you wean him from his night nursing and try just letting him cry a little, then go in and soothe him (don't pick him up, leave the room dark, and just pat his back), then leave for a while, and increase the amount of time you wait to go back in. Continue the routine until he settles himself. In order for this to work, you have to be consistant... it is never easy to hear your baby cry, but he will be fine. I used CIO a few times at different stages for my kids (2yrs and 4yrs) and they both are happy, healthy, well ajusted kids). You will both benefit from him learning to soothe himself to sleep. Good Luck!

Dear J., At 10 months your baby may be teething and may just need a little comfort. Grandma Mary

Try putting him on his belly his arms won't flare around and he might find it more comforting.

If you continue to rock him to sleep, he will never be able to fall asleep on his own without being rocked. You should put him down in his crib when he is sleepy, but not fast asleep. If you put him into the crib when he is already asleep (after being rocked or breast fed), when he naturally wakes up a few hours later, it will be startling for him because the last thing he remembers is being held jn your arms and is wondering how the heck he got into the crib. As if you went to sleep in your bed and woke up on your couch. You'd be wide awake trying to figure out how you got there. There is a great video about this called "Your Baby Can Sleep." Very helpful. Good luck!