Getting 2 Month Old to Sleep Through the Night

I would suggest reading the book Baby Wise. Someone had recommend it to us and my daughter slept through the night by 6 weeks. It is all about having the baby put themselves to sleep and being able to comfort themselves. Its hard in the beginning to hear them cry:( however we had excellent results with it. Some people are against this but just giving you an experience we had and a happy result in the end. My daughter is now 2 and does to bed w/o cry at all :)

Hi A., at my pediatrician's suggestion, whenever I put my daughter (now 7 months) to bed awake, she slept the best and longest. We only got her to sleep through the night (and still does 10-12 hours) when she has fallen asleep on her own. My Ped said that babies sleep better when they do it like this. I put her down totally awake she looks around, sometimes for twenty minutes and then eventually falls asleep. Sometimes she will fuss or cry for a few minutes but she does it. If he does have gas, maybe try to let him sleep in the bouncy seat. He is too young to know the difference and right now for you and your husband its about getting more sleep and making your baby comfortable. I have followed my daughter's lead on scheduling and let her set the pace. I went back to work and it changed a little, but she sets the tone for the most part. For gas relief, try laying him flat on his back and grabbing his thighs and rolling his hips gently and not too high up. We learned this in Itsy Bitsy Yoga and it helps relieve the gas. Good luck!

Try putting a folded towel under the bassinet mattress to raise the head of his bed so if he is having reflux he is a bit more upright. If you think he is having gas or reflux then you should talk to his doctor about what you can do. My own son was prescribed zantac and that helped him alot.
As for getting him to sleep through the night, he is still young and if you are breast feeding you may have to deal with night wakings for a bit longer. If he is having reflux then once that is under control he may sleep better. Good luck and I hope you can get a good night sleep soon.

My two month old is just transitioning from two nightly feedings to one (yeah!). When feeding him at night keep the lights dim or off so there is very little for him to look at. My son will nurse and fall asleep. I'm afraid I don't have a lot of good suggestions but what worked for my third child... she never slept well on her back (maybe 20 minutes or so) but after running errands one day she slept for several hours in her carseat. I tried it that night and she started sleeping for 3-4 hours at a time. She then slept in her carseat until she was six months old. She was my third and I think when you're as exhausted as new mothers are, you need to go with what works!!! My first two children didn't like sleeping on their backs either and slept so much better once I let them sleep on their belly (at first I only let them nap on their belly until I was comfortable they could lift and turn their heads well). So experiment with different sleeping positions. Good luck!

I don't know where I read it, but when I was pregnant I read that if you feed them just before they get hungry, when you knows its about that time, but before he cries for it or anything, it helps them somehow. I tried this with my son and by 2.5 months, he was sleeping from 10 at night until 6 or 7 in the morning. I mean, I could have gone for a couple more hours, but the first time he did it, I think it was the greatest nights sleep I ever had! LOL. I used to pump as opposed to breastfeeding and mixed it with formula, but he ate about every 2 hours or so, and I would feed him just before 2 hours, like an hour and 50 minutes, and that seemed to do it. I have no idea if it was the feeding routine or pure luck, but its a tip if you want to give it a shot! Good Luck to you!

Our 2nd daughter began sleeping through the night right around 3 months & boy did we enjoy that - our 1st daughter's colic was enough to drive us crazy - went thru 9 mos then from there the double ear infections - so just keep ur fingers crossed ur little one falls alseep & stays asleep thru the night - haley would go down at 8pm & wake up around 5am - i hear u about the nightly feedings! they were the worst, especially when u couldn't get a burp out of them & ur eyes r crossed. Good Luck! PS Something u may want to try is either swaddling him or getting him those zip up the front sacks they have - they worked miracles with our youngest.

I think some babies just won't sleep through the night at 2 months and you just have to wait until he does. However, I will tell you that swaddling our daughter hashelped her sleep better. She has been sleeping through the night (6 hours) since she was 2 months. She can't sleep flat on her back if she's not swaddled. Babies R Us sells swaddle wraps that are great for $10. Good luck!

Hello A.. We have a 18 mos old daughter. I too breastfed, and then transitioned to formula during my return to work. We went the tough route in teaching her to fall asleep by herself. First, we stopped the rocking to sleep. If your son is only accustomed to being rocked to sleep he will always cry when he wakes up. He has to learn to fall asleep by himself. Be sure to have a bedtime routine, the 4 B's - bath, book, bottle and bed.

At about 4 mos we got the go ahead from our pediatrician to stop the night-time feedings. This was the even tougher stage, not running into the nursey everytime she cried, and no leaving a bottle in the crib! Each 2nd or 3rd night we let the time she cried get longer before checking her. If you are familiar with his cries, then you'll know when he needs a diaper change or other attention, so you don't have to wait to attend to these needs. It was really tough and heartbreaking to hear her cry, but it worked. And now she can't wait to get into her crib. She literally jumps out of our lap and walks over to her crib and lifts her arms up in anticipation of us putting her to bed. Goodluck.

Hi A., Welcome to motherhood. If your baby is only waking at 3am you are lucky. Most babies do not sleep through the night at 2 months. If you want him to sleep in the day try a swing or rocking him. You will adjust to 3-4 hours a night and 3 more at another time. We have all survived. The baby will set his schedule, there is not much you can do except to provide a quiet, comfortable place. Some of mine liked to sleep in their infant seat. They like to be crunched up like back in the womb. Try to go with the flow. Grandma Mary

My sons kept up with the 3am feeding (I nursed exclusively) for 5 months. It was only after introducing solid foods that we eliminated that feeding. In my experience, 3-4 hours of sleep at night between feedings for a 2 month old is right on the money.

My sons always slept in their own room so I can't help with the bassinet issue. Do you turn the light on when you feed your son? At "nighttime" feedings (anything after 7pm and before 6am) we always kept the lights off or at least no brighter than their bedroom. That way they weren't overstimulated and were able to go back to sleep after eating.

I know you're looking forward to some more sleep, but you really have to keep an eye on what your son is telling you he needs. Sure, some women have babies that "sleep through the night" right away, but most others done. Babies are all individuals and at such a young age all we can do is listen to their needs and make sure they're taken care of.

As someone who is still exhausted most of the time, I really feel for you. Good luck.

HI A.,

It takes some babies a bit to learn to sleep through the night. Both of my girls (now 2 years old and 6 mos old) started sleeping through the night around 3 mos, but would periodically wake up when teething or going through a growth spurt.

For flat matress sleeping, I had to wait with my 2nd daughter because she had some acid reflux. I used a sleep positioner with a wedge to prop her up on an incline. By 3 mos old she didn't need it anymore and sleeps flat on her back. Check the formula, because that could be upsetting his stomach.

Here's what has worked for me:

1. Cluster feed by spacing feedings closer together in the late afternoon, early evening. Rather than eating "big portions" every 3-4 hours, try having smaller portions every 1-2 hours later in the day. To get dinner cooked, take turns feeding the baby.

2. Have his most awake time be in the late afternoon, early evening. My 6 mos daughter naps 9-11 am and 1-4 pm and sometimes takes a shorter nap in the late afternoon (5-6pm) and then she's up until we start the bedtime routine at 7:30pm. She then sleeps through the night from 8pm until 7 am or so.

3. Follow a consistent bedtime routine: bath, lotion/massage, pj's, final feeding, rocked/held to sleep and put down. We use the Johnson & Johnson lavendar bedtime lotion for naps & bedtime. For naps, simplify the routine.

4. We have the Fisherprice Rainforest Crib Toy and I put it on everytime I put my daughter to bed (my 2 year old doesn't need hers anymore) and she'll ge distracted by it and fall asleep on her own (without crying and watching me leave the room). Besides a routine, this helps to condition her to sleep by giving her a visual cue that it is bedtime. VTech also makes one, both are priced around $30. I swear by the crib toys!

5. This sounds cazy, but its been known to work. Try putting your son to bed earlier. Instead of 9-10 pm, try 8-9pm or 7-8 pm. Likewise, good naps during the day will help your son sleep better at night.

6. During the night, make sure he's really awake when you go in to feed him. Just wait 5 mins when you hear him stir and see if he'll fall back to sleep on his own. Obviously, if he is freaking out crying, go in right away, but if its a couple of short wails, he might not be truly awake. Babies go through cycles during their sleep where they will briefly wake up or be close to waking up before returning back to deep sleep.

Like I said, this worked for me and I just want to pass the info along. I don't want to impose my routine on you, just want to help another mom get some sleep. So, pick and choose or adapt what works for you.

Sweet dreams!

Naps take time to develop. My son napped in short spurts until around 3-4 months, when he developed three naps of about one hour each. Then he started crawling around 6 months, and that changed into two naps of about two hours each. The early morning nap (around 8-9 AM)usually develops first, especially if you are good about making sure your baby is never up for more than 2 hours at a time.

But two months old is very young! Your little guy is still learning night from day, and he is unlikely to sleep through the night for a little while longer. (And remember that "sleeping through the night" is defined as 5-7 hours at a time!)

Some people believe in schedules, and others don't. I believe in having a nighttime routine, and getting kids to bed really early. That was the key to getting my 3 month old son to sleep for long stretches at a time. I also made sure he got plenty of naps. But I don't like to have set times for those naps- I prefer to put him down based on his "I'm tired" signals.

One more note- my son needed a positioner to sleep on his side for a long time. Just wouldn't sleep on his back at all. Some people are very opposed to the positioners, but it worked wonders for us to get him to sleep in his crib! And once he started rolling over, we took it away. Now he always turns over onto his stomach to sleep, and the doctor said that was fine. Once they roll, you can't really stop 'em anyways! :)

Good luck, and enjoy this wonderful time! At three months old, your son will start doing even cooler stuff!

Go out and get Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child by Marc Weissbluth. It will help you so much. A side note, 2mo aren't on a real schedule yet. Just make sure you keep trying to put your baby to sleep after he has been awake for two hours. He should not be up for more than 2 hours at any point of the day.

Hi A.
God bless you, it sounds like you are doing fine.
At 2 months babies set their own schedule in my opinion, and all you do is frustrate yourself when you try to make them fit into yours. Certainly there is no point in my opinion to try to put him on a schedule. In Oct., if he goes to day care where more than just he is they will force him onto their schedule by neccessity, until then I think you should simply enjoy all the little things he does. Soak it in for when you are at work.

As for sleeping through, never had one that did. When I stopped feeding at night, we had to do something. Then when they got old enough to they screamed, then they got out came in our room. Well you get the picture. It was always something til I could reason with them and said read a book when you wake up but you must stay in your room. So you see I really do think 2 months is too early to worry about it.

As for eating, growing, and 4 hours sounds perfect to me. Use wisdom and talk to the MD. First time moms sometimes think it is a reflection on them and don't want to tell what is happening. Remember you tell the MD, so that he can help you with what is best for you son. Getting good advice is always a great idea. Getting advice means being able to sort out what works for your situation. Don't try to implement all advice.

Well, since I suspect I am old enough to be your mom, I always recommend that you talk to your mom. She may have some great advice as well as some funny stories to tell. She will love telling them.

God bless you and all you do
God bless your family
K. Married 38 years, 4 kids --- 37, 32, and twins 18. They headed to college this week, and the younger single made us grandparent in July so many changes at our house too.

I agree with the other moms who have said that he is still two months old and don't stress. It isn't realistic to think that he should be sleeping through the night right now. Some babies do, but certainly not many. My son stopped feeding at night ewhen he was about 4 months old (I discovered that instead of finishing both breats, he nursed for 30 seconds and fell sound asleep when in mid-nurse)But neven after I was not feeding him at night, he would wake up with teething, gas, too hot, too cold, wanting his pacifier, anything. He didn't consistently sleep through the night until 8 months. Though by 5 months, the breaks were short. He'd wake up we'd give him his paci and he'd go back to sleep.
Don't stress. I know you want him to sleep through the night, but he will figure it out. But the furber book is good and worked for my sister in law. It will also make it clear if your child is exhibiting normal patterns or really has a sleep problem.
good luck

Hi A.,
Your story sounds a lot like mine. My son started sleeping through that night in his cradle just shy of 2 months old. Until that time he slept in his baby swing because he too slept better upright than on his back. We went out and purchased a sleep positioner at Babys R Us (about $25-30) so he would get used to sleeping in his cradle. It worked for a bit, but he became a squirmy sleeper, so we tried laying him in his cradle on his own after he had fallen asleep and it worked. I think it was a matter both of him getting a little bit older and getting used to the new space (as his baby swing was in our living room not our bedroom). He has been sleeping through the night ever since.
I hope that you get some releif soon. From everyone I talk with it sounds like babies just make up their own little minds as to when things should happen. Just hoping it happens sooner rather than later!
Blessings,
J.

Hi A. H.
I truly understand for your husband and yourself needing more sleep...but do expect the little to start sleeping over night just yet...He's eating just great and maybe sleeping on a boppie might give a secured feeling and help him sleep longer ...but it's all a process...look forward to his sleeping longer as the months pass
God Bless..Rev.G.

Hi A., I have a 6 month old little boy and this is what worked for me. He was sleeping through the night at 7 weeks and taking several hour to 1 and 1/2 hour naps per day. Read this book, Babywise by dr. Ezzo and it works like a charm. It is somewhat controversial (i don't really know why) but for me it was a lifesaver, literally! It got my baby on a routine and gave me a peace of mind as well as much needed rest! Now at 6 months I do my own thing, but my baby is still sleeping like 8 hours and then i feed him and he goes right back down for another 2-3 hours!! ANd he's still taking a couple naps during the day. Go buy that book!!! Good luck!

Try putting your son in his crib; I had no success with my son sleeping, he was in the bassinet but I ended up bringing him in our bed since he was up so often but I always thought he was waking because he was hungry or wanted to be in our arms however with my second child (also 2 months) she also had trouble in the bassinet so we tried the crib and she sleeps 7-9 hrs each night.

As far as feedings go I breastfeed as well - I rarely give my daughter formula (mostly because she won't take it) but I feed her about every 2-3 hours during the day and sometimes every hour as bedtime nears. Babies do have a schedule and I have pretty much let both of my kids dictate their routines but try to watch for signs of sleep and then try to stick to that time each day you will naturally know what your son wants just because the clock will pretty much tell you.

You are lucky that you will be home until October he will be set in a routine by then, it is a little difficult the first 2-3 months but you will learn his patterns soon. Good luck and enjoy - ps if that doesn't work I always got through it with my son by reminding myself that other than that he was a good happy baby - if that is your only concern you are doing ok. Sorry if this was too long - this is my first response to someone!!! I'll try to condence but its hard when talking about your kids!!!

Is he able to hold his head up? If so, you can start him on cereal, believe it or not. My boys started about 3 months of age cause they were hungry through the night and I needed to sleep. I was getting sleep deprived and cried alot because I wasn't getting any sleep at all. Do you have a prticular time you put him down at night? Once he gets cereal he may sleep through the night without waking up. Also, try to burp him as much as possible after every feedings and let him sit up for a while to get the rest of the bubbles up if that is the case and then put him down for nap or night time. If he is not sleeping on the flat mattress, you may haveto keep doing it to put him down in the crib because you don't want to have him sleep with you and then you'll have a more difficult time putting him in his own crib in the future. Is he teething? My oldest got his first tooth at three months and my second son got his first tooth at 4 months and then my third one got his at 6 months. Teething can keep him from sleeping and give him Teething Tablets which is natural and will works wonders and then he'll sleep better not because of the tablets, but because the pain was relieved and he'll sleep and be happy. Any more questions let us know or if you want to ake me or talk to me, e-mail me and let me know. May I pray for you and your family for Jesus's Wisdom if you ask Him for His Wisdom. God loves you and bless you!

He may have reflux which makes it painful for him to lay flat. We put phonebooks under one end of our cosleeper, it still didn't help, she needed to be on meds.

I don't think waking at 3 am is abnormal at his age. My daughter is 5 months and still wakes after 4 to 5 hours sometimes. Unfortunately, sleep deprivation, as you know, is par for the course.

Good luck, it will get easier with sleep.

Hi A.! I have a 3 month old and she just started sleeping mostly through the night until she got a cold. I was using the side sleeper and swaddling her. I made sure to give her a little extra to eat and burp her well and we put her down every night about the same time. She will fall asleep on her own in the bassinet now. She usually goes to sleep between 8:30-9 and sleeps until at least 4 or 5 am. Sometimes until 6 or later. But, it's still not an every night thing. But, she seemed to sleep much better on her side and stayed sleeping longer that way and if I swaddled her. I totally understand the sleep thing. :) Good luck!

Try infant massage. I am a massage therapist and Certified Infant Massage Instructor. Studies have shown that regular massage helps infants sleep better and longer. It also helps with weight gain, motor skill development, body awareness, and much more. I massage my six week old twins often and they sleep great. Others who visit comment how forturnate we are. I massage with clothes on and off, while they are awake, while they sleep, while they feed and after baths. You can't give an infant an hour long massage like we are used to, you need to break it up into pieces. If you visit websites of Loving Touch Organization or the International Association of Infant Massage, you will find local certified instructors. The skills you learn with last a lifetime! Good luck and I wish you much needed rest!

Congratulations on becoming a mom! The first two months sometimes feel like two years with the sleep deprivation, however exhilirating to look at him everyday and know he's yours! I'd like to suggest that you don't worry about a schedule or even sleeping through the night at only 2 months old. It's the rare child who does. Babies have such growth spurts those first 6 months and even if starting to sleep through the night, may wake up eventually because of needing to feed. Regarding the naps, that's where you can work at keeping the area dark and quiet with no distractions to perhaps length the naps to two or three 30 min or an hour. That's a tough one, too, at this young of an age. By 4-5 months old, scheduling is a little more possible. And after a feeding? Perhaps don't rock him and let him look around and play and get the energy out a bit--just let him do it on the floor with a toy above him. Then he may be ready to sleep. Good luck!

Hi,

I have a three month boy. I am by no means an expert, but I can tell you what I do that helps my son sleep through the night. I have two routines. The nap routine, after feeding either a bottle of formula from my husband or breast fed Jack gets tummy /floor time. I watch for signs that he is getting tired, yawning, rubbing eyes, cranky cry. When I see that he has had enough tummy time I read a short story (Goodnight Moon) Jack is then swaddled. We bought a swaddle with velcro from Babies R Us. The naps last anywhere from an hour to two and a half. The bedtime routine is much faster. After being nursed we rub lotion on his forhead. The lotion is a form of aroma threapy. The brain will learn the smell and associate the lotion smell with bedtime after the lotion we read a short book. We lay the baby in his bassinet on his back with a pacifier. We do not pick him up again. In the begining Jack cried to be picked up. We soothed him while he was in the bassinet, rub between eyes along the bridge of his nose. Sing to him. The routine took about a week to implement. The naptime routine seems long but naps are vital to an over night sleep.
I hope this is helpful.

At two months I really think he should be taking more than 20 minute duration naps. I found that as they begin to be more aware, they have more trouble with the naps but it's just a transition period for you to reaffirm a nap routine while taking in his cues (he may be going from a nap every few hours to one morning nap and one afternoon nap- and perhaps one will be shorter and one longer). Just really watch him- a yawn or restlessness could be his signal that he is tired but can't settle himself and needs some help. If he is not napping well, this will cause night-time sleep issues.

Some babies might sleep through the night at a young age, but mine didn't- it's not a sign of mothering prowess, its just the luck of the draw in *many* cases. =) My solution, after my first one who wasn't sleeping til around a year, was to cosleep with my second (in a king size bed)- and from the first night he was born I was sleeping all night and feeling refreshed each morning! I've pretty much never been tired as a cosleeping mom except for when he was sick or going through extreme teething.

A 2 month old will not sleep through the night. Don't expect it until 6-8 mos. Babies need to eat every 3-4 hours. Its a fact of motherhood, baby comes...sleep goes.

Forget about getting him to sleep on a flat mattress. The pretty little fantasy about a beautiful nursery and a sleeping baby is just that, especially if you plan on going back to work soon. My oldest son (now 6 and sleeping fine in his bed) spent the first 6 months sleeping in his car seat placed ever so gently into his crib. Worked like a charm. Good luck!

Hi A.,

I remember those days! Fist of all, hang in there - it does get better. Remember, 2 month old babies still need night time feedings, even with formula because their stomachs are still so small and can only hold small amounts of milk. Some tips that worked for my baby when we was that age - he too would wake up when we put him down.

WE put him in the car seat to sleep at night until he was about 3 1/2 months old.

Then, as he got bigger, we got a changing pad (only to be used for sleeping with a separate cover only to be used for sleeping)and put him in that in the crib. It was a curved changing pad so it made him feel like he was still being held and he would not feel so vulnerable on his back in the big crib.

There is a wonderful book, titled, "The Happiest Baby on the Block" written by a pediatrician that has helpful hints. It also has the philosophy of not letting your baby "cry it out until thery are AT LEAST 4 months old. I did this and it has worked well for us. Good luck! Let us know how it goes!

dont worry, its completely normal. 2 month olds rarely sleep thru the night but to be honest, 3-4 hour stretches is pretty good. the definition of a baby sleeping thru the night is 5 hours straight, so if a baby slept thru midnight to 5, thats considered thru the night for a baby. if you get 4 hours at times, your doing pretty good as that at least sounds like he knows when nighttime actually is.

for the nap thing, im going to tell you two completely contradicting things. napping actually helps babies sleep better. overtired is the absolute worse thing for a baby, far harder than even a hungry baby. try to get to the baby before he is overtired. baby wakes up, feed him. then play with him, then after he is up for 2 hours, time for a nap. 3 solid naps is what i got around this age. remember eat play sleep during the day. if your baby sleeps well in a bouncy seat, just do it. get thru these first difficult months, and later work on the transition. my 2nd daughter hates to sleep on her back during the day. i tried everything. at night she was fine, but in the day would wake up after 5 mins. i still put her in a bouncy seat now at 8 months. its not vibrating or anything, she just likes that position.

now for daughter number 1, she never napped. 20 mins naps in the beginning, and 45 min naps when she got older(while everyone else talked about 2-3 hours for their babies). she slept pretty good at night but more so at the 3 month mark. we cosleep which greatly reduces the amount of actual wakenings during night. we had added up all the time and she was far below the averages in total sleep time. we stopped worrying about it. everyone agrees if all functions are normal, and the baby is happy when she wakes up, and not cranky all day, she is getting enough. this baby was exceptionally alert, even at birth and in the hospital, several doctors and nurses commented on how alert she is. to this day, she rises at 7 am whether she goes to sleep at 7:30 or 9:30.

for the night, just make sure you try to get to him to feed him before he is actually awake. i find doing this, my daughter goes right back to sleep. never turn on the lights, and when you can, dont change the diaper everytime if he wakes up. make sure he is eating a full feeding, he may be falling asleep before he has eaten enough.

dont set a schedule for your baby, he is too young, at only 2 months, its great that you have gotten him to sleep during the night hours and be awake during the day. he is taking in so much and his little body is trying to adjust the best he can. stay away from babywise. that book was written by a pastor with no medical experience whatsoever, its like asking the garbage man for advice. you should never in any way direct feedings, babies need to eat when they are hungry, and every child is different in terms of how they eat. my one daughter is a snacker who eats 5 mins every 2 hours, the first downed every last drop and then was good for 3-4. all babies are different so you cant schedule how a baby is. you are to follow his schedule he shows you, not the other way around. just remember the eat, play, sleep(after 2 hours) and see if that helps. adjust the time awake if needed.

as far as where he sleeps, make whatever changes you need to for him to sleep well. maybe look into that wedge that is used to give an incline. just check the age recommendations. i would def wonder if reflux was an issue as discomfort when laying down is a red flag. def talk to your doctor about that to go over the symptoms in more detail.

also try swaddling(completely or partially), white noise, and pacifiers(at this age it should be ok if you milk supply is good). dont stress too much and dont allow your baby to cry it out if anyone suggests that. it teaches nothing, only that a baby passes out from exhaustion. he is crying only for his needs to be met. some babies dont sleep thru the night for several months(mine is 8 months and doesnt but my 3 year old did around 6-7 months). and dont always believe people who may tell you their baby does. eveyrones idea of "thru the night" is different or what classifies "waking up". your son is going to change so much this year. everytime you think you have it figured out, it will get turned upside down. with illnesses, growth spurts, teething, learning new things, ect, there is going to be lots of changes for his schedule. at this point, let him set his schedule, and follow it. until you go back to work, make sure you take naps when he naps, or go to sleep earlier to help. also, one thing you realize with a second baby, there really isnt a reason why 2 people should get up in the middle of the night when a baby wakes. im not sure if the baby just wakes everyone up, otherwise, having just the person feeding the baby really helps.
i know i didnt give you any magic solution, but i hope something helps. i know its hard but it will get better. good luck to you.

A.,

I formula fed (with supplemental pumping until 4 weeks) my dgtr. She did sleep pretty well through the night beginning at 8 weeks - but JUST at 8 weeks. When she went down for the night - I HAD to rock her to sleep - or she would SCREAM! When she'd wake in the middle of the night - she ate - and I'd rock her again. If she woke up in the night and just whimpered or cried for a short duration - I never, ever went in and she learned to self soothe then.

As for naps - yikes! She needed to be held for naps. If we laid her down - 15-20 minutes tops. If we held her - 45 min hopefully - sometimes an hour. This lasted until she was 7 mos old! It didn't matter where she was laid down - crib, bassinet, on the couch, in a chair, dark, hot, cold, light, etc...... - if you weren't holding her - she didn't sleep. Oh - and when I mention rock to sleep - and we did this for naps too - I mean - holding her tightly and bouncing up and down as hard as I could - I thought I needed knee replacements by the time she was 6 mos old! LOL At 7 mos - I finally could rock her to nap - then lay her down - what freedom I had! By 9 mos, I could lay her down for naps and sleep while she was still awake. And, yes - to answer any question of schedule - she had one - a set one. I stuck as closely as I could to it to help her know what was coming to assist in sleeping as much as possible - but it didn't change the fact that she just wouldn't lay down to sleep during the day and needed to be rocked everytime.

So - whatever works - of course it's important they learn to self soothe and fall asleep on their own - but mine was the exception to that when she was sleeping.

As for the crib - they sell wedge cushions for babies to sleep on - there is some controversy over them that the baby could wiggle themselves down and suffocate - I didn't know that until she was older and used one. The other thing you could try is either to elevate the mattress from underneath some so her head is slightly up - or put some towels on top of the mattress and cover tightly with a blanket so they don't come loose. I did this also for my little one. She definitely had reflux and benefitted from being elevated a little bit.

Good luck - hang in there -it will get better!!! The first couple of months are hell - the most beautiful, perfect, sweet, sleep deprived, crazy, where did my mind go hell. Wouldn't trade them for the world - but holy cow - I didn't know it would be like that!!!

HI A.! My daughter napped in her swing during the day until she was probably 4-5 months old. I found that she would sleep for 2-3 hours at a time if she was in there, rather than in her bassinet. She also never slept in her bassinet...she slept in her infant seat with the vibrate setting on for the first two months, and then our pediatrician told us to put her in her crib. It took about a week for her to adjust. The getting up to eat every 2-3 hours is totally normal! My daughter did the same until she was probably 4-5 months old. By then I knew she weighed enough to make it at least one 4-5 hour stretch. Are you swaddling him at night? I used those Swaddle Me blankets and they worked like a dream! HOpe that helps! Good luck!

Don't hold your breath on the sleeping through the night thing. Lots of breastfed babies don't do it until after they turn 1. My kids were 7 and 9 mos before they did and I had to push them. 3-4 hrs is alot for a 2 mos old. Their stomach is only the size of their fist so they don't hold much and they digest quickly with breast milk. But here is what you can do. When he wakes at night, bring him into bed with you. Lay on your side and put him on his side so you are tummy to tummy. Then hook him up and go back to sleep. I did this with both my kids and it was great. It helped me get some much needed extra zzz's. The average for sleeping through the night is 6 mos so you still have a long way to go. But this helps alot.

He shouldn't be sleeping through the night at 2 months, so don't expect that. The earliest you'll get a good 6 hour strech is probably about 3 months.

Have you tried swaddling? As babies fall asleep they tend to jerk their arms and legs and wake themseleves up. You can do it with a regular blanket, or use an item called the Swaddle Me that closes with velcro so baby can't wiggle out of it. Swaddling was a lifesaver for us.

Also, maybe he is having reflux issues from lying flat. You can prop up the end of the crib mattress by putting some folded towles under one end.

Finally, it's generally agreed that sleep begets sleep - so napping well during the day will actually help him sleep better at night. You could try swaddling for naps, too. Or, hold him upright a bit for about 10-15 minutes after feeding. This will help settle his tummy if it's reflux issues and perhaps he'll stay sleeping longer.

A few lucky parents just have these kids who miraculously sleep through the night at that age, but I really do think that is the exception! I don't know why everyone has us all thinking that we should be expecting it, when it is often far from reality! My son is 6 mths old, and FINALLY going about 7-8 hrs without a feed. Keep in mind that the medical definition of sleeping through the night is 5 hours, so your babe is actually doing pretty darn well at 2 mths. I know that is not what you want to hear though, so feel free to ignore me :-)
That being said, I asked a similar question on this site recently, and it was amazing how different all the responses were. And the advice in general is totally mind numbing. Co-sleep, don't co-sleep, cry it out or your kid will never sleep, do crying it out and your child is damaged for life. AGGGHHH!!!I have also read every friggin' sleep book there is, and wanted to hurl almost all of them across the room. They all swear they have the answer to the mystery. Having been through this torture myself, and I know it is the WORST--my advice is the following: Before you believe any one persons advice and invest precious time in reading someone's so-called sleeping manifesto, my advice is to go the quick and dirty route--Go on amazon, read the reviews, get a sense of which strategy jives with your values, life style, personality, feelings, etc., and give it a go. And then once you decide, maybe understand the criticisms just so you make an informed decision. Because whatever you decide, you have to feel good about it and then live with it! There IS no one way to deal with the sleep issue. It is totally personal, and most importantly, there is no right or wrong way, whatever people tell you! Lots of things can work or not work, and every parent and kid is different.
The most popular seeem to be:
books by Dr. Sears (anti-crying it out, pro co-sleeping)
No cry sleep solution (same, but more flexible)
Baby Wise- Cry it out and put them on a super schedule
Baby Whisperer -- (super scheduled and supposedly middle of the road, but i thought it pretty well sucked on all accounts (crawl into your kids crib to get them used to it and pick them up 87 times if thats what it takes--what??! I needed SLEEP!) but some seem to like it)
Sleeping through the night (cry it out, but more general and by far more reasonable middle of the road)
Good luck to you, and my the sleeping fairy be close by! If you want any more specific advice or thoughts though, I am happy to share my experience!!

I just wanted to respond that it is possible for a breastfed baby to sleep through the night. My first born slept through the night at 12 weeks (and he was 9 weeks early...so his adjusted age was 4 weeks). My second born was sleeping through the night at 6 weeks old. At 6 weeks, he started sleeping 6-7 hours and the amount of time has just increased and he know sleeps 12 hours through the night. I don't supplement with formula.

I do agree that some babies are just better sleepers than others. I would give my boy his last feeding around 10PM and he'd sleep until around 5/6AM. I learned to let him fuss for a couple of minutes before rushing in to pick him up. Sometimes he would fall back asleep. I didn't swaddle my son (at 4 weeks old, he was always kicking off the covers of the blanket). Instead, I bought the sleeper sacks. I found that he slept better when I put him in a sleeper sack. It kept him warm and gave him that sense of security that comes with swaddling, but I didn't have to worry about him kicking off the blanket.

My DS stopped sleeping through the night about 3 weeks ago and was waking up as often as a new born. At that point, he was 5 months old, so I used the cry it out method. The first night, he cried for 40 minutes, next night - 30 minutes, then 15 minutes, and now it's less than a minute. This was VERY successful - but I wouldn't try it on a 2 month old, he's very young for this method. But, at least you can keep it in the back of your mind to try in a couple of months.

He should be sleeping through the night before you go back to work. Good luck!