Hi Moms - I need your advice. My 5 month old can roll over to his tummy like a champ, but he has not figured out how to roll back. About two weeks ago he began rolling over in the middle of the night which results in him getting very frustrated and eventually making a huge fuss. So every night since then I have had to get up multiple times to basically flip him back over onto his back or onto his side (position that he prefers to sleep in). He will then immediatly turn right back over onto his tummy and the whole scenario starts over. The other night I was up for almost an hour with him flipping and flopping until he finally went back to sleep.
For the past few nights I have been too tired to wrestle with him in the middle of the night so when he wakes up I have been bringing him into bed with my husband and I, which I am not fond of as none of us gets any quality sleep! I don't wish to make it a habit.
Has anyone experienced this and have any suggestions? Thanks Ladies!
Have you tried using a sleep positioner? It's just a few little padded triangular bolsters he'd sleep between, that keep him from rolling over. But then, would being unable to roll over tick him off? Anyway, it's a suggestion! Hope it helped a little.
I'm going to sound like a really, really harsh parent here -- but it sounds like it may be time to start helping your son soothe himself to sleep. You might want to start taking your time going in when he first starts to cry about flipping him over. Sometimes, if you wait 10 - 15 minutes (and it can be a LONG 10 - 15 minutes!!!!) they will go back to sleep on their own.
You're the only one who can judge if he's really mature enough to do that yet, but I HAD to do that with both of my daughters, because they would get up 3 - 4 times a night regularly, and if I didn't start ignoring them, they NEVER would have slept through the night. And I found somewhere around 4 months was when I could safely start doing it with both of mine.
Now, the nine month old sleeps through the night, but the three year old doesn't -- so there you go.
Hi H.,
I totally understand what you are going through. My DS was premature and he was jumpy for a very long time. So when he was about 5 months old, we started having him sleep on his tummy. Until then we swaddled him to sleep but at 5 months he was too big for the blanket. When he started rolling over to his back, instead of rolling back onto his tummy, he would wake up and cry. I rememeber he woke up 13 times the first night. After trying rolled up towels and sleep positioners (which he managed to roll over anyway), I just had to get him to learn to sleep on his back. It took me about a week of constantly helping him to go back to sleep and eventually he learned and he was able to sleep on his tummy and on his back. I let him cry maybe 5 minutes and then I used "Baby Whisperer" method of sushing, patting and pick-up/put down method. I tried the Ferber method of crying it out but it didn't work for him and I was done letting him CIO.
I know it's hard but dedicate about week of sleepless nights and get him to learn to sleep on his tummy. I hope it works out for you.
Good luck!
The way I see it, an infant sleeping with his mother is as old as humanity itself. Children are wired to believe that danger awaits them if they are not constantly close to thier care-givers. It might be a dilusion that a very young child can be happy sleeping without the comfort of knowing that protection is one heartbeat away. It seems a private room for a youngster is a convenience for adults and a distorted reality that young children have no need for.
While we all know that there are burglar alarms, gated communities, good neighborhoods, peace treaties, and police forces there to keep us safe - these are complex realities. Infants do not comprehend these things, and shouldnt be expected to. They are born thinking that they are in an orphanage in the jungle of fright, and it is our job to help them know that it isnt so (if it is indeed, not).
If they can understand fully that there are systems in place to keep them safe, then it would be fair to isolate them. Its too bad we cant tell them in a way that they would understand. Perhaps the only way we can is if we stay with them. They understand that message. But it would take thousands of years before evolution makes babies quiet or able to feel safe while alone.
Love and hold your child through the night, flip him and flop him over and over like a pancake all night long, if that is what he needs.
I hope mamas everywhere never forget to listen to our beautiful and time-tested instincts. The ones that embrace the children for who they are, what they need. These messages will never lead us astray if we tune in, and truly hear them. We all know the sound of them when we hear them. All other notes fade away. Sleeping alone is hard, even for the most seasoned adults.
The day that we can honestly tell them they are safe, we believe it to be true, and they can comprehend it, is the day that they should be expected to sleep alone. I hope that mamas everywhere are lovingly realistic about when that day should come.
What I would do is take a couple of receiving blankets and roll them up into , well ..rolls and put one on either side of him when he goes to sleep. There are also these pillows out there you can buy that are sort of shaped like a u ,that you can use to position the baby in various ways. We only survived a couple of months because of that pillow! It helped to reduce colic due to gas and my understanding was it also helps reduce chances of ear infection!
good luck
Hi H. - You might try a sleep positioner if your doctor says its OK. We used one with our daughter during that time she was rolling over and it really helped.
