Your newborn still needs to feed when he wakes up every 3 to 4 hours at night. That said, good sleep habits are best formed at a young age, and there are some things you can do now to make it easier for your little one to begin sleeping through the night in a few months:
First two months of age: Start a regular bedtime routine so he learns that this is night time, not nap time. It doesn't need to be a long routine, something like, bath (if it's bath night), pj's, feed, story and lights out, may work well. He may fall asleep during the feed and that's okay for now.
3 to 4 months of age: Around this age, it is important for him to learn how to fall asleep on his own. If he gets used to always being fed or rocked to sleep, he will need you to perform this ritual in the middle of the night. So if he falls asleep while feeding, reverse your bedtime routine (feed first, then bath, pj's and story) so you put him in the crib while he is still awake. When he does wake up in the middle of the night, give him a few minutes. Often it's just a wakeful part of his sleep cycle and he'll soothe himself back to sleep.
4 to 6 months of age: Your baby no longer needs to feed in the middle of the night, so if he does wake up, allow him to put himself back to sleep. It's okay if he cries a bit;, he'll quickly learn how to soothe himself back to sleep if you let him. Keep your bedtime routine consistent so he knows that this is the time to sleep all night long.
Good luck and pleasant dreams!
Tanya Remer Altmann
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I second your opinion on this matter. Personally I have a child that suffers from ADD, and this aspect of child development has left me puzzled on the options that I can take up. Sometimes I am just at my wit's end.
Although it took me until they were 9 months with both of my children, we put them in their own room, shut the door and let them "cry it out". Although it is heart-breaking for the first couple of nights, it is really the only method that worked for us. If we have a third, it might be crying it out from day one!
I'm sure Paige was joking. That's just ridiculous. How old are you talking about regarding the child with ADD? This is sleep tips for infants and infants can't be ADD. :) Noisy, and whiny maybe but not ADD. I'm a mother of 4, with the youngest at 2 months. She gets up once at night for feeding (breast) and it's only for about 15 min's. My others were all different ages for sleeping through the night. My 18 month old didn't sleep through the night or stop crying for HOURS, even being held, until she was 6 months old. So, I think it really depends on the child.
I just had a child. She is 2 months old and she sleeps 6 - 8 months through the night. In the begining she had a had time, understanding the difference b/t night and day. Now when it is lights out. I feed her, keep her up for about 30 mins., put her in the crib, turn the lights out, and turn on the sound machine. Now even if she does not fall asleep right away, she will lie there quietly.
After I feed my 3 week old and try to put her in the bassinet on her back she wakes back up and cries. At night I'll pick her up and just hold her on my chest...Which makes for no sleep! Is she too young to let her fuss it out??? If not for how long should I let her cry before I pick her back up?
During the day if she lets me put her down it's on her stomach. I know this is a no no but it's that or I just have to hold her. Is this OK or should I just let her fuss it out? Any tricks to make her more comfy so she will sleep on her back???
I'm a new mom and having a tough time!!! She fusses unless she's held or on the breast what can I do??? Holding her 24/7 is making me crazy! I just want her to sleep on her own and not in my bed or in my arms.
I have a two and a half month old baby. Initially, I had a confinement nanny ( usual in our asian traditions) who got my little one into the routine of being held and rocked to sleep for up to two hours!!! We are at our wits end now trying to undo the damage she has left us with. My cousin told me not to feel guilty about leaving the baby in the cot to try to coax herself to sleep, especially when she shows obvious signs of sleepiness. Some independant time is good for the child also. But if she starts wailing, either my hubby or I will intervene.
Tina,
I have a four month old that was and is the same way. We put her down on her side and she sleeps next to me. Ever since I started that there has been a lot more sleep at night... plus it's easier to feed her! I think it's because of her Acid Reflux that she has a hard time sleeping on her back. Maybe a sleep positioner would work well with your baby. That way you wouldn't have to have her in bed with you and she could try sleeping on her side. We're now working on getting her to nap in her crib during the day, which is very challenging. I do recommend the book The No Cry Sleep Solution. The author, Elizabeth Pantley, has a lot of good insight about children and sleep. Good Luck, it does get better.
Tina, You sound like me one year ago. I also had to hold my daughter most of the time in the beginning, which was very hard on my back and I ended up treating with a chiropractor for a while because of it. Your daughter really is too young right now to let her "cry it out." This early in her life, she needs to learn that you are there for her. I also recommend the book No Cry Sleep Solution for when your daughter is a little older. It's a nice compromise between the harshness of the "cry it out" method and always having to rock/walk/feed your baby to sleep. I believe that when a baby is old enough, it's very important for them to learn good sleep habits and how to fall alseep by themselves so that they are not dependent on someone to make it happen for them. I also strongly recommend getting into the habit of a bedtime routine right now. By the time your daughter is ready to learn to fall asleep on her own, the fact that you have layed the bedtime routine groundwork will help a lot. The last thing I recommend that really seems to work well for my daughter is playing very calm, soothing music (we have 2 Disney lullaby CDs that I think are great) as part of the bedtime routine. After I put her down, I let the CD play through as she falls asleep to it. My daughter is almost 14 months and it has been a long road, but if you have patience and CONSISTENCY in the bedtime routine, I think it will pay off for you. Good luck and try to remember that she'll only be this little for such a short time. One day when she's all grown up, you'll look back and wish for the chance to hold her again the way you do today. Hang in there.
Tina,
Try THE HAPPIEST BABY ON THE BLOCK DVD or Book and ON BECOMING BABYWISE the book by Gary Ezzo. Babywise is controversial, but I think its because people have not read it fully and understood it. I know plenty of Babywise babies/children and will utilize it myself when our baby comes in a few months. It's really about scheduling and routine and your baby has to learn over time and will be comforted by the routine.
Good luck to you!
I agree with Lauren. I wish I would have read/watched those resources when I was pregnant so I could have had a heads up. Nevertheless, I read/watched both recently; My infant is 5 weeks old and I just started her on the Babywise routine about 5 days ago. She now does not have her days/nights mixed up and can sleep a 5 1/2 hour stretch at night. She's also a bit colicky and the Happiest Baby on the Block solutions have been super helpful.
While I haven't read On Becoming Babywise, I swear by another parenting book by Gary and Ann Marie Ezzo. The one I have is really old and I don't believe its still in print. The book is called Preparation for Parenting. I have a 6 and 4 year old and now have a two month old. The two month old is now sleeping 8-9 hours almost every night and my other two were doing the same thing by two months old. I've never had to let my kids cry it out. I believe it all has to do with getting their hunger metabolism stabilized by getting them on a routine. Once their hunger metabolism is stabilized their sleep becomes stabilized. After my first child I just thought maybe I was lucky. After the thrid I know it works. Also my kids all slept on their backs and have always been good nappers. I attribute it to following the advise of the Ezzo's in Preparation for Parenting. Hope you can get your hands on the info and that it works for you too!
I have a 16 mo. old and we've been going back and forth over letting him cry it out. I'm 8 mo. pregnant and very tried. I love him sleeping in the bed with us and I actually sleep wehen he's near by. I don't see the harm in him sleeping in the same room.
My son is 8 months old and he continues to wake up in the middle of the night. When I give him a bottle he sucks it down like he is starving so I don't feel good about letting him cry it out. From very early on we have put him to bed in the evenings and he almost always will lay in the crib and talk himself to sleep so I know that he can do it. It's in the middle of the night (when I am at my weakest point) that he crys. He can definately out last me at this point. I have cut the amount of formula that I give in half to try and wean him off of the night time feeding. Any suggestions?