3 Month Old Not Staying Asleep

Okay, so I am going totally opposite of everyone else. My son can't be more than a week different in age than yours. Do you have a good baby sling? With my kids, I've found that, on the days when they seem to be having the sleep cycle you describe, the way to get 'em to take a long nap is to put the baby in the sling and do whatever you need to do--the baby is close to you, cuddled up nice and warm--he'll sleep happily. When the choice is obviously 20-minute naps on his own or 2-3 hours in the sling, I choose the sling! This worked with my now 19-month-old daughter to about 8 or 9 months, by which time she could usually be counted on to take good naps in bed.
Babies are hard-wired to want to be close to their mamas. The more they can have that, the better it is for them, and the easier it will be for you.

Hi G.,
I HIGHLY recommend reading Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Marc Weissbluth for info on age appropriate sleep needs and schedules. I L. this book for sleep info and have used his advice for my now 3 yr old since she was born. A few suggestions: during the day, try to put him back to sleep within 2 hours of waking to keep him well-rested. At night, make sure he is warm enough by putting him in fleece jammies. They also have fleece sleep sacks that work well. I also use flannel or chamois sheets as they aren't as cold. I am also a firm believer in an early bedtime. At 2 months old, my daughter was going to sleep by 7pm. Take the time to learn his "sleepy" cues, like getting very quiet and calm, and get him in bed BEFORE he becomes fussy. My daughter is still a good night sleeper, asleep by 6:30-7pm and waking at 6:30-7am. If you want to email me for more info, feel free.
Sincerely,
L.

Hi G.,

This seems to be a problem with a lot of children today. I am a wellness consultant and work with this challenge in adults also.

I have recommended a magnetic sleep pad for many children to help their little body get to a deep, quality sleep which allows the body to go through the proper sleep cycles, along with wholefood supplements that may be
sprinkled in their bottles for added nutrition that is needed to replace what is missing in our foods today along with good clean piwater which is living water to assist in removing toxins from the body.

My granddaughter has been on this program since she was 2 days old and is 7 now and loves how she feels when she sleeps and takes her supplements and drinks good water.

We never had a problem with her sleep when she was little or now.

If you are interested in more info please let me know and I will share with you.

Have a great day.

N. Marie

Are you sure hes not cold? I was having the same problem with my son and I realized that he was warm enough when he went down but after 30 minutes of not moving he got cold. Try heating the house just a degree or 2 warmer. It worked for me. Well, most nights anyway.

My son is 8 months old and was 3 weeks early. Swaddling and white noise made a huge difference for him. He began sleeping for 5 or more hours at two months only if swaddled. We used the Miracle Blanket. We still use white noise but stopped swaddling when he began rolling over on his stomach at 5 months.

Also the Healthy Sleep Habits book others have mentioned was very helpful in learning to look for sleepy signs and put him down early-- before he becomes overtired. It also says that good daytime sleep leads to good night sleep. I still find that to be true!

You say he wakes up after about 20-30 mins then is awake for 30 then repeats the cycle. Do you go pick him up when he first wakes then put him back down? Most babies (and adults for that matter) sleep in cycles. Lighter sleep times followed by deeper sleep, repeating. Usually the transition from one type of sleep to the next is marked by a little movement (maybe turning over in older kids/adults), maybe a little fussing then back to sleep if not disturbed. My youngest took this to the extreme and would wake up crying after 20 mins, but if left alone for 5-10mins would fall right back to sleep for about 45mins, then another short intermission followed by another 20 mins of lighter sleep, repeating for 2 - 3 hours total depending. Maybe your little guy is like this and just needs to be left to figure out how to fall back asleep on his own. Just a thought!
Enjoy your little man!

I think it might be a little too early to really start a routine for him & sleeping, but this is my advice...

When my girl was 3 months old, I definitely started putting her in her own crib in her own room. I think babies can sleep for longer periods once this starts to happen, so it looks like you are doing good there.

She defintely goes to sleep with a pacifier, but sometimes if she wakes 20-30 minutes later, especially during the day, I usually re-swaddle her (feet out) & put the pacifer back in her mouth, rub her on her tummy, (*key is to not say a word, just let them know you are there), then I walk out he room. I repeat this a couple times, if it doesn work during the day, then I'll accept she doesn't want to nap, but if it is during the night usually around 8-9pm, she goes down, I will repeat this step until she finally relents & falls to sleep.

Also, I have one of those Rain forest white noise things in her crib for her to watch after I leave the room, OR I put on her mobile. I use a wave machine thingy at night as well, with lights totally out.

She has been sleeping through the night from 8pm-7amish for the past two months. I stay consistent with the technique as sometimes she is more antzy when it comes to bed time than others. I believe it is called the Ferver technique if you want to look into it more.

At anyrate, that is what has worked for me.

Good luck!

just a tidbit-not sure if you're breastfeeding but I know just one cup of coffee I have affects how my 6 month old daughter sleeps for the day on top of normal baby sleep adjustments. Then we're both sleep deprived and it makes me want more coffee just to function, bad cycle! I know docs say it doesn't affect them, but I've noticed a difference in both my kids.
K.

My little girl is 2 1/2 months old now and the ONLY way she will sleep for more than 20-30 min is if she is swaddled with her Swaddle Me blanket (purchased at Babies R Us) and I have to make sure she is not overly tired. If I miss her first nap the whole day is off. Your son should only be up for 1-2 hrs at a time and then put bed. Read Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr Marc Weissbluth. You will learn so much about the importance of sleep and how to understand your baby.

Days that I mess up or eat something that does not agree with her I put her in my sling and carry her around. She will sleep for HOURS!!! I get what I need to get done and she gets caught up on her sleep and we start the next day with better hopes.

Have you tried to swaddle him? Sometimes their own movements can wake them up and then they get agitated whcih creates more movement and more agitation....My sone (4 months) loves it. From abotu 2 months or so he coudl sleep in pretty logn stretches (4-5 hours, if he was swaddled.

Hi,

Yes, I am having the same problem with my 3 month old. As the other Mom responded I did try to turn up the heat and that seemed to help a bit but I also think their sleep patterns are starting to change.

I hope we get some other helpful insight to help us.
Good luck!

Don't rule out that your baby might be teething. I know three months old (abt 2 for your son) sound early, but it could be happening. Now is a good time to stock up on some teething tablets or infant motrin to be prepared.

After months of trying everything out there to get my son to sleep through the night I talked to a person I met online who works with new parents and infants. She told me to put some epsom salts in his bath and use lavendar in everything that i could to help keep him relaxed. Your situation sounds a lot like my own since my son used to only sleep at the very longest for 2 hours, but most of the time his naps were about 20 minutes long. Give it a shot and do some baby massage on him. Also don't forget to massage his head.