Infants/sleeping

Hi S.,

I would get a sling, put her in there and just live with her there until this phase passes. It will free your hands up and make life MUCH more liveable. She is probably still listening for and calmed by your warmthh and heart beat. One of those heartbeat teddy bears may help too.

Good luck, S.

Health Sleep Habits Happy Child by Dr. Weisenbluth....she just needs you to show her how to soothe herself to sleep:)

I had the same problem. The only way I could get my daughter to nap was to lay on a bed with her during her nap, she just wouldn't stay asleep in a crib. Now that she's a toddler, I still lay down on the bed with her til she falls asleep and then I get up. For some reason she's okay with napping alone on the bed as opposed to a crib or pack and play. At least I can finally leave the bed (she's big enough so that I don't worry about her falling out). I am interested to hear how other people successfully dealt with this - obviously I never figured it out.

Hi! She needs to learn how to put herself back to sleep. I know it's hard to hear your baby cry (believe me, I HATE it), but I think that's what you should do. Go through your regular naptime/bedtime routine, then put her down and leave the room. If she wakes up after less than 45 minutes or an hour, give her some time and see if she can go back to sleep on her own. If you can't stand the crying after 5-10 minutes, go in, lay her back down, and walk out again. Think of it this way - you are not helping her by letting her get up after a few minutes. You know what's best for her (continuous, uninterrupted sleep), and you're teaching her how to get it. Good luck - I know it's hard.

P.S., I second the recommendation for Marc Weissbluth's Healthy Sleep Habits book. It's great.

Have you tried a chair that rocks by itself? My daughter loved it.

Do you pick her up as soon as she starts to cry? You might want to try and give her about 5 minutes (which seems like forever when they are crying!) to settle herself back down. That's what I have had to do with my 8 month old for a while now. She cries when I put her down, and in 5 minutes quiets down.

My 2nd baby cried a lot and that didn't work. She would fall asleep in the swing, though. I didn't like doing it, I thought she wouldn't associate her crib with sleep if I let her nap in the swing, but it was the only thing that worked.

I have found with my baby, that giving her the same little blanket/toy when I do put her down is helpful. She is just starting to use it as a comfort but it has taken a long time to get there.

One final thought - do try to enjoy your sweet baby sleeping on you when you can. I know everyone says this, but it is so fleeting.