William is Overtired, he has been fed and changed multiple times. He doesn't want to fall asleep even though he needs it. My husband thinks that we should let him cry it out. Any suggestions. It isn't gas or a need to be burped either.
I he's still small enough try putting him in a swing and letting it rock him to sleep. A sound machine, a fish tank (with airiator or bubbles),or the sound of the vacuume might help, too. I've heard of mom's putting their little one's in a seat and sitting them on the dryer while it's running to sooth them to sleep, too. Some kind of vibration may be the key.
Good luck - S.
Do you swaddle him? My daughter sometimes freaks out and cries until I swaddle her up and giver her a pacifier and she zones right out to sleep, the tight swaddle comforts her. Do you own a swing? That seems to calm her down. There is a good book "The Happiest Baby on the Block" and it recommends the 5 "S" to calm a fussy baby:
1 - Swaddle him/her - makes them feel like they are still in the womb in the tight space
2 - Side/Stomach - when you are holding him put his belly against yours or on his side.
3 - Swinging - either use a swing or do the motion yourself and sway side to side - again constant motion in the womb from us walking around, etc.
4 - Shhhh - make shhh noises repeatedly and get louder if the baby is crying loud and this noise sounds like the noises of the womb - also I got that bear that attaches to the crib and makes womb noises from BBRU and it works great for this.
5 - Sucking - this is very soothing to a baby so either they need a pacifier or your finger or they will try to suck their hand to sooth themselves.
These 5 "S" recommendations changed our life! I hope this helps you!!!
If you could send me your email address I will send you a cheat sheet that saved our family when it came to babies and sleep. You didn't mention how old William is. Let me know cause this thing I send you is according to age in weeks.
A large part if it is being a confident parent and learning a workable routine for sleeping, eating and wake time.
In fact you can also visit my blog that has all the info there.
www.shapinglittlesouls.blogspot.com
In a nutshell. Let him cry it out for 10 -15 mins. Just to get him to catch up. Then when he wakes (unless he sleeps a long time) feed him and lay him down sooner than you normally would so that you don't repeat the over tired cycle. It would really help to know how old he is. I could give you so much more specific info.
I think I've been on mamasource to long! I know you have a new born from posts in the past. :-) Are you swaddling him tight? My kids would always sleep better swaddled tightly for the first several months. Another thing I did after I laid them down was to roll up reciving blankets and tuck them under their sides so they felt like they were still being held. Remember he came out of a really tight space. The more confined he is the better he should sleep.
Don't do the cry it out method unless you're emotionally ready to handle it. I couldn't do it until she was about 5 months old, but then I was ready and it worked GREAT! My husband wanted to do it a lot sooner, but was patient with me. I would get panic attacks when she cried, so had to wait until I was able to function.
I know many people will probably write in telling you that crying it out is cruel, but honestly, if you do it right it is really helpful for your baby to become an independent sleeper/soother. There isn't any other great options to magically make them sleep, they have to learn to do it themselves. Many of those that don't like this method end up rocking/nursing/bottle feeding their child to sleep for months on end or have the kid in their bed with them. These habits are even worse to break when the child is older (take my nearly 5 year old nephew who still sleeps with his parents...)
Best wishes!
I used massage on my kids to get them to sleep. my son has (and still does) problems letting hi,self relax. I made up a little poem.
<going counter clockwise> (clockwise PUTS energy into the body)
circle on my back, circle on my back
it feels really good to have a circle on my back.
do that in slower and slower reps. about 5-10 min. then massage their feet if they are still awake.
The circle thing would relax them very quickly, so they then could go to sleep.
good luck!!
Is he teething - sometimes some Tylenol will ease the pain a bit.
How old is your little guy?
Frankly, I am not a fan of crying it out until they are more then 12 months old. Babies are not manipulative. Babies cry for a reason. They need something. Even if it is just to be reassured mom is there.
Some kids are just high need kids. They want to be held. They want to interact. They won't just lay around and stare at the ceiling. Some will. My daughter wouldn't.
Crying it out just teaches them mom will NOT be there to help them.
Sure, he may be fed, he may be changed...but maybe it is a growth spurt and he is uncomfortable. Or maybe teething... or maybe he just wants to be near mom.
Have you tried wearing him in a sling during the day?
Babies make a BIG transition when they are born. They go from 24/7 being rocked, cuddled, fed, held ... to something DRASTICALLY different. For some, that is a transition that takes a very long time to adjust to.
Have you tried a co-sleeper? My daughter did much better once we put her in a co-sleeper and she was right next to me. Listen to your son. He will tell you what he needs.
High energy babies have a hard time soothing themselves. We need to TEACH them how to do it. They aren't born with that knowledge. I never perscribed to any CIO method when my daughter was younger. I thought 'I don't like to cry myself to sleep... why would she.'
When she was about 15/16 months old, we did start. I knew by that time she was fully aware of what she was doing. I knew she knew we were there and she was just trying to exert her own will. Within 2 days everything was done and now she goes to bed with no problems at all. I did NOT want to do that until I sensed it was a battle of wills... and I knew that was NOT happening at an age earlier then 12 months.
Basic needs. That is what infants are concerned with. Food, warmth, love, affection. Basic needs.
Don't be afraid to shower you little guy with love and attention. It won't harm him. He will be secure in your love for him. That will give him confidence later. By the way.... at an age where seperation anxiety is typically at it's peak.... we don't have those issues. I know it's because my daughter is secure in the knowledge her daddy and I are always there for her and we will come back.
My sister is a social worker, we've talked about these things at length and there are many psychologists who agree with my parenting practices. So, I'm not just pulling this from out of the blue.
This is what worked for us. I know many people will just let them cry it out and feel that works for them. You have to choose what you believe is best for your family.. now and in the long term. I hope I've given you an option you will consider.
Congratulations on your little family!
Hello,
My Daughter is 7 months old and she does the same thing. She just seems to get so-so tired and she is fed, changed everything else, but just wont go to sleep although it is obvious she needs it. I just hold her gently and let her fuss and cry it out. I rock her and kiss her, so its not like I just put her in her crib and let her cry. She always kicks and squirms but I just let her do her thing, sometimes it takes 20 or so min. But she always falls asleep on my chest and then I go and lay her down.
I just want to add, I don't restain her in any way, she kicks and rolls and goes all over until she's had enough and cant fight sleep anymore :-)
Good luck
I was wondering when you had your baby! COngratulations!One thing that worked wonders for us was SWADDLING! We swaddled our 2nd until he was 4 months old. I think the post that says to swaddle and then tuck rolled blankets around the sides is a great idea. Lots of babies need to be tightly snuggled (in arms, in a swaddle) to feel secure.
One thing that worked for our first was to take her for walks in the evening in her stroller. I know it's still a bit cool, but you should be able to put your little one in the infant carrier and throw a blanket over the top handle to keep him warm while you walk around the block. My daughter had a hard time falling asleep (we never quite got the swaddling thing with her) and would scream from like 4-6pm every day for the first few months. The only thing that soothed her was walking outside.
Good luck!
That's so rough... how old is little one? I'd try rocking or walking or a sling if you have one and he likes it. Or try co-sleeping.. if it works it works. I know I wouldn't be able to sleep through my little one crying. Hope it gets better. Maybe try feeding again? Could be teeth coming in, getting sick.. you just never know.
At four months, our son did that a lot. We determined it was because he wasn't on a nap schedule. Once we got that straight during the day, the nights got MUCH better.
