Worst Sleeper in the World!

My first son was the same and we slept trained him at 3 months. It was early but it worked for us all. He was a MUCH happier baby and I was a better mom. My second we slept trained at 5 months and he was more than ready. I don't think it is to early.

I swear this is a higher beings way of telling us as parents that we're done having babies, when we get that one AWFUL sleeper ;)

Just remember that this can't possibly last forever. I have no advice other than remembering that! ... my 3rd child, my only son, is still a crappy sleeper... no more babies!! I couldn't go through this again...

Also, if he has his days and his nights mixed up, make sure you're doing your best to keep him awake and alert during the day. MIGHT help, or might make him overtired at night. Worth a try...

Hope it gets better soon :) Just remember, what goes around comes around, and in 20+ years that baby of yours will have his own baby, and be calling you crying about it!! ;)

My son was exactly like this (he's 7 now) and it was awful. I DID do cry it out and it never worked. I did it over and over and over and over... You get the drift. I read all the books. I was such a mess bc I was so sleep deprived. The one good thing CIO did was it got him to sleep 3-4 hours at a time instead of getting up every hour. He finally became a better sleeper around age 2 or 2 and a half. SO SORRY to hear you are going through this.

I am sorry-that is so hard! My 6 mo isn't a good sleeper either and it is exhausting!! My concern about going from what you are doing now (7 times a night) to just letting baby cry it out, is that is a dramatic difference in calories and routine. To go from getting up every hour or so and eating, to just being left to cry, is going to be a huge change for baby, emotionally and physically. And, some breastfed babies need some nighttime calories/comfort. What about some kind of compromise? What I have started doing to get a little bit of nighttime sanity is I have decided that I am not nursing my dd any more often than every 3 hours. So, if she wakes up sooner than 3 hours (which she often does!), I either ignore (if she is just talking or MILDLY fussing) or I pick her up and walk her back to sleep, or bring her to bed with me, or have my husband get up, but I don't nurse her until that 3 hr mark. I'm hoping that this will help her to learn that we don't get up every hour or two :). Once we do this for awhile, I'm going to go to 3 1/2 hours, then 4, etc. It seems to be working some for us. Good luck!

Have your hubby get up and take the baby in another room and let him rock etc. I wish I had done this with my first born. My hubby wasn't too happy to do this but he did it. When she was first born I would nurse her etc but she wouldn't go to sleep so I would just jab at my hubby and say take her I gotta sleep and he did. She would cry and cry for me but I was just craving sleep so bad that I couldn't deal with her. She would pass out with him rocking her and she quickly learned to sleep at night for the first year, but now she is 17 months and is doing what she did as an infant. So now I am having to rock her myself at night etc because I am so tired of nursing every hour. Its been like 5 days she still wakes once and gets pretty mad wanting to nurse (but i am not letting her )but falls asleep within five minutes of me rubbing her back etc. Not sure if a five month old is able to go 8 hours without nursing mine haven't been able too but every baby is different. My hubby is starting his own business so I am home alone from 6 am to 10 pm every day its so hard!! My family lives in the East and I don't get along with my inlaws so I really don't have any help. Also baby sleep lotion is great and I use lots of lavender and white noise. Have you tried maybe putting him in a carrier and letting him cry it out while walking him around really fast at night. I know its exhausting but I have done it and it has worked for me. Oh and also someone told me to make sure I give lots of cuddly time during the day, which has also helped me. I know you are exhausted but like all things in life it will get better.

I have a bad sleeper who is now 11-mo, I have been through so many night-time ideas and programs and advice I couldn't possibly recount it all. I also nursed and did about the exact same things you did. BUT I have a few things to advise. I agree with Allie P. to try and not nurse until hitting that 3 hour (or whatever you decide is acceptable) mark. 2) don't be afraid to use a pacifier 3) I nursed until 10-mo but at about 8-mo I started giving my baby a bottle of formula at night before bed instead of nursing to help keep him full longer so I could get a couple hours extra sleep at night and it worked (he had had supplements of formula before) 4) have you tried waiting to make sure he doesn't fall back to sleep on his own before going to get him instead of rushing to pick him up? 5) I had some luck with the Sears method where instead of picking baby up, you just laying your hand on baby (belly or back or arm) to reassure him but no picking up-idea is not give baby assurance that you are there for him but that he needs to stay in bed and it also shows support for baby while letting them find their own way to fall back to sleep....Good luck! I now it is tiring, exhausting and frustrating-u r not alone- this too shall pass...

My first thought when I read this is that I was at my wits end with both my children's night nursing just before they started solids (I co-slept and nursed on demand until they were one). They both continued to nurse a lot at night after starting solids, but it wasn't as much and it wasn't as exhausting because I wasn't the sole source of nutrition. The last months before the baby is getting nutrition elsewhere is truly the hardest time for breastfeeding mothers. They are big, you are the sole source, and it's been months since you had decent sleep.

This book saved my sanity!

http://www.amazon.com/Solve-Your-Childs-Sleep-Problems/dp...

There are a bunch of reviews here too.
Hang in there and good luck!! :)

If you're looking for a great CIO plan read The Sleepeasy Solution by Jennifer Waldburger. It is very easy to follow and you should see results in only a couple of days.

I wonder if Elizabeth Pantley's "No Cry Sleep Solution" book would help. I used it very successfully with my daughter starting at around 4-5 months. I've had a harder time implementing the ideas with my son who is a year old and still wakes several times a night. I think it hasn't worked as well for him though because he doesn't always need to nurse to go back to sleep - he just needs to be rocked back to sleep. In fact, sometimes he gets fussier if I try to nurse him! Anyway, I found that the Pantley ideas were very gentle and really helped my daughter learn how to fall asleep on her own without needing to nurse - she is turning 3 next week and has been a GREAT sleeper since using the Pantley book. Good luck!!

Have you tried intoducing a little silky blanket or even a pacifier? Some kids need these soothers (lke nursing) more than others. And it's okay to use them. They will outgrow them and be just as adjusted as one can be in today's stressful world. He does need to learn to sooth himself but use your instinct, don't assume all those books work for all kids. When I tried letting my daughter cry it out, she would work herself up screaming until she would have a giant poop or throw up. I just read in "Raising a Spirited Child" that experts agree that crying it out really won't work for some kids. Or maybe he needs to just be a little older. Good luck.

Holy cow - YES!

I did CIO with my DD when she was 22 weeks.
I have friends that did it with their kids (at the blessing of their pediatricians, mind you) at 8 weeks and 12 weeks. 12 is the standard around here.

So yes, please, fo your own sanity, let him cry! In 3 days you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner! LOL! When it gets hard, just remember, you're helping him learn to self soothe. Just like anyting else you'll teach him, except this is a key of his brain development. You've read the book.