https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 06 Jun 2026 17:37:08 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ackplease-help-me-with-infant-sleep#post-2345540 Thu, 05 Nov 2015 14:06:30 +0000 FliegepilzHut 2345540@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrswin: Ugh:..my work weeks have me getting up around 5:15. For a while, we were frequently getting up around 6/6:15 with DH, but there's serious temptation to get an extra 45min-1hr if I can! So far, we've not sweated having a daytime sleep routine, but just create an opportunity for him to nap after 1.5-2hours awake. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ackplease-help-me-with-infant-sleep#post-2344978 Thu, 05 Nov 2015 07:32:55 +0000 Bluebonnet 2344978@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@FliegepilzHut: a few thoughts. Both my LOs slept better when they were in their own room (and we did too). Consider trying that. </p> <p>I second @mrswin: having a set wake up time then mapping out nap times and bedtime based on sleep cues and how long they have been up sine the last nap is huge. I really liked The Sleep Lady's book - The Sleep Lady®’s Good Night, Sleep Tight: Gentle Proven Solutions to Help Your Child Sleep Well and Wake Up Happy <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1593155581/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_mV0owbR16WSFB" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.com/dp/1593155581/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_mV0owbR16WSFB</a></p> <p>The sleep window concept will help you. Her "sleep lady shuffle" would also be helpful for you. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ackplease-help-me-with-infant-sleep#post-2344942 Thu, 05 Nov 2015 06:43:55 +0000 mrswin 2344942@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@FliegepilzHut: Yep that's the book. I know that you have a fixed bedtime but that won't help him find a routine, it has to be a set wake time in the morning. Their bed time should flex based on when their last nap ended so if he wakes from his last nap at 6 then bedtime would be 8 but if he wakes at 5:30 then you shift bedtime forward the half an hour. </p> <p>There isn't really a way to help stretch the nighttime sleep but making sure he is getting enough sleep during the day will help him to not be overtired. At this age I still held for some naps, especially the late in the day ones but I just kept trying to put her in the bassinet or crib as often as I could.</p> <p>As for work all I can tell you is that you will manage. I am running on about 4 hours of sleep right now because DD had a horrible night. I drink my coffee and just push through, it is hard mamma </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ackplease-help-me-with-infant-sleep#post-2344910 Thu, 05 Nov 2015 03:35:07 +0000 Anagram 2344910@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Sounds like super normal baby sleep habits for this age. My second will be 3 months on the 6th and she hardly naps during the day at all. She will nap if someone holds her, but since I have a 2 year old too, that doesnt happen. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ackplease-help-me-with-infant-sleep#post-2344833 Wed, 04 Nov 2015 21:59:27 +0000 FliegepilzHut 2344833@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@catomd00: @Eko: Honestly, this makes me feel a lot better! :heart: Now if I can just figure out how to function at work in the meantime... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ackplease-help-me-with-infant-sleep#post-2344830 Wed, 04 Nov 2015 21:52:44 +0000 FliegepilzHut 2344830@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrswin: Hello! Good to see you again! That book is the one by Marc Weissbluth, right? I need to read/re-read it now that DS is older, So far we've got a fairly consistent bedtime...and first nap hits about the same time, give or take, 2 hours after wake-up (which varies a little, since sometimes he is willing to go back to sleep around 6...and I will capitalize on that!). I don't mind this TOO badly...it's just going back to work that worries me...and I suppose how difficult it is to get anything done during the day. :meh: At what point did you start putting him down for all naps? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ackplease-help-me-with-infant-sleep#post-2344827 Wed, 04 Nov 2015 21:43:08 +0000 FliegepilzHut 2344827@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@BabyBoecksMom: Not for at least another month...but realistically not until he's consolidating his sleep better!</p> <p>ETA:...if only because it's a lot more work to go retrieve him on the other side of the house....and we're both likely to be much more awake by that point! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ackplease-help-me-with-infant-sleep#post-2344755 Wed, 04 Nov 2015 20:24:10 +0000 BabyBoecksMom 2344755@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@FliegepilzHut: When were you planning on moving him to his room? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ackplease-help-me-with-infant-sleep#post-2344721 Wed, 04 Nov 2015 19:47:59 +0000 SweetiePie 2344721@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Everything @mrswin: said! Literally. I'm glad she typed it because now I don't have to 😜<br /> Mine was a miserable sleeper for the first few weeks but I did everything she said and he is now the most amazing napper and night sleeper ever. No rocking, no sleeping on me, no night wakeups from 4 months on. Naps are 1.5-2 hours consistently. Night sleep is about 6:30-6:30.<br /> So many people don't realize that infants really do need to "learn" to sleep! And I'm not even talking about CIO. It's hard work but if you are consistent it pays off in spades. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ackplease-help-me-with-infant-sleep#post-2344656 Wed, 04 Nov 2015 18:07:17 +0000 Eko 2344656@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@FliegepilzHut: that sounds like what my LO did for sleeps at that age....and we cosleep. I would just try to wait it out as terrible as that sounds. At around 4 months DS started stretching out that first long stretch and now at 5 months only wakes up once between 3-4. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ackplease-help-me-with-infant-sleep#post-2344651 Wed, 04 Nov 2015 17:54:16 +0000 catomd00 2344651@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Honestly, it's probably not going to make you feel any better, but it sounds like he's doing exactly what he should be sleep wise. I always did what you did - held for naps and did whatever necessary to get baby and I the most sleep, but especially baby! It got progressively better over time (Than worse than better and worse again!) adjusting my expectations and making resting my priority above all other house duties were the best things I did to cope. And coffee!!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ackplease-help-me-with-infant-sleep#post-2344645 Wed, 04 Nov 2015 17:35:56 +0000 mrswin 2344645@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@FliegepilzHut: Hi friend! This age was soooo tough sleep wise and I didn't go back to work until she was 5 months and only then had we really started to find a schedule. </p> <p>I would keep trying to put him in bed at each wake up, consistency will help. We did nights in the travel crib in our room and naps in the crib to get her used to it. </p> <p>Have you ready healthy sleep habits? I love that book, it really does a great job of exposing baby sleep and how a schedule will naturally develop. A big take away for me was that the most important thing to establishing a routine is to fix the wake up time. For us it was 7am, no matter what we would wake her up to start the day at that time. And the first nap of the day should be the one that becomes regular first. At that age my DD could only handle an hour of awake time. Lastly, we started a nap routine around this time. It seemed kind of useless in the beginning but eventually she began to recognize the sleep cues.<br /> Sorry for the novel!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ackplease-help-me-with-infant-sleep#post-2344643 Wed, 04 Nov 2015 17:34:32 +0000 FliegepilzHut 2344643@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Torchwood: Definitely! I don't know if I would be able to NOT feel somehow responsible if something awful happened.</p> <p>@BabyBoecksMom: The problem is that his crib is in his room...on the other side of the house. :bummed: Do you think putting his crib mattress on our floor would be helpful (it's a big room and could easily be placed so as not to be underfoot)? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ackplease-help-me-with-infant-sleep#post-2344633 Wed, 04 Nov 2015 17:22:48 +0000 Torchwood 2344633@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@FliegepilzHut: We have a floor bed in LO's room. I haven't used it (though I've kicked DH to it for snoring before!), but the idea is to have somewhere to go sleep with her other than our bed if needed. It'll be her bed when she leaves ours, as well as where she'll nap when she's older. We definitely still do back to sleep, she's just on her back with her head pillowed on my arm. My main advice is to research safe cosleeping first- don't just put him in your bed out of desperation one night with no planning. That's how accidents happen. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ackplease-help-me-with-infant-sleep#post-2344620 Wed, 04 Nov 2015 17:09:23 +0000 BabyBoecksMom 2344620@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Both of my girls did this about this time. I think it's because they are becoming more aware of everything, and knowing that they prefer to be in mom's arms. I agree that it's definitely too early for CIO... but you said you have him in the PnP? What about the crib? The mattress is probably more comfortable for him in the crib. </p> <p>I'm trying to remember what I did at this point with our girls, but in the end, I think we just had to wait for it to pass. (My girls were horrible sleepers). But, some things we did try were to sleep with a blanket (or swaddle) so she had our scent when she woke up and hopefully get her to fall back asleep and just getting them used to putting our hand on them to soothe them back to sleep instead of picking them up each time. </p> <p>Hang in there! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ackplease-help-me-with-infant-sleep#post-2344599 Wed, 04 Nov 2015 16:49:02 +0000 FliegepilzHut 2344599@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Torchwood: ugh....if only! Honestly, neither DH nor I are really comfortable with cosleeping. Our bed is not really compatible...too small, too high, and a large gap at the top. I am also usually a heavy sleeper...although that has possibly been ruined by parenting? :silly: But I'm sure that's exactly what our boy has in mind... :bummed:</p> <p>ETA: I suppose DH and could sleep separately and I could post up on a pallet with DS, if it got really dire...but I'm not sure what that does for our long-term sleep prospects. Does "back to sleep" apply to most cosleepers? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ackplease-help-me-with-infant-sleep#post-2344583 Wed, 04 Nov 2015 16:32:48 +0000 Torchwood 2344583@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Would you be open to cosleeping? Sounds like he'd love to sleep close to you. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ackplease-help-me-with-infant-sleep#post-2344509 Wed, 04 Nov 2015 15:12:59 +0000 FliegepilzHut 2344509@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our just-turned 3 month old EBF DS is a great kid. He's generally cheerful, engaged, and has been eating and growing like a champ!</p> <p>Sleep, on the other hand...has been problematic. :bummed: The longest he's ever slept at night so far has been 5 hours at the beginning of the night (which means I sleep 4 hours, after which he wakes every 1-2hours)...and that only started happening with any frequency around two weeks ago. The following week, though, it became hit-or-miss (say 50% of nights with the longer stretch)...and for the last 3 days, the longest stretch (for me) has been 2.5 hours. :sad: </p> <p>So far, we're sleeping swaddled in (but progressively outgrowing) the RnP at night and the PnP (in our room) for naps. That said, I have a babe who (like most?) strongly prefers to nap in arms. In fact, when he fusses at night, sometimes he falls promptly back to sleep once picked up.</p> <p>At night, he may nurse to sleep and is ALWAYS--so far-- laid down asleep. During the day, he can frequently just fall asleep in arms or can be shushed and lulled with "mommy swaying"...but he also frequently falls asleep during a meal. </p> <p>I have tried putting him down tired but awake and also drowsy for naps...but I feel he's still too young for CIO, so while I'll allow fussing, I don't let him cry for very long at all before picking him up...upon which he frequently --and immediately!-- falls fast asleep and I can put him down to sleep for 30 minutes generally.</p> <p>This is what happened this morning and now I have an (exhausted?) and napping baby on my chest. I should add that, even as I've been trying to get him to nap down over the last month or so, I've still been trying to facilitate at least 1-2 longer naps in arms each day, because clearly he's not chaining together his little short baby sleep cycles, "sleep begets sleep" (right?) and having an over-tired baby sucks...a lot. </p> <p>The only correlations I've come up with so far are that he wakes more at night if he eats less frequently (we're still every 2hours or so) during the day...and he will fight sleep and be cranky if over-tired... So far, I've been content to chalk all of this up to normal development and "he'll sleep longer --unassisted-- when he's ready." But mama's tired AND going back to work in a week and a half...</p> <p>Any thoughts or suggestions! I'm feeling a little resigned at this point...but not sure how I can function at work if this keeps up!</p> <p>Thanks for reading this far... </p>