https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 11 Apr 2026 05:54:06 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/drowsy-but-awake#post-1668655 Fri, 30 May 2014 10:55:59 +0000 merbaby14 1668655@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@abbydabbydoodlebug: thanks for the update an sorry to hear you're in a rough patch with night sleep. Hopefully it is just a phase. No doubt this infant sleep stuff is difficult! Wishing you the best! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/drowsy-but-awake#post-1668340 Fri, 30 May 2014 09:35:45 +0000 abbydabbydoodlebug 1668340@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@merbaby14: She still takes 40 min naps, but started sleeping one nap that's longer (2 hours +/-) at around 14 weeks. I never know which nap will be the longer one but she'll usually take 1 long one a day now unless we're having an off day. I've found that I couldn't train her to sleep longer for naps and just had to wait until she did it on her own. </p> <p>As far as the drowsy but awake. I moved her to her crib and started a routine of go upstairs, close curtains, in sleep suit/swaddle, paci while singing You are my Sunshine. Then I'd sway her until she was nearly asleep and put her down. I'd pick her back up after 3 min of solid crying and repeated the swaying. Eventually it got to the point of swaying less and less until I only have to sway for a minute or so and put her down while her eyes are fluttering. She usually will go down without crying but sometimes she fusses. She's 16 weeks now. </p> <p>So I'm still swaying her to sleep but I've been trying to do it less so she's more awake but it doesn't always work. </p> <p>Her night sleep now is crap. But I think that's partly the 4 month sleep regression. She is 100% in her crib and ever since I moved her from the RNP, it's gotten worse and worse. Now she only sleeps 3 hours at a time. :( I'm not sure how to fix that aside from sleep training but I'm going to ask my pedi about it at her 4 month check up. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/drowsy-but-awake#post-1668294 Fri, 30 May 2014 09:20:39 +0000 merbaby14 1668294@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@abbydabbydoodlebug: how has everything turned out for you so far? I could write your same original post word for word and am trying to start training my 10 week old so I'm curious what your experience has been. </p> <p>My LO recently started only napping for 30/45 min and up until now I've been rocking/ walking him to sleep. Same experience at night too with a 4, 2, 1 hour sleep stretch pattern. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/drowsy-but-awake#post-1577345 Fri, 18 Apr 2014 11:48:01 +0000 Mrs Spoon 1577345@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Honestly I think 10 weeks is a little early for drowsy but awake. Most babies don't self soothe at this age and you'll just be setting yourself and baby up for a lot of frustration. What we concentrated on at that age was developing a solid routine before bed so she'd have lots of cues that it was time to sleep. I also tried to stop rocking or bouncing so much and just sit quietly and snuggle till she fell asleep. Then once we hit I think 18 weeks we started doing drowsy but awake. It's worked out great for us! It took a week or two until it was put down with no pick ups, but she transitioned well. </p> <p>Just remember this stage doesn't last forever so enjoy the extra baby snuggles now as much as you can!! Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/drowsy-but-awake#post-1576576 Thu, 17 Apr 2014 21:42:54 +0000 sandy 1576576@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@abbydabbydoodlebug: check out some sleep books or momsoncall and maybe get her on a good day routine of feedings and awake time. And when you are confident that she's fed and tired you will feel more confident letting her fuss it out. There are so many great blog posts and threads about sleep training or not sleep training. Find what works for you and best of luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/drowsy-but-awake#post-1576555 Thu, 17 Apr 2014 21:30:51 +0000 daniellemybelle 1576555@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Drowsy &amp; awake never worked for us but she has been a sleep fighter since literally day one. With the next LO I am going to work on him/her going down awake from the beginning. I think if they get used to it as newborns it's easier. At 10 weeks if you've never done it successfully, you may have to work at it more, or just wait until your LO is older &amp; sleep train. Sleep training was the only way my LO could figure it out. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/drowsy-but-awake#post-1574862 Thu, 17 Apr 2014 10:30:10 +0000 abbydabbydoodlebug 1574862@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So for her first nap this morning, I put her down awake (although I think I waited too long to put her to bed. She never shows any tired signs!) And she cried and I had to pick her up twice, but she went to sleep. She woke up 40 min later and I waited 15 min but she didn't go back to sleep and started crying at like 12 min. I'm not sure what I should go in this situation to get her to go back to sleep. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/drowsy-but-awake#post-1574509 Thu, 17 Apr 2014 08:40:40 +0000 abbydabbydoodlebug 1574509@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sandy: OK we are going to try your plan today to see if it works. So you waited until she yawned and then you went straight to her room to swaddle and put her in her crib? I know you said your LO didn't cry and went to sleep by herself, but what if she does start to cry while I I'm sitting in her room? Do I do the 3 min thing? And what about after she wakes up after her first sleep cycle and starts to cry? What then?</p> <p>Sorry for all the questions, I just have a feeling my LO isn't going to go down without a fight and I want to be prepared for the worst. </p> <p>Last night was pretty bad. I had to rock her rnp a couple times because she didn't stay asleep after feeding her. She also woke every 2 hours or less. :( I'm utterly exhausted. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/drowsy-but-awake#post-1574105 Thu, 17 Apr 2014 01:25:25 +0000 sandy 1574105@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@anonysquire: I'm no expert but it sounds like your Zuma is doing great in the sleep department! I absolutely think you should snuggle and hold your baby as much as possible...especially early on! You may be blessed with a naturally great sleeper! You may never need to do anything :)</p> <p>Most babies sleep great the first few weeks bc they are sleepy newborns. But around 3 months some babies stop sleeping so great (no more 5, 6, or 7 hour stretches of sleep) and are more aware and start waking every hour or two...or within a few minutes...or just cry and won't sleep until you sway and bounce and hold them all day and night. That is doable for awhile...and for some it's doable for years. But for others it is not sustainable physically or emotionally and there are things that we can do to try and help create an environment and routine to get baby sleeping long stretches for naps and nighttime. And all the sleep books emphasize how important deep sleep is for their development. But every baby is different and every family is different. Sleep training works for some and not for others. I think it's important for parents to research and prepare and set their baby up for success to give it a real shot. You can't expect a baby is who held all night to suddenly be dropped in a crib alone and not freak out. Start a routine and take baby steps and make sure they have had enough feedings and enough daytime naps and stimulation. Okay enough rambling...just my thoughts as I'm laying in bed </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/drowsy-but-awake#post-1574098 Thu, 17 Apr 2014 01:04:56 +0000 anonysquire 1574098@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sandy: I really don't understand what sleep training is. How do you know if you need to do it? I rarely hold or rock Zuma to sleep unless I want extra snuggles. Usually I just nurse her, burp her and lay her down awake and put in her pacifier and she goes to bed. Is this wrong? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/drowsy-but-awake#post-1574021 Wed, 16 Apr 2014 22:54:04 +0000 sandy 1574021@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@abbydabbydoodlebug: my LO would do this for naps and what solved it was putting her down earlier and having her fall asleep herself. A lot of sleep books say if you hold/rock them to sleep they wake up aware that they aren't being held/rocked and can't fall back asleep on their own and wake up during the end of a sleep cycle instead of sleeping through it. When we started putting her down and having her fall asleep on her own her naps went from 30-45 minutes to 1.5-3 hours. If she did wake early from a nap that wasn't her last catnap I would leave her and sometimes she would lay there for 10-15 minutes which seems like forever when staring at the monitor but then she'd fall back asleep and stay asleep for another hour or two. I think people have a hard time just leaving their baby alone bc they're so little...so many times I'm so glad I didn't go in to help her bc she'd fall back asleep for another hour or two and that wouldn't happen if I went in. We didn't have that problem at bedtime - it was more like waking upon being set in the crib but I would probably try leaving her and see if she falls back asleep on her own. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/drowsy-but-awake#post-1573972 Wed, 16 Apr 2014 21:56:47 +0000 abbydabbydoodlebug 1573972@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sandy: also, when you are doing the nap training, what do you do if they wake after 30-45 min? My LO is a chronic cat napper which is why I'm probably going to put her for naps in the crib soon because it really can't get much worse as far as sleep goes then it is now. </p> <p>I put her down at 830 pm asleep in her rnp in our room as usual and she woke up 30 min later and we swayed her back to sleep. I'm not sure what I would do in that situation. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/drowsy-but-awake#post-1573713 Wed, 16 Apr 2014 19:19:48 +0000 abbydabbydoodlebug 1573713@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sandy: At bed time we do bath, lotion, diaper, swaddle (miracle blanket), bottle or BF, burp, rock to sleep with paci. That's done in her room and after she falls asleep, we put her in the rnp in our room. We have a dohm sound machine and a night light. </p> <p>I don't have any routine for nap really other than swaddle with paci and sway to sleep and put in the swing in the living room. She'll wake from naps (swing is on) after 30-45 min and I sway her back to sleep and put rher back down. usually only works 1 nap if at all. She'll sometimes fall back asleep and sleep for 1.5 hours, but most of the time she is awake. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/drowsy-but-awake#post-1573695 Wed, 16 Apr 2014 19:12:12 +0000 sandy 1573695@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@abbydabbydoodlebug: it's totally up to you. I used the RnP the first few weeks...maybe until 8-9 weeks and she slept great in it but I wanted to transition sooner rather than later when she was more aware. Do you use a swaddle and white noise? Those are great sleep aids and gets them into a nap/bedtime routine. So if you look at the momsoncall materials you'll see they recommend swaddle and white noise early on and wean later. So maybe when you feel ready you can start doing a little routine for naps and bedtime and start putting her in her crib. Babies really do thrive on routine and sleep cues can be so strong early on...like they know when the swaddle comes out and the white noise turns on that it's bedtime. If her sleep is already not great then I would be inclined to start the nap/bedtime routine in her crib </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/drowsy-but-awake#post-1573678 Wed, 16 Apr 2014 19:03:24 +0000 abbydabbydoodlebug 1573678@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Emsmems: haha yeah. </p> <p>@sandy: $20 is totally manageable. I was looking at the in home or phone consults and those prices were whoa. </p> <p>So do you think I should just start putting her in her crib even though she sleeps in her swing and rnp? Or do I need to do a transition with those? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/drowsy-but-awake#post-1573619 Wed, 16 Apr 2014 18:32:08 +0000 Emsmems 1573619@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sandy: nice! Sounds like something I would do (printing out and taking notes)... Always a student ;) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/drowsy-but-awake#post-1573603 Wed, 16 Apr 2014 18:25:33 +0000 sandy 1573603@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Emsmems: I did not use the book. You go to the website and they have an online course you sign up for...it's like $20 and you view various slide shows. It was sooo helpful bc who has time to read and process a bunch of sleep books...well, I read 3 of them and momsoncall.com basically gave a brief summary of what the books said and gave helpful practical tips. So much easier doing the online course than reading a bunch of books. I took screen shots and printed the slides that were most helpful and also took notes while I watched the slideshow but I'm a nerd like that </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/drowsy-but-awake#post-1573589 Wed, 16 Apr 2014 18:18:05 +0000 Emsmems 1573589@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@abbydabbydoodlebug: I feel like we are going through the same things right now... We both keep posting about sleep ;) </p> <p>@sandy: that was super helpful! Moms on call looks like it has a book and an app, which did you use (or was it different 2 years ago?) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/drowsy-but-awake#post-1573575 Wed, 16 Apr 2014 18:11:33 +0000 BabyBoecksMom 1573575@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sandy: I know! I'm marking that as a favorite so I can reference it in a couple months. You were my saving grace when W was little. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/drowsy-but-awake#post-1573566 Wed, 16 Apr 2014 18:08:33 +0000 sandy 1573566@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@BabyBoecksMom: can you believe how freaking long ago that was?!?! Our girls are so big now! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/drowsy-but-awake#post-1573564 Wed, 16 Apr 2014 18:07:05 +0000 BabyBoecksMom 1573564@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sandy: I was hoping you would comment ;-) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/drowsy-but-awake#post-1573558 Wed, 16 Apr 2014 18:03:52 +0000 lady grey 1573558@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The No Cry Sleep Solution covers this. My DS would never allow me to put him down drowsy but awake. So I ended up nursing him to sleep for months...until we did CIO at 5 months old.<br /> I really hope it goes smoothly for you though! I definitely think it's a good thing to try. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/drowsy-but-awake#post-1573551 Wed, 16 Apr 2014 17:55:03 +0000 abbydabbydoodlebug 1573551@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sandy: thank you! That's so helpful. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/drowsy-but-awake#post-1573524 Wed, 16 Apr 2014 17:36:42 +0000 sandy 1573524@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@abbydabbydoodlebug: read my long comment about this on this old thread from back in the day. What worked for me worked for a lot of other HB moms so while every baby is different this method/process has worked for others. Good luck!</p> <p><a href="http://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-to-do-before-sleep-training" rel="nofollow">http://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-to-do-before-sleep-training</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/drowsy-but-awake#post-1573501 Wed, 16 Apr 2014 17:26:32 +0000 abbydabbydoodlebug 1573501@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My DD is 10 weeks old and I want to try to start putting her to sleep drowsy but awake. I have no idea how to do that though! How exactly do you get them to fall asleep from a drowsy state? She's too young to CIO, right? Currently she takes her naps in the swing and she sleeps at night in the RnP. </p> <p>I also want to move her to her own room. I tried last night but she was awake at 1 hour, 2 hours, 1 hour and I gave up and moved her back and she slept 3 hours. </p> <p>Her naps have been terrible: 30-45 min for all of them. Her night sleep is not good either. We put her to bed at 9-10pm and she usually gets 4 hours, then 2, then 1. We are going to try to put her to sleep at 830 tonight to see how she does.</p> <p>How did you start putting your LO to sleep drowsy but awake? </p>