https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 01 Jul 2026 01:13:25 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/light-sleeper#post-685677 Tue, 02 Apr 2013 21:45:35 +0000 shopaholic 685677@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Bee: thanks! I went and bought a miracle blanket today. We will see how that goes. We have a summer one looks like the woombie sort of but it's the one that infuriates her the most. </p> <p>Today was already a lot better than yesterday, not because she was different, but because now I know it's a growth spurt I think I can deal with it better. </p> [attach=2730/13/mknrpq.450x600.image.jpg] https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/light-sleeper#post-683683 Tue, 02 Apr 2013 08:40:45 +0000 Mrs. Bee 683683@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>maybe you could try a woombie? some babies that hate swaddles like the woombie because they can still move their arms.</p> <p>olive had a phase around 6 weeks where she would be awake for 6 hours straight until 1am. your lo will grow out of it... just keep reminding yourself that this is a phase that will pass! </p> <p>during that phase, i tried everything, and what worked best was standing in a pitch black room (her bathroom), and rocking her. some babies respond well to being bounced on an exercise ball. you just gotta do what you gotta do to get through this! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/light-sleeper#post-683665 Tue, 02 Apr 2013 08:35:13 +0000 Sammyfab 683665@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My LO is a light sleeper too...we joke that he has sonar hearing because any little noise will wake him up. We started using white noise on full blast pretty early on. It doesn't help him fall asleep (he sleeps fine without it if we forget to turn it on) but it helps us do things around the house without having to worry about waking him up. If we do need to wake him up though, he often wakes up as soon as we turn on the lights or when we shut off the white noise.</p> <p>DS was not a sleepy newborn either. He outgrew that phase at like, 10 days, and it was exhausting!!! I wore him in the Moby often and walked around the house holding him in the sidelying position all day! Swaddling helped us immensely (as others have recommended). Most babies hate the process of being swaddled but relax once they're fully wrapped up. We never tried to swaddle him after he was asleep though...he was always awake and being swaddled helped him fall asleep. The HBOTB jiggle also worked well too.</p> <p>At around 6 weeks he napped exclusively in his crib in the dark with white noise. He's a nosy, over-observant baby and we've always had to limit stimulation to get him to sleep well. While it would have been awesome to have a transportable baby who slept anywhere and everywhere, I knew I couldn't force him to be something he wasn't :). He is a great independent sleeper though and has been that way since very early on!</p> <p>(Sorry that was so long!) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/light-sleeper#post-683593 Tue, 02 Apr 2013 08:00:32 +0000 MamaBehr 683593@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@shopaholic I wouldn't leave it on the whole time, maybe just to help her get to a deeper sleep? It just helped DS get to sleep. I hope it gets better!!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/light-sleeper#post-683408 Tue, 02 Apr 2013 01:10:40 +0000 ladyfingers 683408@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@shopaholic: hang in there! It's totally normal for her to want to be held all the time too. DS started playing more independently last few weeks, for about 15 minutes at a time. That'll stretch out over time as they can start entertaining themselves by grabbing, etc. He also loves the crap out of his fisher price rainforest bouncer! I got it on Craigslist barely used for $25. Best purchase ever! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/light-sleeper#post-683288 Mon, 01 Apr 2013 21:51:19 +0000 BabyBoecksMom 683288@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@shopaholic: not so much an eye flutter as she will pop up at the slightest noise. There have been so many times where I have had to hit the ground fast if she woke up when I was in her room. I haven't taken the bumpers out because it helped to hide me if I need to sneak in there. </p> <p>It is frustrating to have a light sleeper because, at first, no one seems to understand why they would need to keep their voices down when she sleeps. However, with time, friends and family see it for themselves. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/light-sleeper#post-683240 Mon, 01 Apr 2013 21:26:05 +0000 shopaholic 683240@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Springtime: thanks</p> <p>@BabyBoecksMom: I do worry this may just be how she is. DH is a light sleeper too. Does your DD do the eye flutter thing all the time too? We have to hide from her or she'll wake up when she sees us during the eye flutters. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/light-sleeper#post-683235 Mon, 01 Apr 2013 21:23:09 +0000 BabyBoecksMom 683235@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@shopaholic: I don't want to be Debbie Downer, but my LO has always been a light sleeper, and even after a year of super nnoisy daycare, she still is. We tried keeping the house noisy so she could get used to it, but eventually, out of exhaustion, we gave in and kept the house quiet so she would sleep. </p> <p>I will say it is a little better after a year, but not by much. We just learned that's how she is. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/light-sleeper#post-683219 Mon, 01 Apr 2013 21:16:20 +0000 Springtime 683219@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't have any advice, but I remember those days and don't miss it at all. It is ROUGH. All I have to say, is hang in there mama, it DOES get better. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/light-sleeper#post-683203 Mon, 01 Apr 2013 21:08:22 +0000 shopaholic 683203@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ladyfingers: so I'm going to look at short term goal of just surviving the next 2 weeks! She's actually pretty smiley and happy most of the time so long as I just hold and bounce her and don't put her down.</p> <p>@MamaBehr: how long do you leave it on? The whole time DH's sleeps? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/light-sleeper#post-683199 Mon, 01 Apr 2013 21:06:17 +0000 shopaholic 683199@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@hilsy85: I always try to swaddle then nurse if I can get her calm or sleepy enough to swaddle. Of course them she usually poops! And yes, HBOTB looks amazing in the video. I saw it on Dr. Oz I think and them bought the book and the video. Was all gungho reading and telling DH about it before baby came. The book got redundant so we just watched the video. I'm ready to just drive down to UCLA to find him myself! Lol! I think that's where they said he was? </p> <p>@ladyfingers: lol! Thanks for making me laugh!! Yeah I finally got her to take a soothie long enough to swaddle! Now that might be a new trick! Swaddled and got her in the swing - which lasted less than 5 min. before she woke up wailing and screaming and turned red. I let it go on for a couple min before she started getting that gasping sound. :(</p> <p>Well, at least she got swaddled and I nursed her now till she's asleep on my chest. I dare not move now and DH is coming home early to help me. I'm thinking something I ate must not agree with her and she must be going thru the 4 week growth spurt. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/light-sleeper#post-683175 Mon, 01 Apr 2013 20:52:45 +0000 MamaBehr 683175@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I never tried this with my horrible sleeper (who is now three and FINALLY sleeping through the night), but we did do this with my son. </p> <p>A vacuum cleaner. It was SUPER loud but would calm him right down. It is the same idea of a sound machine but super loud (like in the womb). If you are desperate you could try that... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/light-sleeper#post-683167 Mon, 01 Apr 2013 20:47:22 +0000 ladyfingers 683167@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Oh yeah, I meant to add that the 5 s's never put him to sleep or even get him close. They just shut him up temporarily so we can get him to even take a paci, etc. He hates the swing, and if he's pissed it won't calm him down -- it usually won't for any baby so you're not alone. He'll hang in it for like 10 minutes tops then start crying. I hate people who are all, oh, LO takes epic 4-hour naps in his swing, la di da. Pfffft.</p> <p>It sound like you are doing everything you can, I'm sorry I don't have any other ideas! I really think she will grow out of this soon. Growth spurts are such weird and wild times for them, so much is happening and they don't understand any of it but when they come out the other side it's like night and day. I felt like we were in a constant growth spurt for the first 6 weeks but now we have a (mostly) happy smiling human baby instead of a mewling gremlin! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/light-sleeper#post-683138 Mon, 01 Apr 2013 20:32:26 +0000 hilsy85 683138@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@shopaholic: hmm...what if you swaddle her and then nurse her? Will she fall asleep then? I hope she's not sick! Poor baby...I know how frustrating it can be for mamas when LOs don't sleep, so I just try to remind myself that LO must feel even worse--he's exhausted and just can't figure out how to go to sleep! </p> <p>I found HBOTB to be AMAZING in that everything he did worked amazingly on the DVD. Of course, it didn't work quite as well for us, but somethings (the shushing especially) were helpful. Also, one of the things I remember him saying in the DVD is that babies are like fire alarms--when they go off, you don't know if it's because a piece of toast is burnt or because the kitchen is going up in flames. So just because she's crying might not mean that she's terribly horribly unhappy or upset--it might be a sign of minor annoyance, you know? I know it's hard to think about that when they're crying, since it's so sad and hard to hear! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/light-sleeper#post-683136 Mon, 01 Apr 2013 20:29:53 +0000 shopaholic 683136@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JessiBee: i ignore the wimpers and little cries till i can see her turning red and her face gets all scrunched up like shes about-to wail. try to get her before she gets that upset or she'll spit up.</p> <p>oh *sigh* 4th attempt got her to take the soothie </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/light-sleeper#post-683132 Mon, 01 Apr 2013 20:27:32 +0000 shopaholic 683132@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ladyfingers: Oh and we have done the swaddle with 2 blankets like the Miracle blanket style &amp; we have 2 Halo Sleep Sacks. Again, we can only do it if she is completely knocked out, and risk waking her up. If she's the slightest bit awake, she gets furious at the swaddle!</p> <p>@hilsy85: we use A&amp;A blankets &amp; the Halo sleep sack. we have some swaddlemes but those just infuriate her and don't work. We watched HBOTB and I'll watch it again tonight once we get her to sleep, but DH literally called it a bunch of "B.S." after a particularly tough night. She will only sleep in the swing if she was swaddled, after she was already passed out completely. If you know what I mean? She can't be awake in the swing. </p> <p>just triedthe swaddle andswing and shs beyond pissed and red. dh thought she might have been sick last night and now judging by my day and the no. of poopy diapers im thinking he might be right? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/light-sleeper#post-683117 Mon, 01 Apr 2013 20:22:04 +0000 JessiBee 683117@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@shopaholic: how long does she whimper before you decide she's awake? We do our best to ignore it when they're little whimpers, and often she passes ask out again, and that has been the case from the beginning. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/light-sleeper#post-683095 Mon, 01 Apr 2013 20:14:05 +0000 shopaholic 683095@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ladyfingers: I read about half the HBOTB book and made DH watch the video together. We tried it all. I even broke down today and tried to give her the soothie but she kept pushing it out with her tongue. She didn't even want the finger today.<br /> I definitely know the waiting 20 minutes and limp arm check to make sure she is fully passed out that's the only way we can get sleep at night. I think she's already gone through like 12 poopy diapers today and its not even 6pm yet. I'm hoping that maybe it's just something I ate or if it is just a growth spurt it will be over soon!</p> <p>@nikol: I definitely enjoy the cuddles. I even feel guilty when she's okay being set down somewhere for a couple minutes. But her lack of sleep just exhausting and makes me worried. I know in the big picture it's just a short time. Just when you're in the thick of it, it's tough. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/light-sleeper#post-683092 Mon, 01 Apr 2013 20:13:56 +0000 photojane 683092@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So sorry, friend! I hope you can get some sleep soon! I'm with @ladyfingers &amp; @hilsy85 - give her a little time once she's in the swaddle. She may be angry at first, but eventually she'll give in! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/light-sleeper#post-683079 Mon, 01 Apr 2013 20:07:14 +0000 hilsy85 683079@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@shopaholic: When you say she hates the swaddle, what are you using to swaddle? And how long do you give her before you unswaddle her? I agree with @ladyfingers that a good tight swaddle is really helpful, and I really believe that the majority of babies actually like/need to be swaddled, even if they don't think so. The process of being swaddled might make them cry, and they might cry for the first little bit of it, but then I feel like they usually calm down? Kind of like being put in a baby carrier--LO used to scream until I started moving and then he would be OUT. So I would give swaddling another try, and get it as tight as possible. And even if she cries, give it a little bit--shush her, rock her, bounce her, while swaddled, and see if it helps. Have you watched the happiest baby on the block dvd? I found it super helpful!! </p> <p>Will she sleep in the swing? You can try swaddling her and then putting her in the swing? Have you had any luck with a paci?</p> <p>Hang in there; it does get better!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/light-sleeper#post-683046 Mon, 01 Apr 2013 19:51:08 +0000 nikol 683046@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@shopaholic: nursed, haha. just nursed and nursed. it was hard at the time but looking back, i'm glad i spent so much time wrapped up with him. and i'm sure i'll be even more grateful when he's too cool to cuddle with me! the constant nursing definitely didn't do anything to "spoil" him like others had warned me; he's so independent at 8 months, it's kinda scary. and he fell into his own schedule with no training. </p> <p>since i couldn't do much except to lay with him and feed him, i had things to help pass the time, like my tablet, moleskine, magazines, and quiet crafts. and i made absolutely sure not to neglect myself in the process, so i didn't just feel like a milk slave. </p> <p>oh, and i think it helped that i was co-sleeping, because i didn't have to shuffle him when putting him in a crib. i could just sneakily roll over and tiptoe away. </p> <p>i'm sorry though, you'll get through it i promise, good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/light-sleeper#post-683039 Mon, 01 Apr 2013 19:48:15 +0000 ladyfingers 683039@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Oh yeah I just saw she's not even 4 weeks yet... 4-week growth spurt was KILLER. Once took us 4 hours to get him to bed. Things should ease up soon :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/light-sleeper#post-683037 Mon, 01 Apr 2013 19:46:45 +0000 ladyfingers 683037@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>She is young, she will outgrow this... ;)</p> <p>Sorry, you're probably not up for humor.</p> <p>Ok so they say that babies who fight the swaddle are the ones who need it most. We have had good luck with the miracle blanket -- it's easier to get a tight swaddle they can't break out of than with a blanket. Or the halo sleep sack, it's super easy and may not wake her.</p> <p>Basically I feed him from one side then swaddle him once he's nice and happy and half milk drunk. Then I feed him the other side until he drops off.</p> <p>Infants enter light sleep first so they're easy to wake for the first 20-30 minutes of their sleep cycle. Then again between sleep cycles, which are 45 minutes to an hour. If she's in pain (gas, etc) she may wake sooner. I think that it can be painful/uncomfortable for newborns to pass gas so she should grow out of that.</p> <p>LO will usually naturally sleep more deeply for his first stretch if the night but he didn't start doing a stretch longer than 2-3 hours until he was around 6 weeks. Then he's up every 2-3 hours after that. In terms of soothing him, we've had success with the 5 s's all at once. Have you read the book? We swaddle him, put him in the reverse cradle ( like breastfeeding but facing out so he doesn't think he's getting boob) with some light pressure in his tummy, shush loudly past (not in) his ear, and sway him moving our hips side to side. He won't keep a paci in in this position but once he's calm we'll put him in the rock n play and give him a paci. I think you've said before you don't want to do this so you could offer a finger or comfort nurse. Karp's got some other tricks in HBOTB. </p> <p>Otherwise I just say, whatever works. To get him to sleep at a friends house recently I put him in his car seat with the canopy down, rocked him on the time floor, and played a white noise app on my phone. Ideal? No, but it worked.</p> <p>Oh if you're able to get her to sleep in your arms and want to out her down, wait around 20 minutes or until she has limp limbs. Or else she'll wake up!</p> <p>Otherwise... Growth spurt?</p> <p>I will say LO has only now begun going down fairly easily for naps, at 8 weeks. Up till now it was a 30-minute affair rocking him madly in his rock n play up to 6 times a day for a pitiful 30 minutes of sleep. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/light-sleeper#post-683029 Mon, 01 Apr 2013 19:41:07 +0000 shopaholic 683029@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@nikol: she's up again and all I can do to calm her is nurse. What did you do those 2 months? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/light-sleeper#post-682999 Mon, 01 Apr 2013 19:30:42 +0000 nikol 682999@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>i don't have any suggestions, sorry. just came here to say it definitely gets better -- ds was the same and had outgrown it by two months or so. now he usually sleeps like a rock! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/light-sleeper#post-682992 Mon, 01 Apr 2013 19:28:03 +0000 shopaholic 682992@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Bee: She'll be 4 weeks on Wednesday. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/light-sleeper#post-682983 Mon, 01 Apr 2013 19:25:38 +0000 Mrs. Bee 682983@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>how old is she right now? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/light-sleeper#post-682978 Mon, 01 Apr 2013 19:22:04 +0000 shopaholic 682978@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>* And there we go! I got 19 min. of her swaddled, in her darkened room, with the white noise machine, and she has woken up and letting out little cries. At this point is when I mentally beg and will her back to sleep for a little bit... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/light-sleeper#post-682968 Mon, 01 Apr 2013 19:17:42 +0000 shopaholic 682968@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm so desperate ladies! Going to write this post as fast as I can in this small window period I have K asleep!</p> <p>K is the lightest sleeper ever! She constantly does this eye flutter where she opens her eyes, look around, etc. We've learned to try and avoid eye contact, and at night, I admit I "hide" from her sight when I check on her. </p> <p>Overall, none of the 5 S's work on her. We can only swaddle her if she's already in a pretty deep sleep. BUT it has a 50/50 chance of waking her up. And seems like the other 50% of the time, she poops as soon as I swaddle her! If she is slightly awake or alert, she will get SO mad and frustrated and fight and cry for being swaddled. But when I do get her swaddled, she sleeps a lot better. *sigh*<br /> Shushing doesn't work. White noise seems to help keep her asleep longer, but doesn't do anything when she is already awake. Maybe it's the swaddle - they kind of go hand in hand when I can actually do it. Holding her on her side doesn't work - she doesn't like it.<br /> Anything that "works" to calm her down and help her drift off to sleep seems so short-lived. I walked around the neighborhood with her in the Ergo for over half an hour to get her asleep. Only to have her wake up as soon as we walked in the house and the dog barked. Again, same thing, 40 min. or so of me bouncing her on the yoga ball and the FedEx man rings the doorbell, dog barks, and she's awake. We don't keep the house quiet on purpose - have tried to get her exposed to sleeping in noise. And once she is perfectly content and in deep sleep, she can sleep for a good 2-3 hours. </p> <p>The past few days have been BRUTAL for me. Good thing is I've been able to get her to sleep more at night, but day time is so hard!<br /> ex: Today from before 8 am till now 5pm - she has only slept 2 times (for 50 min. and 1 hour each). I'm not counting the times where she's asleep, drifting off, but wakes up at the slightest change or sound. Even sitting down in the chair, getting up from the yoga ball after she's knocked out, or her own bowel movements will suddenly wake her!<br /> I've done everything I can today: swaddle, white noise, bouncing, rocking, swing, bouncy chair, Ergo, K'tan, nursing... what else can I do? ANY suggestions? I know she is really young and everyone says they will outgrow this, but I'm at a total loss of what else I can do to help her sleep better? My arms feel like they're going to fall off...</p> <p>P.S. She's also been really gassy and had more poopy diapers today than ever! I'm wondering if that has something to do with it, or if I can chalk that up to another growth spurt? </p>