https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 21 Apr 2026 20:24:56 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-sleep-advicesuccess-stories-needed/page/2#post-2680094 Sat, 14 Jan 2017 14:16:26 +0000 catlady 2680094@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LCTBQE: Thanks, we will definitely try this! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-sleep-advicesuccess-stories-needed/page/2#post-2680083 Sat, 14 Jan 2017 13:35:33 +0000 LCTBQE 2680083@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@catlady: maybe MrsChampagne or someone told me to do a HUGE tank-up bottle as part of the Bedtime routine--this was a total game-changer for us. just a couple days in a row, try giving him like a 5 or 6 oz bottle just to see how much of that he'll drink. at 6 weeks my boo was doing like 3.5-4 oz for bedtime feed (biggest feed of the day)--but if you offer more than he can drink, you'll know where his max capacity is :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-sleep-advicesuccess-stories-needed/page/2#post-2679623 Fri, 13 Jan 2017 13:23:53 +0000 catlady 2679623@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Perfect timing for this thread to pop up. We're already doing the obvious stuff but I want to try some of these suggestions on my 6 week old. </p> <p>Anyone know how much expressed milk to try to feed at bedtime? I have no idea how much he is actually eating. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-sleep-advicesuccess-stories-needed/page/2#post-2679446 Fri, 13 Jan 2017 10:11:35 +0000 SweetiePie 2679446@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Pumpkin Pie: that's very common! And all I would say is keep trying to put baby down drowsy but awake in their designated sleep space (whatever you want that to be for now - crib, RnP, bassinet, etc). It will feel like a fruitless effort for a long time, but reinforcing over and over that "this is where you should be sleeping" will be good. And as LO "matures" (4 weeks is so little still) they eventually get it and don't need the snuggles as much. Think of it this way - if you don't try to put him/her down for naps/sleep, they'll DEFINITELY never learn! And it gets harder as they get older. </p> <p>A very close friend had this issue including for nigh sleep! She was going mad having to hold her daughter for night sleep as well. But, she just tried to put her down in the bassinet every. Single. Time. And slowly the reaction became less and less and then tada! It worked! It took a couple of months but she eventually got "hey this is my bed". The consistency paid off! </p> <p>Oh and the hierarchy @gingerbebe: 100%</p> <p>Hang in there!!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-sleep-advicesuccess-stories-needed/page/2#post-2678220 Wed, 11 Jan 2017 16:18:48 +0000 Pumpkin Pie 2678220@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Gah! Dealing with an almost 4 week old who cant sleep unless being held! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-sleep-advicesuccess-stories-needed/page/2#post-2678189 Wed, 11 Jan 2017 15:45:32 +0000 BeatlesFan629 2678189@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Commenting so I can stalk this thread in a few months :wink: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-sleep-advicesuccess-stories-needed/page/2#post-2678185 Wed, 11 Jan 2017 15:41:35 +0000 LCTBQE 2678185@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sandy: congrats on the new boo! Sounds like you guys are doing great. I moved our baby from the RNP to his crib (in the nursery but like 6 feet from our bed still) at 5 weeks. He was squirming around in the rnp and clearly wanted to stretch out, and then he slept better after the move--BUT he didn't have any reflux. Dunno what the safety deal is with them, but I've heard of like foam wedges for the crib specifically for reflux? </p> <p>Also, just so you don't feel alone, our baby wouldn't get through more than one sleep cycle until he was about 14 weeks--SO exhausting, for all of us. And I did everything on earth and tried like hell to get him to sleep, but it was always 40 minutes, almost to the minute. It was frustrating because he was clearly tired and he'd just become increasingly over-tired as the day went on, and it was super difficult to keep the EASY schedule. After maybe 13-14 weeks he started napping and daytime got much better. Good luck :)<br /> ETA we did naps and night at the same time with the move to the crib and it was a total non-issue. And just saw gingerbebe's advice on elevating the crib mattress on an incline--sounds like a simpler solution than the wedge! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-sleep-advicesuccess-stories-needed/page/2#post-2678125 Wed, 11 Jan 2017 14:52:13 +0000 gingerbebe 2678125@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sandy: Yeah both my boys had reflux, so I totally understand. Weeks 5 to 8-10 were the absolute worst for both boys, but we were able to make the transition to the separate sleep space with the elevated crib/bassinet situation. You're doing great! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-sleep-advicesuccess-stories-needed/page/2#post-2678084 Wed, 11 Jan 2017 14:30:05 +0000 sandy 2678084@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@gingerbebe: thank you for responding! I like that hierarchy :) We've been doing some light sleep training and he's been doing great putting himself down for naps and bedtime but has struggled with getting through more than one sleep cycle for most naps. Today was a success and he went down for his first nap without crying and has been sleeping for almost 2 hours so I think we are getting there! I know they change so much every week - I just stress about transitions. We have him in the swing bc we want him upright for reflux but I know eventually we'll need to move him to the crib. I think I'll try in the next few days when he is consistently sleeping through more than one sleep cycle. Thanks again for responding! These newborn days are tough! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-sleep-advicesuccess-stories-needed/page/2#post-2677710 Wed, 11 Jan 2017 03:46:23 +0000 gingerbebe 2677710@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sandy: I use this hierarchy:</p> <p>Baby sleeps when they should<br /> For as long as they should<br /> Where they should</p> <p>So I would work on getting your baby to sleep for 90 minutes to 2 hours first so that they are in the habit of taking longer naps first and then prioritize the crib. That said I would probably start naps in the crib and move to a swing mid-nap after trying to let the baby fuss for a little while rather than start there. We did RNP to bassinet/PNP around 4-5 weeks with DS2 and we did it by elevating the mattress on one side, tight swaddle, putting one of my dirty shirts underneath the sheet and packing warm rice socks along his legs to feel cozy and held. We also did dark room and white noise. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-sleep-advicesuccess-stories-needed/page/2#post-2677703 Wed, 11 Jan 2017 02:16:47 +0000 sandy 2677703@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LCTBQE: how/when did you move your baby to the crib? Did you start with naps or bedtime? My baby is 7 weeks and I have yet to move him to the crib. Right now he's in the swing (without motion all night). He is having a hard time making it through a sleep cycle for naps and wakes at 45 minutes or 1 hour and if I turn on the swing I am able to extend his naps. But I'm wondering if I should just move him to the crib and deal with the catnaps. It's weird bc he sleeps long stretches for night (5-6 hours) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-sleep-advicesuccess-stories-needed/page/2#post-2677641 Tue, 10 Jan 2017 22:40:04 +0000 LCTBQE 2677641@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@NorthStar: this thread saved. my. life. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-sleep-advicesuccess-stories-needed/page/2#post-2677624 Tue, 10 Jan 2017 22:17:45 +0000 NorthStar 2677624@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Saving for when this baby comes in a few weeks </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-sleep-advicesuccess-stories-needed/page/2#post-2635660 Wed, 12 Oct 2016 12:33:28 +0000 gingerbebe 2635660@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LCTBQE: Oh, I just saw your earlier question. I did not actually follow Weissbluth. We tried all sorts of things with our first baby (colicky psycho nightmare newborn that didn't sleep for more than 20 minutes at a time for like 2 months) and what worked for him was a combination of Baby Whisperer and Babywise techniques because he was (and at 2 year old, still is) a child that gets easily overstimulated and really thrives on a rigid, predictable schedule. DS2 has a much more flexible personality, but we put him on a schedule from day 1 to keep up with his brother and used the same techniques (lock down that morning nap, consistent daily wake time and bedtime, watch for overtiredness, sleep in their own cribs, consistent bedtime routine, eat/play/sleep, make sure they get good activity during their play times, etc).</p> <p><a href="http://www.babywisemom.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.babywisemom.com</a> is a great resource for sleep stuff and scheduling type information. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-sleep-advicesuccess-stories-needed/page/2#post-2635655 Wed, 12 Oct 2016 12:25:41 +0000 gingerbebe 2635655@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LCTBQE: Yay this makes me so happy!! One thing I did to eliminate that nightfeed and get him out of the habit of eating at night was to do a dreamfeed before I went to bed. So the baby's bedtime would be at 730pm, but I would go get him at 1030pm, change his diaper to wake him up just a tad, and then feed him a bottle while we rocked and snuggled. He'd usually take a few ounces before being out cold in my arms and then I'd put him back down. That would get me to bed by 11pm and the baby would sleep until 7-730am. Once he was sleeping reliably from dreamfeed to morning, I worked on dropping it (reduce ounces, move the dreamfeed up earlier by 30 minutes every few days, etc). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-sleep-advicesuccess-stories-needed/page/2#post-2635550 Wed, 12 Oct 2016 09:43:33 +0000 lamariniere 2635550@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LCTBQE: that's amazing! I remember what a relief it was and what a huge difference it made for me when I started finally getting some sleep again. Keep it up little guy! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-sleep-advicesuccess-stories-needed/page/2#post-2635547 Wed, 12 Oct 2016 09:40:56 +0000 SweetiePie 2635547@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LCTBQE: So so happy to hear this 😊<br /> You may still hit some bumps in the road with regressions and so forth, but as a whole if you remain consistent it'll just get better and better. Before you know it LO will be 2 years old and the few months of sleeplessness will seem like a blip on the radar a lifetime ago! When your baby practically leaps out of your arms to go to sleep in the crib, you'll be so glad you put the work in early. Make sure your caregivers when you go back to work are 100% on the same page as you to keep it going! I was crystal clear that my nanny (and MIL) was not to nap in the stroller, pick up at every cry, go past his nap time, etc and it really helped to continue the work Id put in.<br /> xoxo </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-sleep-advicesuccess-stories-needed/page/2#post-2635487 Wed, 12 Oct 2016 08:15:38 +0000 LCTBQE 2635487@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lamariniere: @SweetiePie: @looch: @kiddosc: @Pumpkin Pie: @BadgerMom: @Shantuck: @Mrs. Champagne: @ShootingStar: @winniebee: @gingerbebe: ladies, wanted to check in and thank you all for your advice--we are **sleeping**!!!! over here. last week when I started taking all of your recommendations, the baby slept the first night in 3-hour chunks, second night I got 4 hours, third night I got 5, and a couple days later, 6 hours at a time. we could barely believe it. he now seems to be wavering between 5-6.5 hours for the first block of time after bedtime, and I'm getting 3-4 hours for the second block, which (amazingly) means I'm only waking for one nightly feeding around 3am. when I wrote this post out of desperation I think I had done four feedings the night before.</p> <p>@Mrs. Champagne: we do your bedtime routine exactly and LOVE it :) I thought he was too young to implement something like that and have it make a difference, but it's such a good punctuation to end the day, and it's working! </p> <p>@winniebee: @gingerbebe: I don't know why I had it in my head that moving him to his crib would be this BFD, but I did last week and he is sleeping so much better in there than he was in the rock n play--thanks for sharing that you did this, it has helped for sure. </p> <p>@Shantuck: tank-up feed=incredible :wink: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-sleep-advicesuccess-stories-needed/page/2#post-2631964 Tue, 04 Oct 2016 22:11:20 +0000 SweetiePie 2631964@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LCTBQE: I'm glad you've seen a bit of improvement! A big thing to remember is that consistency is key. I think many people try something (like shortening the wake time) once or twice and say "it doesn't work". But just like anything with babies (or humans really) it takes a bit of time to get into a new routine! And when they are consistently overtired it might take some time to get out of that cycle. But it sounds like you're already on the right track!<br /> Well done, mama! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-sleep-advicesuccess-stories-needed/page/2#post-2631958 Tue, 04 Oct 2016 21:55:52 +0000 LCTBQE 2631958@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Don't want to jinx myself, but last night was our best night since his first week home! He slept in three 3-hr chunks of time and went straight back down after nursing. Again today I was really careful to not let him stay up too long, we did the bedtime routine, and his mood has been pretty good today and yesterday. The only hiccup is that he seems to be deciding that he just doesn't like the bottle, which is another conversation--tonight my husband tried to give him a big one and he only took 2.5 oz. I was hell-bent on tanking him up though, so then I took him and nursed him and he did an almost-complete nursing session on top of that. Even if it doesn't go as well again immediately, I'm going to stick with this plan for a while and give it a chance :) </p> <p>@Pumpkin Pie: @gingerbebe: like both of you said, I've read all over the place that that second month is a real doozy :meh: on top of dealing with it, I'm bummed that everything will (FX god-willing) be going better by the third month, when I have to put him in day care and go back to work. I had a fantasy that my mat leave was going to be this fun staycation with the baby. bah. </p> <p>@Pumpkin Pie: maybe your second will be a unicorn! :)</p> <p>@winniebee: got it, thanks :heart: </p> <p>@ShootingStar: @Silva: yes, it does feel like forever even though I hear yall. on the other hand, (similar to how I'm frustrated to be wasting my mat leave in the breastfeeding/no sleep bell jar) I also feel like this precious time when he's teensy is going by fast, and I'm so preoccupied trying to keep my head above water that I'm missing it and not fully appreciating it. is this just what the newborn days are all about? </p> <p>@gingerbebe: I bought the Weissbluth book after @SweetiePie: and others recommended it--I've dipped a toe in it and gotten about as far as the height of fussiness business :meh: I'm hoping to keep it in check as much as possible by being militant about avoiding the over-tired trap, which I'm just now getting the hang of. I'll batten down the hatches mentally though (even though my mental game is mush). Don't know if you saw, but ShootingStar also mentioned the first nap being key thing, which I *never* would have known. Definitely going to move him to his crib (which is still like spitting distance from our bed--tiny apt) in a couple of weeks, as he's going to outgrow the RNP soon anyway. And thanks for the tip on lining up help, my mom will be here Thursday (finally) and she is fantastic with babies, so looking forward to getting some relief from her. One more question--did you follow the Weissbluth book really closely in establishing the sleep schedule with your boys, or did you mix in other advice? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-sleep-advicesuccess-stories-needed#post-2631505 Tue, 04 Oct 2016 07:59:28 +0000 gingerbebe 2631505@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LCTBQE: I just wanted to say that I always advise new moms to lineup help during the second month of life because for both my kids weeks 5 to 8-10 were the absolute worst. The first month you hang with adrenaline and some extra help or meals from people but month two is when the babies have SO much growth and development and the sleep deprivation really kicks in. The 6 week growth spurt and the 8 week leap were always the worst and Weissbluth calls this period the height of fussiness. In short, regardless of what you're doing it's just a shitty shitty phase.</p> <p>I am also a hardcore schedule mom and found eat play sleep and full bellies at each meal to be vital. First nap of the day being at home and solid is also key. At 5 weeks my kids were barely making it 50 minutes of wake time and I would start watching for cues at 45 minutes. At six weeks we booted my first son to his own space for sleep and with my second we did it at 4 or 5? </p> <p>Basically the second month still sucked BUT the hard work put in for routine during that time was invaluable in month 3 and beyond. Suddenly by 10-ish weeks their sleep extended. Neither of my boys had the horrible 4 month regression everyone talks about and I think it's because we worked so hard on their sleep routines before that would hit. </p> <p>So hang in there. We also moved to big cribs in the second month and dropped swaddles by the 3rd month. Basically anytime their sleep started to fall apart we just ditched another prop because the sleep was going to be crap anyway.</p> <p>Allow fussing. Give your kiddo 5-10 minutes to fuss before naps or whenever they wake up. As you have found, it helps a parent start to ID the different kinds of crying. It also helps the baby to learn to self soothe. Our second baby started to suck his thumb around 8 weeks and it's his jam now.</p> <p>For both my boys our sleep routine is short - dark room with white noise and I sing them the same two songs while swaying and patting their backs. My 5 month old usually calms down and rests his head on my shoulder as I'm getting through the second song because it's been his cue since day 1. My 2 year old is the same. He knows those songs mean sleep time. </p> <p>Good luck you are doing a great job!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-sleep-advicesuccess-stories-needed#post-2631504 Tue, 04 Oct 2016 07:58:11 +0000 Silva 2631504@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LCTBQE: sadly emojis don't convey my sarcasm. I'm definitely more relaxed than the first time around. But still a control freak at heart ;) the perspective I do have now is that it really will go by fast. I don't even really remember what to was like with my daughter. you will sleep again. I do know that it's unbearable when you are in it though- hope it gets better soon! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-sleep-advicesuccess-stories-needed#post-2631478 Tue, 04 Oct 2016 06:50:41 +0000 ShootingStar 2631478@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LCTBQE: Aww, thanks 😊. I hope things were better for you last night. Just remember that this won't last forever. While you're doing it, it might feel like it, but he won't be a newborn forever. I think that's the biggest difference I feel this time around - I have more patience because I know all stages are a phase. But with LO1 I thought everything bad was going to last forever. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-sleep-advicesuccess-stories-needed#post-2631462 Tue, 04 Oct 2016 06:01:08 +0000 winniebee 2631462@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LCTBQE: we kept him in the rock n play. I think it just helped me not hear every grunt, squeak, etc! I still used the monitor even though I could his real cries easily. Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-sleep-advicesuccess-stories-needed#post-2631428 Mon, 03 Oct 2016 23:25:53 +0000 Pumpkin Pie 2631428@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Oh, I forgot to mention that around weeks 4-9 were the worst for us. I don't know what happened, but around 1 month old DD was a mess. It got better and better after week 10. At 3 months, it was MUCH better, but at that time I was too exhausted to notice the difference. </p> <p>I feel for you. When LO2 comes in December, I'll probably be here asking this very question + crying. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-sleep-advicesuccess-stories-needed#post-2631414 Mon, 03 Oct 2016 22:00:48 +0000 LCTBQE 2631414@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@winniebee: thank you, this is great :heart: my baby is doing the same as yours did and so far is also not budging at ALL on the longer stretches, so not feeling super optimistic that he'll spontaneously start doing better. as of tonight after reading what everyone here has done, I think I'm going to keep bedtime at 9 and try to edge it earlier, do Mrs Champagne's routine, the big bottle of pumped milk, and adhering to ShootingStar's respect for the morning nap. (along with trying to space out daytime feedings and seriously not letting him stay up past an hour).<br /> we're in a brownstone and the nursery is also connected to the bedroom--the crib is probably like 7 feet from my husband's side of the bed even though it's a different room. Did you put the baby in his crib when you moved him in there, or keep him in a bassinet/RNP type of thing at first? do you feel like he needed that space to self-soothe, or was moving him better for you since you weren't aware of his every move? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-sleep-advicesuccess-stories-needed#post-2631409 Mon, 03 Oct 2016 21:47:50 +0000 LCTBQE 2631409@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Eko: this is really encouraging and empathetic :heart: thank you! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-sleep-advicesuccess-stories-needed#post-2631407 Mon, 03 Oct 2016 21:43:21 +0000 LCTBQE 2631407@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pinkcupcake: @Silva: yes, it *does* help so much to know that we're not alone. pre-baby I always thought co-sleeping sounded kind of annoying, but honestly at this point I'd be thrilled to do it if it worked for me--but it's in the pile of stuff we tried that was unsuccessful. I've also ordered maybe 6 different brands of swaddles, I tried different kinds of white noise, meow meow etc etc :meh: guessing that any mom that's judgey just hasn't been there? I will let you know if we make any baby breakthroughs over here. I've said this many times regarding pregnancy sickness/fatigue, but I mean it 1000x more here: so much respect to you ladies doing this with older kiddies to raise! :heart:<br /> @Silva: I want to be cool like you, but my uptightness just seeps in around the edges :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-sleep-advicesuccess-stories-needed#post-2631401 Mon, 03 Oct 2016 21:25:59 +0000 Eko 2631401@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LCTBQE: it used to really make me mad when people were all oh my baby sttn. Yeah? Good for you. :silly: I also combed through boards. Nothing really worked with us except time. I<br /> After everything was failing I just paid attention to what he wanted and with some patience it worked out. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-sleep-advicesuccess-stories-needed#post-2631399 Mon, 03 Oct 2016 21:24:39 +0000 LCTBQE 2631399@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ShootingStar: thank you so much for this level of detail--every time you give advice I take it :) most recently I think you were the one who mentioned just a gentle back rub upright for middle of the night burps--I was doing vigorous patting before and didn't realize it was waking him up, this tip has saved me SO much grief (and works just as well to get the gas out). about your advice here, I'm either already doing everything you wrote about, or I'm starting as of now, since I saw your reply. my ped visit on Friday really hammered in the feeding from both sides and trying my best to make sure he's really getting a good meal instead of just light leisurely snacking, which is definitely his jam so far (think he takes after me). I'm going to try to space out feedings a littttle longer if I can. also starting to get a better sense of fussy crying vs full-on freak out crying when he won't go back down. I haven't at all been paying attention to the first nap of the day, but in retrospect the two worst days I've had when he was fussing like crazy and would NOT sleep, both times I screwed up the morning nap colossally (out grocery shopping, etc). agh, it would be so satisfying if trying to put all these pieces together starts to make an actual difference. </p> <p>@SweetiePie: I went straight out and bought the Weissbluth book that day! started trying to do the drowsy but awake thing, otherwise seems like there's not that much to do before six weeks or so, but looking forward to putting it to use in the next few weeks. as of this afternoon after reading this thread I started doing the 60-min awake time. he doesn't seem to stay down for as long, but he's been less fussy overall. and I also don't mind being a slave to his schedule if we can all just be well-rested. Your equation is perfect :) I think I'll start trying to push the crib a little harder maybe next week, but yeah I don't want to wait too long because I think he might outgrow the RNP soon (he's pretty tall already). RE the super early bedtime, yes I read about that too--also did some Moms on call research just now and saw someone said they recommend starting out "bedtime" around 10pm at this age, and then slowly moving it earlier, so that by maybe 8 weeks the early bedtime is established. Tonight I did @Mrs. Champagne: 's exact routing (thank you!) and I had him down and out by 9pm. I'm hopeful that a few days of trying everything you all wrote about will get us in the right direction :heart: </p>