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5 and 1/2 month old and sleep

By bashoe | 2 years 3 weeks ago
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My son is 5 and 1/2 and is breastfed w/ formula supplement. He has also started solids, fruits and veggies (Ped approved). I work full time and he goes to daycare 1/2 days on Mon and Thurs and all day on Tues and Wed. He has never slept a full night in his crib. He will usually go to sleep by nursing/rocking then we'll put him in the crib or in his pack and play. He'll sleep anywhere from 2-5 hours then wake up, I'm so tired that I usually end up bringing him to bed w/ me and he nurses (or just uses me as a pacifier) on and off thru the night. He isn't a real big fan of a regular pacifier...I've tried them all. He's also not a real big napper. At home and daycare he'll only nap for 10-30 minutes at a time. Usually on daycare days he sometimes will not sleep AT ALL, then fall alseep on the way home and wants to sleep all eveing then get up between 4:30 and 5 am (after sleeping with me again). I've always heard "never wake a sleeping baby" but is it ok to wake him up in the evening so he might sleep better at night? I've tried starting a routine but I don't know wether to wake up him or not for a bath. I really want to do what's best for him, however, I DO NOT BELIEVE IN THE CRY IT OUT METHOD...I just can't do it...I'm a first time mom and it would break my heart. Do some kids just not require a lot of sleep...He's a great baby, RARELY cries and is in a good mood 85% of the time....He wakes up early in the morning smiling and laughing...the only time he wakes up grumpy is when I wake him up Sad face Also the daycare seems to think he's held too much...but what am I supposed to do? I'm not around him for 9 hours a day...I don't want to waste what little time I have with him by letting him fuss if he wants held in the evenng or at night....Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks for your help.... Smiley

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11 Answers

just a big word of advice about the taking into bed to breast feed in the middle of the night DONT DO IT! I did the same thing because after my baby slept for only 5 hours(which is pretty good by the way) i was so tired when he would wake up in teh middle of the night. I would take him into bed let him feed, and would get to rest my eyes. Then my baby got a cold and was miserable. So, I started feeding him in my bed at night. When he fell asleep feeding I would move him to the crib. But after a half hour he would wake up looking for me. Long story short my family now shares a family co- sleeping bed. He wont sleep at all in his crib! And you think you are tired NOW.My baby now wakes up every two hours wanting to feed for 4 minutes and then falls back asleep. Keep him in that crib. No matter how tired you are get up and feed him and rock him back to sleep out of your bed. It will get better! If you give a baby a choice he will always want to be near you. I think the only reason he even sleeps 5 hours in his crib at night without you is because he is soooo exhausted from not sleeping all day.
I would let him take a good two hour nap after day care & then YES wake him up.

l russell

Is your son named Matthew because I swear we have the same baby Smiley My son is 5 months old and has not really slept well since birth. Sure he had a few nights of 5 plus hours of sleep at a time but those were rare Crying face Until recently he had been sleeping on me and i have begun putting him down in his crib for the past month or so. In the past month, he has been sleeping about two to three hours at a time. He has been teething for the past two months. I nurse him and just recently began cereal and veges. I also am a new mom and am not able to do the "let them cry method." I have been trying really hard to pat him when he cries for me and only pick him up if he can't calm down (which is most of the time)! The problem for me is when I am so tired and it's the middle of the night. I nurse him and then fall asleep with him on me. I keep trying to stay awake and nurse him and put him back down but this is quite hard. I'm beyond exhausted! I am back to work part-time only and can't imagine having to do this and work full-time, so kudos to you! I'm sorry to hear about your situation but I am happy to hear that I am not alone Smiley

They must have been separated at birth! Smiley Carson has done better the last few nights, he has been a belly sleeper (Ped approved also) b/c he HATED sleeping on his back... He likes his back better now for some reason and has been falling back asleep right when I pick him up. There is no way I can stay up with him in the middle of the night, I'd be to exhausted to work. And yes, Carson sleeps on me too! Half of me LOVES it and the other half feels bad b/c I feel like I've failed him....I have friends with kids who are actually having to wake their kids up in the morning...(amazing isn't it?) I can't do the cry it out thing...I think it's mean...It's the only way they know to communicate, why would I want him to think his daddy and I aren't there anymore? Besides, he gets older everyday so I want to spend all the time I can w/ him... Smiley

I forgot to thank both of you for your answers, I appreciate you taking the time to help me out...Oh, for your teething baby you should try a Razzie...we got one for Carson and he LOVES it!

Where do you get this Razzie???? This is no sleeping thing is making me crazy! Two nights ago he slept for 6 hours straight. I was the happiest mom ever and then last night he slept about 2 hours total - ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Sleepy HELP!!! Sad face I'm so exhausted I don't know what to do with myself anymore.

I found Carson's at Once Upon a Child (it's a consignment shop)...Let me look online and try to find a website for it...Carson is hit and miss with sleep as well...Yesterday he woke up at 4:15 am...Today he slept in until 6:15...There is no method to the madness...Have you tried any "white noise"...a radio or fan? Sometimes Carson sleeps better when there is sound around him.... Smiley

Ok, I found them...It's call a Razzberry by Razzbaby...They have them on Amazon. I hope your little one likes it...Carson loves his... Big smiley

Thanks so much for the information. My mission today will be to buy a Razzberry and a sound machine! (white noise)! Big smiley

Good luck...I think my little one tooks notes from your little one...Last night he was up every few hours. However he just nursed and went right back to sleep. (On me of course)...Does your son ever use you as a pacifier? I don't know how to break Carson of it...He refuses to take normal pacifiers....

I co-sleep with my son.
I find that I get more rest when he is with me then when he is in his crib.
For the first two months he was at home we had him in his crib. He would sleep for MAYBE two hours if I was lucky and then would wake up and cry. We tried and tried to get him to sleep better in his crib but it didn't work. Then I tried co-sleeping one night and he slept for 5 hours straight.

Every baby is different. You need to do what YOU think is best and what will give you and your child the most rest, regardless of what it takes. My boyfriend didn't sleep through the night until kindergarten and his mother did everything suggested to her. Some babies just won't do it.

Experiment with different routines, sleeping positions and places and all the suggestions you are given. Maybe your baby would sleep better in a swing. Or maybe you need to give your child a bath EVERY night before bed. I'm sure you'll find something that helps, even if it means co-sleeping. Once you find something that works for your baby stick with it... the more you alter the routine the less the baby will sleep.

Loving mother of a baby boy, Gabriel, since April 25/07.

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