Sleep/Nap Success Stories...

[rachel_va]

After re-reading Babywise, the American Academy of Pediatrics "Your Baby's First Year" and "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" sections on 2 month olds we seem to have hit the jackpot! Aria is a great sleeper and super happy.

Basically we've discovered that Aria can't handle more than 1 1/2 hours of waketime...I feed her for 30 min, we play for 30 min, then I start to do my "soothing" which is swaddling her and rocking her, singing quietly to her, swinging, vibrating chair...pretty much anything that mellows her out and her eyelids start to close. I put her in the crib (she is still awake) and she drifts off without a peep...

Sometimes she wakes up and cries after 45 min or so. I've read several places that unless they are happy, they are not ready to get up and most babies need at least an hour nap (my pediatrician insists on an hour or more), most more than that, so we give her the pacifier and she may fuss and cry a little but goes back down. Most of her naps are nearly 2 hours now.

At night we feed her at 9:30, swaddle between breasts, and put her down without a peep! She wakes sometime between 2 and 3 and fusses, I feed her for 20 min and put her down--she wakes again between 6 and 7.

We have been getting excellent sleep and Aria is much less fussy and no more crying!!! It is really wonderful. Figured I'd share in case this "system" is helpful to anyone. But all babies are so different and I'm curious about what is working for you guys...

[rachel_va]

Clarice! Don't worry about paci addiction I've been told that once we can unswaddle them to sleep they will go to their hands or thumbs...Aria loves to suck on her hands...

Aria did that one morning, wide awake at 5...tried putting paci back in, worked for 30 min, finally ended up feeding her at 5:45...it wasn't the beginning of a trend.

Aria "cried it out"--never more than 10-15 min of crying from 4 1/2 weeks to somewhere around 6 weeks--with just about every nap and at night. After that she stopped crying (mostly) and was able to soothe herself back to sleep, sometimes with paci sometimes not. It's been at least a week with no crying at all.

So GLAD you are getting more sleep and Kai is too

[CMorrison]

I agree great thread! While night time sleeping is going well here the naps are not. It sounds like I really need to get her down more often and I need to let her cry if necessary. I'm just such a softy! Maybe we'll start that this weekend when I can go out for a walk and DH can keep an eye in on her.

[Lula]

sounds like we're starting to get the hang of this nap business!
We've been doing better here. I just have to pay attention to his cues. After playing, at the earliest fuss, he has to go down or we miss the opportunity. I just put him in his bed and he drifts off. He's been sleeping through the night for about 2 weeks now but we have had two 5AM wakings but I think it's a growth spurt.

Clarice, I have no suggestions but I hope it's temporary!