Sleeping advice

[Olive]

Hey ladies,

Looking for advice. For the past 3 nights, B has slept til around 8am, which has been amazing. He'll go down anything from 9 to midnight, which is fine by me, although I'm going to try putting him to bed at a certain time if I can, or around a certain time.

Anyhoo, where he does kind of sleep through, it's not without him coming into bed with us. He always wakes up about 3/4am. I then switch on Ewan, give him his dummy and he settles again, until about just before 5am when he starts whining a bit. I don't leave him long in case it goes into full on screech, so I pick him up and put him on top of covers inbetween us. Then he falls asleep straight away and sleeps til 8/9, sometimes a bit earlier.

It's fab, but I don't know how to encourage him to sleep longer in his crib. I know he will sleep more as he does with us, but think if I left him in crib and didn't put him with us, he might wake up earlier.

What should I do? Carry on as we are, leave him and see what happens...? It's not a problem really I suppose, but I feel on edge until he's in bed with us as I'm almost waiting to see if I need to get up. I do leave him in his crib until I feel he's about ready to full on whinge.

Thanks x

xxx

 

[NinjaKitty]

J doesn't come into bed with us to sleep. I'm not anti co-sleeping just scared in case I do it wrong. Anyway now he's older I am trying to get him into a nighttime routine which means putting him down at around 7pm and listening out for him on the monitor downstairs. Anyway the HV. Seemed to think it was a good idea because he gets to realise from a certain time it's quiet. We normally wake him for his last feed and change 9-10pm but try and do it as quietly as possible and he goes down well again most times. He generally need feeding and changing at about 6am and he'll actually go down for another 2 hours. Basically what I'm getting at is that he seems to know what to expect so it's easier to get him back down again after feeds. I think the routine does help.

 

[NinjaKitty]

Also some judicious use of a dummy if he is fitfull being out down and I have to admit you have to be a bit hard hearted. I resisted picking him up if he was a bit whingey but I don't let it get to full on crying.

 

[Hunnie]

Genuine question, how come you don't give him a bottle when he wakes? Sophie is in bed for 8 ( half 8 at the latest) and wakes up at around 3/4 for a bottle and I give it to her. By doing this am I just encouraging her to not sleep right through the night? Seems a really long time to go without a bottle though.

 

[Olive]

Ninj, I'm not keen on co-sleeping at all. I'm surprised at myself really. Only because I have the same worry. I kind of put him on top of the sheets next to me and have him on my arm. Or this morning, he fell asleep on me and I sat up.

I think the routine is a good idea. I put him down tonight awake and he fell asleep about 15 minutes later. I think I'll give your suggestion a try. The only thing is I don't have set feeding times, just feed on demand. In saying that, I can put him to bed after his dinner time ish bottle and feed again around 10/11pm.


I'll leave him in the morning and see if he wants up or just whinging a bit (by whinging I just mean making noises iykwim not crying. He makes noises and falls asleep again in an instant so not sure if it's sleep whinging!)


Hunnie, I've just been leaving it the past 3 days to see if he wants one. I don't think he's that fussed as I've found the past few times doing it at 3/4am, which is the norm for him, he takes an oz and falls asleep, whereas before he was taking 5. I normally always get up as soon as he starts to stir and feed him without assessing if he's just making noises. I automatically think bottle, but I think he's just making noise and not necessarily wanting a bottle iykwim?

 

[Olive]

By doing this am I just encouraging her to not sleep right through the night? Seems a really long time to go without a bottle though.

I don't think so. I was thinking the same, but if he wants one I give him one. I just don't think he necessarily does as not taking much just falling asleep. He took more before. Idk really. x

 

[Hunnie]

Oh right. Shes just been asking so i presume she needs it

 

[marley]

Olive how old is your LO?
Hunnie how old is your LO?
Do you use dummies?

My LO is 6 months on 1st april, when she was very small she used to wake for milk . I now have a routine with her and she goes to bed and has the last feed at 7.

From about 6 weeks she slept through 11-7 , since implementing a routine (from 4 months she would go down for 7 bath bottle bed) she started to wake at least once-Usually around 2/3. I would instantly make her a bottle and attempt to feed her, similarly olive, she would take nothing or fuss. once in my arms go back to sleep. I think she woke up couldn't resettle and just wants a cuddle. She does this every night and I still have the Moses in our room next to us, I'm so knackered , id just bring her in , pop her in Moses basket.

So like yourself, I had a similar sort of habit to break. This week I have persevered to leave her in the cot. She talks, has a gurgle ( can last anything from 15-1hour) then she goes back to sleep.

It's so hard hun and sounds like your doing a fantastic job, at the end of the day we need sleep to function to look after them effectively, so just do whatever's right for you xxx


Apologies for any typos!

 

[NinjaKitty]

I feed J on demand too. However he is quite regular in that he goes 3.5-4hours before he starts asking for a feed. Luckily it sort of lends itself to a routine even though I don't really have a structure during the day. I tend to find that I am feeding at roughly the same times during the day.

I only mentioned the bringing him into bed just to say that I think J goes down easier because he's not used to it iykwim. But I also think that's partly to do with J, he loves cuddles but sort of on his terms not necessarily when Mummy wants them However we had a lovely bed cuddle yesterday morning. I just put him down when he fell asleep awwwwww.

 

[positivity :)]

Will used to do this and I would just ride it out also expecting him to cry and he ended up just falling back to sleep. Once he did cry, I picked him up for a few mins then put him back down again and he slept. I have found he is such a creature of habit so if I were u I would try to stop moving him into Ur bed if you can.

Will sleeps 10pm - 7:40am so this week I'm going to try getting him down a bit earlier xx

 

[Olive]

Thanks so much for responses ladies. Was feeling a bit flat this morning but you made me feel loads better.

He had a bottle about 6 and was tired (or so I thought) so I put him down at 7. I decided to put the mobile from his cot on his crib. He was just gobsmacked by it. Lol. I came up half an hour later and he was still staring at the glowing animals and smiling It turned off eventually and he's been snoring since, but must have fell asleep about 8.15 I reckon, so eventually self settled.

I think I'm going to do what Ninja does and feed him in a bit. Think I'll wait til 11 and go from there. Have no doubt he'll wake at 4ish but will wait a while, try mobile and if he becomes unsettled give him a cuddle and see if I can rock him to sleep. Wish me luck!!

Thanks again xxxx

 

[Hunnie]

Thanks so much for responses ladies. Was feeling a bit flat this morning but you made me feel loads better.

He had a bottle about 6 and was tired (or so I thought) so I put him down at 7. I decided to put the mobile from his cot on his crib. He was just gobsmacked by it. Lol. I came up half an hour later and he was still staring at the glowing animals and smiling It turned off eventually and he's been snoring since, but must have fell asleep about 8.15 I reckon, so eventually self settled.

I think I'm going to do what Ninja does and feed him in a bit. Think I'll wait til 11 and go from there. Have no doubt he'll wake at 4ish but will wait a while, try mobile and if he becomes unsettled give him a cuddle and see if I can rock him to sleep. Wish me luck!!

Thanks again xxxx

I forgot to suggest the mobile!! I always use it if Sophie is unsettled after the 4am feed and I use it before she goes to bed so I think she means that its time to have some serious sleep.

 

[NinjaKitty]

I too forgot about my arsenal of stuff to help him settle. He gets a dummy if he's really unsettled (I prefer to get him down without). His travel cot plays some pretty high class tunes and he has a night light that projects stars and moon on the ceiling. They're both on a timer and he's normally off by the time they are finished. Also when we get him up for a feed we do it a quietly as possible. We have some dim able side lights do put one of them on. Feed, burp and change and them straight back down. Normally he's so sleepy he goes straight off.

Let us know how last night went.

 

[Olive]

He woke up 5 mins ago...in his crib! yaaay! Thanks so much ladies.

I have to admit he's on my chest now but I wanted a cuddle. He's half asleep. Plan to get up in 5-10 mins and not let us sleep together.

I woke him for bottle about 11pm. He took an oz asleep. Put him back and he woke 10 mins later for rest. Took 5 in total. Then back down with mobile. I came to bed and he was just watching it. I turned it off after 10 mins and her snores within a minute lol.

He woke at 4 on the dot. I turned mobile on but was bright and eyes were still shut so off it went and Ewan on. He made noises but I gave dummy (fell out as always) and he settled.

He had sleeping bag last night no swaddle.

I'm walking on air today now.

Thank yooooou. And Happy Mothers Day. Xxxx

 

[NinjaKitty]

Yaaaaaaay, long may it continue.

 

[Olive]

I hope so! xx

 

[marley]

Yay. !!! Woo it will continue, perseverance! Xxxxxx


Apologies for any typos!

 

[Olive]

Thanks mrs xxxx