sleep breakthrough?

[tinytoes]

I dont want to jinx myself but I'm excited.


For the last few months Ted has been waking about 4 or 5 times a night - apart from when he was ill and he slept perfectly. Anyway, 2 nights ago I decided it was time to take action as I was soooo tired I knew something had to change.
Having heard and read for the last 6 months how we should be putting LOs down to bed awake and not rock them to sleep, I decided to finally give it a try (eventhough I was convicned it would never work..)
Anyway, My LO did get himself a bit wound up but I just pick him up and cuddle him until he's calm again, and then I pop him back in his bed. I did this a few times.

Also, I stopped using his sleeping bag and have started using a blanket and sheet tucked in tightly over him so he feels more "snuggly".

And it seemed to work!
For the last 2 nights he's gone to sleep around 7.30 or 8 and has fed around 10.30 when i go to bed and then has only has one night feed per night!! (3am). I'm delighted!!
He wakes up at 6 which is still a little painful but he is a baby after all so I cant expect a big lie in!

Am so hopeful that this is the start of a new sleep routine!!!
I feel sooooooo much better for having had more than 2 hours sleep in a row!!

 

[bluebell]

Fab news Hope this is the start of a new routine for Ted

I've just started a new routine with Jay as I've been rocking / bouncing him to sleep since birth and I know that I need him to be able to get to sleep on his own.

He went into his own room last Friday and as of today I put him down awake in his cot for his naps and bedtime and go back every 30 secs to kiss him on his head till he goes to sleep...

It's been hard today as I hate to hear him cry, but I know it will take a while for him to get used to the new routine and it will be sooooooo worth it when he learns to go to sleep on his own

xx

 

[tinytoes]

every 30 secs? wow you're dedicated!
I found I couldnt listen to Teddy cry when he was Jay's age. It really stressed me. Only now do I feel able to cope with it, as I know he can fall asleep on his own, and also becuase I bought myself one of those monitors with a video on it so I can assure myself he isnt suffocating under his blanket or getting himself into a state. It was a big expense, but I feel so much safer leaving him to fuss alone a bit now.
I still cant leave him to cry for long - I think we're both doing a great job without having to do the leave them to cry thing.
We'll get there in the end )

 

[Vickie]

Well done! We're trying to work out Hannah's sleep too. We actually completely stopped her night feeds because she was eating a lot at night and refusing her bottle in the morning (she'd rather play than eat and she wasn't hungry because she had us up at 3 a.m. feeding her )

 

[tinytoes]

Well done! We're trying to work out Hannah's sleep too. We actually completely stopped her night feeds because she was eating a lot at night and refusing her bottle in the morning (she'd rather play than eat and she wasn't hungry because she had us up at 3 a.m. feeding her )

so you get a full night of sleep now??? Woweeeee! great!

 

[isil]

every 30 secs? wow you're dedicated!

my thoughts exactly! I've heard of every 3 minutes but not 30 seconds!

I bought myself one of those monitors with a video on it so I can assure myself he isnt suffocating under his blanket or getting himself into a state. It was a big expense, but I feel so much safer leaving him to fuss alone a bit now.

We have one too and I do find it helps a lot. I think I'd be up and down the stairs so much if we didn't have one so I could check he was okay. I'd probably keep him awake running up and down the stairs!

I'm glad Teddy is doing so well with his sleep. I hope he keeps getting better with it for you. Alasdair has just started sleeping through again and sleeping in his own cot all night. I thought I was tired after a month of it but I can't imagine how tired you must be!

 

[tinytoes]

god i hope i havent jinxed it all now!!!!

 

[isil]

lol you won't have! keep thinking positive!

 

[tinytoes]

lol you won't have! keep thinking positive!

you're right.....deep breaths...
I always get nervous waking him for the last feed before I go to bed...in case he wont go back down again. But I feel so much stronger for having had 2 decent nights of sleep I feel ready to do battle even if he does wake up!

 

[isil]

it makes such a difference to get some decent sleep, doesn't it?! Give it a couple of days and you'll start waking up when he used to. I wake up all the time thinking Alasdair is waking up now and he's not, he's fine!

Maybe soon you'll be able to cut out the 10pm feed too! although, maybe one step at a time lol.

 

[tinytoes]

it makes such a difference to get some decent sleep, doesn't it?! Give it a couple of days and you'll start waking up when he used to. I wake up all the time thinking Alasdair is waking up now and he's not, he's fine!

Maybe soon you'll be able to cut out the 10pm feed too! although, maybe one step at a time lol.

indeed! BUt oh imagine...what a dream!!
I did the waking up thing last night - I wanted to wake OH at 3am to tell him that the baby was still asleep! hehe. I didnt though....wasnt sure he'd fully appreciate it! lol

ok, off for the last feed now. night night all xx

 

[isil]

fingers crossed for you! x

 

[ryder]

good luck! It is sooo nice when they sleep through though! I dont know how people do it with year olds who dont sleep through, id go nuts.

 

[bluebell]

every 30 secs? wow you're dedicated!
I found I couldnt listen to Teddy cry when he was Jay's age. It really stressed me. Only now do I feel able to cope with it, as I know he can fall asleep on his own, and also becuase I bought myself one of those monitors with a video on it so I can assure myself he isnt suffocating under his blanket or getting himself into a state. It was a big expense, but I feel so much safer leaving him to fuss alone a bit now.
I still cant leave him to cry for long - I think we're both doing a great job without having to do the leave them to cry thing.
We'll get there in the end )

I know it seems a lot (every 30 seconds) but it's my own fault really , I mollycoddled (sp?) Jay for the first few months of his life so I want to make the transition as easy for him as poss...and I'll take any excuse to kiss him

I tried picking him up to soothe him every time he cried and putting him down again when he was calm, but he cottoned on to that one real quick and as soon as I put him back down he was screaming his head off He's that strong willed I think I would have been there forever

So this way I am letting him know that I won't jump to his every demand but in the kindest way possible (as I hate hearing him scream )

I only started this approach yesterday and he is already going down fairly quickly, but I've read it'll take a week or two for him to be able to go down on his own. If I'm still not seeing results then, I'll have to have a re-think

Hope you had another good night last night

xx

 

[tinytoes]

I know it seems a lot (every 30 seconds) but it's my own fault really , I mollycoddled (sp?) Jay for the first few months of his life so I want to make the transition as easy for him as poss...and I'll take any excuse to kiss him

I tried picking him up to soothe him every time he cried and putting him down again when he was calm, but he cottoned on to that one real quick and as soon as I put him back down he was screaming his head off He's that strong willed I think I would have been there forever

So this way I am letting him know that I won't jump to his every demand but in the kindest way possible (as I hate hearing him scream )

I only started this approach yesterday and he is already going down fairly quickly, but I've read it'll take a week or two for him to be able to go down on his own. If I'm still not seeing results then, I'll have to have a re-think

Hope you had another good night last night

xx

as long as he doesnt get used to it and keep you there for hours - you'd get a bad back!!

I can understand you saying "i'd have been there for ever" as that is exactly how I felt. Ted was like that. Still is deep down i suppose. Very stubborn adn I could never see him calming or being able to drop off on his own. But he seems to have mellowed with age a little. His bed is suddenly not entirely as awful as place to be alone as it used to be. I mean, he's not loving it quite yet, but things have got easier recently.

We're getting on well. Ted is waking once to feed in the night still but that's grrrreat compared to last week. Last night it was twice but one was just a very brief feed. And he goes to sleep in his own bed without being rocked now. I sit by his cot and occasionally stroke him or calm him by picking him up oinly when absolutely necesary.
I'm very proud of him. And me

 

[princess_bump]

well done ted and mummy, long may the sleeping continue x