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Posted by melissaH009 on Nov 06, 2009 at 08:22 AM
I have a 4month old son. Latley he has not been sleeping well at night . He is up every 1-2 hrs. The only things that seems to calm him is nursing him, and even then it takes about an hour to get him back to sleep. He starts to fuss as soon as I put him back down, so just when I start to get to sleep he is up again. Should I just let him cry it out.? I have only let him cry maybe 5 min. It breaks my heart to hear him so upset. I know he doesnt need to eat, and he wont take a nuk. Im just not sure what to do. I want him to learn how to self sooth himself. He sleeps well during the day, in his swing. I should probably put him in his crib for nap time. He was sleeping better about 6 hrs at night. So now this is driving me crazy.
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on Nov 06, 2009 at 08:26 AM
Does he like to be swaddled? That helped my dd. I'd lay her swaddle blanket on her floor and started wrapping her up and she knew it was time for sleep.
I would also keep working on the nuk. My dd didn't start taking it until about 4 months, so there is hope, if you'd like him to take it. She ended up being my best sleeper.
on Nov 06, 2009 at 08:31 AM
My daughter had almost identical sleeping problems at 4 months and I know other Moms that reported the same problems at 4 months. I think there is a lot going on developmentally at that time and this throws off their sleep. For me, it lasted about 2 - 3 weeks and then she was back to normal. I would recommend doing pretty much whatever it takes to get him to sleep and not worry too much about bad habits at least for a couple of weeks. (I do know a lot of Moms might disagree though - this is just what worked for me.) I personally don't think crying it out really works at this age and I agree it just feels wrong. Some things that worked for me were the swing, the bouncy seat and pushing her in the stroller (even just in the living room.)
Also, my daughter would NEVER sleep in her crib for naps (though she slept there at night.) But right around 5 months she started sleeping in the crib and still does most of the time.
You might also try reading the book "Healthy Sleep Habit, Happy Child". I thought it was helpful.
Hang in there and take care of yourself!
JadeNature
on Nov 06, 2009 at 08:32 AM
Is he teething? I'm having the same problem with my 6-month-old, and he wont take the pacifier either. I try to offer him other things to chew on. He seems to like chewing on cloth things.
"Make sure to secure your own oxygen mask before attempting to help others."---The Airlines
on Nov 06, 2009 at 08:33 AM
At four months, I think its still natural for your child to wake up to nurse that often. Have you talked with your pediatrician or a lactation nurse?
Traci, Proud mommy of Philip
Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday....
on Nov 06, 2009 at 08:35 AM
Do you have a family bed? It sounds as if he's most comfortable and secure when he's snuggled safe and sound right next to you. It's soothing for both of you, and you soon will be able to sleep through nursing sessions; baby will root & latch, and mama goes back to sleep. It's loving, natural, and baby will sleep so much better because of it! I highly suggest co-sleeping. It's glorious.
SANDRA Non-vaxing, co-sleeping, babywearing, gentle disciplining, free-ranging, loving attachment mama to Brett (16), Justus (11), Autumn (4), & Ayla (1) http://www.photographybysandra.com
I don't think that at 4 months old you should be letting a baby cry it out. At four months, crying is really their only way of telling you that they need something. I know there are some 4 month olds that sleep through the night, but if you are BF, then it's less likely at that age. It seems like from what you've said he sleeps better during the day. Try keeping him up more and allowing him more time to be active and awake with tummy time or other activities you can do with him. He may have his days and nights mixed up...thinking he should sleep during the day and then wants to be up at night.
Also, it's very common for children learning something new, like crawling, rolling over, walking, pulling up, sitting up, ect., to regress in other areas like sleeping.
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on Nov 06, 2009 at 08:36 AM
He might also be over-tired. You might try laying him down to sleep when the FIRST signs show that he is tired. Make sure when you put him down, he is well fed and dry diaper.
My son started that phase around 4 months, where he wouldn't go to sleep because he was so over-tired.... and then wouldn't sleep well at night because of it either.
Watch for the first signs of tired during the day too, and lay him down for naps right away then too.
Jill - Proud mommy to my handsome Keegan.
on Nov 06, 2009 at 08:39 AM
I say let him cry it out...thats what we had to do at 3 months to get our son to sleep through the night. Took 3 nights and by the 4th it was no problem. Good luck.
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on Nov 06, 2009 at 08:41 AM
Both of mine went through periods where they would wake up more often during the night. I co-slept with both of mine until they got a little older (then they seemed to prefer to be in their own beds, so I followed their cues). I would just let them nurse back to sleep and fall asleep myself. They eventually fall off and once they learn to foll over, they would roll over and sleep with their back to me. There's nothing better than snuggling with your baby and your hubbs in the early morning hours!
Manda
on Nov 06, 2009 at 08:42 AM
This sounds like he may be getting ready for a growth spurt. As long as he isn't pooping green he is probably getting hindmilk in his nursing sessions and therefore a lot of nourishment that is growing body needs. Mothers (in general) produce more milk during night time and early morning hours so a lot of infants will nurse more at night when they need it.
Give it a couple of weeks, but at his age, nursing on demand is still a very good idea.
"I miss the days when I believed if I had a cape and a nice tiara and I would be able to save the world."
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