Will they ever sleep at night??

[skkhebert88]

How do i get my 5 month old dd to sleep at night or even to take a nap during the day longer than 15 or 20 minutes!! She still wakes up at night to nurse 2-3 times, then she wants to get up at 6. Any ideas???

[kiwiva]

I can't really help you with the nights, that sounds totally normal for the age. We coslept, which made it a lot easier. If you have to actually get up to help her back to sleep, it is much much more difficult for you.

As for naps, DD would wake up 20 mins in, but if I was right there to nurse her back down, she'd continue. I think that is normal sleep cycle for them. Eventually they do learn to go back to sleep. All babies are different, of course, mine was not early with that skill.

I suggest you read "No Cry Sleep Solution" by Elizabeth Pantley. That may help. She has techniques for getting them to sleep and stay asleep. At 5 mos tho, they are still so young and some of them are more challenging sleep-wise than others.

[LadyCatherine185]

I second the "No Cry Sleep Solution." it has wonderful ideas for helping babies sleep. It also gives great insight to why they sleep the way that they do.

I would KILL for a night of only 2-3 wakings. DS wakes up almost every hour all night. and then up for good at 5.

You should post over in the "family bed and nighttime parenting" forum.

[chipper26]

I'd also be incredibly happy with 2-3 night wakings. My dd is up every 2 hours once we go to bed together around 11:30 and from 8-11:30ish in her crib shes usually up about 3 times. I feel like my second shift starts at night.

The nap thing is annoying. My dd sleeps 30-45 m for naps, unless I hold her. Elizabeth Pantley also has another book just published called "The No-Cry Nap Solution." There's a whole section on cat nappers. It hasn't helped us yet, but the NCSS has helped a little. I haven't been going full force with either book yet. We'll see. Some days I want to scream or cry or both.

[Bell]

My dd used to wake up in the nights and hardly ever slept during the day. I got very tired and I could see some babies were the opposite!!! She Grew up and stopped waking up in the nights. :

[karemore]

Sorry, I know how hard it is, but DD was at least 18 months before she slept a good chunk of time.

Letting her sleep in her bouncy seat helped, but she had reflux.

She's also sleep better if someone was holding her, but I couldn't really get any sleep that way.

Sorry, no help just tons of sympathy!!

[jillmamma]

Neither of mine were remotely close to sleeping all night at that age either. Naps, DD did better than DS because she had her own comfort mechanism, her thumb which he did not use. With him, often I let him nap on my lap on top of the boppy so he would actually sleep. A couple of things I have had some success with are first, make sure the obvious are taken care of...dry diaper, not hungry, not uncomfortable, etc., second, swaddling sometimes helps, getting outside for a bit before nap sometimes helps (sometimes they even would fall asleep/stay asleep in the stroller. Also, at 5 months, I wonder if teething could be a factor. If the teeth are really bothering her, maybe try some cold wet washcloth to chew on first or baby tylenol to help. I think really though, you need to stick it out and it will get better with age. My 3.5 year old and 6 year old sleep all night every night in their own beds.

[JennTheMomma]

Your DD sounds normal for a 5 month old. My son didn't start sleeping a good chunk until after 1 year of age. He is now 19 months and still wakes up 1-3 times a night to be put back to sleep. I read The No Cry Sleep Solution, it has good ideas.

[Chinese Pistache]

That sounds normal to me, too. Do you cosleep? That's how we manage. I barely have to wake up to nurse my ds, so we all get a lot more sleep. Pantley's book is good, too.

[cappuccinosmom]

I hate to say this, but she sounds perfectly normal for her age. There is a wierd expectation in our culture that a young baby can and will sleep 12 hours a night with no interruption. That is nice when it happens but it's not a normal sleeping pattern.

Some things that may help you get some more sleep:
Encourage a big nursing session right before bed. Or, if you put her to bed before you go to bed, just before you are ready to go to bed, nurse her again.

Swaddle her, if you don't already. Some babies sleep better with the security of being tightly wrapped.

You can gently get her used to her own crib. In a *relaxed* way. Put her down when she's sleepy, pat her back, rub her belly, help her fall asleep there.

She will grow up and sleep through the night, eventually.

[SkyMomma]

I have to agree with PP & say that your nights sound great. Waking 2-3 times a night to nurse is normal & sleeping 'til 6 is a late morning start in our house. (DS2 was up at 4:00 this morning. 4:00! DS1 joined the baby & I in the kitchen @5:00. We let Daddy sleep late as a Valentine's day present )

15-20 minute naps are challenging. It sounds like your LO is waking at the end of a REM cycle. Both my sons would/do get restless at the end of their cycle (about 25 minutes) & would/will wake if they were alone in the bed. For DS2 to take a longer nap, I lie down with him & nurse, or just comfort him, through that little wakeful moment. He'll sleep from 1-2 hours this way (DS1 was the same) for his most restful nap -- for him the first nap of the day. If I have things I need to do, or if he's super restless, or if DS1 needs my attention, then DS2 falls asleep in the sling (usually the later afternoon naps). When he gets to that restless, wakeful moment, I make sure to move around or nurse him back out. Good luck! I highly recommend lying down with your baby during naps if you can -- you need them too!