What is your favorite sleep book/methodology that does not involve CIO?

[jessafina]

8.5 month old ds is not an amazing sleeper. He sleeps either in his cosleeper right next to me or in the bed. Many times a night he's on his elbows in his bed, crying and fussing. I can sometimes get him to go back down with a pacie, but sometimes he wants to nurse.
Naps are about 30 minutes long and it takes awhile to get him to go to sleep and getting him to go back to sleep after a half an hour is a rare miracle.
Need a reference.
Need. To. Sleep.
zzzzzzzzzz

[dogmom327]

Right there with you mama...

[Beauchamp]

Dr. Jay Gordon's book Good Nights (about cosleeping) or The Baby Book by Dr. Sears/Martha Sears, also has a good sleep chapter.

[kdescalzi]

I second Dr. Sears Baby sleep book. Ultimately, do what works at the time and whatever feels right to you. I read too many sleep books with my first child and it really stressed me out. Now with my second, I do whatever works and I am no longer anxious and stressed. We co-sleep and she nurses on and off all night long. I am well rested in the sense that I have to be in bed for almost 12 hours everynight and also because latching her back on barely wakes me. Good luck.

[Beauchamp]

Originally Posted by kdescalzi

I read too many sleep books with my first child and it really stressed me out. Now with my second, I do whatever works and I am no longer anxious and stressed. We co-sleep and she nurses on and off all night long.

This.

I just finished 'Good Nights' (Dr. Jay Gordon), and it validated a lot for me. Namely, that I was looking for a solution, and really, this is just the way it is (for us.) Now, I am focusing on going with our flow and not trying to be something else. I was really trying to live up to what people told me we should be doing. Now she still wakes up a lot, but I am happier.

Good luck! Hope you get some zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzs mama! :yawning

[juliebee52]

I'm putting Good Nights on my library list!

[Kiwiontheloose]

Yep - I agree with "good nights", also

"sleeping like a baby" by Pinky McKay.

No cry sleep solution - Elizabeth Pantley was a good read but you have to be very committed to pull off her methods, I tried but always was too sleepy to pay enough attention to "gently slipping the nipple out of babys mouth before they are quite asleep" etc etc!

[LadyCatherine185]

No Cry Sleep Solution, and Sleepless in America

8 months was our worst sleeping time here as well. It will get better, hang in there Mama.

[jessafina]

Thanks so much for the recommendations. Also, for the support of going with the flow. So many people say things like "Oh, he should be sleeping through the night" or "crying it out was the best thing we ever did" and they make me feel like I'm doing it all wrong.
I do feel like DS needs to nap more which will in turn help his sleeping at night, but a few weeks ago he was napping pretty well so... who knows what he'll be doing next week.
I will take a look at these book suggestions and hopefully figure out something that works for DS, DH and me.
Thanks, mamas!

[mkksmom]

Just looking to commiserate. We aren't sleeping much with my 7.5 mo, and it's taking a toll on the whole family. This too shall pass is my mantra.

[maptome]

Originally Posted by jessafina

Thanks so much for the recommendations. Also, for the support of going with the flow. So many people say things like "Oh, he should be sleeping through the night" or "crying it out was the best thing we ever did" and they make me feel like I'm doing it all wrong.
I do feel like DS needs to nap more which will in turn help his sleeping at night, but a few weeks ago he was napping pretty well so... who knows what he'll be doing next week.
I will take a look at these book suggestions and hopefully figure out something that works for DS, DH and me.
Thanks, mamas!

I just wanted to chime in with go with the flow...Try to stay in bed as long as you can...Accept it and ignore what people say...

You may not get any more sleep, but you will have peace of mind, which really helps when you are sleep-deprived.

[jessafina]

I've ordered No Cry Sleep Solution and Sleepless in America.
In the meantime, I tried letting him work it out a little during nap time today. Mind you, we do not let our little guy cry to sleep. Ever. So I wondered if maybe he just needed cry a little and then he'd drift off and I simply had never given him the opportunity. So.... I let him for a little while. Ugh.. I went in after 20 minutes, put his pacie in his mouth, gave him another 10, did it again, and again after another 10. After 50 minutes total, our experiment was over and is never to be repeated. He never stopped crying. It sucked and all I wanted to do was cuddle him for hours and make sure he knew I'd never do it again.
I know I sound heartless, but the funny thing is I wasn't doing it for me. As tired as I am at night, once I'm up my days are fine and I feel like I can go on as it is for a long time if it's the best thing for my baby. I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't missing something... like maybe he was able to get himself to sleep but I never gave him the opportunity because I was going in and soothing him.
And I think it made bed time tonight harder than usual. He usually goes down pretty easily, but he really didn't want me to leave the room tonight.
We will not be trying that again.

[NiteNicole]

I have read them all and I wish I had started with Sleepless in America. I could have skipped the rest. It may eventually talk about CIO as an option, I don't know. I took the suggestions for getting our days right and the nights took care of themselves. It's a whole new world. She went from up at least twice for an hour each time (on a good night. OFTEN I spent all night rocking her. ALL night. She was almost three. I was so tired!) to sleeping from 8 to 7 in about two weeks. We have had to tweak her bedtime routine as she's gotten older but she's still sleeping a good 11 hours a night and it's great.

[ewe+lamb]

Good Nights (Jay) and Nighttime Parents (Sears), James McKenna had a good one too but can't remember the title - FYI and this just may be me - but I hated the No Cry Sleep Solution, just didn't ring through for us.

[emamum]

Originally Posted by Kiwiontheloose

Yep - I agree with "good nights", also

"sleeping like a baby" by Pinky McKay.

No cry sleep solution - Elizabeth Pantley was a good read but you have to be very committed to pull off her methods, I tried but always was too sleepy to pay enough attention to "gently slipping the nipple out of babys mouth before they are quite asleep" etc etc!

Originally Posted by LadyCatherine185

No Cry Sleep Solution, and Sleepless in America

8 months was our worst sleeping time here as well. It will get better, hang in there Mama.

i got no cry sleep solution week before dds birthday, she is 14 months on the 16th and sleeping through (9pm-6am) from waking every half an hour, i'm 26 weeks pg so needed to sleep, i didnt follow it to the letter, just took the bits that fit with us.

[Cartesia]

Sleepless in America for sure.

I really really really tried No Cry Sleep Solution for a LONG time and I'm not sure if it help or if it was simply the passage of time.

What I can tell you is that my LO is still asleep right now (its been a 3 hour nap). This is a child who ALWAYS woke after 40 minutes and could sometimes be coaxed back by nursing or bouncing but often not. And until he was 6 months, he would ONLY nap in constant motion in a sling.

Now he always naps for at least 1.5 hours and often for 2 or more. He is 17 months and this started a few months ago.

It was SO hard for SO long....especially 6-10 months....at that time he woke every 1-2 hours all night long. Really, he slept much much better as a newborn.

But around 10 months his nights magically improved. He still wakes a few times to nurse at night but I'm so used to it now.

Everyone says the same cliche - it goes by so quickly. But honestly, it does.

Good luck!