Master list of baby sleep techniques please!

[newmamalizzy]

So, just when I thought our napping issues could get no worse, they did! Now I can ONLY get DD to take her full 40 minute micronap in a moving car. Stroller gets us 20 minutes or so. Other than that, I can not get her to go to sleep during the day AT ALL. Nope. Not at all. If only for the sake of my carbon footprint, I have to find another way, even if it involves standing on my head! I feel like I've tried most everything, but there must be stuff I haven't thought of. Can we try to make a master list of every possible way to get a reluctant baby to sleep???

[rhiOrion]

In a carrier while bouncing on an exercise ball. It's the magic cure for our DD. We like SSCs (ergo, pikkolo, beco, etc) for this purpose.

[carmen358]

Can you nap with her? That's the only way DD will sleep longer than 40 min.

[Knitting Mama]

Swaddled, bouncing rather hard on the ball, shushing fairly loudly.

[jsh7809]

Nursing/ sucking on pinky THEWHOLETIME. With me snuggling her. Usually I can get one extended afternoon nap that way, but, really, it has to be the whole dang time, typically. Better than grouchy baby though!
I also borrowed another friend's swing, and she'll occasionally nap in that. White noise machine or bathroom fan.
Sorry to hear yours got even worse . Keep repeating, "it's just a phase!"

[Forthwith]

In a carrier while bouncing on an exercise ball, or lying next to me in bed with my nipple in his mouth!

[Snapdragon]

Get an open top / (also called Travel swing) swing such as one like this:
http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?...t=pp_on_the_go

Get baby as calm as you can. Securely swaddle them on their top half. you have to leave the legs unswaddled so the baby can be strapped into the swing.
Don't put the baby in when they are crying. Turn it to the highest speed, and turn on the music either to high or low volume. Sit in front of the baby and push the swing at a steady rhythm ( and turn the swing on). the swing itslef needs to be pushed (in my opinion and depending on baby weight) at first for a while in order to be fast enough to lull the baby to sleep, and then eventually holds its own swing. Sit in front of the baby and push the swing till you know they are calm then go to the back of the baby. Push them at a steady pace till they hopefully fall asleep- may have to push for a while. As long as they are not crying, sometimes I can push up to 20 minutes or more till sleep happens. Also use pacifier with this if your baby will take one.


Another method- swaddle baby and put them in their bed or your bed and lie with them and sing lullabies to calm them.

[newmamalizzy]

That's 3 votes for the exercise ball. I got one to try, but it was comically small. I'll try borrowing my sister's normal-sized one and see how it goes. Keep the ideas coming, please! It makes me feel hopeful to know there are still options.

[mamakaikai]

How old?

[newmamalizzy]

Originally Posted by mamakaikai

How old?

Almost 6 months.

[somegirl99]

The bouncy ball and shushing work pretty well for me to calm DS down, but he doesn't fall asleep that way. Once he is calm, I walk or rock him, swaddled, singing him to sleep.

[OkiMom]

DD1 would only go to sleep if I was sitting down nursing her and she would only stay asleep if I didn't move.
DD2 had to be in a carrier but I could lay her down after. Her favorite thing was (and still is) being in the carrier with Daddy while he plays WII.

[Jenica]

My DD (5 months) needs a darkened room, paci, and something to snuggle (sometimes two things) Sometimes singing to her settles her down. The swing works too.

[Peace+Hope]

my charlie has changed what he needs so many times in 6 months. one thing works for awhile, and then he abruptly wants something different.

lately, he falls asleep most quickly on his tummy, draped across my/my husband's knees. we have to jiggle our knees AND thump him on his back and bottom, alternately. guess who "discovered" this technique?

the one thing that's constant is very firm thumping. he's always loved this and still does. we can't get anyone else to do it hard enough, grandparents get a look of terror when we encourage them, keep doing it harder! heh.

fwiw, singing to him only makes charlie want to play. i do a very low two-note hum though, for vibration that seems to help lull him.

[Dena]

Lately with my two it is nursing, and only nursing. Sigh.

Sometimes they will fall asleep in dh's arms if he carries them around, but not usually with me. Prolly because he doesn't smell like an all you can eat buffet.

And sometimes I can get Maya to sleep by draping her across me and thumping her bottom.

Oh, and they usually fall asleep in the mei tai, but it is pretty hard to carry them both that way, and one gets jealous if the other is in arms.

[TreeRose]

This week (and it could change any day), she will sleep soundly in the Didymos wrap, in the froggy position on my chest, while I'm moving. She has to have movement and contact. Sometimes I put her down and immediately she's awake. Other times, she'll sleep really well.
She doesn't sleep when nursed (usually).
And she also likes to be thumped very firmly on the back - sometimes this will get her back to sleep at night after a feeding, without too much squirming and fussing.
It wasn't until I joined this forum that I realized how ABSOLUTELY unpredictable ALL babies are. Forget all the books I've read... kids are just totally unique!

[akind1]

Usually I can nurse DS until at least drowsy, if not fully asleep for naps. and then lay him in his crib. (do the same for bed time). Sometimes he wakes when laid down and fusses, but so long as he isn't struggling to roll or sit up I just lay my hand on his belly and shush him (and give him his lovey) and most often this seems to work.

If he is struggling to get up, and rolls to his belly, I jiggle his bottom from side to side. He can't tense up his legs to get up this way and it seems to relax him.

[astar326]

trying to think back to what worked at 6 months:
nursing laying side by side, singing, classical music (we have used this in the background since day 1) & babywearing. front or back it always does the trick for us. it's our go to right now for ds.

[crystal_buffaloe]

My friends/family are horrified when I describe our naptime routine, but when you have a baby that will not sleep, desperate times call for desperate measures. Mine will only sometimes (very rarely) nurse to sleep at nap. Other times, it's this:

1) Darkened room
2) Swaddle
3) Pacifier
4) Bathroom fan (yes, she sleeps in the bathroom during the day)
5) Shhhing with a firm pat (she loves to be patted, and kind of hard, on the back or bottom)
6) Gently lowered into the bouncy chair on vibrate

If I time it just right (as in, catch her when she's actually tired but not overtired), we get 2 good naps a day (and usually 2 hours long) and for the first months of her life, she was just not sleeping during the day -- and was overtired and cranky.

[akat]

nurse to sleep then transfer to fisher price aquarium swing and turn on lowest setting.

if he won't nurse to sleep, then i put him on my back in the ergo and go about my business - he doesn't sleep as long like that though, i end up disturbing him too much.