Master list of baby sleep techniques please! - Page 2

[TSomm]

We've gone through so many things in my DD's 7 months of life:

1) Upright, legs out in a moby wrap bouncing on an exercise ball, white noise.
2) In the Ergo in a back carry out on a walk.
3) Nursing side lying, white noise.
4) Upright as in Ergo front carry, bouncing on side of bed, white noise.
5) Rocking, lying on her right side (and only the right side) aggressively rocking, white noise.
6) In the car!

Three things are necessary for sleep in our house: white noise, sucking (her fingers or the nipple), and movement.

[toughcookie]

at 6 months my boy needed a dark room, me lying next to him in the beginning (read: MY bed, he only naps in my bed, although he sleeps at night in his crib), a paci, quiet, and his favorite pillow. yes, he has a pillow he loves. i know that's kinda wrong but he's a big strong boy who hates stomach sleeping, so i figure that our evil is this pillow he loves. (i really do not think he could ever smother in it, given his heft and strength and it's featheriness.)

i can usually sneak out, if i want to, after 15 minutes. but i usually just cuddle up next to him unless i have other fires to put out. then he was good for 40 mins-1.5 hours, depending.

have you tried napping at different, even slightly different, times? if i put him down 10 mins too early or late i'm toast - forget it. getting it just right usually is signified in his case by him looking blissful when his back hits the bed and he puts his pillow against his cheek. then i know it's perfect timing.

[LadyCatherine185]

i know it is really rough to have a hard time with naps. but I'm wondering, what happens if she doesn't nap? If she is only getting 40 minutes a day with a LOT of hard work on your part, I'm wondering if it is really worth it?

How is her nighttime sleep? How much sleep is she getting total per day? My brother would.not.nap. for my mom, but he slept 12 solid hours at night from a young age. Some babies just don't need as much sleep. If she seems happy/content to not nap, I would just stop fighting it. If she seems constantly overtired/fussy, I would look into other issues causing her not to sleep.

[YayJennie]

The only way I could get my son to nap at that age was to hold him for his entire nap. He would nap like a champ, so long as I was holding him, but the minute I put him down he'd wake up. I held him for all his naps for about 7 months straight, but he did grow out of it and now is a fantastic napper as a toddler.

[mumkimum]

If she's really ready to go to sleep, I can have her in the sling, sway from side to side, and she'll moan and fall asleep. (dunno what's up with the sleepy moaning ). Sometimes we nurse at the same time.

If it seems really hopeless, I put her in the sling and go do laundry - the loud water noise seems to help her fall asleep (sometimes I do dishes but that's a little more awkward now that she's grabbier).

[somegirl99]

Originally Posted by 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.

Well, as of this week, DS has done really well with swaddling, placing him in the cosleeper, and lying down next to him and touching him. As long as he is tired, and I am relaxed, he eventually falls asleep. I've been getting in some good catnaps this way myself. It's been really good as it has been too hot this week for him to get more than a short nap in the wrap.

[redvlagrl]

Both my kids like a darkened room in their crib, but most importantly a sleep sack. It's what signals sleep time to them DD (almost 2) has only just stopped using them for night and she still naps in one.

[JudiAU]

Originally Posted by 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.

I really hope the next will nurse to sleep like my first. In the meantime, this works for #2 too. Exercise ball + ergo + pacifier = sleep

[Ellien C]

Originally Posted by Peace+Hope

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.

This is heartening. My March 14 baby likes hard thumping, too. We are down to sleeping only an hour at a time stretch at night. Naps are 30-40 minutes.