Calling all mamas whose LOs STTN!

[expat-mama]

I'm tired of commiserating with other mamas whose LOs don't sleep either! It's great to have the support but sometimes I think I'm looking for advice in the wrong place.

I want to hear from mamas who somehow, some way got their LOs to STTN. Even if they ALWAYS STTN or if they suddenly made the change without you doing anything, I want to hear from you!

If your LO STTN, what kind of naps do they take? Cat naps? Long naps?

Do they have an early bedtime, late bedtime?

Breastfed, bottle fed? Do you feed them at night or soothe them other ways? Do they use binkies or loveys or blankeys?

Are they co-sleepers or crib sleepers?

Do they sleep with a night light or music?

What's your LO eating?

How did your LO who STTN fare through the rough times (4 mos, 6 mos, 9 mos)?

Is your LO really active during the day? Really relaxed during the day?

Do you wear your LO a lot during the day?

What do YOU think helps them sleep so well? Is it just their temperament? Did they learn to sleep well over time?

Gimme all the dirt, I want it ALL! I'm on a quest to find the secret.

[anjsmama]

My DS is 2.5 years and has been STTN since 12 weeks. I think it was just him - I never did anything to insist he sleep,  he just did. I think he just has always been SO active and awake and alert during the day that he wears himself out and is ready for bed when it comes! He sleeps 7pm - 6:30 am (it was more like 6pm-630am as an infant). When he was a baby, He took two naps, like 10am-11:30am, and 2pm-3:30pm. Now he takes one nap about 11:30-1:30. He did start SSTN as we were switching to formula (which I regret) so that could have played a factor. We did use pacifiers (for sleep use only) until he was 2 years 5 months. Sometimes when he was having a rough time, we'd rub his back as he fell asleep (he loves this) or hold him tight, but that typically was less than 5 minutes. He was a cosleeper (bedside) until 6 months and then a crib sleeper, and now has a big boy bed. He actually did great during those rough stages.. his only sleep interruption problems came when I was very very pregnant with DD. 

DD is 10.5 weeks and I  guess it depends on  your definition of "through the night". I tend to think she STTN because she sleeps from 11pm-4am. She goes to bed at 7:30pm, gets up around 10:30pm to eat (and this is when DH & I go to bed), goes back to sleep for  that long stretch, gets up to eat, and  goes back to sleep from about  4:30am-7:30am.  I didn't do anything to put her on this "schedule" (it's not really a schedule, it's just kinda what she does, and some nights it varies). I think maybe my kids are just sleepers? Because DD is EBF and doesn't use pacifiers and cosleeps (bedside), but in my eyes, that's really not much waking! In fact I sometimes find myself wishing I had MORE time with her at night, but she just  likes to nurse n snooze! We don't do lights or music. She's kinda  opposite from DS, she's very chill during the day. She typically cat naps a lot, and takes one "good" nap from 11am-2pm. She has two very active, exciteable, playing, periods first thing in the morning and right before bed (on her own/stretched out). I wear her most of the day and we do a lot of interacting that way too, she's very vocal.  She is just starting to teethe, so we'll see if all this sleep sleep sleep lasts. 

One of the biggest things I have noticed with my kids is this: the better they sleep during the day, the better they sleep at night. If they skip a nap, or have one cut short, or wake  up to go potty, or whatever... that's a rougher night of sleep. If they get to bed too late (for DS this cutoff is like 7:30) , they do NOT sleep well. It seems backwards but it's like they need sleep, to sleep well. The other thing with all children is that they are different and they will mostly sleep how their body/brain needs and wants them to. So if you're trying to change their sleep habits, be gentle about it and follow their cues about whether it's right for them. 

[QuestionGal]

DD is my 2nd. She has been STTN since about 6 weeks?? She consistently sleeps 8 hours straight (11pm-7am) and is now 12 weeks.  We didn't *do* anything but I have my suspicions as to why/how it happened.

1- I exclusively pump, so while she is EBF it's from a bottle, not the boob. Therefore she doesn't have to work as hard and probably takes in a bit more than she would at the breast. She now takes about 4oz per feeding and is fed on demand.

  We noticed with my son that the few times he was given a bottle of pumped milk before bed he slept for a much longer stretch than from the boob.

2- co-sleeping. We don't do it because it just doesn't work for us. We all keep waking each other up. Plus it's no longer a safe co-sleeping environment (I take meds)

3- Being a 2nd child DD has to sleep "on the go" So during the day she sort of cat-naps where ever she is. Even on the days when we are home all day and she can sleep she just doesn't. I do however make every effort to get her one good solid nap in the afternoons.

We also swaddle and use pacifiers but we did that with DS and he didn't STTN.... well he still doesn't at 3.5. Oh and we do a "dreamfeed" at 11pm (We wake her up and feed her), if we don't do that then she wakes up at 2 am.  But we did the same thing with DS and he would eat at 11 and still wake up at 2. 

[SeattleRain]

I know I've complained about Daniel's sleep, but technically he sleeps through the night and is generally a very good sleeper all things considered. We've been hit hard by the 4 and 9 month sleep regressions (they came for us closer to 3.5 and 8, but Daniel was also 16 days overdue), but "hard" has meant that instead of sleeping 12 hours, he'll wake up somewhere around 3-5 and want to eat. Lately he's had trouble going back to sleep well if we're in the room so we leave him in his crib to play and he lays his head down and goes to sleep.

Daniel sleeps in a crib and is formula fed. I don't know if the formula really helps as much as the fact that when he eats, he eats a full feeding and not a "snack." The crib really helps. Daniel has always slept in a crib, but he used to sleep in a crib in our room until 4 months, but he started to get too sensitive to our movements. When we found that we could not speak to each other in whispers or get clothes out of our drawers, we moved him to his own room. As it turns out, Daniel is very sensitive to noise. He needs to sleep with a white noise source (we used a CD for a while, now we use a humidifier, in summer we'll use a fan, so no need to get fancy) or else he wakes up easily. In fact, I think he's sensitive to stimuli in general because he also is not a baby who falls asleep easily in the stroller or being worn if we're out an about because there's too much to look at and hear. He was swaddled until he was 6 months, but now we sleep with a blanket. He also has a bunny that he uses as a lovey, we introduced it as something for him to do with his hands when we were weaning off the swaddle

I know that "sleep trainer" is a bad word in the AP vocabulary but we were really helped by "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr. Weissbluth. Yes, he has some strong information about CIO, but if you don't want to hear it, just keep moving on. His basic premise is that children need to sleep by their circadian rythms, which often means an early bedtime and (unfortunately) early wake up, with naps around 9am and 1pm every day. He says the secret to solving wake-ups at night is an earlier bedtime and I TOTALLY AGREE. The later Daniel goes to bed (past 7pm) the more likely it is that he'll wake up at night. He recommends looking at your child's drowsy signs as opposed to looking at the clock (which is a departure from other sleep trainers like Ferber) to decide when your child needs sleep. So this morning Daniel woke up at 6:30am but was rubbing his eyes and whining at around 8am, so he went to sleep by 8:20am, as opposed to 9am. This means that his whole day will probably run early, but that's okay.

Daniel is very active during the day. I don't wear him a lot because we're going through a resistance phase where he's not so into it.

[mra]

My LO normally sleeps for about 5 hours, barely wakes up to nurse and then falls right back asleep until about 6:30 a.m. Last night she slept from 10:00 to 6:00 without waking to nurse.

If your LO STTN, what kind of naps do they take? Cat naps? Long naps?

She normally takes long naps in the morning and afternoon. Sometimes she'll also take a 1-2 hour nap in the evening.

Do they have an early bedtime, late bedtime?

We settle into bed around 9 or 10. If I'm really tired, we might go to bed around 8.

Breastfed, bottle fed? Do you feed them at night or soothe them other ways? Do they use binkies or loveys or blankeys?

EBF, she's never had a pacifier, we swaddled her when she was little if she was extremely fussy.

Are they co-sleepers or crib sleepers?

Co-sleeping

Do they sleep with a night light or music?

I leave the closet light on and shut the door most of the way so I can see her.

What's your LO eating?

She's only just over 3 months, so nothing other than breast milk.

How did your LO who STTN fare through the rough times (4 mos, 6 mos, 9 mos)?

Haven't gotten there yet! 

Is your LO really active during the day? Really relaxed during the day?

She has a few really active hours where she wants to bop up and down while looking in the mirror, walk around the house with me, play on her tummy mat. She isn't content to just hang out on my lap. The rest of the time she is pretty relaxed.

Do you wear your LO a lot during the day?

I do if she is getting tired and I wore her a lot during her first 2 months. Now she gets squirmy if she is worn in the house unless she is sleepy.

What do YOU think helps them sleep so well? Is it just their temperament? Did they learn to sleep well over time?

No idea. I didn't do anything, she has always been a good sleeper. We've had maybe 3 or 4 nights where she was just bothered by something and cried (in our arms while we were comforting her) for about a half hour before settling down.

I've noticed a slow progression. During her first two months I had to nurse her to sleep and if I tried to set her down, she would wake. If I nursed her lying down and tried to sneak away she would wake. That's why she spent a lot of time in the wrap or in my lap napping. At night I'd nurse her to sleep and she would either sleep on top of me or in my arm, kind of on her side so the boob was always accessible. I couldn't put her on the bed next to me and move away from her a bit so I would be more comfortable. She'd wake up. 

Then she got to where she would nap in the morning in her swing if I put her in it before she got to tired. At night, she still had to be nursed to sleep, but I could put my boob away and she was fine if she was right up against me. If I inched away, she'd squirm over and snuggle into me.

Now we still nurse right before bed, but I can put my boob away and lay her down next to me while she is still awake. I can give us about a foot of room between us and she will go to sleep. It feels good to be able to move again! She'll start to squirm when she wants to nurse, I'll pop her on the boob, lay her back down when she's done and she goes right back to sleep.

[happysmileylady]

I have 3 kids, a teen, a 2 yr old, and a 7 month old. 

With the teen...getting her to sleep was the problem, but keeping her asleep rarely was.  It could take as many as four plus hours to get her down.  But once she was there, she regularly slept as many as 12 hours.  Her bed time was always late, mostly because it always took so long to get her to go down for a nap, that she was waking from a nap late and then it would take a million years to get her down for the night.  She was totally formula fed from day one.  If she woke up I fed her, but I don't recall her waking much once she went down, after probably 3 or 4 months.  She always had a pacifier (do-dah in our house) and she didn't eliminate that until she was like 3.5.  She slept in a crib in my room. 

My 2 yr old began to STTN on her own at 4wks old.  And getting her to sleep wasn't ever the issue that it was with the older one.  She was ebf until she was about 8 wks old, then when AF returned at 8wks, she refused to nurse, so she had to get some bottles.  Then she developed a bottle preference and I couldn't pump enough to keep up.  Basically we ended up with a perfect storm of breastfeeding sabotoge that resulted in her being totally formula fed by 6 months.  But, when she began STTN at 4 wks, she was totally EBF.  At that time, she started sleeping 6wk stretches, then slowly increased, until by 3 months she was sleeping 12 hours.  She would, and still doesn, STTN about 80% of the time.  Sometimes she wakes because she's hungry, or has fallen out of bed (in a twin bed now) or sometimes it's just because.  She didn't sleep well at all during the day, until she was about 6 months old.  She just was awful at naps, I would get her down, set her down, and she would pop back up. 

My 7 month old STTN about 50% to 60% of the time.  She's BF, she occasionally gets a bottle of formula when I am at work, if there's not enough pumped milk left and DH is overfeeding her (or if he's being lazy.)  But, I only work 2 or 3 days a week, and it's only one bottle on those days, so it's not a lot of formula at all.  No solids yet.  She's still in a cradle in our room.  DD2 was in a cradle in our room until she was about 4 or 5 months old, then moved to a crib in her own room. 

[Monarchgrrl]

My DD is only 5 months, so I might not be much help, because I don't have much experience, but I can answer the questions. She started STTN starting at 6 weeks and then did it consistently starting at 8 weeks. She sleeps 7:30pm - 6:30 or 7:00am consistently.

If your LO STTN, what kind of naps do they take? Cat naps? Long naps?

She is very scheduled, by nature. We tried to go with the flow but she doesn't do well with that. She always takes 3 naps per day at the same time everyday 8:30am, 12pm, and 3:30pm, usually at least an hour long, sometimes 1.5 hours long. We don't make her take naps at those time, she just naturally acts sleepy at those time, it turns out. If for some reason a nap gets cut short, she is pretty cranky. She sleeps on us for the naps. She sleeps better in total darkness, so we put a small washcloth over her eyes for naps. We keep the tv or radio on for naps because she sleeps better with noise. If it's quiet, she will wake up faster. 

Do they have an early bedtime, late bedtime?

She goes down about 7:30pm. Up until about a week ago, we would put her to sleep on us, swaddled on the boppy pillow and we'd help her fall asleep by patting her butt. Now we are able to put her down while she's drowsy but not asleep and she will fall right asleep on her own. She is still swaddled. We tried to have her unswaddled yesterday for a nap, but she woke up after 30 minutes (and then that set the crankiness for the day). 

Breastfed, bottle fed? Do you feed them at night or soothe them other ways? Do they use binkies or loveys or blankeys?

She gets only breastmilk, but in bottles. I EP, so no drinking straight from the tap. I do think this contributes some to her sleeping all night. Like a PP said, she doesn't "snack". She drinks full 4 oz bottles each time. We feed half on demand and half on a schedule. If she shows signs of hunger we will feed her even if it's not on schedule, but we usually do a semi-schedule because we've learned that she will NOT not eat if it's there. She will eat and eat and eat and just puke and puke and puke. She always gets a bottle right before bed, even if she ate about an hour earlier we will feed her another small-ish bottle right before bed to keep her fuller longer. I'd rather her wake up because she wants to play or is done sleeping, rather than pure hunger. She does use a pacifier. The only time she fusses at all at night is when her pacifier falls out of her mouth and she's trying to find it in her sleep. As soon as we put it back in, she's back to fully asleep. 

Are they co-sleepers or crib sleepers?

We co-slept until she was about 6 weeks old. She would get overheated and didn't sleep well at all. As soon as we moved her out of our bed, she started STTN. She sleeps in a pack 'n play. We don't have a regular crib because we planned to co-sleep full time. 

Do they sleep with a night light or music?

No night light (she likes it pitch dark), but we use a sound machine that is set to "rain". It stays on all night. 

What's your LO eating?

No solids yet, just bm.  

How did your LO who STTN fare through the rough times (4 mos, 6 mos, 9 mos)?

She had a bit of a rough time at 4 months. She would wake up at 3 or 4am and be AWAKE! So we'd give her another bottle and lay her back down and she'd go back to sleep. Two nights she woke up twice for a bottle. Growth spurt, I guess. One night she was up at 4am and a bottle didn't work. She just wanted to play, so I stayed up with her until 5:30am and she played on her own on the floor while I layed on the couch, watching. Then she started rubbing her eyes, so I put her back to bed. We'll see what happens around 6 months. 

Is your LO really active during the day? Really relaxed during the day?

She's relaxed. We don't go outside every day. She rarely gets over stimulated. She will do tummy time and play with some toys and use a jumper thing for a few minutes. But she would rather just sit on a lap or the floor, or her changing table and play with her hands or feet or pacifier. 

Do you wear your LO a lot during the day?

Not a lot during the day. All the time when we go outside or run errands, but that's usually on the weekends. She is very content (actually likes it more) to sit in a bouncy seat in the kitchen and watch while we work or cook or in the living room while we clean. She's very easy and content and doesn't really like to be held all the time.

What do YOU think helps them sleep so well? Is it just their temperament? Did they learn to sleep well over time?

I think it's just her temperament. And I fully believe (learned it here!) that sleep begets sleep. She still sleeps a lot during the day and I think that helps her sleep better at night. Also feeding her right before naps or bedtime. I also whisper to her for about 5 minutes at bedtime. Either a story, or just talk to her about what nice dreams I hope she has and that I hope she sleeps well and all night. The whispering really calms her down and makes her drowsy, quick. Not that that helps her STTN, but it puts her into sleep mode fast.

Edited by Monarchgrrl - 4/11/11 at 10:12am

[Terrilein]

I haven't read through everything, but with this kind of survey, why don't you use the poll option? It would be interesting to see the responses at a glance.

[new2this]

If your LO STTN, what kind of naps do they take? Cat naps? Long naps?

Depends on the day. But generally when we don't have much going on she will take 2 long(2 to 2.5 hour naps) naps a day and 1 catnap(20 minutes) 

Do they have an early bedtime, late bedtime?

I don't know if its early or late. But around 8-830

Breastfed, bottle fed? Do you feed them at night or soothe them other ways? Do they use binkies or loveys or blankeys?

She is now bottlefed. She dont' wake up in general to eat at night anymore. She does have a pacifier and a blanket. 

Are they co-sleepers or crib sleepers?

She is a crib sleeper. Co-sleeping just wasn't working for us. Even now if we fall asleep on the couch cuddling she will wake up within 30 minutes. 

Do they sleep with a night light or music?

She has a nightlight. We learned very early on that if its total darkness she will freak out. 

What's your LO eating?

She has about 24-30 oz of formula a day with 6-8 ounces of solids. I don't really keep good track as I just feed her when she shows signs of hunger. 

How did your LO who STTN fare through the rough times (4 mos, 6 mos, 9 mos)?

4 months was so hard on us all, but we had a lot going on in all areas so it was expected. 6 months she seemed to do better. 

Is your LO really active during the day? Really relaxed during the day?

She is very active during the day. She only stops enough to eat and thats about it. She wants to be moving at all times.  

Do you wear your LO a lot during the day?

I don't wear her as she has never liked it. 

What do YOU think helps them sleep so well? Is it just their temperament? Did they learn to sleep well over time? 

I really think its just her. Even as a newborn she was a good sleeper at night. She never fully would wake up to eat. I feel I have been very fortunate because then on the nights where they are rough and she isn't sleeping its like OMG I really feel for those who deal with this all the time.  But also she is very routine and if her schedule is messed up we do pay for it later. Naps on the go just don't do it for her. She needs at least one good nap in her crib or away from all noise and people otherwise its a rough night.

[ar2974]

If your LO STTN, what kind of naps do they take? Cat naps? Long naps? He usually naps for 3-4 hours from 9-12/1, then about 1 - 2 hours from 2:30-3:30, then about an hour from 6/7 to 8 ish

Do they have an early bedtime, late bedtime? He goes to bed at about 9

Breastfed, bottle fed? Do you feed them at night or soothe them other ways? Do they use binkies or loveys or blankeys? He is breasfed when I am here.  He takes bottles during the day when he is with the babysitter.  He will take a pacifier but it usually falls out when he sleeps.

Are they co-sleepers or crib sleepers? Co-sleeper

Do they sleep with a night light or music? No

What's your LO eating? EBF - he's only 5 months old

How did your LO who STTN fare through the rough times (4 mos, 6 mos, 9 mos)? So far so good, he started this pattern at about 6 weeks

Is your LO really active during the day? Really relaxed during the day?  When he is awake he likes to lie on the floor and kick and roll around.  He also really likes to "talk" and interact.  He is "chilled" though.

Do you wear your LO a lot during the day?  When I am out and about.  On weekdays the babysitter usually wears him for about an hour walk and I wear him to go pick up his sister so it's another hour or so.  On the weekend, he is usually worn for 3-5 hours as I do errands.

What do YOU think helps them sleep so well? Is it just their temperament? Did they learn to sleep well over time?  It's his temperament.  His sister was the same.

[a13xandra]

Originally Posted by expat-mama If your LO STTN, what kind of naps do they take? Cat naps? Long naps?

Long naps.  She's six months old and she takes a nap at 9am, a nap at about 1pm and sometimes a third nap, though that one is slowly dropping out.  Her naps are usually between one and two hours long. 

Originally Posted by expat-mama Do they have an early bedtime, late bedtime?

Early!  6pm.

Originally Posted by expat-mama Breastfed, bottle fed? Do you feed them at night or soothe them other ways? Do they use binkies or loveys or blankeys? 

She is breastfed.  She still eats once or twice a night some nights. She has a blanket.

Originally Posted by expat-mama Are they co-sleepers or crib sleepers?

Her Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper bassinet is now in the stand-alone crib formation.  She transitioned from sidecar to stand alone when she started rolling.

Quote:

Originally Posted by expat-mama Do they sleep with a night light or music?

No.

Originally Posted by expat-mama What's your LO eating?

Breastmilk and we just started solids three weeks ago.

Originally Posted by expat-mama How did your LO who STTN fare through the rough times (4 mos, 6 mos, 9 mos)?

4 months was rough, but she's 6 months + 3 weeks now, and we've sailed through that no problem. 

Originally Posted by expat-mama Is your LO really active during the day? Really relaxed during the day?

She's not physically active, but she is quite alert and excited during the day.  I wouldn't call her "relaxed."

Originally Posted by expat-mama Do you wear your LO a lot during the day?

It depends on the day and what I'm up to.  I used to wear her a lot, and I still do when I'm out of the house, but when at home she prefers her playpen most of the time.

Originally Posted by expat-mama What do YOU think helps them sleep so well? Is it just their temperament? Did they learn to sleep well over time?

She had to learn to sleep well.  It took a lot of effort on my part starting from 2 months and it was about 5 months when she finally got a good sleep schedule snapped into place. 

[expat-mama]

Originally Posted by Terrilein 

I haven't read through everything, but with this kind of survey, why don't you use the poll option? It would be interesting to see the responses at a glance.

HA! Good idea. My brain doesn't work...I'm SLEEP DEPRIVED, Terri! On second thought, I don't think a poll would have provided the details I'm looking for though.

Reading, reading, reading! Thanks mamas.

Edited by expat-mama - 4/11/11 at 8:03pm

[mizznicole]

Wow, how discouraging.  It looks like almost all the STTN'ers are bottle fed.  I would be so happy if my child woke up just 1 or 2 times a night. 

[expat-mama]

Originally Posted by mizznicole 

Wow, how discouraging.  It looks like almost all the STTN'ers are bottle fed.  I would be so happy if my child woke up just 1 or 2 times a night. 

Yeah, Nicole....I noticed this too. SIGH.

[SeattleRain]

Expat, I don't necessarily think that's true. Or at least, I don't necessarily think breastfeeding is inconsistant with STTN. I think breastfed babies seem to not naturally make the transition to a more "scheduled" day of feeding and so they don't make the transition to a more scheduled day of sleeping, in the way that bottlefed infants do. For example, I would never just give my baby a bottle everytime he cried, but many breastfed babies get a breast when they're fussy, meaning they're taking in bits and snacks instead of large meals. Maybe they don't get acclimated to taking in a large amount of milk at a time, and therefore don't sleep as long because when they reach the lowest part of their sleep cycle (when they're most likely to wake) they still feel hungry, wheras a bottle fed baby doesn't tend to feel hungry because they take in more milk at a time. There seem to be a few patterns that breastfed babies tend to fall into that can sabotage sleep: snacking on milk instead of taking in larger feedings and eating less solids because they're full on milk. I know that Daniel's sleep wasn't so awesome when he wasn't eating a lot of solids. 

Another pattern I'm seeing is that most of the posters seem to have their baby on a sleeping schedule of some kind. It's really hard work getting your baby down for naps at the right time, especially at this age when they're SO busy that they fight sleep so that they can just pull up on that chair one more time. I find I spend a lot of time in the rocking chair these days, but once Daniel is asleep, he can sleep for hours. I also noticed that most of the posters with babies who STTN have babies in cribs. In fact, I don't know that I've ever heard of a baby who slept 12 hours at one time and coslept in the same bed with their parents. Cosleepers say that this is more natural as the infant doesn't sleep so soundly that they're vulnerable to dangers (i.e. SIDS, predators, etc) and they gain weight better because they don't sleep through feedings, causing a stronger breastfeeding relationship. All this may be true, but it also seems to make bad sleepers worse sleepers. Good sleepers may be unaffected, because that might be their particular temperment.

[treeoflife3]

My kiddo started reliably sttn at 14 months.  she just turned 2.

If your LO STTN, what kind of naps do they take? Cat naps? Long naps?

she takes one early afternoon nap (best if it starts sometime between 12 and 2... no later!) and lasts anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours (best if it is only an hour)  she set her nap schedule.  I've done nothing but go with it.

Do they have an early bedtime, late bedtime?

her bedtime is 8pm (was 7pm when she started sttn) and she wakes up between 7 and 8am.. usually closer to 7am.  Again, she set her bedtime.  I do nothing but follow her cues and do her bedtime routine accordingly.

Breastfed, bottle fed?

breastfed.

Do you feed them at night or soothe them other ways?

She only allows me to soothe her to sleep with nursing.  She won't put herself to sleep except in the car.  she will fall asleep with cuddles only with my grandma.  this has been true since she stopped using the soothie at 6 months (which sucked for me haha)

Do they use binkies or loveys or blankeys?

She has a blankie my friend made for her when she was 2 or 3 months old.

Are they co-sleepers or crib sleepers?

crib (well, now toddler bed as of last week.)  co sleeping never worked for us.

Do they sleep with a night light or music?

nightlight but only out of necessity for me.  as a new mom/nurser, I needed the light to see what we were doing and to make sure we aimed for a good latch right.  She used to have a sound machine as a baby, but its been ages, well before she started sttn.

What's your LO eating?

when she started at 14 months, she was eating most anything but still some purees once in awhile (she liked them) and mostly breast milk.

How did your LO who STTN fare through the rough times (4 mos, 6 mos, 9 mos)?

yeah, those times sucked arse.  especially 4 and 6 months.  hours of walking in baby carriers and singing and shhing and sound machines and tip toeing.. oy.  she was NOT a good sleeper as an infant but she is absolutely fantastic now.

Is your LO really active during the day? Really relaxed during the day?

it varies.  her activity doesn't seem to correlate with sleeping through the night.

Do you wear your LO a lot during the day?

No... she didn't like it as an older infant.

I don't know what finally got her to start sleeping through the night but I thought it would never happen.  she really was an awful sleeper.  it was like a switch though.. she just started one night and rarely wakes up now unless we are visiting somewhere (she hates sleeping anywhere but her bed in her room.)  I will say though that she is VERY VERY particular about her sleep.  For the longest time, I had to make sure she couldn't be able to see out of her crib because then she'd want to get up.  She also has to read stories and THEN nurse.  you can not mix up the order for bedtime.  She also will nurse for how long she wants and trying to stop her early is a huge mess filled with crying and wanting to nurse for even longer.  If you don't try to stop her though, she's pretty quick.  She is VERY protective of the routine for sleep.  She has to have her blankie of course.  Like I said, I'm not sure what changed but now she'll ask me to go to bed if I'm running late to start the bedtime routine.  Some nights she runs to her room yelling 'yay.'  I do wish though I could stop nursing her to sleep or nursing her in the middle of the night the rare nights she does wake up.  I'd love to be able to just put her to sleep with cuddles!  It is pretty obvious though she isn't ready to change how sleep happens.  She is just so particular!  Seriously, no sleep the first night in a new place and she won't sttn the entire time you are there after that (and I just spent two months at home over the holidays.)

[new2this]

Even when DD was breastfed once she left our bed/room she only got up once or twice to eat and slowly went to once to none a night before we made the switch to the bottle 100%. I had planned to keep nursing at night but my supply went and she wasn't interested in me anymore (pregnant) 

[Knitting Mama]

Cecilia generally sleeps through the night now, at least for 7-8 hours. She's one.
 

Originally Posted by expat-mama 

I'm tired of commiserating with other mamas whose LOs don't sleep either! It's great to have the support but sometimes I think I'm looking for advice in the wrong place.

I want to hear from mamas who somehow, some way got their LOs to STTN. Even if they ALWAYS STTN or if they suddenly made the change without you doing anything, I want to hear from you!

If your LO STTN, what kind of naps do they take? Cat naps? Long naps? At this point, generally one long nap. If she gets up super early, she'll take two shorter naps

Do they have an early bedtime, late bedtime? Late-ish, like 9 pm usually.

Breastfed, bottle fed? Do you feed them at night or soothe them other ways? Do they use binkies or loveys or blankeys? Breastfed with SNS, sometimes she needs one night feed, other times she doesn't at all. I am fine either way. I try to be relaxed about most things like this. No binkie, lovey or blankey. Her Woombie swaddle is the closest thing, I think.

Are they co-sleepers or crib sleepers? We're bedsharing co-sleepers.

Do they sleep with a night light or music? No, but we use the Cloud B sleep sheep when we first put her down. It does sound for 45 minutes. We use the rain one the most.

What's your LO eating? Not bloody much!

How did your LO who STTN fare through the rough times (4 mos, 6 mos, 9 mos)? STTN is a relatively new thing for us, but from about 7 months onwards she did fine with one nighttime nursing.

Is your LO really active during the day? Really relaxed during the day? Definitely active!

Do you wear your LO a lot during the day? Not anymore, she wants to be all over the place!

What do YOU think helps them sleep so well? Is it just their temperament? Did they learn to sleep well over time?

I definitely think she just grew into it. I think it helps that I never pushed her before she was ready and I never really stressed over it. I also think her super-stretchy swaddle helps in the sense that it's her sleep cue. She can get her arms out of it and it has legs already, so she's not immobilized by it.

Gimme all the dirt, I want it ALL! I'm on a quest to find the secret.

[JudiAU]

My kids don't but each of my sister's kids slept in a co-sleeper until they STTN at around 8-9-10 months. ALL FOUR. Humph.

[anjsmama]

Originally Posted by SeattleRain 

Expat, I don't necessarily think that's true. Or at least, I don't necessarily think breastfeeding is inconsistant with STTN. I think breastfed babies seem to not naturally make the transition to a more "scheduled" day of feeding and so they don't make the transition to a more scheduled day of sleeping, in the way that bottlefed infants do. For example, I would never just give my baby a bottle everytime he cried, but many breastfed babies get a breast when they're fussy, meaning they're taking in bits and snacks instead of large meals. Maybe they don't get acclimated to taking in a large amount of milk at a time, and therefore don't sleep as long because when they reach the lowest part of their sleep cycle (when they're most likely to wake) they still feel hungry, wheras a bottle fed baby doesn't tend to feel hungry because they take in more milk at a time. There seem to be a few patterns that breastfed babies tend to fall into that can sabotage sleep: snacking on milk instead of taking in larger feedings and eating less solids because they're full on milk. I know that Daniel's sleep wasn't so awesome when he wasn't eating a lot of solids. 

Another pattern I'm seeing is that most of the posters seem to have their baby on a sleeping schedule of some kind. It's really hard work getting your baby down for naps at the right time, especially at this age when they're SO busy that they fight sleep so that they can just pull up on that chair one more time. I find I spend a lot of time in the rocking chair these days, but once Daniel is asleep, he can sleep for hours. I also noticed that most of the posters with babies who STTN have babies in cribs. In fact, I don't know that I've ever heard of a baby who slept 12 hours at one time and coslept in the same bed with their parents. Cosleepers say that this is more natural as the infant doesn't sleep so soundly that they're vulnerable to dangers (i.e. SIDS, predators, etc) and they gain weight better because they don't sleep through feedings, causing a stronger breastfeeding relationship. All this may be true, but it also seems to make bad sleepers worse sleepers. Good sleepers may be unaffected, because that might be their particular temperment.

I don't really see it as true either. DS was STTN before the bottle-switch (a whole ugly story in itself). DD has never had a drop of anything that isn't breastmilk, and she only wakes once during the night (though we do a dreamfeed around 10:30pm when DH & I come to bed). Though she doesn't sleep IN the bed, she co-sleeps in a bedside sleeper. Some nights she skips her one feeding and sleeps 11-7. Also I don't really see DD's schedule as a schedule, it's just a pattern I've noticed & I don't have a clock so I typically ask DH in the morning what time she ate. I never avoid or defer nursing nor make her sleep. I think it is just her temperment to sleep for long periods of time. Also she is an "all business" nurser at night (her dreamfeed and her one waking) - she really gulps and usually goes a full 15 minutes which TOTALLY drains me, and I think helps keep her asleep. During the day she isn't like that at all. She likes to nurse, play, nurse, potty, nurse, catnap, nurse, play, etc. I guess my summary point is that some kids just LIKE to sleep, and some kids just like to see their mama as often as possible!!!!! That's a positive way to see it right? :) You sleep-deprived mamas are my heroes.. I don't think I could do this job without some rest!