red'smama
02-02-2006, 07:12 PM
Please forgive me if I end up with a too-long post, but I just want to make sure that I include all of the important info so that you wise mamas can help my son!
My husband and I have co-slept with our now 7-month-old son since day 1. Of course, as a newborn, he slept...well...like a baby! But when he reached about 2-3 months old, sleep became more of a challenge. Naps were/are difficult - it takes a while for him to succumb to sleep, and when he finally does, he only sleeps for short periods (30-45 min, usually). I used to try to "sneak" out of bed once he was asleep, then I decided that if staying next to him helped him to sleep better, I would. He is *such* a light sleeper, though, that even reading a book will wake him. So if I'm not tired, I just have to lay there, in the same position, without moving a muscle. That's next to impossible! But I continue to stay with him while he naps because sometimes when he wakes, he will take a boob and nurse himself back to sleep. Sometimes that works, but not often. I've also tried leaving him when he's in a deep sleep, but he ends up waking up a few minutes after I've left. So, my current strategy is to walk him to sleep in a back carry with my Ergo carrier. Once he's asleep, I'll usually slowly ease him into bed, although I've also continued to walk/sway throughout his nap. Either way, the results are the same!
I know that some babies only need short naps, but he always wakes up cranky and tired. Then, he's ready for his next nap in two hours! Plus, it's frustrating that he fights sleep this way. I guess I imagined that by co-sleeping, we would be creating a safe, peaceful sleep atmoshphere for him.
To fill in the picture, we've done everything we can to make our room as sleep-conducive as possible. The curtains are drawn, our CD player is softly playing Enya's Watermark, and we have a white noise machine. He's often nursed to sleep, which used to be a guaranteed way to put him out, but recently, he's been inconsistent with that. Sometimes he'll nurse himself to sleep, other times he'll nurse for awhile, then start to "babble" and he's up!
At night, it's a different story. He's ready for bed in the early afternoon, and he's usually out by 5 or 5:30. We do have a routine - bath, PJs, then nurse in a chair in our bedroom. Again, sometimes he'll nurse to sleep, other times he'll fight it. Once he's out, he will stay asleep for a good stretch of time - usually 4-6 hours until my husband and I come to bed. He usually does wake once during that stretch, and I go to him right away and feed him. He falls right back to sleep, and I return to dinner/laundry/etc. downstairs. Throughout the night, he nurses pretty frequently, and he wakes up between 5 and 6 in the AM.
Whew! I think that's all. Thanks for listening, wise mamas! I'd appreciate any and all advice you can offer!
My husband and I have co-slept with our now 7-month-old son since day 1. Of course, as a newborn, he slept...well...like a baby! But when he reached about 2-3 months old, sleep became more of a challenge. Naps were/are difficult - it takes a while for him to succumb to sleep, and when he finally does, he only sleeps for short periods (30-45 min, usually). I used to try to "sneak" out of bed once he was asleep, then I decided that if staying next to him helped him to sleep better, I would. He is *such* a light sleeper, though, that even reading a book will wake him. So if I'm not tired, I just have to lay there, in the same position, without moving a muscle. That's next to impossible! But I continue to stay with him while he naps because sometimes when he wakes, he will take a boob and nurse himself back to sleep. Sometimes that works, but not often. I've also tried leaving him when he's in a deep sleep, but he ends up waking up a few minutes after I've left. So, my current strategy is to walk him to sleep in a back carry with my Ergo carrier. Once he's asleep, I'll usually slowly ease him into bed, although I've also continued to walk/sway throughout his nap. Either way, the results are the same!
I know that some babies only need short naps, but he always wakes up cranky and tired. Then, he's ready for his next nap in two hours! Plus, it's frustrating that he fights sleep this way. I guess I imagined that by co-sleeping, we would be creating a safe, peaceful sleep atmoshphere for him.
To fill in the picture, we've done everything we can to make our room as sleep-conducive as possible. The curtains are drawn, our CD player is softly playing Enya's Watermark, and we have a white noise machine. He's often nursed to sleep, which used to be a guaranteed way to put him out, but recently, he's been inconsistent with that. Sometimes he'll nurse himself to sleep, other times he'll nurse for awhile, then start to "babble" and he's up!
At night, it's a different story. He's ready for bed in the early afternoon, and he's usually out by 5 or 5:30. We do have a routine - bath, PJs, then nurse in a chair in our bedroom. Again, sometimes he'll nurse to sleep, other times he'll fight it. Once he's out, he will stay asleep for a good stretch of time - usually 4-6 hours until my husband and I come to bed. He usually does wake once during that stretch, and I go to him right away and feed him. He falls right back to sleep, and I return to dinner/laundry/etc. downstairs. Throughout the night, he nurses pretty frequently, and he wakes up between 5 and 6 in the AM.
Whew! I think that's all. Thanks for listening, wise mamas! I'd appreciate any and all advice you can offer!