Getting a good night's sleep

Posts Tagged ‘sleeping through the night’

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Co-Sleeping with a Baby Berkeley Parents Network > Advice > Sleep > Co-sleeping > Co-Sleeping with a Baby

• Planning to Co-sleep – what do I need?
• Co-sleeping 3-month-old thrashing & kicking at 4am
• We want 4-mo-old in bed but not between us
• 6-month-old only sleeps lying on top of mom
• Co-sleeping 9-month-old sleeps very lightly
• Baby naps only while being held
• We Love Co-sleeping but Baby isn’t sleeping well
• Co-sleeping with a baby and an older child
• Moving baby out of our bed
• Breastfeeding and Co-sleeping
• Safety Concerns of Co-sleeping
• More advice about co-sleeping
• Co-sleepers & Snuggle Nests (reviews)

Co-sleeping 3-month-old thrashing & kicking at 4am June 2005

Our 3 1/2-month old sleeps in bed with me and my husband. He does well until around 4:00 am (easily goes back to sleep after nursing, etc.). But starting around 4:00 am he becomes very restless — thrashing and kicking his arms and legs. (At first we thought it was because he had gas, but we have discovered he thrashes regardless.) He seems to sleep through it all, but my husband and I have a hard time doing the same. This has been going on for at least a month. Does anyone know if this is common baby behavior? Has anyone been able to calm their baby’s restless arms and legs? Or is it time for us to start transitioning him to his own bed?

My baby moved around quite alot as well at that age. We put her in a bassinet right next to the bed (or you could use a co- sleeper) which would minimize the disruption to your sleep. Good luck Your post reminded me of a friend’s infant – now 7 years old – who started to be a big thrasher around 5, 6 months. In that child’s case, the child was diagnosed with sleep apnea and was I guess thrashing around for increased air. The baby’s adenoids turned out to be big and partially blocked breathing. My friend described her baby as snoring, mouth breathing, and doing a kind of sucking, choking sound as well as thrashing. Just a thought. I think that an ENT doctor evaluates that sort of thing. P.S. The baby had her adenoids out and become a champion quiet, still sleeper. Good luck to you! Fredericka It’s normal for babies to move around when they sleep, particularly when they go through milestones. At this age your baby is becoming much more aware of the world around him, is getting control over his body and soon will start rolling around and sitting down, plus he may be starting to teeth. All these things disturb his sleep. Chances are that he’ll go back to a quiet type of sleep for a while, only to be disturbed again when he reaches another milestone. In a few months, you’ll have him crawling in his sleep! If his movements bother you and your husband, you should think of transitioning him now, when it’s still easy. You could put a crib near your bed so you still have him close but he doesn’t hit you. anon One of our babies did the same thing–he’s now 7 months and I’d say it hasn’t been a problem since 4 months or so? I’m finding that with most baby-related ”problems,” the simple answer is that you just need to wait and it will resolve itself! Genevieve Three months is when we moved our daughter into her own sleeping space. We really liked the idea of having her in bed with us but nobody was getting any rest because she is so restless. It was hard – I missed having her right next to me! – but it was really good we did because we all slept better and she really likes being in her own crib now. good luck sleeping well The same thing happened to us with our now 12 month old son when he was around that 3-4 months, so we began to swaddle him at naptime/bedtime and it helped a lot. We swaddled him until he was about 6 months and swaddling helped keep him asleep longer, and it also helped on the transition from our bed to his crib. Hopefully that will help you guys, good luck! Teresa My baby began to thrash around at four months and I started to transition him to his crib at this time. For me, it has worked out just great, and my son loves his crib. If you aren’t ready to start moving him out, you could try swaddling him when he sleeps with you and this might keep his movements down… lisette Try swaddling your baby. It sounded kind of old-fashioned to me but it works and it is fine for the baby. One explanation (and instructions) can be found in Harvey Karp’s ‘Happiest Baby on the Block’ book. Apparently there is a DVD version, too. Anon. i have a 2 year old who has done this on and off forever. he’s now transitioning to a toddler bed….i entirely missed the crib boat. my advice is you will all sleeep better if he goes in a crib. i wish i had taken my own advice. good luck We want 4-mo-old in bed but not between us May 2002

Our 41/2 month old son has been sleeping in bed since he was born, (first baby) now he is strong and big 16lbs. and rolling so we need to figure out something else, but we don’t know what. We need to have some personal snuggle time but the baby is always between us. We tried to get one of those bed rails so he could be on one side but our mattress is too big 15”… any suggestions- we were also told that co-sleepers are onle good for 17lbs or less? The bedis already next to wall – not good enough. The thought of a crib has come up but we still want him in bed with us and we don’t think he will sleep alone. He has to fall asleep on one of us and sleeps on me most of the night after nursing. Help with ideas are really appreciated. Liza

We kept our son in bed with or near us for the first year, which we all loved, except for the part about the kicking, thrashing, sideways-sleeping little body taking up most of the bed. My solution was to take my sister’s porta-crib [one of those miniature cribs where the sides fold in] and remove its 4th side, so that it became kind of a co-sleeper for big kids. I secured it around with a belt clamp, keeping the sides all snug. You can also use some c-clamps to secure it more snugly to your bed; ours was jammed between the bed and the wall pretty tight, so we felt it was safe. You can place a piece of board or cardboard beneath the crib mattress if you think the gap presents a problem. The crib’s mattress was somewhat lower than our mattress top, but our son climbed up to us when he needed us and we were able to slide him over into the crib pretty easily too. It’s so nice to just be able to reach over and comfort him – it worked really well for us. It did make it a lot harder to make the bed. Jean Have you tried all different types of bed rails? We have a tall mattress too and finally found a brand (Safety First I think?) that works perfectly. It doesn’t need to be really high off the bed-just enough to prevent a roll. I would not recommend the bed against the wall as baby can get wedged between the bed and the wall. I put my baby on the outside with the bed rail up and find she is more far more likely to roll towards me than she is to roll to the outside near the guard. Nicole we had a lot of luck putting our son’s crib, minus one side rail, right up against our bed. It functions just like a co- sleeper, but give us a lot more room in the parent’s bed. he can roll over when he needs some milk or a snuggle and we can roll him back when he falls asleep again. Jolie You could try putting your mattress right on the floor and adding a second mattress and extra bedding materials right next to it, to make a super-sized bed for all three of you!
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Avoiding Toddler Bedtime Problems

If sleep can be hard for grownups from time to time, it’s no wonder that toddlers — who have trouble winding down in any situation — have their bouts with restless nights. The good news is that with help from you, these restless phases don’t have to last long. Here’s a look at some of the most common reasons for bedtime problems and some tips on how to remedy them.

Lack of bedtime routine. This has to be the most common — and most easily remedied — roadblock to nightly bliss. Toddlers are creatures of habit. As chaotic as your family schedule may be (and whose isn’t?), setting up a comforting and consistent bedtime routine that starts early enough to ensure sufficient z’s is worth the trouble. The beauty of it is that it doesn’t have to be trouble. In fact, the simpler, the better. The three Bs — bath, bed, and books — are all you need, customized to fit your family, of course. Once your little one comes to expect bath time, followed by one or two stories, followed by a cozy tuck-in, she’ll see it as just another part of her day. It will be a bumpy adjustment at first if she got used to the routine of her nonroutine, but make it sweet, make it relaxing, make it predictable, and she’ll soon go along happily. Learn more about the best bedtime routines for toddlers

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How to Get Your Baby to Sleep A Kinder Alternative to the Ferber Method By Julie Rosso

You’re exhausted from childbirth and recovery, you finally get the baby to sleep and lie down yourself, when all of a sudden, “WAAAAAAAAAH!” The baby wakes up yet again! How do you get your baby to sleep? The Ferber method advocates letting a baby cry it out, but this can break her will and cause her to feel abandoned. It’s also hard on her parents! I suggest a more nurturing method which has worked well for me with my two children.

There are generally two things that keep a newborn from sleeping through the night: she has her days and nights mixed up from her days in the womb, and she is used to being right next to Mommy’s warmth and heartbeat. Put her in a strange bassinet alone, and it’s no wonder she howls.

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Baby Sleep Specialist

If your baby does not seem to be sleeping well, you may need the help of a baby sleep specialist. With backgrounds in child development and psychology, these professionals can provide you with plans and guidelines that will help your baby get the sleep he or she desperately needs. Sleeping Through the Night

Contact An Expert Baby Sleep Specialist

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Getting baby to sleep through the night Does your baby sleep through the day, and keep you up at night? This has been the cry of mothers and fathers heard round the world.

A newborn baby will sleep from 16 to 20 hours per day. Unfortunately, this sleeping time is usually broken up into 2-4 hour periods. The key is to get your baby into a routine sleeping schedule. This type of consistency will allow you ample time for household chores, a good night’s rest, and time in general just for you…( because we know that all moms need some of that.)

You may just be one tweak away from a good night’s rest. Find out what other parents are doing to get their baby to sleep through the night in a week or two.

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Topics Below are:

• Crib From Day One
• Feeding Schedule and Sleeping through the night (various methods)
• Snoring Sound while Eating
• If Baby Falls Asleep while Eating
• Bedtime Routine
• When Baby Wakes Up in the Middle of the Night
• Changing baby in the Middle of the Night – will it wake your baby?

All babies/children are different but we are all human beings and have certain basic needs. Of course in the first few weeks of life an infant sleeps most the time so you might want to wait a few weeks before worrying about structure, schedules, and sleeping. I personally started from day one with structure, and I am very happy I did.

For best results on getting baby to sleep through the night, start with a feeding schedule then you can move into establishing a sleeping schedule. This feeding schedule will eventually help you to help your baby sleep through the night. Timing is everything here. A baby who sleeps enough, will thrive in so many other ways. These days school children do not get enough sleep and it affects them greatly. It is never too early to start putting some routines into your days and nights. But you have to be flexible since babies are not robots. If your baby is scheduled to eat at 2pm and is crying and seems hungry (sucking your finger off) at 1:15pm, feed your baby. The schedule will soon regulate closer to 2pm as your baby gets older. Often if you engage the child you will see that eating or sleeping is secondary to fun.

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Your Baby’s Sleep

At five months, the average baby gets about 11 to 14 hours of sleep a day, including about 8 to 9 hours overnight. She will likely also take two or three naps, totaling another 3 to 4 hours of sleep during the day.

Some babies do begin to sleep through the night by the time they are about three to four months old. By five to six months, most babies are sleeping through the night.

Sleeping Through the Night
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Baby sleep basics: 3 to 6 months Reviewed by the BabyCenter Medical Advisory Board Last updated: February 2007 Typical sleep at this age

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When a School-Age Child Won’t Sleep Alone by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. reviewed by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. Parents expect their infants to keep them up at night. But many preschool and early school-age children also resist falling asleep without a parent present, or they wake up in the middle of the night and insist on coming into their parents’ rooms. Sometimes they do both.

This problem often starts in infancy and simply carries over into the preschool age range. On the other hand, it’s not uncommon for preschool or school-age children who were sleeping through the night in their own beds to start having these problems. They may end up camping out on their parents’ floor for months at a time–uncomfortable for everyone!

Sort out possible causes The way to go about solving this problem depends somewhat on how long it has been going on and on what else is going on. The more recent the problem, the easier it is to deal with. Sleep problems like this also are easier to handle when your child is doing well in other aspects of her life. A child who is under a lot of pressure–either from peers, at school, or in her home–may develop a sleep problem as a result of the other stress in her life. In these cases, you need to tackle the other problems first, if you can. Then the sleep problems are much easier to handle.

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Pregnancy & Baby Index: Baby Health: Sleep: Babies and sleep: Your infant’s sleeping habits, part 1

Babies and sleep: Your infant’s sleeping habits, part 1

Go to: Previous story | Next story Ann Douglas

Sleep. It’s the stuff of which dreams are made — particularly when you have a newborn baby… Ann Douglas, author of The Unofficial Guide to Having a Baby, has some information about your new baby’s needs.

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