Welcome to my site!
Many of you are probably feeling overwhelmed and tired right now and don't know where to start. Here are some tips. There will be more to come so please check back!
First off, decide if you've got a specific issue to deal with or if sleep is crazy all round. If you've got a specific issue, then jump on over to the sleep help index (also found in the header at the top of the page) and you'll probably find the issue and some possible solutions there. You can also look
under the labels on the right hand side of the page or search in the search box on the right hand side of the page.
If sleep is all over the place and you don't know where to start, you may want to first take a look at the top sleep post. It gives you an idea of some basic steps to take toward better sleep. In this post there are links to other posts that will further describe the steps you can take. Since everyone prefers different methods, do what you feel most comfortable with.
You may also want to look at sleep help by age. I am currently working on adding these articles to the site so there will be more to come.
It is often very helpful to look over the books I have reviewed on sleep. These books tell you a bit about the author and the methods they use. The book reviews have links to articles about some of the author's methods. By looking through these reviews you can get a better sense of what kind of sleep methods and training methods you prefer. You can then look through the posts by the author (found on the specific book review page your looking at as well as the general sleep index and sleep book index) and implement some of them. If possible, I recommend buying the book(s) on sleep that you plan to use. It can help you get a better understanding of the methods used so you can better implement them. Many people can get away with not doing this though so don't feel there is no hope if you can't afford a book or aren't able to borrow one from the library. That's one reason this blog is here!
Lastly, the sleep training posts can be very helpful when you've got a good sleep routine down but your child's sleep is still struggling, especially struggling with putting themselves to sleep or staying asleep without your help. I have organized these by author and method as well as general tips. I am currently working on organizing them by age and have lots of additional methods I will be adding in the future.
Some Additional Tips
Don't miss out on lots of helpful sleep posts and tips in the future! Sign up for emails, subscribe to posts and join me on facebook and twitter for lots more on everything sleep!
Many of you are probably feeling overwhelmed and tired right now and don't know where to start. Here are some tips. There will be more to come so please check back!
First off, decide if you've got a specific issue to deal with or if sleep is crazy all round. If you've got a specific issue, then jump on over to the sleep help index (also found in the header at the top of the page) and you'll probably find the issue and some possible solutions there. You can also look
under the labels on the right hand side of the page or search in the search box on the right hand side of the page.
If sleep is all over the place and you don't know where to start, you may want to first take a look at the top sleep post. It gives you an idea of some basic steps to take toward better sleep. In this post there are links to other posts that will further describe the steps you can take. Since everyone prefers different methods, do what you feel most comfortable with.
You may also want to look at sleep help by age. I am currently working on adding these articles to the site so there will be more to come.
It is often very helpful to look over the books I have reviewed on sleep. These books tell you a bit about the author and the methods they use. The book reviews have links to articles about some of the author's methods. By looking through these reviews you can get a better sense of what kind of sleep methods and training methods you prefer. You can then look through the posts by the author (found on the specific book review page your looking at as well as the general sleep index and sleep book index) and implement some of them. If possible, I recommend buying the book(s) on sleep that you plan to use. It can help you get a better understanding of the methods used so you can better implement them. Many people can get away with not doing this though so don't feel there is no hope if you can't afford a book or aren't able to borrow one from the library. That's one reason this blog is here!
Lastly, the sleep training posts can be very helpful when you've got a good sleep routine down but your child's sleep is still struggling, especially struggling with putting themselves to sleep or staying asleep without your help. I have organized these by author and method as well as general tips. I am currently working on organizing them by age and have lots of additional methods I will be adding in the future.
Some Additional Tips
- Try right clicking on your mouse when you try to open a page. It'll give you the option of opening the page in a new window or a new tab so if you've got more than one page open at once, you can organize how you want to look at things.
- Be sure to look at the comments on posts. Many of your questions and answers may already be found there.
- I try to get to as many questions/comments as I can. This blog is done in my free time and is a bit of a balancing act for me. I feel really bad for all the questions I am unable to get to but it's simply not possible at this point in my life. Sorry!
- When I answer questions, I can't possibly think up every possible thing related to your question at any given time (one reason I wrote things down here--my memory isn't what it used to be!) so be sure to look over the posts that relate to your question beforehand.
- Remember that your child and your situation is unique. Always consider context.
- Sleep won't always be perfect and that is normal and OK. Don't fret! A perfect sleeper does not a perfect parent make!
Don't miss out on lots of helpful sleep posts and tips in the future! Sign up for emails, subscribe to posts and join me on facebook and twitter for lots more on everything sleep!
KerryAnn Walsh @ My Baby Sleep Guide - Says...
ReplyDeleteHi, I'm desperately looking for some advice on my 7 month old baby boy. From when he was born i followed the gina ford method and this worked extremely well. My baby is fully established on solids 3 meals a day & sometimes porridge as a supper ( he is a big boy at 9lb 11oz at birth & now around 22lb) he has always been a very content boy however since around 6 months he has been waking religiously at 5am. If tried everything making his room pitch black, ensuring he is warm, stopped cuddling him" patting down etc even dropping his dream feed which I've still carried on, I did this because he isn't hungry at 5am just unsettledmbut i can tell he is still tired but just cant settle back to sleep. He also isn't overly hungry at 7 am when he gets up for the day I just feel at 5am he seems uncomfortable as if he has an upset tummy and bought mabey he's finding it difficult to digest that last feed. He has regular dirt nappies so I know he's not constipated. The next thing I think I will try is the 'wake to sleep' method but can u help at all!?
Thanks
KerryAnn x
RachelStella @ My Baby Sleep Guide - Says...
DeleteKerryAnn Walsh,
It's possible his tummy is upset, but I doubt that would cause him to wake exactly at 5 am every morning. Look over this post if you haven't already. If all looks good there, I think wake to sleep is a good thing to try.
http://www.mybabysleepguide.com/2009/04/early-morning-awakenings.html
http://www.mybabysleepguide.com/2009/02/wake-to-sleep.html
Anne @ My Baby Sleep Guide -Says...
ReplyDeleteHi there,
Really pleased to have come across your site - it's great! I am feeling quite overwhelmed, tired and confused! My son is almost 5 months old. Until a few weeks ago I was breastfeeding him everytime he woke up which was up to 3 times per night + a dreamfeed. I finally clicked that he didn't need this ( a bit slow!) and on a good night now I will dream feed + feed him sometime between 4 - 5am ( he will go straight back to sleep). My son will wake 1 - 2 times between 1 - 3am but I am able to get him back to sleep with a bit of a pat. He is generally not super hungry at 7am and will generally feed only one side. Do you have any advice on how I can stop having to pat him to sleep between 1 - 3am and do you have any suggestions for how to stretch out the 4 - 5am wake to 7am? We have had issues with 45 minute day sleeps and generally can only extend witha feed ( if he is due - i feed 3 hourly during the day) or a rock or a trip in the pram/car.
Thank you for your help. Apologies if this repeats a lot of previous questions. You are very kind to answer all these questions.
Anne
Anne,
DeleteYou'll likely just need to decrease the patting, even if he isn't too fond of the decrease. And for stretching feeds you can give a little less at each feed until you drop it, if that doesn't do it, you simply need to hold him off a bit longer ever few days (you could even drop all at once) even if he's upset. THe more consistent the sooner you'll get change :) Sorry, nothing magic to offer, just lots of work!
Oni @ My Baby Sleep Guide - Says...
ReplyDeleteHi! I could really use your advice. My 9 week old is following the EASY sleep schedule (I'm also breastfeeding). His bedtime is usually around 7 to 8 pm and he's able to sleep 4 hours for the first stretch until his first feed around 12 midnight, then sleeps til around 3am for his next feed. For some reason after the 3/4am feed, he lies in his pack n play and whimpers until 7am when he get him up. He appears to be whimpering in his sleep and doesn't quiet down until we hold him and he is able to fall into a deeper sleep sleep on my or my husband's chest. Do you have any idea why he might have this light sleep accompanied by whimpering after the 3am-ish feed? Thanks!
Oni, If he really seems to be asleep, my guess is this is just how he is right now and it'll decrease some as he gets older. Nothing else is coming to my mind right now. It's possible he's uncomfortable, so consider that he's a little hot/hold then or maybe has a touch or reflux flaring up after laying so long all night. See if a white noise machine helps.
Deleterachel
Hi Rachel! I could really use some sleep help. My daughter is almost 5 months old. Her routine is SUPPOSED to be:
ReplyDelete8am: wake and feed, do some stuff around the house, play
10am: nap
11am: feed, we go to the gym. I work out, she hangs out, sometimes hangs out on her blanket or chair, sometimes hangs out with my friends, sometimes with me.
2pm: feed, we drive home. She often falls asleep on the way home (I never know if I should wake her up). Sometimes we'll run errands, usually we play.
4pm: nap (this nap is often pretty unsuccessful.)
5pm: feed.
7pmish: start bedtime routine, feed and bed.
10:30/11:00: dreamfeed.
That's how things are supposed to go.
Her 10am nap isn't usually too bad, but it's hard to get her down for her 4pm nap and it often only lasts 20 - 30 minutes before she's up screaming. She hates being put down for naps. I've been singing/shushing to her and patting her back while rocking her to get her to sleep. Sometimes I accidentally put her to sleep while she's on my shoulder. I miss the window of sleepy baby and get to sleepING baby. But often, if I put her down when she's sleepy, she'll cry when I start disentangling myself from her (she sometimes does this when she was asleep, too).
Bedtime is hard too. We either giver her a bath or wipe her hands, face, etc down, change her, put her in pjs and sleep sack. Then I read a book to her and feed her. I mess up here too and she often falls asleep while eating. I don't know how to prevent this and make sure she eats enough. If I break the latch before she's asleep I'll rock her in my arms by the crib and sing to her before I put her down. She is usually OK for about an hour then cries. She often wakes ups crying 2 or more times before her dreamfeed. My husband usually goes in to try to get her back down. She does OK for a few hours after her dreamfeed, but then will start waking up a few times in the morning around 5:30 (4 this morning...). We were using a pacifier to get her back down, but she isn't taking it anymore (which I'm OK with?) - but she has discovered her thumb instead - so it's become much harder to calm her back down so she can go to sleep.
Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated. There is so much information and it's just so hard to wade through. And of course, my husband and I don't always agree on the various conflicting information we find... It makes me hurt to hear her cry, especially when she's really crying.
TIA!
Hi! I am a first time parent of Charlotte Mae, who will be 9 weeks on 2 days. From day 1, she has been able to nap well during the day but is a habitual waker at night who cannot seem to go back to sleep. When we came home with her, she slept with me because it worked. Now it doesn't. She has gotten used to nursing to sleep, and she wakes up every 20 minutes, nurses until she gets drowsy. I put her down and then she wakes up, angry and crying. We're getting no sleep-she and I. This past week I started using an e/w/s schedule. I also started weaning her from nursing her to sleep for naps & nighttime sleep. Last night, I put her in her crib for a nap and at night. She did well during her nap but awful at night. I am using PU/PD and she screamed so much. Non stop. We got very little sleep. Her nighttime struggles are resulting in her getting way less sleep than she needs. So, I have a few questions. 1) is it counterproductive to try and tackle sleep prop issues with changing our cosleeping habits? Should I do one at a time or is doing this all together workable? 2) since she is getting little to no sleep at night, should I extend any naps (from 2 to 3 hours, for example) to help her get some sleep? 3) when doing PU/PD, she screams and is so, so upset. I know I'm not hurting her and that she's okay, but it's excruciating to hear/feel her wail and thrust herself around. Any suggestions to help me get through that? My husband would like to know too...I think he is even more bothered by her anguish than I am. Thanks for any help you can give us!
ReplyDeleteHi! I am a first time parent of Charlotte Mae, who will be 9 weeks on 2 days. From day 1, she has been able to nap well during the day but is a habitual waker at night who cannot seem to go back to sleep. When we came home with her, she slept with me because it worked. Now it doesn't. She has gotten used to nursing to sleep, and she wakes up every 20 minutes, nurses until she gets drowsy. I put her down and then she wakes up, angry and crying. We're getting no sleep-she and I. This past week I started using an e/w/s schedule. I also started weaning her from nursing her to sleep for naps & nighttime sleep. Last night, I put her in her crib for a nap and at night. She did well during her nap but awful at night. I am using PU/PD and she screamed so much. Non stop. We got very little sleep. Her nighttime struggles are resulting in her getting way less sleep than she needs. So, I have a few questions. 1) is it counterproductive to try and tackle sleep prop issues with changing our cosleeping habits? Should I do one at a time or is doing this all together workable? 2) since she is getting little to no sleep at night, should I extend any naps (from 2 to 3 hours, for example) to help her get some sleep? 3) when doing PU/PD, she screams and is so, so upset. I know I'm not hurting her and that she's okay, but it's excruciating to hear/feel her wail and thrust herself around. Any suggestions to help me get through that? My husband would like to know too...I think he is even more bothered by her anguish than I am. Thanks for any help you can give us!
ReplyDeleteHi! I am a first time parent of Charlotte Mae, who will be 9 weeks on 2 days. From day 1, she has been able to nap well during the day but is a habitual waker at night who cannot seem to go back to sleep. When we came home with her, she slept with me because it worked. Now it doesn't. She has gotten used to nursing to sleep, and she wakes up every 20 minutes, nurses until she gets drowsy. I put her down and then she wakes up, angry and crying. We're getting no sleep-she and I. This past week I started using an e/w/s schedule. I also started weaning her from nursing her to sleep for naps & nighttime sleep. Last night, I put her in her crib for a nap and at night. She did well during her nap but awful at night. I am using PU/PD and she screamed so much. Non stop. We got very little sleep. Her nighttime struggles are resulting in her getting way less sleep than she needs. So, I have a few questions. 1) is it counterproductive to try and tackle sleep prop issues with changing our cosleeping habits? Should I do one at a time or is doing this all together workable? 2) since she is getting little to no sleep at night, should I extend any naps (from 2 to 3 hours, for example) to help her get some sleep? 3) when doing PU/PD, she screams and is so, so upset. I know I'm not hurting her and that she's okay, but it's excruciating to hear/feel her wail and thrust herself around. Any suggestions to help me get through that? My husband would like to know too...I think he is even more bothered by her anguish than I am. Thanks for any help you can give us!
ReplyDeleteHi Rachel,
ReplyDeleteI am a first time parent. My son is 11 weeks old. He has very short naps-about 3 to 4 naps a day at around 35-45 min each. I think he is overtired. He fights sleep too. I put him to bed around 7:00-7:30 and he wakes about that time too. Should I be holding him through the 45 minute window to get him to sleep longer? Is it too early to try crying it out? It's so hard for me to let him cry it out at all, but I want to help him learn how to go back to sleep. Thank you!
Julie