Buckle up, it’s long one!
Ah, baby sleep. Is there anything more elusive in those first few months or more desired? I think not! However, it’s also one of the most controversial parenting topics. If you don’t have kids you are probably wondering why because I never would have thought much about it before either. I mean, however you can get your child to sleep is awesome right?
I still subscribe to that philosophy because sleeps ranks above wine on my personal needs list, so I think that says it all. This lengthy intro is meant to act as a disclaimer. I’m not telling you that this method is the right way and I’m really not looking for a heated debate. I’m just saying for us it worked.
And now, after two babies, I wanted to share some tips!
Tips to Getting a Baby to Sleep Through the Night
To begin, from birth with both girls, I stick to two basic principles.
First, the swaddle.
If you aren’t a mom yet, learn to do it and do it well. I drank the swaddle kool-aid like no other. And yes the swaddling blankets may help some with an older baby, but I swear by the original, using two blankets if you need to, and making it snug. Have dad learn to do it too.
Second, night time sleep is done on a flat surface, not a swing, not on me.
Nighttime sleep is always in the dark with white noise. When Kaitlyn woke to eat during the night: no lights, no talking. A simple scoop up, a meal and right back down. If it was past 10pm, I meant business.
So just going on those principles, Kaitlyn’s sleep was pretty decent. I followed a loose Babywise (eat, play sleep) schedule throughout the day which left us with a schedule that included:
- about 4 day time naps (45 minutes each)
- bed time between 7:00-8:00
- a once a night wake up
- then up anytime between 6:00-7:30
By most standards people told me to consider myself lucky, but it wasn’t cutting it for me.
Usually Kaitlyn would barely eat when she woke up. She would lazily suck until she soothed herself back to sleep then I’d be awake wondering if I needed to pump or checking the weather on my phone for the next hour, leaving me exhausted in the morning.
Something had to change.
In one of my late night insomnia sessions, I searched desperately for any advice. I kept hearing about Moms on Call, a company founded by two pediatric nurse moms, that people in online forums swore by. Through tired eyes and a cup of coffee I threw $30 at their site to access the online seminar. Wanting sleep so badly I would have gladly paid more. I took notes and decided to use most of their suggestions immediately.
So what did I start doing differently?
1: I implemented a bedtime routine.
Bath time at 6:40, then nursing, then down at 7:15. Since babies learn through association (as we all do), the bath signals that it’s approaching night time sleep.
2: I moved her to her crib for sleep.
All sleep at home was now done in her crib so she would associate the crib with sleep. No toys, mobiles or anything to engage her. Just sleep.
3: I didn’t let her nap past 5:00 pm.
This way I knew she’d be ready for bed when the time came.
4: I followed the MOC advice of starting naps at the same time everyday, since babies operate on a 24 hour schedule.
Have parents ever noticed that putting your child down at a later bedtime does not mean they will sleep in (cruel, isn’t it?). It’s because they operate on a 24 hour day.
5: Following the above logic, I also started waking her up at the same time everyday.
6: I put her in the crib while she was drowsy, but not asleep.
7: And the most controversial, I let her fuss (to a point).
Many critics say that a baby of three months is not ready to cry it out. I fall somewhere in between. No, I don’t think a baby should be left there screaming for someone for an extended period of time BUT I also believe it’s important to not run and scoop them up with every grunting noise they make.
Since Moms On Call’s schedule (the 4-6 month version of the plan that I was following) is pretty adamant about putting the baby to bed and not going back in the room until morning felt a little hardcore for my personal taste, I improvised.
I followed Kaitlyn’s lead. If I knew she could stretch from bedtime to 3:00 am without eating, I held her to it. If she woke up before then, I wouldn’t feed her or lift her out of the crib. I’d either let her fuss for a few minutes until she went back to sleep or I’d go pat her belly until she calmed back down.
Sure enough, she started stretching out that night time stretch. Soon she was going from bed time to 5:45 am before waking/needing to eat and once she consistently was going completely overnight until 7:30 am, I held her to that.
Once her night time sleep was consistent, I was happier, she was happier and her naps started stretching out too. After these changes, she consistently started having great long morning nap and two shorter ones in the afternoon.
I think Moms on Call helped me the most by explaining the science behind babies’ sleep cycles and giving me permission to not jump into her room at the first peep I heard. I will say, having a video monitor to watch her with was very helpful with easing my mommy nerves!
[Tweet “Ready for your baby to sleep through the night? Read these tips! #newmom #babysleep #2monthsold”]
At 16 weeks old, here’s what Kaitlyn’s schedule looked like:
- 7:30 am: wake her up. All smiles.
- 7:35 am: nurse. (The first feeding of the day is a good, long one)
- 9:15-11:00 am: nap
- 11:00 am: nurse.
- 1:15-2:00 pm: nap
- 2:00 pm: nurse
- 4:15-5:00 pm: nap
- 5:00 pm: nurse
- 6:40 pm: bath
- 7:00 pm: nurse
- 7:15 pm: asleep
Of course, we followed this as much as reality allowed. Sometimes she would take car naps on the go, or her schedule was off, but hey, that happens.
If you are interested in more specifics, I recommend checking out Moms On Call. I am so grateful for the nighttime sleep we are all getting now! And if co-sleeping and nursing on demand through the night until they are two works for you, I think that’s awesome!
You do you.
Megan says
How do you juggle K’s morning nap with H’s activities? I am right there with you – I have a 2 year old and a 4 month old. My biggest struggle with my youngest is preserving his morning nap but still doing things with my oldest. It’s hard to just stay home and let him nap!
Brittany Dixon says
Oh it’s tough isn’t it?! When we did the ‘training’ we stayed home all week. I dreaded it but I ended up surprisingly enjoying the slow pace. Now I just do the best I can. When H is at mom’s morning out, we come home for K to nap. I try to let her get in a morning nap at home 4-5 days a week, but again, as much as reality allows. Yesterday I woke her up early and dragged her all over town, so it’s not always on schedule!
Holly says
This was my biggest question too I’ve considered MOC but I know they kind of preach schedule. With a toddler to keep entertained I was worried it just wouldn’t work so it’s nice to hear you have had success. I guess I will bite the bullet and watch the seminar. I considered the book but hello when do I have time to read a book?
Betsy says
I’ve heard wonderful things about Moms on Call. My nephew is still only sleeping in 3 hour stretches and he is 9 months. My sister desperately needs to listen to their training!
Angela says
Thanks so much for posting this. We have similar philosophies, I also loosely follow babywise, and am working on sleep with my 10 week old. Right now she sleeps from 10 until about 4:30, eats, and goes back down until 8. She also never naps more than 30 minutes. I am wanting to work towards an earlier bedtime and longer naps. I am going to try some of these ideas. Do you let her fuss a little if she wakes up early from a nap, or do you just go get her?
Brittany Dixon says
I did once I listened to moms on call. They say to give 2 opportunities for naps a day that last at least 1.5 hours. Clearly I don’t follow that perfectly, but I found after letting K fuss for about 5 minutes at the end of her first nap, she went back to sleep,thus extending it to 1.5 hours. And it’s pretty much stuck. I was so surprised!
Jenn says
My daughter’s schedule is very similar. She WAS sleeping through the night since 2.5 months, but this past week she has been waking up once/night. I feed her and sometimes she goes back to bed and sometimes she is just awake! It’s driving me nuts! Perhaps we need to move her to her crib now, instead of the rock n play next to our bed! Do you have any tips on making that crib switch?
Brittany Dixon says
How old is she? 4 month sleep regression is a very real thing and I know it’s going to hit us soon- yikes!
I don’t have any tips for switching to the crib because K didn’t seem to notice a difference. She was in a Moses basket in our room, so putting her onto another flat surface didn’t seem to faze her. If it’s anything like breaking the swaddle was for us though, staying consistent for a couple nights seemed to help break the habit! Good luck!
Jenn says
She will be 4 months in 9 days. Off to google 4 month sleep regression! Thanks!
Jenn says
One more question – if she was taking a nap and went past 5pm – would you wake her from the nap?
Brittany Dixon says
I do wake her if it goes past 5:05 haha. I realllllly try to get her down by 4:15 if I can though so she wakes up on her own before 5. Again, this is just what I found works for us. I still wake up Hailey too if she tries to sleep past 4:30.
Brittany @ Delights and Delectables says
your schedule looks so much like ours!!! We could be good friends then. 😉 I try to keep baby d’s naps on schedule. The only thing is that my husband is adamant about not putting him to bed until 8:15 or so… he wants to see him! I feel bad, but the kid has GOT to sleep.
Kristi says
I love reading your blog and think you are very, very respectful of others and have a great positive attitude! On that note, there are a few things you didn’t mention that I think (based on my opposite experience) helped you reach 12hr stretches so early.
1) a very healthy baby! Even the slightest health issues affect night sleep. For us reflux made sleeping flat impossible for many months (imagine hearing your baby gurgle and spit up while laying flat on their back, scary!)
2) an easy-going, adaptable baby. I’m hoping for one of these second time around 🙂
3) an early roller/mobile baby. My baby easily slet in the crib once he was able to roll on his tummy.
Not bringing up these points to diminish your post but just to add some perspective and reassure some other moms who are on month 6,9, or 11 of night wakings! I’m pregnant with my 2nd and will be following more of a schedule earlier on to see if it helps STTN earlier on. I’ll report back next summer 🙂
Colette says
I think what she meant by lying flat, is in a crib as opposed to a swing or on your chest etc.
My 2yr had severe reflux and we got her sleeping through the night by 10wks by following a similar plan. A mattress wedge proved to be a lifesaver, as it raised her head so she wasn’t completely flat. And following a routine helps greatly, babies love routine and good naps breed good nighttime sleep.
Brittany Dixon says
Hey Kristi- point taken! I am beyond grateful for a healthy, happy baby. And maybe I just got lucky with two good sleepers (though H was a great sleeper on her own while K needed a little more guidance).
I hesitate to post these sorts of things because I understand it isn’t a one size fits all experience, but since so many people asked me to share my experience, I did. There are certainly so many factors that go into raising a baby that make each experience completely unique. I appreciate you sharing your perspective and points in a such a kind way! Thanks so much for reading and contributing and good luck with your second- congrats! 🙂
Kristi says
I wasn’t comfortable using a wedge or other sleep positioner as per AAP guidelines. I did let my first sleep on me all day long b/c it was sweet and didn’t affect other aspects of my life at that time. I think allowing 3+hr naps during the day added to extra wake-ups at night. So hard to wake a sleeping baby from a nap!!!! But yeah, the improved mood in the house when baby starts STTN will be motivation to try harder this time! Thanks for mentioning Moms On Call, it was’t around 2yrs ago and I’m intrigued this time.
And please keep sharing your experiences! I enjoy reading and seeing how others get it all done!
Paulina says
I’m so happy for you and jealous and hopeful and like almost in tears over here. There’s a lot of emotions going on, is what I’m saying. My little sweet adorable baby is driving me to insanity lately! She is 7 months old and many nights for the past month, she ends up in our bed nursing on and off all night. I don’t get enough sleep and I have lots of back, hip and shoulder pain from sleeping all curled on my side by her. It’s ridiculous, I know. I am such a wimp when she cries and can’t leave her to just fuss in her crib. I gotta get over that. It sounds like you were too until reading more from this moms on call thing. I could go on and on but for now, I’m sharing these tips to my husband and getting serious about a bedtime routine and trying to let her fuss a little instead of just bringing her into our bed at 11:30 (on the dot) every single night. Nap time is tough because she’s at daycare. Wish me luck!
Brittany Dixon says
Oh Paulina, I want to just hug you through the computer. I’m so sorry you are having pain and lack of sleep. I wish you LOTS of luck. Let me know how it all goes!
And yes, I was a wimp with her crying, but I’m a bit tougher now and David really helps with it. He has stopped me from going in multiple times and almost always she is asleep within a couple minutes. A support system (which I also felt I had through Moms on Call) is so helpful!
Paulina says
I will let you know! We’re going to give this a try for a full week. That might mean our family dinner will be cut short so I can start the routine on time and our toddler will miss her fun bath time/play time with her little sister, but sleep is worth it. Thanks again!
Colette says
I followed a similar schedule with my now 2yr old and she slept through the night from 9-10wks old! So I highly recommend it too! The book I used is the Baby Sleep Sensation, if anyone is interested.
Like you, sleep is precious to me, I can do anything once I’ve had a good nights sleep.
I’m now loosely following it again with my 4day old newborn! I find it just helps me get into a routine too, I like routine.
Brittany Dixon says
Oh my goodness, four days new?! Congratulations!!
Cherry says
Thanks! Fun times ahead in our house, and I’m trying really hard not to wish away those early weeks as they are precious……but so is sleep! Lol roll on STTN!!
Beth says
I need more info on breaking the swaddle with my 17 week old! It was much easier with my first. We also do strictly belly naps with no swaddle during the day, just swaddle at night 🙂
Laura H says
This post was really well written! My son didn’t STTN until he was 8.5mo and I really don’t think I would have been able to continue to EBF if my son STTN before then. My supply (I pump 3x/day since I work FT outside the home) went way down once he started STTN. I guess what I’m trying to say is that if there’s a mom reading this whose baby doesn’t sleep well, try not to feel bad about it! Every baby is different and sleep often depends on their developmental needs.
Kate says
Great post, I hope new moms will take this to heart. It wasn’t until TEN months old with my daughter that my husband and I were so broken down from lack of real sleep that we ended up basically following this routine. She did have to cry a little longer being that she was ten months.
Next time I plan to be on the ball much sooner! I think our babies count us on for everything, including teaching them how to sleep.
Katie Harding says
This post gives me hope! My little guy will be one month old on Monday and my other boys are 3 and 6 and trying to juggle everyone’s social schedule with baby James nap schedule is proving to be quite tough!! Thanks for this, I am hoping we will all get adjusted soon enough!
Marnie @ SuperSmartMama says
Great food for thought for this soon-to-be-mama of two. I didn’t really try to implement a schedule with my first one, and it wasn’t until we got a nanny (when my son was 9 months) that any schedule was imposed on my first. I’ll have to give this a try with my second!
Lauren K says
When the time comes, this seems like a good approach. Sleep is so important to me and a routine can be so healthy (to some extent)!
Paulina says
I love these comments. I really needed to read this today.
Tiffany says
I am totally the more “go with the flow” type mama when it comes to these things, but this post certainly makes me think we might want to follow some sort of schedule. I’ve just let my daughter do what she wants to do just like I did with her older sister. With my older one, she slept through the night around 6 months. We hit that milestone next week with baby #2 and she is still not sleeping through the night! I am also trying to keep her a baby though since this is likely our last baby and have not moved her to the crib yet (she’s sleeping in the rock n play in our room)…I suppose I may have to bite the bullet and do it now. Boohoo!
Christine says
We followed a very similar method with our son who is 4 months and 11 days. (I lost count of the weeks – whoops). He sleeps through the night and has for awhile (and through the night means 8-12 hours not the 5 hours that the doctor considers sleeping through the night). I just have such a hard time with him napping! He fights it with all his might and ends up face down in the corner if I let him fuss a bit. We use the merlin sleep suit at night bc he is rolling too much but he still has the startle reflex. When does that go away?! Any advice on napping would be great!!
char eats greens says
This is so great! I would definitely consult expert advise if we have a second because I can’t do Nia’s sleep pattern again. I’m probably making excuses what it was definitely harder to try and get a plan when we had Tyler’s sister living with us and her room right beside Nia. Since she’s been gone (beginning on July) things have improved, but Nia does still wake up at least once between 5-6:30am for a feeding, but then luckily has started sleeping in until 8-8:30am, which is a nice change from 7am! I think this was a great post showing what you did and how it works and I bet will offer A LOT of help to other moms 🙂
Tarayn says
Yay! This is fantastic news! Happy for you and your family! I remember hitting that milestone with EG and pray it’s smoother with baby #2. I’ll be awaiting a swaddle post! 🙂
Jen says
You knew I’d comment, right?? Lol. This post kinda makes me want to cry. Our baby girl didn’t sleep much from the get go at the hospital! Her entire life she’s never slept more than 4.5 hours in a row, and that hasn’t happened in over a month. I’m up 6 or so times a night and am finally considering ferberizing at some point. If we don’t respond she goes from fussing to full on hysterical, so I’m not looking forward to it. Before we had her it never, ever occurred to me that her sleep would be so terrible. We did swaddle until recently, but that didn’t help, and she will not take a pacifier. It’s definitely a major stressor in our house! Luckily she’s the only child we have and her dad and I have flexible schedules. Still, I am so, so sleep deprived!
megan says
This sounds like my first baby. My first didn’t STTN until 14 months. We worked on it too! Now my 4 month old only wakes up one time at night; I didn’t do much differently. Some babies are naturally better sleepers. But you an do things to help them.
This blog post inspires me to be a bit more intentional about my 4 month old’s nightly awakening. I bet she could STTN.
Chelsey says
That is exactly what we did! It worked like a charm and they slept through the night around 4 months. However, that didn’t mean they were always sleeping. Sometimes there were a lot of trips to their room in the night but just because they were fussy. But I never picked them up or engaged. Some might think it’s mean but it worked for us!
Danica @ It's Progression says
Well I’m not a mom but I thought this post was super interesting. I do nanny a baby though, plus I pinned it to reference in the future 🙂
LaToya says
Yayyyy for finding something that works for you!!!!!
My family really doesn’t have a schedule, which is sort of crazy, but it also works for us.
Maria says
I’m so glad all of your baby related posts are neatly organized into categories for future reference.
I feel like it’s so sad that you have to have a disclaimer with most of them. I’m pretty sure our mom’s generation didn’t argue over every single way to raise a baby and birth a baby and feed a baby. It’s crazy!
Lauren says
I have a 22 month old who JUST started sleeping through the night last month…and I have a second on the way in December! With our first, we reacted to every single cry and I also nursed him until he was 20 months old, so we definitely didn’t help the sleep situation at all. I hope we learned enough so we can do things differently this time around because holy cow am I sleep deprived after 21 months of interrupted sleep!! Posts like this are super helpful to read. Thanks Brittany 🙂
Jodi says
Lauren, just out of curiosity, did your 22 mo just start SSTN on his own? I am dealing w a 21 mo that still wakes up once anight and more recently sometimes 2x per nite. She doesn’t like having a wet diaper and I have a bad habit of giving her a little milk after I change her diaper, so I think that’s part of it and she is going thru separation anxiety a good bit w me. So I am at a loss for tough love approach vs just give it another month.
Lauren says
I’m sorry you are dealing with this too Jodi. I was still nursing my little guy when he would wake up at night because it was the only way I could get him back to sleep. It was just so much easier nursing him for 30 seconds than listening to him cry for an hour! One morning I woke up and just said, I’m done! So I weaned him cold turkey that day and he immediately started STTN. On occasion he will wake up once a night but he cries for a few seconds and goes back to sleep. So I guess you could say he did it with a little nudge from me. The nursing was a total comfort thing for him at that point and I’m pretty sure he could’ve gone on doing it for a long time, but with #2 coming soon I knew I was ready to be done and it turns out so was he!
Ashley says
MOC was my savior! Their books (and swaddle blankets) are amazing. Emily slept through the night (12 hours) at 7 weeks – and I think it’s so much due to them. We’ll see if baby #2 is as cooperative! (Like you, some things were a little strict for me – I would only let her cry a little. I also never woke her up – but it’s all what works for you!)
Kathleen says
Thank you for this post! Not that I am anywhere close to having a second child (lord help me and nothing but praise to all you mamas out there with more than one) but it’s so interesting to see how differently parents do “sleep training”. My son absolutely refused to sleep longer than an hour if he was on a flat surface (his bassinet) however he LOVED sleeping in his car seat. I know it’s not the conventional method, but he slept 8pm-630 am consistently starting at 3months (I’ll take it)…IF he was in his car seat next to the bed. At that point I went with whatever worked, and at 6 months when I felt comfortable moving him out of our room at night, he had absolutely no issues transitioning to his crib. At 14 months he now sleeps 12-13 hours a night in his own room, in his crib. Kids are weird…I mean unique haha
Josephine says
Congratulations you’ve done it so well, I wish I had! Arianna initially slept in a crib next to our bed. Then when she went into a cot in her own room. She used to cry so hard she vomited when I left the room. They say to clean them up and put them back in the cot and continue sleep training, but I didn’t, I stayed and rocked her to sleep. I then ended up with her in a single bed and me lying next to her once she was too heavy to pace with and rock. She would sleep in her own bed but wake in the night several times and I would accidentally fall asleep with her. My husband had enough of sleeping without me and we all slept together in our bed for around 6 months. We moved house, put her in a single bed in her own room, she sleeps solidly for 2-3 hours then she wakes up constantly once I get out of the bed having put her to sleep. She is three in December!
Ashlee says
I have read MOC and follow if loosely but it looks like I need to step up my game a bit! I am so nervous about breaking the swaddle. We never really swaddled my first daughter and just used sleep sacks, but MOC is so adamant about swaddling that we started swaddling my second daughter and her sleep improved so much. I can’t imagine getting rid of it now but she just turned 3 months old today so I think it might be about time… Any tips would be greatly appreciated!
Jen W says
LOVE MOC! My first baby (now 2.5) was extremely needing and colicky. I was not sleeping and taking care of myself due to lack of sleep. Finally around 6 months I found MOC and followed it to T. I kept iphone notes every night when I would have to let him cry it out for a little bit. Just to see how long he was up and the times. It kept me more sane than just sitting there. After 3-4 nights (and they really weren’t as bad as I was expecting) he slept the whole night. I had to do it and it was awesome. Now I know if he does wake up there is something wrong (sick, not feeling well, etc.) and I can go comfort him. I now have a 3 month old and we are working MOC. Only up once a night now and need to work towards all night and swaddle removal.
Give MOC a try if you are desperate or needing your sleep sanity back. I did the online class, but also have the books and their toddler book is great, too.
holly says
I’m with you, Brittany! We were all about the schedule. We followed a “loose” babywise, but she was sleeping through the night at 12 weeks. We never let her cry it out, but really didn’t need to. At a year, I still nurse her at 5 AM, but then she sleeps until 8 AM and takes a very long afternoon nap. I love your blog…keep up the great work!
Christine says
Thank you for this post! We are expecting our first in 8 weeks and I will be going back to work full-time after my 12 week maternity leave so I want to get him on a sleep schedule before I head back! I will definitely read MOC.
I totally agree with letting them sleep on a flat surface, I don’t even have a child yet and that is one of the first things I thought of. I have friends that have their infants sleep in rock n’ plays and other elevated sleepers and then they have the hardest time putting them in a crib.
Danielle says
I have a 2 year old daughter and a 3 month (almost 4 month daughter). Their bedrooms are right next to one another, so I worry about letting 4 month old fuss for too long because I don’t want her to wake her sister (who still unfortunately still wakes up in the middle of the night wanting mommy or daddy). Did you run into this issue or have this concern at all?
Brittany Dixon says
Yes, that may be tough! Our girls’ rooms aren’t right next to each other (down the hall) and once Hailey is asleep, it’s REALLY hard to wake her, so I don’t have any advice to offer. I’m sorry! It probably depends on how light or heavy of a sleeper you’re two year old is. Good luck!!
Carin says
Just curious when you started the night time routine? I have a 5 week old baby (and a 2.5+ year old who was a terrible sleeper for at least a year) so I am super paranoid about “going down a bad path” again. I seem to remember you can’t really get them down early until after 6 or 8 weeks. What was your experience with both girls, timing-wise? Thank you!!
Brittany Dixon says
Hey Carin! I don’t remember exactly, but I do remember both girls went to bed at 10 with us for a while. Maybe around 8-10 weeks we moved it to 8ish and now it’s 7. I think that’s pretty close to accurate! Good luck 🙂
Amanda says
Great post! I have a 8 week old, we just moved to his crib. Overall he is doing well but still not sleeping through the night. I was wondering if Kaitlyn uses a binky? We do use one and he doesn’t always need it to fall asleep however there are times where we go in there just to put his binky back in to pacify him. I don’t want to get into a bad habit (afraid we’ve already started one) but wondering what you may do or if you have dealt with that? Thanks! 🙂
Brittany Dixon says
We had a bad pacifier habit with Hailey! Kaitlyn, however, hasn’t taken to one, so it hasn’t been an issue this time. With Hailey, we had to sometimes go in to but it back in until she was old enough to grab it herself. Then I put about 5 in her crib so she could always find one! Good luck 🙂
Diana says
Loved reading this (through my sleep deprived haze). We have an almost 3 week old now and am wondering when you started the baby wise routine. It’s been so hard to keep him active after feedings, so wondering if it will be easier in a few weeks. I know every baby is different but it’s helpful to hear ‘real world’ accounts of new babies. Thanks for sharing!
Brittany Dixon says
Every week is a little easier than the last, so hang in there! The lack of sleep is no joke. I tried to encourage a eat, play, sleep routine from as early on as possible, but I’m not sure of the exact week either girl started taking to it. I was never super strict about any of it, but I found for us that some parental structure did help develop good sleep routines for both our girls. Best of luck to you and congratulations!
通販 激安 says
ワンダフルブログ！ヤフーニュースに検索間、私はそれを発見しました。ヤフーニュースに記載されている取得する方法について| 提案のヒントあなたがいずれかを持っていますか？私はしばらくの間しようとしてきたが、私はそこに着くように見えることはありません！ おかげ
Emily Porter says
This is really great! I’ve been having problems with putting my baby to sleep. I tried these tips and it helped me big time!
Jennifer says
I have been going through your baby post archives lately, as we just welcomed our second child 8 weeks ago today! I remember reading the posts at the time and thinking they would come in handy when we had our 2nd child, and they sure have! Especially this post–I just pinned it! I have found that baby #2 has a very different temperament from baby #1 (who is now 4 and a half!), especially in their nap/sleep styles. Whereas Maya fell into a pretty regular schedule, took a pacifier, and slept in her bassinet from day 1, then crib around 3 months, here we are at 8 weeks and Alex has yet to sleep for more than an hour in his bassinet and 20 min in his crib. This baby just wants to be held all the time, and sleep in mummy’s arms, will nap in his baby carrier, or on daddy’s shoulder. As sweet as it is, reading this post reinforced my desire to try to get him to sleep in his crib or bassinet, especially at night. Maybe I will check out Moms on Call and see if they have any advice!
Meredith DeWalt says
Great read- thank you for sharing! Questions:
1. Swaddle: do you swaddle after a feeding or before in the middle of the night? I find it wakes baby up.
2. Diaper changes: do you change baby in the middle of the night?
3. Fuss: how long do you let baby fuss before picking them up?
Thanks!
Brittany Dixon says
Hi Meredith! For the middle of the night feedings, I would unswaddle, feed, change diaper, reswaddle, then rock/bounce back to sleep!
How long to let them fuss is such an individual choice. For me, I could start telling the difference between a I need something cry and a fuss, but most of all, it’s a lot of trial and error!