Posted by
Wheelymate
20 yrs ago
my bub is 18 weeks....been sleeping quite nicely from 7pm to 7am (with a 10.30pm feed) for almost 2 months. but sometimes (once or twice a week) we'll hear him stirring or have short cry through the baby monitor in the middle of the night. he'll usually suck his thumb and fall asleep again.
but sometimes he'll cry for abit longer...like last night between 3-4 he had a few short crying bouts and didn't sound like he could settle on his own. so i wound up sleeping with him. just wondering if this happens to your babies who are already sleeping through and for odd nights like this, how do you try to settle your baby? i really don't want him to drink anything for fear that he'll start night wakings again. and is it unrealistic to expect my baby to sleep without any fuss for 365 days per year? after all, as adults we sometimes get up in the night for no reason too!
thanks!
Please support our advertisers:
@@
20 yrs ago
I think as you say we all wake through the night but generally are able to settle ourselves quite quickly.
In my experience both my kids will wake ( and need assistance) if they are not well, teething and so on.
Richard Feerber's "Solve your Childs Sleep Problems" is a great book for understanding sleep patterns and dealing with wakings.
Good luck
I
Please support our advertisers:
kooni
20 yrs ago
Well, I have only gone to my children a handful of times in the middle of the night after they were 12 weeks. I believe that if you give them milk, they will only rise to get it. If you go to cuddle them, they will rise earlier and earlier to get it from you. Then, they end up in bed with you. This is commonly stated by the experts. Therefore, I just stick to what I know and let my children learn to settle themselves back to sleep. It works very well. I have only gone to my 2 year old once (he was sick with a fever) and my 7 month old once (he is currently sick with a fever).
Selfishly, I think it works out best for everyone if you let them soothe themselves.
Please support our advertisers:
thanks...i did hear him at 6am this morning through the monitor but i ignored it and i think he just went back to sleep. i always let him settle himself, even if i hear him crying, i stand outside the door at the most. just that there are 1 or 2 ocassions when he can't seem to self-soothe..
yes, i am convinced they will wake up for hugs/milk/co-sleeping if you always do that....which is why even though hubby is away this week, while it is v tempting to sleep with baby for company, i refuse because it's just going to make my life tougher later!
Please support our advertisers:
Sounds like your baby is doing well with the sleeping for his age. Yes, there will be the occasional night when he wakes and finds it more difficult to settle, generally he will not need feeding. Try to resettle him in his cot rather than sleeping with him or he may start to wake at that time regularly just for a cuddle with you! Babies make lots of noises in the night during the lighter sleep phases, this is quite normal and if he generally resettles himself this is nothing to worry about.
Annerley Midwives
Please support our advertisers:
Thank you for the advice, Deborah. At least now I know his behaviour is normal.
Although he did have a dodgy tummy mid-week so he woke up earlier due to hunger as during the day, he wasn't keen on milk. But now that he is better, it's time for me to be strict again!
Please support our advertisers:
You must be logged in to be able to reply.
Login now
Copy Link
Facebook
Gmail
Mail