Friday, April 23, 2010

Sleeping Like a (Mom With a) Baby


How can such a cutie be such a tyrant at night?

Last night he was up, hungry, six times. You'd think, this being my seventh child and all, that I'd know all kinds of tricks to get babies to sleep through the night by three months. However, a strange thing's happened.

With my first and second babies, I read every parenting book I could get your hands on. I knew when the developmental milestones were so I could mentally check them off. I knew what foods to start when and in what order and how to schedule the 'right' way. I knew exactly what all the experts were recommending and took it all to heart.
By the time baby #3 came along, though, I was feeling pretty confident that I could handle a baby without re-reading all the books and magazines (hardly used the internet in 2002!). Then, by the time baby #4 came along, I was hearing that much of what the experts said had changed completely! So, my faith in them was dampened anyway. Add to that my terrible memory (Mom, at what age do you know the color that babies' eyes will stay? Hmmm....Let's look it up!), and you have a Mom of many who hardly knows everything.

This time I also feel so distracted; like it's really hard to think too much about any one thing because there's so much vying for my attention.


So, please help me out. Any ideas 'bout how to get a three-month-old to sleep through the night?!

7 comments:

cristina said...

I can't offer you any advise since all my kids woke up through the night until as year old. I think that's mostly due to my parenting style(attachment, feeding on demand, delaying solids until 7-8 months). I do have friends who use CIO and have been successful at getting the baby to sleep through the night at 6 weeks. Anyway, Ginny Lee is now 4 months and only wakes up 2 times at night, she is the only one who takes a pacifier and that made a huge difference for me. =)

Jenia said...

Maybe he is going through a growth spurt... I would always remind myself that "this too shall pass" and it is just a stage:) I hope you can sneak in a nap at rest time??

Tiffany said...

3 month growth spurts are common so that may be your culprit. I am going through the same thing. I have tried to up daytime feedings to ever 2 1/2 hours and feed a bit longer right before bed when I suspect a spurt. I have been letting him cry for about 15minutes and he goes back to sleep about 50% of the time at the 2-3 a.m. feeding time. Our Pearson has been a very fussy guy these first 3 months so I feel your pain. It is especially difficult when you have so much more to do than hold a fussy baby, but I try to remember that the days are long but the years are fleeting! Enjoy him while you can still hold him! - Tiffany

Candice said...

Thanks, Ladies for your encouragement and advice. I think, Tiffany, I should try letting him cry a bit at night as you suggested; something I haven't done yet.

Anne said...

My sister had to let my neice cry through the night (she slept downstairs so she wouldn't hear her and go up) and after a week (or less, I don't remember) she was sleeping through the night. I ran a fan in our room so I wouldn't hear Bria when she cried. My pediatrician said by 4 months old, they should be able to go 8 hrs without eating, so I was all for that. :) Hope you can figure something out.

Anonymous said...

I think it's all about routine. Mine is a bath, read him a book, feed him and then put him to bed, he goes right to sleep and sleeps through the night. Every now and then he'll wake up around 3-5 AM hungry, I feed him and he goes right back to sleep. I hear I'm one of the lucky ones but I do believe the same routine every night helps.

Dana said...

The things I did that I know helped:

1. Have the baby in another room for sleeping, so baby can not sense my presence and I can not hear every noise baby makes.

2. Make sure baby is not napping too close to bedtime, or napping too long during the day. Conversely, not letting them get overtired during the day also helped, because an overstimulated baby has trouble settling down, also!

Some babies sleep better than others, regardless of what the parent does! I know you have heard me ranting about that plenty of times. :)