How to get him to sleep longer stretches?

mommy3b2c

Mon, Jun 05 2017, 11:31 pm

amother wrote:

He doesn't like blankets. Won't get attached to anything else besides me. He's very firmly attached to me which is good but makes it hard.
I've tried sending my dh to put him back to sleep. It goes the same way it does for me. He still cries etc. And still wakes up again.
sleep training has given us some improvements. He now goes to sleep on his own in his bed. When we first started he couldn't do that.
I've read the baby whisperer. And googled many different methods.
I won't leave the room while he cries. I sit next to him. I rub his back. When he asks to nurse I say no nursing. When he asks to be picked up I say no up. When he gives up he sobs his heart out then falls asleep.

I have spent hours with him crying. Everyone told me eventually they stop crying but he still cries at virtually every bedtime.

If he would wake up every 4 hours to nurse I would be thrilled. That would be amazing compared to now.

And the funniest part is that when I do eventually bring him to my bed to sleep with me (usually after 2am) he does sleep 4 hours sometimes. Usually 2 -3 hours. I just wish he wouldn't wake up every hour all evening long.

And this is why I can't sleep train my baby. Just the description of your baby giving up and sobbing his heart out, brought tears to my eyes. But in case your misery wants company, I'm in the same boat as you.

amother

Blush

Mon, Jun 05 2017, 11:32 pm

mommy3b2c wrote:

Doesn't look like my baby got the memo. He's 21 months and wakes up to nurse every 2-3 hours!

Key word is need. A child this age does not NEED to wake up for feedings during the night. If they do wake up, it's purely due to habit.

pesek zman

Mon, Jun 05 2017, 11:37 pm

amother wrote:

This is the first thing I thought of as well. Make sure he is getting a good solid meal before he goes to sleep for the night.

It sounds to me as OP baby is waking out of habit. And OP is breastfeeding q 2-3 hours overnight out of desperation. They are stuck in a cycle that isn't good for either one of them

Teaching your baby to sleep longer stretches (ideally 10-12 hours overnight) is teaching him a skill that he needs as his brain and body continue to grow.

I'm not immune to my baby's cries but with my husband's support (as well as other distractions such as shower or ear plugs) I forced myself to endure some crying for what I believe is the greater good: healthy sleep habits.

amother

Linen

Mon, Jun 05 2017, 11:42 pm

Today's update. Even though he ate a good supper I offered my baby lots of food options before bed. He ended up eating alot! He was thoroughly stuffed! The good news is he went to sleep without any crying at all. He slept 2 hours before waking up. He cried alot then fell asleep.
We'll see what the rest of the night holds.

Oh and about his nap today. He cried for 30 minutes before falling asleep then woke up 45 minutes later. He was still tired but I didn't have the heart to make him cry again to go to sleep so I picked him up. I also didn't have the patience to rock him to sleep the rest of his nap so he just got a shorter nap today.