STOP ROCKING TO SLEEP > alternatives????

[Newbie13]

Hi all,

I am desperado!!! Have gotten into the pattern/habit of rocking our son (10 weeks) to sleep before he goes down. Generally he is very good at napping during the day and has a big long spell in the evening before i come up and give him his dream feed and we then go to bed together. (Co-sleeping)

I have tried everything to get him out of the habit of falling asleep on me before I put him down:

• putting down awake and staying with him

Result: nonstop tears

• getting him sleepy and droopy eyed on me then laying him down and staying with him

Result: nonstop tears

• CIO - FYI I did this for a max of 3 mins as a last resort and hated it

Result: (shock of all shocks) nonstop tears

• getting him to sleep in bouncer first but again this is rocking him

Result: wakes up when moved. (I don't want him sleeping in his bouncer)

I just don't know what else to try. He isn't comforted unless he is in my areas. I just want to be able to lay him down and he drift off to sleep by himself as we hope to move him in to his own room over night as of three months. (Against the recommended 6 months advice before I get responses to that effect)

He does try to self soothe by shoving his fist and sometimes his thumb (cute) in his mouth which sometimes works but invariably makes him frustrated that it isn't working. He is trying so I am trying to help him. Just don't know what else to try.

Does anyone have any genuinely decent advice for me that I can try?

Thanks in advance!!!

Anna x

[Newbie13]

Just to add I meant will only sleep in my arms not "areas" ha!

[minipie]

Dummy and/or swaddling? All the babies I know who learned to self settle at a young age had dummies and/or were swaddled. White noise might help too. obviously making sure he has had enough naps in the day, but not too close to bedtime, and has a full tummy, is winded, warm, etc. Bedtime is the best time to teach self settling as the urge to sleep is strongest then.

Also you could try gradually reducing the level of rocking iyswim...

Sadly DD hated both dummy and swaddling and had terrible wind and we ended up rocking her for weeks (nearly did my back in) until she was old enough for controlled crying... hopefully you can avoid this course though...

[Newbie13]

Thanks for this. It's really helpful. In fairness I hadn't tried self soothing closest to bedtime thinking it would be easier for all to instil this during the day before trying at night but I might try it. He goes to sleep half swaddled and has never liked a dummy. I never out him down hungry or at least not recently fed and always make sure he is winded.

It's just so frustrating, every time I pick him up I feel like I am undoing work we have already done. When he was about 6 weeks he went down several times by himself and just drifted off. It was amazing then he had his first set of jabs and all hell broke loose!!

Will try tomorrow night at bedtime and see how we get on.

He always sleeps better at that time of night as it's pitch black up there so it makes sense.

He then goes down after his dream feed in our bedside cot until his next feed at around 2.30 but anything after that is completely disrupted sleep and he then won't sleep anywhere except next to me in bed/in my arms.

I will let you know how I get on tomorrow.

He wouldn't go down at all this afternoon tried everything. He was awake from 2.30 until 6.30. He is now zonked!!! Must have been so tired but nothing worked. Tried rocking him, leaving him, putting him in his bouncer, walking around with him etc. didn't have the car otherwise I would have tried that!!!

So tired!!

Thanks x

[Newbie13]

Oh and he always sleeps with white noise app on. It has been really helpful.

[minipie]

good luck!

[CreatureRetorts]

He's ten weeks, weeks old. You won't be doing this forever.

I tore my hair out with my first worrying about rocking to sleep.
I relaxed with my second and didn't bother trying anything other than what worked until she got older from 5/6 months. She slept

Guess who was better baby at self settling....

[CreatureRetorts]

*She slept on me, in the sling until 5/6 months.

[ChazzerChaser]

Do you want to do this or feel you ought to? If its the latter, then is fine to rock them to sleep. Mine slept on me for first 6 months, now he'll go in his cot. He just grew into it naturally.

[thezoobmeister]

Alternatives:

1.Stop worrying about it.
2.Eat .

[Cantthinkofafrigginname]

Enjoy the cuddles before you know it you'll miss rocking lo to sleep.

[Cantthinkofafrigginname]

Re naps at that agency lo needed a nap every 45-60minutes! If she was still awake after 75-90 she'd be an absolute nightmare to get to sleep.

I used a decent sling for naps.

[Cantthinkofafrigginname]

*age

[AnnaMilkMaker]

Thanks. LO I making it to between 1/30 or 1/45 between naps so all good there. But is catnapping during the day for about 45-55 mins. No longer. He goes down for a really long sleep in the evening before coming to bed with us.

Didn't get very far tonight with trying to settle him in his cot without rocking. He got frustrated and I ended up picking him up and it to 1/30 YES 1/30 to get him to sleep. Argh!!!