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Fess up.... Does anyone actually have a young baby that they can put down awake and goes to sleep on it's own?

47 replies

cherub59 · 07/07/2011 08:56

Am on ds3 and none of them settled to sleep in their own till nearer 8 months.....
Being exhausted with ds3 who is currently I'll and therefore particularly deserving of bf to sleep am wondering if anyone actually has that mystical creature of the self settling baby and what have I done wrong?

I stongly don't believe in cc so am not going that route!

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cherub59 · 07/07/2011 08:57

Currently ill not I'll !!!

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TrinIsASadSpottyFatRhino · 07/07/2011 08:58

all three of mine didn't

sorry no help

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sedgiebaby · 07/07/2011 09:42

I wish I had used womb noise or a slumber bear when baby was a newborn, I hear lots have success with this. Maybe not whilst unwell though.

Mum said that all 3 of hers self settled from newborn, she always burped and changed after a feed, because that's what she was told to do. But probably she ended up avoiding the feed to sleep thing in the process.

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RitaMorgan · 07/07/2011 09:44

Mine didn't until 7-9 months.

I do have friends whose babies "self-settled" younger than that but it involved crying to sleep.

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Playdohinthewashingmachine · 07/07/2011 09:58

I think they are born, not made.

I had one like that (and one that self-settled by screaming and one that just didn't sleep). I didn't do anything different for the sleeper though.

He is 3.5 now and still the most laid-back of my children. He still goes happily to bed and falls asleep in 2 minutes. Unlike the 6yo and the 9yo ...

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ScroobiousPip · 07/07/2011 10:48

No, not til well over 12 months old.

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Jajas · 07/07/2011 10:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SleepySuzy · 07/07/2011 10:52

I'm watching this with interest, as my 8 mth old is bf to sleep but ATM very hard to put down. She has started waking St night as soon as I put her down.

My 7 yr old was rocked to sleep, but I did CC at around 3. Brilliant sleeper now.

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Jajas · 07/07/2011 10:52

This reply has been deleted

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fraktious · 07/07/2011 11:35

Where do I get one of them then?

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Marrow · 07/07/2011 11:37

I have one! However he was prem and in neonatal for a while so think he got used to going off on his own.

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NotJoiningIn · 07/07/2011 12:33

My DD self settled with a bit of crying/ whinging from about 6 weeks (we're not talking screaming here!) and with no crying from about 4 months. But she is formula fed and I think the feeding to sleep doesn't happen because it is less cosy than a breastfeed and burping needs to happen!

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cherub59 · 07/07/2011 12:44

So is a self settler (for babies) born not made?
I hasten to add that my 3 yr old and 2 yr old both learnt to go to sleep on their own by a year and sleep 11-12 hrs straight,

So am not moaning about the baby just interested to know the split of self settlers/ feed/ cuddle to sleep!

Sounds like preemies get into it sooner due to hospital stay?

I actually like the cuddliness at this age... My ds1 will not cuddle up in bed at all with me now!

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owainsmum · 07/07/2011 12:47

mine does... in my wildest dreams :o

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cherub59 · 07/07/2011 12:51

I reckon unicorns are more common!

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throckenholt · 07/07/2011 12:53

Now I may be getting forgetful because are 8 and 9 now - but I am sure mine were rarely if ever put down asleep.

They key for me was to learn to spot the signs of overtiredness before it was too late. If I left it too long then getting them to sleep was nigh on impossible.

The other thing that helps is white noise.

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throckenholt · 07/07/2011 12:55

Having said that - getting them to go to sleep now is harder and takes longer than it did as babies. Probably not what you want to hear :)

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Ringosbaby · 07/07/2011 12:55

I have 3, DD had to be fed to sleep at night, rocked in the day and then held for the entirety of her nap. She also never, ever slept in the car. And I mean never. She screamed instead. I was probably far too PFB!

DS1 was fed until asleep until he was a year or so. If he did go in awake then he was so sleepy from BF that he would go off right away.

DS2 has been my only one that always had to be awake. But he has also been the only one that sucks his thumb, so right from NB he would prefer to go to sleep on his own rather than on me.

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Rubitue · 07/07/2011 12:57

DD is 3 months and I just put her down (on her tummy - gasp) and off she goes, with only a 30sec grumble, if that. She's been like that from day 3 when we decided to put her on her tummy as she would never settle on her front.

Think there is a large element of her not having much choice though as DS 2yrs is ready for stories and bed once she's done, I only have 2 hands and the toddler who will otherwise run amock takes precedent.

That said DS did always settle as a baby (he would go down drowsy after a feed, but not asleep) and now goes to sleep without issue once in bed.

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mistressploppy · 07/07/2011 12:58

Mine did but had to be cuddled to drowsiness first, then he'd go in his cot and stick in his thumb and shut his eyes. He was a bit prem but avoided the scbu (just)

I think the thumb thing did it, like Ringo's DS2

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Deliaskis · 07/07/2011 13:14

DD (20 weeks and PFB) mostly does and has since about 10 weeks, as long as she is 'drowsy tired' rather than 'frantic tired'. Sometimes she isn't that drowsy but will happy chat for 10 minutes or so then drift off. For daytime naps I have got very good at spotting her signs and have to some extent 'put her' into a routine (not in a militaristic type way though) so that I know she doesn't get over-tired. Without me being particularly deliberate, she has ended up, as more or less in a GF type routine. For some reason, sleep works for us, don't know why, and I am sure even writing this is a mistake as no doubt it will jinx it!

However, she is a nightmare to feed and always has been. Not saying this for any purpose or relevance to sleep, only to say, we do our best, some things work, others don't, often for no obvious reason at all. You've not done anything wrong!

D

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CointreauVersial · 07/07/2011 13:18

My three did. And they were all sleeping through the night by 10 weeks.

But can I get them to go to bed on time now? No.

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Columbia999 · 07/07/2011 13:18

The only bit of advice I ever took from my mum about babies was to put them to bed and let them settle. I had found out to my cost that you can't let them fall asleep anywhere else and not expect them to start shouting when you pick them up, however carefully.
I used to play the Lionheart album by Kate Bush at a soft volume and that would get him off to sleep a treat. I'd recommend it to anyone!

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hildathebuilder · 07/07/2011 13:18

mine did, always has, including in the middle of thenight. But again he was a scbu baby (11 weeks prem)

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Insomnia11 · 07/07/2011 13:20

Mine used to until they reached two.

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