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Sleep

Join our Sleep forum for tips on creating a sleep routine for your baby or toddler. Need more advice on your childs development? Sign up to our Ages and Stages newsletter here.

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Original poster

At what age did your baby manage to fall asleep on her own?

27 replies

Ohlalala · 15/07/2016 15:06

My daughter is 4 months old now and cannot fall asleep on her own. We always need to feed her, rock her or use white noise for her to fall asleep. At some point I did more or less manage the pick up/put down method during day time but recently this hasn't worked whatsoever. Any movement or noise instantly wakes her up...
It would be interesting to hear other parents' experience. Thanks.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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TitaniasTits · 15/07/2016 15:13

Um, with DD I think it was some time after her third birthday....

DS is two and still likes a hand to hold while he falls asleep.

That's not much help, is it?

TitaniasTits · 15/07/2016 15:13

Um, with DD I think it was some time after her third birthday....

DS is two and still likes a hand to hold while he falls asleep.

That's not much help, is it?

Original poster

Ohlalala · 15/07/2016 15:17

It's certainly interesting to know! It's just that I have friends whose babies fall asleep to the sound of their mobile and so on... Fat chance of this working with ours...
I am also starting to think about transition to childcare when she is 6 months old and how that will work out. Surely the staff cannot afford (time wise) to rock every single child to sleep!?

OP posts:

thehousewife · 15/07/2016 15:19

A couple of weeks?!

LBOCS2 · 15/07/2016 15:21

3.8 and counting...

AndYourBirdCanSing · 15/07/2016 15:23

Mine are 5 and still don't!

KP86 · 15/07/2016 15:26

Don't worry about the nursery staff, they will be very used to babies who need help to fall asleep.

My DS was 4.5 months but we did gentle sleep training with him.

Annarose2014 · 15/07/2016 15:29

Literally 2 weeks ago so 19 months. Thought it'd never happen! We didn't want to do Cry it Out though so he just had to grow up enough to stop panicking at our absence.

In crèche they cuddle/rock him to his nap. It seems they do have time to do it. I guess they just stagger putting the kids down in intervals.

Fullofnachos · 15/07/2016 15:35

My 7 month old started at 4 months, by using the Cheshire Baby Whisperer techniques. She had been fed to sleep every time before this point, and was averaging a minimum of 12 wake up's per night requiring feeds to get back off. Her worse night was 24 feeds back to sleep . It's very gentle sleep techniques using all of the babies sense's

MilesHuntsWig · 15/07/2016 15:40

I had the same concerns. Dd didn't sleep well at all until her reflux calmed down after about 9months.

She didn't self settle at all when she started daycare (at about 6months) and would often fight to sleep or need to be rocked, but the staff deal with this regularly and managed it. Ok there were times when she had had less sleep than I'd hoped, but it was ok and I think being around other babies sleeping helped too.

It's so annoying when others seem to just out their baby down and off to sleep they go. I never had this! Also those mums whose kids will quite happily sit in a chair while their mum makes dinner/tidies up. Ha ha ha, as if!!!!! Dd was not having any of that!

Don't worry it is normal (exhausting but normal!).

Original poster

Ohlalala · 15/07/2016 16:54

Thanks everyone!

24 feeds a night? Wow. Well done for surviving this.

Mine suffers from reflux too and she had colic as well so it used to be a case that we were relieved to get her to sleep, anyhow. She is better now in this respect but is so alert and intrigued with what is going on around her, she keeps fighting sleep. I am aware it is common at this stage but it is nonetheless rather frustrating! She is also very sensitive in that when I put her down in her cot, if her arm moves and touches the mattress, she will startle and that will wake her up. So we need to start all over again.

Yes, I am certainly jealous of those parents who do manage to put their babies to sleep and get on with their life. I feel so lucky she is my only one at the moment or I don't know how I would cope....

OP posts:

ElspethFlashman · 15/07/2016 17:02

Oh wait, there's a zip up swaddle thing that keeps their hands in. It's by Jojomamanbebe. The Love to Dream swaddle or something? Cant remember. Its grey anyway. It's brilliant for flailing babies who wake themselves up. Really helped us.

Original poster

Ohlalala · 15/07/2016 17:05

It sounds good but my daughter categorically refuses to be swaddled! So at the moment I end up pinning her arms down until I know she is fully asleep.

OP posts:

Lules · 15/07/2016 17:05

Mine did from quite young. However now he can stand up holding on the bars of the cot I've got no chance. He's also realised our bed is so much comfier. He's 10 months btw.

ElspethFlashman · 15/07/2016 17:07

Well it's not really a conventional swaddle, more a womb made of t shirt material. Very stretchy. But have a look anyway.

PosiePootlePerkins · 15/07/2016 17:09

Er 5 years old

timelytess · 15/07/2016 17:10

Mummyme87 · 15/07/2016 17:11

13months

LifeIsGoodish · 15/07/2016 17:12

One at 6w, one at 18m.

Original poster

Ohlalala · 15/07/2016 17:13

Thanks Elspeth- will look into it.

OP posts:

Heatherbell1978 · 15/07/2016 17:20

DS1 was just a few weeks old I think. I'm sure he was 6 weeks old when I started putting him in his crib to nap and walking out while he was still awake. But I've forgotten the detail. Young anyway.

NutellaLawson · 15/07/2016 17:22

15 months for ds1, 13 months for his brother. Dc3 is 9 months old and not able to yet. She'll do it once she's ready. I can help by giving her the chance to try now and again.

Heatherbell1978 · 15/07/2016 17:22

Should add we used the Sleepyhead which was great. I persevered with swaddles but DS didn't really like being restricted so once he was in a sleeping bag (probably about 6/8 weeks old) he was quite happy

FuzzyOwl · 15/07/2016 17:33

Around four weeks most of the time but again, we used the Sleepyhead. Between six and twelve weeks she had colic in the evening, so needed cuddling but fell asleep by herself during the daytime and after her night feed.

It is perfectly normal for babies to fall asleep by themselves at a young age and equally normal for them to do so much later. Neither is wrong or any cause for concern, because all of our babies are different.

Cosmo111 · 15/07/2016 17:37

DS has always been able to fall asleep on his own he's 3montha. I'm fairly strict in that if he happens to fall asleep in my arms I put him for a sleep. I regularly put him down for sleeps in cot or pram in another room and settles very well most of the time.

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