Getting DS to sleep! Help

[SmokeMeAKipper1]

I need some tips, my LO is 4 months now and other than occasionally in the car or occasionally in the pram he will not go to sleep by himself, I have to rock him standing up as he won't let me sit down and will just shout and fidget. It takes a long time for me to get him to sleep and he usually fidgets and pinches under my arm until he eventually does go to sleep. Other people including OH find it nearly impossible to get him to sleep. I am finding it so hard now as he is getting heavier and I struggle to hold him in the position he likes for the amount of time it takes for him to go to sleep. I have to do this 5/6 times a day, please tell me it gets better!

Are you breastfeeding? Could you breastfeed to sleep and leave him there?

Either feed lying down on your bed and you both get some rest, or in a cradle hold and you watch a box set while baby sleeps in your arms

No I'm not breastfeeding and he won't go to sleep while having a bottle either. He's very fidgety and won't sit or lie quietly with us,he constantly wants to be on his feet. He will usually let me put him down once he's asleep but only once he has properly gone off. Thanks though.

Are you giving a dummy for comfort sucking? I'd try that.

Also, how frequently are you feeding? An unsettled baby often needs more milk. I dont mean "being hungry" at a specific time, but the total amount of calories over 24 hours. Babies have small stomachs so more milk usually means more bottles per day, rather than more milk per feed. More bottles per day means less time between feeds.

I'd actually go for 2 hourly feeds (or more frequently if baby seems hungry) at first. How often are you currently feeding?

Hi smoke,

In my case it got better- from 2-5 months my ds was impossible to get to sleep. Do you have a sling you could use and then transfer him into his cot once he's asleep? A lot of people say not to get into the habit of rocking to sleep but I think before a baby is 6 months it's fine to use whatever method works- I would breastfeed/sling/rock/pram just to get him used to falling asleep.

At about 5 months we started some gentle sleep training as the rocking was just too much physical hard work - shh pat/ pick up put down and now at 6 months I think he's more aware of falling asleep on his own and for a couple of his sleeps a day he goes down really easily. Day time naps are still a bit harder but getting better.

Hope it improves for you!

Hi FATEdestiny he always has dummy to go to sleep, he usually takes around 12-13 ounces during the day usually only 2-3 at a time but his bulk of milk is at night which is around 18-20 ounces over 4 feeds.I try to feed him as much as he wants during the day but he tends to bring a lot of milk up during the day for some reason he is better at keeping it down at night.

That's a relief Cinnamon hopefully he will get better! I'm getting a dead arm from rocking him so much! I had never been told not to rock to sleep so did it from when he was born, wish I'd have known.

but he tends to bring a lot of milk up during the day for some reason he is better at keeping it down at night.

I wonder if it's because he's generally quieter and calmer at night? All the jiggling from the rocking and swallowing air when crying could be condusive to being sick.

So if he has a dummy, does that not stop him crying?

Have you got a bouncy chair? I'd try limiting awake to to never longer than an hour. So whenever baby wakes, look at the clock. Have baby fed and in a bouncy chair 40 minutes after waking up. That gives you 20 minutes of holding dummy in and bouncing the bouncy chair relentlessly until baby is asleep.

The nap will probably be short - 20-40 minutes is normal. Then again when baby wakes, aim to have baby fed and back to sleep within an hour.