How to get DD sleeping

[kbaby]

Ok, this follows on from the advice needed thread.

How can I get DD to sleep for longer than 1 hour and also on her own. Shes too young to do cc. Is there any other way. Ive heard about pick up put down which is a baby whisper method but it doesnt mention anything in her book on how to do it.

Anyone know how its done and how long it could take or any other ways.
Thanks

Hi again kbaby. She is still very young. I think my dd liked a lot of sleeping on my knee / in the pram at that age. And most of the child experts think it's impossible for them to develop 'bad habits' before 6 months at the earliest. Some say before a year old even. I think when dd was that young I went with whatever suited her, actually I read a lot of novels while she slept on my knee . One thing we did find helped a lot as she got a bit bigger was a very big soft square cushion which was made of some very soft fur which she used to sleep on on the sofa. At that age it didn't seem to matter how much noise went on around her, she'd sleep through it all if she needed to. Dd NEVER slept in her moses basket in the day. She started sleeping in her cot in the day at about 8 months old and from that point on her nap times got longer and longer. Up until then she slept a lot in the pram when I was out and about, on my knee or on her big cushion. But I did put her down in her basket in the evenings. She started sucking her thumb around 3 months old which was a brilliant way for her to get herself to sleep. She gave it up at 7 months. When young she always grizzled and grumbled a bit when getting off to sleep but she never liked being rocked or patted or any of those things. I was wondering what would happen if you didn't pick her up immediately when she wakes from a nap after 45 mins? Might she just grumble a bit and then go back to sleep on her own? I guess you've tried that, but it did work with dd to just let her resettle herself without intervening at all.

it was good to know that you let dd sleep on your lap and it didnt cause any sleep association problems. ive been so afraid to do it that im probably making dd overtired by struggling to put her down and keep thinking that if i have her on my lap during the day will she come to expect it at night.
i tried leaving her to cry this morning but she just cries louder and wont drop back to sleep.
shes slept for 10 minutes in the cot then i held her until she was dozy and put her back in the cot where sh slept for another 20 minutes. i left her to cry for 2 minutes but she didnt stop. maybe im being too soft and afraid to leave her cry for long. in the nights she does grumble and grizzle but generally by the time ive got to her shes gone back to sleep.

Well : my 2nd little one sounds really similar to your baby and during the day I never got longer than 45 mins.. I always got excited cos if I got her past the 45 min limit I knew she would go 2 hrs and then would wake up smiling.. One of my issues though was that she wouldn't sleep in my arms. That would have suited me!
What I did was 3 or 4 things -
a) really concentrated on getting the night sleep right : i would sit beside her stroking her hair etc until she fell asleep. Did not do PU/PD as it would not suit her : would just wake her up and distress her
b) Tried different places for her to sleep until I got one that suited : eventually realised she was happier in her lay flat push chair. She needs a blanket or cloth that she lies across her eyes.
c) Did try CO : did seem to help her ..
d) finally : time was the big thing.. I did not start to breath easily through the day until she was about 16-18 weeks.. Her sleep at 6 months is now much improved!
Sorry that I really don't have more to say than just wait it out.. I would say though I don't think Sleep associations are a really big problem at such a young age but your sanity is!

Oh kbaby, I remember phoning a friend with a 2 year old when my dd was just 2 weeks old and saying 'she won't sleep on her own and she's going to get into a bad habit' and my friend told me it was ridiculous to worry about such things at this age. Funnily enough I was re-reading a bit of 'Toddler Taming' yesterday and he (Christopher Green) says that up until 1 year old there is no point even trying to think of 'discipline' in any shape or form, that babies should be listened to and responded to and that that will make them secure and much more likely to sleep well later. I think that worked with dd because she did go on to be an excellent sleeper despite all my holding her, breast feeding her to sleep, etc. all the things you're not 'supposed' to do. When I look back now I think those days when she'd cuddle up on my lap and doze off were sheer bliss. Now it's a fight to get her to let me stroke her head!!

kbaby, like strangerthanfiction, I did all the things you're 'not supposed' to do and my 2 year old dd now goes to bed at 7 each night in her own bed, with no problems at all.

With 11 month old ds I have just gone with the flow and enjoyed every momen of him snuggling up to me and sleeping on my knee, in my arms, at the breast. It's precious time, too precious to waste worrying about creating bad habits.

Remember, all babies are different and their needs are different too.

x

thank you everyone for the messages. i will from now try and go with the flow instead of trying to create a ideal baby and sleep pattern. Maybe ive read too many baby books e.g gf which tell you that baby should be put in a cot awake or i will have problems with sleep associations. im glad to see that isnt always the case.

one other thing sorry, Flea mentioned that her d liked having something over the eyes. I have noticed that DD likes having her face covered. e.g when she falls asleep on you she has to have her face buried in you and also in her pram she pushes her face against the side. In her cot she cant do this. I have thought about giving her a muslin sheet to put next to her cheek but ive been afraid to due to overheating or suffocation. Am I being too careful and paranoid.

Kbaby, my ds was a nightmare at sleeping at night until 8months, but he would sleep in my arms in the day and I really enjoyed it. And from 8months he has slept brilliantly in his own bed (except on a holiday in France at 10months when he woke at 4am every day - horror!). he woke up at 8am this morning after a three hour nap in the afternoon yesterday and he's three in Sept. I agree, your baby is so tiny, so don't worry too much about routines etc yet.

The cloth I eventually let my baby have is one of the very thin muslims : this was after me finding her a few times chewing her blanket and it covering her face - I just laid one beside her and she picks it up herself- very tactile child and needs lot to do with her hands and legs even in sleep! I decided that the muslim was thin enough as I have no other risk factors for SIDS. Also my baby needs a blanket wrapped very tightly wrapped around her day and night - i didn't swaddle - still regret that cos I think that is what I did wrong at the begining and I think my baby could have been happier earlier!

Oops : appling typo - muslin - not muslim

dd1 used tohave my pyjamas in her bed - they were made of a silky material and as i was worried about her strangling herself with the arms i cut them up so we have lots of 'jamas' for bedtime if we lose one..