help my baby get to sleep

[GirlWithTheMouseyHair]

ds is one month and finds it really hard to settle, I don't mind for now helping him by rocking and nursing to sleep, but have evil voices in my head saying he'll get into bad habits (i know, i know!)...should I be worried at this stage and at least attempting PUPD methods (am not keen on CC and know he's far too young anyway) or just continue soothing him to sleep before putting him down? it's the same for bedtime as naps (though no rhyme nor reason to daytime naps at the mo), he just seems to get himself really wound up when he's overtired, woudl love to make it less stressful for him to get to sleep!

Sounds completely normal month old behaviour IME

Rock him, soothe him, anything that calms him

He's far too little to be thinking about CC or PUPD, don't worry about bad habits

agree with sweetkitty. he is WAY, WAY, WAY too young for any type of sleep training.
all he needs now is to be held and comforted and to fall asleep however he wants to.

Awwww cuddle the poor might.

One day he'll be running away from your cuddles but right now he is a brand new teeny tiny thing in a big wide scary world and he needs his mummy!

The first couple of months are hell though aren't they?

Don't worry about bad habits. He's only wee and needs help to get to sleep. Do whatever you have to. As he gets older his sleep habits will change and develop.

good, glad you've all said that...my intuition says the same, just can't get the gina ford-esque voices out of my head!

it's super tough but at least he hasn't been screaming his evenings away the last two nights, i don't mind cuddling him if he accepts the cuddles and stops crying!

IMO, compared with other authors on the subject, Gina doesn't have that much experience, or the scientific research to back up her claims. I've read a brilliant book by Dr Weissbuth on sleep (from infancy to adolescence) and it really puts things in to perspective. I agree with everyone else - do what you have to, to comfort your LO to sleep, the time for change (if needed, and you might find your LO sleeps well without much input from you) is after 6 months.

One tip though - try to learn his cues for tiredness as he gets older, and act on them as soon as you think he is tired!

Hey hon

Hope you're doing okay and sleep deprivation isn't getting to you too badly - it really does get better. If I've already given you this link then just ignore (I loved it so have been posting it a lot recently) but I found it really helpful and made me feel a lot better about how we're choosing to parent.

I know that DD's current glorious sleep-pattern probably won't last, but just wanted to let you know that rocking to sleep/nursing to sleep/letting babies sleep on you/not having any sort of routine whatsoever certainly hasn't caused any problems for us, at this early stage at least

thanks both...I do want us to have a routine at some point, mainly and evening/night time one so we can get out once in a while again but def nowhere near as bothered as I was (peer pressure I reckon!) until he's a bit older

I think you can start helping your baby to fit his routine (most babies have one) at this age... Just don't try and force him into your idea of a routine and dont worry about self settling until 3 months. Lots of cuddles and feeding to sleep or a dummy if he's uber sucky until then