June 2008 Expecting Club

Whether it is for naps, or for bedtime, how do you get your baby to fall asleep?  Does your baby need help all of the time to get to sleep, or will he/she fall asleep when they get tired on their own?  If you help your baby to fall asleep, do you consider it to be fairly easy, or somewhat difficult?

Our little guy rarely falls asleep on his own accord.  We have to encourage every nap, and bedtime is a real battle.  He's not one of those babies who falls asleep whenever they feel sleepy enough to do so.  He needs help, and lots of it.  Some days are better than others, but most of the time I would say it's pretty difficult to get him to sleep.  I feel like a spend a HUGE chunk of my day putting him to sleep.  We even have him on a pretty good routine, and yet he still resists sleep.  UGH!  Hopefully some of you have it easier...

photomommee

Feeding time usually makes my little man sleepy. He'll fall asleep while he's having his bottle, I'll burp him and he'll be ready to take a nice nap. I always make sure I change the diaper before feeding so he's dry and comfortable. A bath usually soothes him too. On a really fussy day I'll give him a bath (let him cry a good amount while I'm changing him into his clean clothes), then I give him a bottle, and he's ready to fall asleep for the night. I usually don't let the baby take naps past like 5 or 6 pm so that he'll fall asleep for the night around 10 or 11...and usually he'll sleep until 5 or 6 am. The pacifier also does help. If he's falling asleep while I'm feeding him I'll take the bottle out and put the pacifier in and he never even knows the difference. Patting his back also helps him sleep and rubbing his forehead.

I swaddle and give a soother!

Someone somewhere had a theory that I use (it works for me, may not for you)

E.A.S.Y 

Eat, Activtiy,Sleep,You - Feed your baby when they wake, play with them- Put them to sleep awake and let them fall asleep I swaddle and use a soother - somtimes I even dip it in gripe water to keep it in - than The Y - is for YOU - so you have time for yourself!

Good luck

Lisa