MaySunflowers
06-13-2009, 03:45 AM
With my daughter we had so many sleep issues, so I've been through all the whys and so on...
Anyhow.... now onto baby number two and I'm wondering all over again. He isn't as bad of a sleeper as my daughter was and is different so I think that has me wondering if things that didn't work with my daughter I should be doing with my son. Anyhow... here is our history.
From about 3-8 months he used to wake just twice per night which is wonderful to me. Then came teething and by 11 months he had 8 teeth. He has not teethed again since and has no signs of any teething at the moment. He really has no issues at the moment, like no separation anxiety (ever in his life!), no new skills (he's been walking for about 3 weeks). He wakes to nurse because of hunger once per night and occasionally around 5-6am (which to me is a morning wake not a night wake). He naps twice per day for nearly 2 hours each.
Anyhow, he is waking a minimum of 3 times per night (last night for some unknown reason he woke so many times I lost count!)
He does not need to nuse to fall asleep. He can self settle and shows he can do so during naps and maybe 1-2 times per week during the night. Lately, he is often waking in the night and screams until he falls back to sleep. It is not a bad dream cry, he doesn't want to nurse, nothing makes him happy, he just seems to be angry that he is awake and even kicks his feet as though it was a mini tantrum.
He sleeps in his own bed until about 11-12 at night and I just feel too tired and put him in our bed. He doesn't need to come in our bed and isn't bothered where he sleeps, I just put him there because it is easier for me.
Now... my question is how can we improve his sleep? I keep getting told that if I take away one nap and stick to it for a week his sleep will adjust and he will then start sleeping a bit better at night. I'm quite split on that idea, as I see some logic in it but also think if he sleeps twice per day its because he needs to sleep that much.
I think he wakes and screams more often when in our bed than in his (screams more, the waking is the same either way). I don't think we bother him sleeping all together but do you think that could be part of the issue? Maybe I should just toughen myself up and put the extra effort into getting up and resettling him into his own bed?
Any other thoughts or ideas for us? I really feel convinced that he is capable of doing better... because he is capable of self-settling if he wants to and doesn't need to nurse to fall asleep (and now stops nursing in order to fall asleep most of the time). I think those things are all in our favor but I don't know how to bring them all together to work for us.
Anyhow.... now onto baby number two and I'm wondering all over again. He isn't as bad of a sleeper as my daughter was and is different so I think that has me wondering if things that didn't work with my daughter I should be doing with my son. Anyhow... here is our history.
From about 3-8 months he used to wake just twice per night which is wonderful to me. Then came teething and by 11 months he had 8 teeth. He has not teethed again since and has no signs of any teething at the moment. He really has no issues at the moment, like no separation anxiety (ever in his life!), no new skills (he's been walking for about 3 weeks). He wakes to nurse because of hunger once per night and occasionally around 5-6am (which to me is a morning wake not a night wake). He naps twice per day for nearly 2 hours each.
Anyhow, he is waking a minimum of 3 times per night (last night for some unknown reason he woke so many times I lost count!)
He does not need to nuse to fall asleep. He can self settle and shows he can do so during naps and maybe 1-2 times per week during the night. Lately, he is often waking in the night and screams until he falls back to sleep. It is not a bad dream cry, he doesn't want to nurse, nothing makes him happy, he just seems to be angry that he is awake and even kicks his feet as though it was a mini tantrum.
He sleeps in his own bed until about 11-12 at night and I just feel too tired and put him in our bed. He doesn't need to come in our bed and isn't bothered where he sleeps, I just put him there because it is easier for me.
Now... my question is how can we improve his sleep? I keep getting told that if I take away one nap and stick to it for a week his sleep will adjust and he will then start sleeping a bit better at night. I'm quite split on that idea, as I see some logic in it but also think if he sleeps twice per day its because he needs to sleep that much.
I think he wakes and screams more often when in our bed than in his (screams more, the waking is the same either way). I don't think we bother him sleeping all together but do you think that could be part of the issue? Maybe I should just toughen myself up and put the extra effort into getting up and resettling him into his own bed?
Any other thoughts or ideas for us? I really feel convinced that he is capable of doing better... because he is capable of self-settling if he wants to and doesn't need to nurse to fall asleep (and now stops nursing in order to fall asleep most of the time). I think those things are all in our favor but I don't know how to bring them all together to work for us.