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non sleeping baby

11 replies

ren3 · 31/08/2006 21:35

just settling in for my first night being 'tough' with my baby ie not feeding her back to sleep or falling asleep with her in our bed. A night of angry, justified tears ahead. I truly hate this but I know it works. Eventually! Just can't cope with lack of sleep anymore. Misti woke for a breastfeed at least once an hour last night. And then tried to 'rise and shine' at 4

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kiskidee · 31/08/2006 21:49

how old is your baby ren?

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Cll · 31/08/2006 21:50

Good luck

Treat yourself to some chocolate and a magazine - oh and some tissues in case you have a cry yourself and keep telling yourself you're doing it for her not just you, she'll be much happier for sleeping through....

Let us know how it goes

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liquidclocks · 31/08/2006 21:53

keep with it - we did it with DS, took 3 nights then he was sleeping like a (won't say baby ) ...log!

Glass of wine and a choccy bar for you!

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ren3 · 31/08/2006 22:03

She's nearly 8 months. Have a 22 month old as well so the 'rest during the day' advice that magazines love to give doesn't really work. With her I remember her dad & I huddled on stairs staring at a watch! Just worry about the rightness of training our babies to be convenient. Or is this just me feeling guilty. She hasn't even woke yet.As new to mumsnet chat does ds stand for dear son?

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mummymaxi · 31/08/2006 22:12

Hi Ren,
doing same as you tonight with much younger baby - 10 weeks!

He has slept a total of 2.5 hours since 7 am. Keeps sleeping 10 mins then waking and yelling. Poor little ting is so tired I don't know what to do. Keeps giving hungry cues but then not hungry. Then yawning but won't sleep. Can you employ someone to teach you ow to do this? Tracy Hogg makes it sound so easy.

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kiskidee · 31/08/2006 22:14

mummymaxi, no 'expert' will tell you to sleep train a baby who is under 6 months old and some even advise younger than a year.

10 weeks is waaayyy too early.

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kiskidee · 31/08/2006 22:16

mummymaxi, cuddle your baby to sleep. you cannot spoil a baby under 6 months. she just came out of your womb and knows no different. in fact sleep training at this age is detrimental to their physical as well as mental and emotional health.

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mummymaxi · 31/08/2006 22:49

Thanks kiskidee, I don't want to train him to have a strict schedule. I just want him to be able to sleep. He wakes up after a short spell and is rally fretful. I am sure he is overtired. I am cuddling/feeding him back to sleep each time, but he just wakes up unhappy. He doesn't seem to be ill - no temperature and feeding/winding ok. Poo is a little greenish today, but not all the time.

He is asleep on my lap at moment, but has just started struggling again

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kiskidee · 01/09/2006 08:36

green poos mean nothing. at this age, babies go into a very deep sleep straight away but within 20 mins they come into an almost wakeful state. this is completely normal as their nervous system is not yet mature. it is not until they are around 4 months that their systems start to reverse where they go into a light sleep first then go into a deep sleep.

what you can do is to time his waking. be there before he wakes up (as they wake up on the stroke of 20 mins, say, everytime) and quickly shush him back before he becomes very awake. I find if you do this, then they sleep for another hour or more sometimes.

if you want a really, really good book that teaches you how babies' sleep work and how to do the right thing to get them off to sleep without stressing yourself and your baby, go here:

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morningpaper · 01/09/2006 08:40

Ren: Lots of people think that leaving a baby to cry is not good for its development. Yes it will "work" in that baby will probably sleep better but whether it works in the right way is a matter for debate. You need to look at the evidence and draw your own conclusions. All the best. xx