Sleep training baby... share your experience!!

[momtobe1stime]

Hello All,

My baby boy is going to be 12 weeks and I am thinking about starting to sleep train him. Right now he sleeps on the boob, or when being held, rocked etc (typical)

Can you moms share your experience sleep training your babies. What age did you start? Which method did you use? How was your overall experience and any advices will be appreciated.

[momtobe1stime]

Looks like my baby is trying to suck his hand/ thumb. Nooooo
How can I encourage him to find an alternative?

Anybody read up some good strategy?

[momtobe1stime]

Oh wow thank you so much everyone. Thisnis beyond helpful!

[dani0314]

I would say between 4-6 months she started falling asleep by herself

[Onutza89]

I'll try that Moluko. Thanks for sharing

[Moluko]

I followed a routine I got from a book since baby was born. E-A-S-Y.

E - Eat. Feed the baby
A - Awake. Time when baby is awake. For infant sometimes they are only awakes long enough for you to change their diaper. But as they get older, they an do tummy time or play.
S - Sleep. Baby goes to sleep. Mine slept in a co-sleeper then moved to a crib at 3 months.
Y - Your time to yourself while baby is asleep

The book says you have to try to keep the activites in the order of E-A-S-Y whether baby eats 10 or 4 times a day.

I followed this and the baby pretty much sleep trained herself. She started to almost sleep through the night at 4 months. And fully slept through the night at 6 months.

I will be doing this with my next baby :)

[momtobe1stime]

Dani0314 when did your daughter eventually start falling asleep on her own?

[dani0314]

My daughter was the same way. At about 4 months i started putting a little rice cereal in her bottle to fill her tummy up and she would settle down. I couldn't let her cry it out and never wanted to. I just waited til she was asleep and gently put her down to sleep.

[momtobe1stime]

Anybody?

[momtobe1stime]

Than you!

I am a bit scared to go through this process because my baby sweats a lot after crying for a prolongued period and when he is sleepy he is extremely fussy and scratches his eyes sooo bad.

I feel guilty at the idea of letting him cry to sleep since I'll be leaving him in such discomfort. It is my first so I am still experimenting.

Anybody had a baby like that and what did you do?

[momtobe1stime]

.

[annlouannee]

I didn't do any sleep training until around 6 months. At that age, they were eating cereal at night and I knew their tummies were full so I let them basically cry it out. I would give quick reassuring loves but no nursing and no prolonged holding when they cried. It was definitely hard, but they were sleeping through the night (meaning 8 hours or so) within about a week. This was the best way for me and my first two kiddos.

[kd97229]

There is some good info in Helen Moon's book, Cherish the First Six Weeks. Obviously she has sleep training start at birth through six weeks, but also mentions how you can go through her system at any age under one year, I think.

I don't agree with everything she does, but she has a very regimented approach that might be combined with other methods to find what you are looking for. I like combining all the experts' methods to figure out what works best for my family.

I'm also a big fan of routine with my kids, makes things easier for all of us. Good luck!!

[dani0314]

My daughter either slept in her crib or in her pack n play with the bassinet attachment in it. I used the blackout curtain method which helped a lot. I just put blackout curtains up in her room. And if she was in her pack n play, i just kept all the blinds shut and had a dim light on. I started around 3 months but she didn't start sleeping through the night til 8 months. She was a terrible sleeper though so don't let that discourage you :)