| Author | |
hereinantwerp
Forum Pro
Joined: Dec 17 2005
Location: Washington
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 322
|
| Posted: Dec 17 2005 at 4:32am | IP Logged
|
 |
|
Hello, I'm new here, just introduced myself at the fireside place. . .
I have an almost-7 month old daughter who I am ready to train to sleep by herself . . . somehow!
With my older two I did the "babywise" thing and I was WAY too rigid. So I was determined not to do that this time. However, it did WORK, after a fashion, and even though I saw some bad fruit from it, it wasn't all bad.
So now I've been cuddling my little girl to sleep these months, but as she is older and more aware it takes longer and longer. My two boys are left to fend for themselves (often unproductively, it's sad to say), all too much, and I'm getting frustrated as I can spend 1/2-hour + getting her down, only to have her pop up again within minutes. She doesn't take good naps anyway, only about a half hour twice a day, and I'm having a hard time just getting the laundry and meals done, not to mention school. I'm getting stressed and I feel like something needs to change. The put her down and let her cry approach doesn't work though. She just gets frantic and she has reflux so her tummy gets upset and etc.
I just need some advice from a seasoned mom--!!!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
amyable
Forum All-Star
Joined: March 07 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3798
|
| Posted: Dec 17 2005 at 5:03am | IP Logged
|
|
|
I don't have any great advice - just many many prayers for you because I have a seven month old and I could have written your post word for word!! (LOL, I almost did - look here : Moving Baby to Crib
Put all my posts in there together and you'll see yours. :)
Seriously though, you have asked other questions here so I hope someone can be helpful here on this thread. My thoughts and prayers are with you for peace!
__________________
Amy
mom of 5, ages 6-16, and happy wife of 
The Highly Sensitive Homeschooler
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
ShawnaB
Forum Pro
Joined: Nov 05 2005
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 377
|
| Posted: Dec 21 2005 at 11:58pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Hello There in Antwerp!
I hear your frustration, and I have been there too. I "Babywised" with my first, and he was the perfect poster child for that method. Enter baby #2, and well, the book went in the garbage. She was the Queen of 30 minute power-naps, after 45 minutes of cajoling to sleep! The cry-it-out thing was a joke, as she would become so frantic that sleep eluded her even more. I honestly think that she may have cried for HOURS, if I would have let her...which I did not.
Anyway, I tell you this because I want you to know that I do truly empathize. The good news is that dd did grow out of her sleep difficulties, and by the time she was a year, she was taking good naps, and falling asleep independently. If you want your baby to learn to fall asleep independently, I think that Babywise does have some good, common-sense principles, but as you know, they are WAY to rigid and can be harsh, and definitely do not work with every baby.
I would recommend taking a look at "The Baby Whisperer" by Tracy Hogg. Ms. Hogg was (tragically, she passed away recently) a very talented British baby nurse. Her book teaches many of the same principles as Babywise, but in a MUCH more gentle and nurturing way. She also addresses issues such as what to do when you baby doesn't just go to sleep when placed in the crib. She uses a method of "patting and shushing" which helps baby learn to put herself to sleep, with out simply closing the nursery door and putting in your earplugs!  The main purpose of her book is to help parents learn to understand the way their baby communicates. For my dd, she fit the profile of the "sensitive baby" perfectly. Understanding this helped me to understand and meet her sleep needs.
There is also a "BAby Whisperer" website, www.babywhisperer.com with a very nice message board. Lots of experience there, and support for sleep issues. I found it very helpful...if nothing more than to know I was not alone. Surfing the message board also gave me something to do at 2AM when dd was awake...again...
HTH, and I'll be interested to hear how things are going. Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions, or just need to vent!
__________________
Shawna, wife of Jacob, mom to Abraham 8 Amelia 5 and Jillian & Jonathan age 3 years http://www.psalm121family.com
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
hereinantwerp
Forum Pro
Joined: Dec 17 2005
Location: Washington
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 322
|
| Posted: Dec 23 2005 at 1:50pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
ShawnaB wrote:
Hello There in Antwerp!
I hear your frustration, and I have been there too. I "Babywised" with my first, and he was the perfect poster child for that method. Enter baby #2, and well, the book went in the garbage. She was the Queen of 30 minute power-naps, after 45 minutes of cajoling to sleep! The cry-it-out thing was a joke, as she would become so frantic that sleep eluded her even more. I honestly think that she may have cried for HOURS, if I would have let her...which I did not.
Anyway, I tell you this because I want you to know that I do truly empathize. The good news is that dd did grow out of her sleep difficulties, and by the time she was a year, she was taking good naps, and falling asleep independently. If you want your baby to learn to fall asleep independently, I think that Babywise does have some good, common-sense principles, but as you know, they are WAY to rigid and can be harsh, and definitely do not work with every baby.
I would recommend taking a look at "The Baby Whisperer" by Tracy Hogg. Ms. Hogg was (tragically, she passed away recently) a very talented British baby nurse. Her book teaches many of the same principles as Babywise, but in a MUCH more gentle and nurturing way. She also addresses issues such as what to do when you baby doesn't just go to sleep when placed in the crib. She uses a method of "patting and shushing" which helps baby learn to put herself to sleep, with out simply closing the nursery door and putting in your earplugs! The main purpose of her book is to help parents learn to understand the way their baby communicates. For my dd, she fit the profile of the "sensitive baby" perfectly. Understanding this helped me to understand and meet her sleep needs.
There is also a "BAby Whisperer" website, www.babywhisperer.com with a very nice message board. Lots of experience there, and support for sleep issues. I found it very helpful...if nothing more than to know I was not alone. Surfing the message board also gave me something to do at 2AM when dd was awake...again...
HTH, and I'll be interested to hear how things are going. Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions, or just need to vent!
|
|
|
THANKS for the book suggestion! I will check it out.
My mom & dad are here now from the states, so nice to have an extra pair of hands--little Lydia has hardly been put down since they arrived, which suits her just fine. As far as training her to sleep of course that's on hold till Grandma leaves. We'll see how it goes when they leave!
__________________
Angela Nelson
Mother to Simon (13), Calvin (9), and Lyddie Rose (3)
my blog: live and learn
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
ShawnaB
Forum Pro
Joined: Nov 05 2005
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 377
|
| Posted: Dec 24 2005 at 1:04pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I LOVE the name Lydia! I was one of my choices for our last baby, but dh chose "Jillian"...which I also love.
Ya, when Gpa & Gma are around, better to just let those extra hands do what they do best. There is plenty of time to regroup later. Of course, you can never love on a baby too much...it certainly won't "spoil" her! God bless you this Christmas!
__________________
Shawna, wife of Jacob, mom to Abraham 8 Amelia 5 and Jillian & Jonathan age 3 years http://www.psalm121family.com
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
|
|
Forum Locked) 
4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: how to get her to sleep . . .
