Baby/Sleep question

[Angie]

Not offended at all, some people do feel really strongly about it.

He has a wubbanub, he basically grabs it immediately, whips it around a little bit, and then throws it as far as he can.



He hates being swaddled. I mean he will scream until he eventually snakes his arms out the neck hole. I have tried as tight as possible (I've even used the cheater ones with the velcro) and he squirms like mad until you release him.

He's not colic because he stops as soon as you pick him up.

He screams like a war eagle any time you put him in water, so the bath probably isn't the best idea.



I think I may be misstating the issue as well... it's not that he goes to sleep and just doesn't sleep long. It's that as soon as you put him down, he will cry. He will basically only sleep if you are holding him, which I am sure is quite comfortable but it's completely unrealistic. I don't think totally letting him cry it out is a good idea... however I don't think a 7 week old baby should be totally unable to function unless held.

One thing about it, he'll be going to day care next week anyway so he'll get over it there if nothing else.

We lucked out with A - she hated water for the first week or two, too, but now she really loves bathtime. I hope he gets over that for you soon - that's got to be stressful.

We did a modified swaddle with A - she likes to sleep with her arms over her head (from the time she was in the hospital), so we would leave her arms free. It helped her to like the swaddle a little bit better - although it left her arms free to scratch herself.

Do you guys have a pack and play? Ours has a vibrate function where it has an infant bed that shakes, and also our co-sleeper that we use in the bedroom (although A no longer sleeps in it) has an attachable vibration unit, too.

This is the co-sleeper that Mr Janny was talking about previously: Shop : Arm's Reach® Baby Bassinets - Baby Bedding, Furniture, Cribs, CO-SLEEPER&reg Brand Baby Bassinets

You don't HAVE to have it attach to your mattress, as you can probably tell from the photos. We actually have it set up as a free-standing bassinette, and the shop has a little bear vibration unit that you can attach that shakes it and plays music. I know that there are some babies who just need to hear Mom and Dad - this would maybe be a way to have him near you guys (which also makes it easier to grab him) without having to have him in bed with you or the dog. They have these at Babies R Us in Des Moines, if you wanted to view one - there's a display model out. I had thought he would sleep for a bit and THEN freak - maybe he just needs to hear you guys nearby.

Like MoreCowbell said, there are a lot of babies who really need to sleep on their side - a sleep positioner can help, just make sure to get a ventilated one. You can also get one that's a wedge, so that it gives him a little bit of an incline. This one is really highly rated, and CAN be used in the adult bed if you want, or in the crib/bassinette:

Baby Delight Supreme Snuggle Nest with Incline and Soothing Sounds Green Dot Dots - Baby Delight - Babies "R" Us

[jbindm]

My little guy is now one year old and still not even close to making it through the night on his own. Tonight we start the no tears method...say a prayer for the sleep deprived.

[FLCyclone]

I have a one and two year old successfully going to bed every night at 7pm and sleeping 12.5 to 14 hours a night. Know that a healthy full term baby can physically sleep 8 hours in a row by 8 weeks. Let them cry it out. Average kid takes 3 nights to figure it out. Both of mine took 7 nights to figure it out. My oldest was more stubborn and cried a full hour before tuckering out. Once you start don't...don't back down and go in. Trust me. They next morning they are a giggles and you'll feel better about it.
Also get them on the cycle eat, play, sleep. Babies need to learn to fall asleep on their own without bottles, coddling, etc. Whatever you do, DO NOT CO SLEEP. You and your kid will regret it.
Take charge. This is the easy phase. Crying it out works if you let it. It sucked for 7 nights, but we've been reaping the benefits for years now!

[Angie]

I have a one and two year old successfully going to bed every night at 7pm and sleeping 12.5 to 14 hours a night. Know that a healthy full term baby can physically sleep 8 hours in a row by 8 weeks. Let them cry it out. Average kid takes 3 nights to figure it out. Both of mine took 7 nights to figure it out. My oldest was more stubborn and cried a full hour before tuckering out. Once you start don't...don't back down and go in. Trust me. They next morning they are a giggles and you'll feel better about it.
Also get them on the cycle eat, play, sleep. Babies need to learn to fall asleep on their own without bottles, coddling, etc. Whatever you do, DO NOT CO SLEEP. You and your kid will regret it.
Take charge. This is the easy phase. Crying it out works if you let it. It sucked for 7 nights, but we've been reaping the benefits for years now!

Are you saying that you recommend letting a baby cry it out at 8 weeks for an hour? Because absolutely NO "expert" who recommends CIO methods recommends doing it at such a young age, and none recommend doing it for a full hour with a newborn.

I think cry-it-out methods are awful, but please do some research if you're going to do them. And I disagree, we've never regretted co-sleeping once.

[FLCyclone]

Are you saying that you recommend letting a baby cry it out at 8 weeks for an hour? Because absolutely NO "expert" who recommends CIO methods recommends doing it at such a young age, and none recommend doing it for a full hour with a newborn.

I think cry-it-out methods are awful, but please do some research if you're going to do them. And I disagree, we've never regretted co-sleeping once.

Did it twice and will with my third. Why fix what's not broken? Parenting is commen sense at this point in my opinion. Also, if you never tried it, then it would be hard to judge if it works or not.

[Angie]

Did it twice and will with my third. Why fix what's not broken? Parenting is commen sense at this point in my opinion. Also, if you never tried it, then it would be hard to judge if it works or not.

Just because it worked in regards to their sleep patterns doesn't mean that it didn't have detrimental effects. I would suggest you look up the effects of raised cortisol levels on an infant who is left to cry it out.

Again, it's not just me who disagrees with you. It's people who write the books on cry it out.

[Angie]

Science Says: Excessive Crying Could Be Harmful | Ask Dr. Sears®

Crying for Comfort by Aletha Solter, Ph.D.

[FLCyclone]

Just because it worked in regards to their sleep patterns doesn't mean that it didn't have detrimental effects. I would suggest you look up the effects of raised cortisol levels on an infant who is left to cry it out.

Again, it's not just me who disagrees with you. It's people who write the books on cry it out.

My children are happy, healthy, smart, and well rested. All the proof that I need that the method i chose was a success. I am glad your method worked for you. I wont badger you on my opinion of your methods, so please lay off.

[Mr Janny]

My children are happy, healthy, smart, and well rested. All the proof that I need that the method i chose was a success. I am glad your method worked for you. I wont badger you on my opinion of your methods, so please lay off.

kind of hypocritical, considering you wrote this earlier: "Whatever you do, DO NOT CO SLEEP. You and your kid will regret it." Seems to me you opened the door wide to the judging of different parenting methods.

[Angie]

My children are happy, healthy, smart, and well rested. All the proof that I need that the method i chose was a success. I am glad your method worked for you. I wont badger you on my opinion of your methods, so please lay off.

That's a very well-researched, science-based opinion. Wait.

When you are trying to give advice on your "method" (which was just to lock a child in a room as a newborn), it's the place of any responsible person to respond to you. Your crappy advice, which is not endorsed by anyone ANYWHERE who knows anything about the topic, could very well hurt other children. Systems like "Babywise" were declared awful by the AAP because babies die using systems like what you are recommending. So, yeah, I'll respond.

[FLCyclone]

kind of hypocritical, considering you wrote this earlier: "Whatever you do, DO NOT CO SLEEP. You and your kid will regret it." Seems to me you opened the door wide to the judging of different parenting methods.

Sir, That was my original post to the guy that was looking for any advice. The second half was to a poster that is criticizing me for my advice. Out of context.

[Angie]

Sir, That was my original post to the guy that was looking for any advice. The second half was to a poster that is criticizing me for my advice. Out of context.

...But you were still judging others' parenting styles that you hadn't ever tried, you just didn't want me judging yours the same way?

[Mr Janny]

Sir, That was my original post to the guy that was looking for any advice. The second half was to a poster that is criticizing me for my advice. Out of context.

semantics, schemantics. If you can't take it, don't dish it.

[Clonefan94]

That's a very well-researched, science-based opinion. Wait.

When you are trying to give advice on your "method" (which was just to lock a child in a room as a newborn), it's the place of any responsible person to respond to you. Your crappy advice, which is not endorsed by anyone ANYWHERE who knows anything about the topic, could very well hurt other children. Systems like "Babywise" were declared awful by the AAP because babies die using systems like what you are recommending. So, yeah, I'll respond.

Listen, I completely agree with you here, but we are not a doctors webste passing out advice. It's a message board for, of all things, sports. As bad of advice as anyone could give here, I think it would be wise to point out that anyone coming here as their definitive source for all things child development is just as at fault for taking bad advice as anyone giving it. After all, it is a discussion forum. If you are involved in such discussions, you should always seek the advice of professionals over something you read on Cyclone fanatic.

I just point this out to say that we really shouldn't be all to harsh on each other here for something like this considering it's as much the fault of the OP as it is of anyone who responded with their personal experiences. Which, imo, is what you are going to get from a sports messag board.

[Clonehomer]

Our pediatrician told us the plan below and it worked as long as they didn't have ear infections.

First night: Let them cry 7 minutes. Then pick them up calm them down and lay the back in the crib still awake. Repeat until they fall asleep.Second night: 8 minutes
Third night: 9 minutes
And so on.
It took about 5 days to get them to fall asleep on their own. The trick was that they need to learn to fall asleep without being held.