73 responses so far ↓

• 1 Lia // Oct 6, 2009 at 10:27 am

  Hi there,
  I have a 6 month old daughter who does sleep quite well, but I would like to eliminate her use of a pacifier to fall asleep. Do you have any suggestions on how to reduce her need for sucking to fall asleep?

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  Reply by Tania De IUlio:
  October 6th, 2009 at 6:56 pm

  I would love to know what she said to help you with this please let me know.
  Thank you!

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• 2 Brittany // Oct 6, 2009 at 10:27 am

  My 5 and a half month old daughter was starting to do alright with sleeping. She was beginning to get into a regualr napping routine, and she would only get up once at night to eat (around 3:30 or so usually) and then sleep to between 7 and 8. This was manageable for me! Then we went away to visit my in-laws for the weekend, and now she’s doing okay with napping somedays, not others, and waking up a few times again during the night. Her sleeping patterns are all over the place, and it’s already been just over a week that we’ve been home. How can I fix this problem?? Is there any way to take her to another place for a weekend without this happening every time?? Thanks!

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  Reply by Dina Afifi:
  October 7th, 2009 at 3:14 am

  Hi Brittany
  You know I faced this problem with my son who’s nine months now. The problem with him is that he CAN’t sleep unless he is in his own bed and his own room. I found that a great problem. Sleeping patterns totally change when we go visit my parents for a weekend or so. What I used to do is when I get back is not giving in to his cries. He just protests and cries his heart out, but I insist that he sleeps on his own again. Things go on this way until he’s back to normal. You know I can’t find other solution but taking his crib with me when going out of home. That’s the only solution I can come to. Wish you good luck.

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• 3 Tina // Oct 6, 2009 at 10:37 am

  I am expecting again and i am due May 2010. My son is almost 2 years old, he will be in December of this year. The problem I am having is not him getting to sleep by himself b/c at night we give him a bath and then he comes to sit on the couch with us and he falls asleep without our help. But he still sleeps in the bed with us. We have tried putting him in his own bed but then at about 2 or 3 in the morning he wakes up and will not go back to sleep unless he is in our bed. This new baby will not ever sleep with us that is a rule me and my husband have made. But how do i get my son out of our bed for good? And he sleeps all night too it’s just if he is in his own bed he won’t. Thanks

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  Reply by candace:
  October 6th, 2009 at 3:35 pm

  i would love to know what she said to help you with this please let me know.
  Thank you!

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  Reply by katy hill:
  October 7th, 2009 at 10:00 am

  Please let me know too I have a 17 month old and am expecting in april so he will be two by then. He goes to bed in his own crib by 8 every night then he wakes on the dot at 2 every night and wont go back to sleep without coming into our bed!!! He has slept much better than this before but we always give in because we work and need some sleep if i dont let him in our bed he stays awake all night then it distrupts the next day etc. please help me im desperate

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• 4 Tracy // Oct 6, 2009 at 10:41 am

  Hi Dana,
  This is not a question re. sleeping. I thought I read somewhere that u also have a program for finiky eaters. Do u offer such a thing?

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  Reply by Lyndsi:
  November 3rd, 2009 at 5:27 pm

  http://www.kidsfoodcenter.com/

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• 5 grammy // Oct 6, 2009 at 10:48 am

  Tyler,who is now 15 months old, goes to bed fine but then wakes up about four hours later crying ,followed by a temper tantrum,throwing himself against the rails of the crib,until we get him and bring him in our bed.
  How do we stop this.?

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• 6 Sarah // Oct 6, 2009 at 10:49 am

  My 1-year-old has never gone to sleep on her own. We have to rock her to sleep or sometimes she falls asleep breastfeeding. I don’t understand how I can put her in her crib and have her fall asleep with me sitting beside her. She is wide awake and alert, standing up and crying no matter what time we put her in the crib. Are there some babies that will just not put themselves to sleep?

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  Reply by Dina Afifi:
  October 7th, 2009 at 3:18 am

  Well Sarah I thins the answer of your question is NO. The point is that you have to exert a little effort. I know a lot of parents who resist this idea stubbornly, arguing that their children go on crying and do not stop. True that this process is somehow daunting for you as a parent but it is worthwhile. You have to exert a great effort to get this result. You know, there are individual differences. My elder son, for instance, spent only one night of crying and hassling. However, it took me about a month for my second son to sleep on his own without making any troubles. Just take your time, get started and be very patient.

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• 7 Amie Perez // Oct 6, 2009 at 11:06 am

  I used your method when Raymond was just one and it worked instantly and he sleeps through the night. Back in June we had another baby. When I came home from the hospital we continued with Raymonds (now 2 1/2 years old) routine but now once he is placed in the crib he insists that I sit down in the rocking chair while he is in the crib. I have tried on several occasions to let him cry it out (as long as 15 mins) but always end up breaking down since my newborn is a wonderful sleeper and is already going down by 8pm and sleeping through the night….so I don’t want to risk waking my newborn. Basically I have become his “prop” and can’t seem to shake it. He takes a one hour nap daily and we start our routine at 730pm. What else can I try?

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• 8 Lindsey Boasso // Oct 6, 2009 at 11:09 am

  My 4 month old sleeps in the bed with us and he does not go through the night just yet, though when he wakes at 1AM and 5AM for a feed they are usually very light….making me wounder if he even needs both of them. I am wanting some suggestions as to how to ween him while he is still in bed with us- not letting him cry it out alone in his own crib though. My goal is to get him to go from 10PM to 5AM right now, can you help??!!

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• 9 Diana // Oct 6, 2009 at 11:48 am

  I have a 4 yr. old who is a great sleeper in her own bedroom and a 5 month old who sleeps in her own crib but in our bedroom. She has started sleeping from 7PM until about 3 or 4AM. She wakes then and coos and yells for about an hour and then falls back asleep eventually. My husband and I can put up with this but I’d like to put the girls in the same room soon. When could I do that if the baby is still waking in the middle of the night? I don’t want to disrupt my older daughter.

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• 10 Fred Siegele // Oct 6, 2009 at 12:23 pm

  Dear Dana,
  We are the proud parents of a 5-1/2 year old girl who in the last 6 months or so has developed an unfortunate habit of waking at 2:00 am and then comes in our bedroom. Most of the time we are both too dead dog tired to take her back into her bedroom and put her back down. Wherever she ends up she falls right back asleep within 10 minutes and my wife and I can’t get back to sleep. When we ask her why are you waking up in the middle of the night, she tells us she is afraid of the shadows. We keep on small nightlight on in her room. I have even shut that off some nights but it does not matter. Any thoughts on how to get her to sleep thru the night again?

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  Reply by Laurel:
  October 11th, 2009 at 4:04 pm

  To Fred
  My younger sister did that for a while. The solution that worked was to relocate the nightlight (to create different shadows) and then tell some happy stories about the new shadows for a few bedtime stories. It took away her scary associations and she could go back to sleep after that.

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  Reply by Lyndsi:
  November 3rd, 2009 at 5:32 pm

  We put a digital clock in our son’s room and covered up the minutes (with tape) told him he couldn’t get up until the clock said 7. He loved having his own clock and liked knowing when he could get up. For him the problem was that he would wake up in the night and not know if it was time to get up or not so come looking for us. Giving him some control was the perfect thing for him! Good luck!

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• 11 Sarah Szyc // Oct 6, 2009 at 12:34 pm

  Hi Dana,
  Help! My son is almost 2 years old and is still waking up EVERY night at least a couple of times. We have always had a consistent bedtime routine but he remians unable to fall asleep on his own.
  Here’s what’s been happening: I used to rock him to sleep as he was never a self soother. My husband was not able to help put him to bed as he was hysterical unless “Mama” put him to sleep. This was fine until he wouldn’t stay in my arms and started stalling his bedtime. My husband now (at my desperate asking) lies with him (while he yells “Mommy come!” at bedtime (I do the naps) but it is taking an hour or 2 for him to settle.
  We can’t go on like this and due to the ongoing exhaustion he have resorted to him coming into our bed when he wakes at night. I know this is not the answer but when I lie with him in his room throughout the night he wakes again as soon as I try to leave. Can you please help??
  Sleepless Sarah

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  Reply by Tara:
  October 6th, 2009 at 1:15 pm

  Hi Sarah
  I am having the same problem as you. I end up falling asleep with my almost 2 year old daughter. That is the only way I feel I can get some sleep. When she wakes she asks for a bottle and waits till I lay down with her again. Emma has now stopped taking naps. I need help too. If you try any methods that work please let me know. I will do the same for you. Thanks
  Tara

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  Reply by Sarah:
  October 9th, 2009 at 8:28 pm

  Hi Tara,
  Thanks for letting me know I am not alone…I will certianly remember you if I can find a solution. I am fortunate that Benjamin gave the bottle up pretty easily but the soother is another story!
  Kindly, Sarah

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• 12 Dana // Oct 6, 2009 at 1:01 pm

  Hi Tracy,

  Yes, you can find that at http://www.kidsfoodcenter.com.

  Thanks,

  Regan
  Sleep Sense Customer Service

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• 13 Suzanne // Oct 6, 2009 at 1:07 pm

  Hi Dana,

  I just had a baby and my 2 year old has decided that she no longer wants to nap. She’s quickly getting overly tired and I’d like to get her back to her normal routine, but don’t know how. She normally sleeps 11 hours at night and has a 2-3 hour afternoon nap, then back to bed at 7:30pm. But since my son was born, she’s been skipping her nap altogether. I’ve been leaving her in her crib for 3 hours during nap time, and she’s quite happy to stay there, but won’t sleep. So now, I have to put her to bed much earlier just to get her caught up on sleep. How can I get her to nap again?

  Thanks,
  Suzanne

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• 14 Erika // Oct 6, 2009 at 1:12 pm

  I have a 2yr old that has never slept threw the night. My husband and i worked hard at weaning her from using anything to help her fall asleep. I was hoping once i did that she would sleep 10 to 12 hrs straight, but that has not been the case. We have a specific routine for nap and bed time and she falls asleep by her self after a book, but wakes many times in the night. We are working on potty training at night so when she does wake i take her potty and put her back in her bed, but some times its not about that and she comes in every 2hrs and we sometimes give in and put her in bed w/ us and i don’t sleep well w/ her in our bed so one of us gets out. I am also pregnant and due in June so do not want to deal w/ her and a new born. Please Help!!
  Thanks
  Erika Jennings
  Annabell Jennings 2yr old

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• 15 Jane // Oct 6, 2009 at 1:24 pm

  My 9 month was doing well for awhile. We would bathe then give a bottle. Then we’d sing a goodnight song, put him into the crib, out his “lovey” on his chest and lights out. He’d sleep until 6:30-7. Recently, he’s been waking up a few times in the night– usually it’s less than a minute of “talking” or crying and then he’d fall asleep again. Unfortunately, he would also do that around 5:30 and sometimes wouldn’t go back to sleep. Invariably, he might poop and then couldn’t go back to sleep. We would try waiting for 10-30 minutes but usually the “talking” would escalate into crying, and he then wouldn’t be able to fall asleep. I would try going back in and saying “good night: and sing him the same lullaby and place the lovey back on his chest. But then he would usually start screaming and crying as soon as he realized he wasn’t getting picked up. Any way to get him to sleep to a later hour?

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• 16 Amanda Melancon // Oct 6, 2009 at 1:28 pm

  My son will be three in October. He has never been a good sleeper. Recently I was determined to get rid of the “noo noo” all together. (he was only using it at bedtime) It was so so so hard because he would cry and cry for it every night. So, and I know this was terrible, I started letting him sleep with me and my husband because he would be ok with out the noopie if we did this. Now we have a new problem, he won’t get out of my bed. If I try to put him in his bed he not only cries because he wants to be in my bed, but he will ask for the noo noo too. He is very very strong willed and persistent. He will cry for hours and hours if he doesn’t get his way. What should I do?? Please help, my husband and I need our bed back. Sincerely, Amanda

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• 17 ellen watkins // Oct 6, 2009 at 1:32 pm

  My son that is 2 1/2 yrs. old is afraid that there might be monsters on the wall so he wakes up crying and is very afraid.

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  Reply by Dina Afifi:
  October 7th, 2009 at 4:45 am

  plz check out this link
  http://www.parenting-ed.org/handout3/Specific%20Concerns%20and%20Problems/fear%20of%20the%20dark.htm

  if you search the web you’ll find a host of links

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• 18 Lucy Kondyra // Oct 6, 2009 at 1:32 pm

  I am expecting another baby the beginning of Jan and my son will be 21/2. We are in the process of slowly moving my son to a big boy bed so the baby can have the nursery. The room is finished for william-do you have any advice on how to make this transition smooth for him? I have followed your program and he is an EXCELLENT sleeper. 12 hrs. at noght and a 2-3 hr nap during the day. My biggest fear taking the crib away is losing the good sleeper that he is. He did however yesterday in front of me jump out of the crib for the 1st time-but hasn’t done it again. Thanks Lucy

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• 19 Jeanette Gromko // Oct 6, 2009 at 1:53 pm

  My son is 10M and he was sleeping through the night. Lately he been waking up once a night. Our bedtime routine consist of bath, pajamas, stories, bottle, and laying him down awake. What am I doing wrong?

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• 20 Kate // Oct 6, 2009 at 2:12 pm

  My 9 month old daughter has never been a good sleeper. She wakes up five or six times a night, only sleeping for an hour or two at a time. She is currently sleeping half night in her crib in her own room, and half the night in my bed with me (only because I get so tired of going back and forth between rooms.) Normally she needs to be rocked to sleep and I find that she falls asleep easier with a pacifier. I’ve tried taking the pacifier away from her, but that just results in even less sleep for me. I realize that the problem is that she doesn’t know how to fall asleep on her own, however I am having a hard time figuring out how to teach her. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, as I am desperate at this point!

  Thanks,
  Kate

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• 21 Sabrina // Oct 6, 2009 at 2:43 pm

  Hi Dana

  I have now a 10 month old son who still doesn’t do his nights. My husband and I are exausted! The only why he will fall a sleep for the whole intire night is by putting him on our chest until he’s fully asleep and lay him in between us. Of course this is the worst way but as it’s sad to say it’s the only way we can sleep through the night. We tried to make him cry until he falls a sleep but like my other son when they get nervous while crying they through up!!! Anyways please help.

  Thank you in advance.
  Sabrina

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• 22 shalita // Oct 6, 2009 at 2:55 pm

  I have a 3 month old who only goes to sleep on a pillow, and on top of all that I have a 2 year old who is going through that terrible 2 stage. Im so exhausted. Sleep is something that I barely get. My son who is 3 months old will not go to sleep for a period of time if hes not laying on a pillow on someones lap. I really dont know what to do. I never get a nap anymore. When I go to work im so exhausted and stressed. What can I do???

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• 23 Carlene // Oct 6, 2009 at 3:02 pm

  Hi Dana,

  My daughter 2 yrs old has never slept through the night. She no longer takes a bottle, has no soother and I feel we have a pretty good bedtime routine. We always give her several warnings that bed time is approaching. She has been in her big girl bed for just over 6 months and we have had a real hard time getting her to sleep and to stay asleep since then. My husband and I have resorted to laying down with her until she falls asleep. She is very strong willed and has had night terrors in the past. It is very hard for us to tell when she wakes up if she is having a night terror or just having a temper tantrum. She will wake up and ask for random things and acts weird. Do you have any suggestions on how to help with the night waking?
  Thanks!
  Carlene

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• 24 shein // Oct 6, 2009 at 3:14 pm

  Hi Dana,

  My 3 year old is a graduate of your program. We spoke to you when he was 7 months old and since then he has been falling asleep by himself and staying asleep every night and at nap times.

  In the last 2months he began waking up at night and crying. Thinking he was having nightmares, I would go in, sooth and put him back down - awake and leave. He was able to fall asleep as usual. This has now been going on for over 2 months and it seems there is no end in sight. He is up about 4 times per night and last night was up every hour.

  He cries a lot when I just go in and say it’s sleepy time and try to leave. He then says he needs to go to the bathroom or needs to blow his nose from all the crying.

  Help. What should I do?
  Shein

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• 25 Sarah // Oct 6, 2009 at 3:19 pm

  I have a 5month old son and he has only ever slept throught the night maybe twice. I normally bath, feed and put him to sleep at 6.70-7pm. Every night he wakes up atleast 3 to 4 times and i breast feed him until he falls back into a sleep. He is on solids and i no he is eating enough through the day. I have also tryed feeding him while he is asleep at 10pm but he still continues to wake. What can i do?

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  Reply by devona:
  October 9th, 2009 at 2:19 pm

  hi sarah

  \i have the same problem with my almost 10mnth old,i also got into a ba habit of putting him in my bed to feed him breast everytime he woke up at least 3-5 times,its the only way to get any sleep as i dont want the rest of the house to wake up,id love to know if Dana gave you advise as to how to eliminate this problem,we started the crying down method lastnight,will give it a few more days and see if it works,ive resorted to sleeping in the lounge as his cot is in our room and my partner has been dealing with the screaming!!if it works in a couple of days ill let you know:)nice to know im not the only one..thanks
  devona

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  Reply by Sarah:
  October 9th, 2009 at 4:22 pm

  For the last couple of nights when he wakes i just say shh everytime he sturrs (just standing in his room but not so he can see me) or makes a noise and he normally settles down in about 30 seconds. Witch is awesome. He is only waking twice at the moment. Its a huge difference to waking 5 times.
  Sarah

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• 26 Denise // Oct 6, 2009 at 4:36 pm

  My daughter is 2.5 years old. She is a good sleeper, goes down without a fuss most nights. For whatever reason, she seems to have periods / spells where she will go down at the normal time, but she is up 30- 90 minutes earlier than ususal, and you can’t get her to go back to bed till her normal rise time. We recently went through a spell like this were it lasted 4 weeks! I tried putting her to bed a little bit earlier, and when that didn’t work, I kept her on her normal schedule. It is tough when she is getting up before the rest of us! Can you provide any insight on why or how to get her back down for that 30-90 minute time frame?

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• 27 Roxanne // Oct 6, 2009 at 5:30 pm

  Hi Dana,

  I have a 10 month old (8 months corrected) and he sleeps quite well at night, although lately has been waking at night for a pat and then goes straight back to sleep. Is this just a comfort thing? Is it just because he wants to make sure I still exist? He is not in pain with teething and I dont know if I should try to cut it out or keep going in and patting him.

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• 28 Joy Mitchell // Oct 6, 2009 at 5:35 pm

  Hi,
  My daughter is 19 months and is almost pooty trained; she can read a few words and is very bright! My only problem with her is I cant get her to eat. She may eat an egg for breakfast, but not much more throughout the day. She drinks two milk bottles a day and wakes up at least once and has to be rocked back to sleep. When I weined her off of the breast she slept through the night, but now that she drinks the bottle she wakes up. I quit giving her one at night, so she doesnt ask for one, but she still wakes up. What should I do? I’m due with my second Dec 4, I cant be up with two!!!

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• 29 Joy Mitchell // Oct 6, 2009 at 5:37 pm

  Also what can I do to get her to eat, so she doesnt wake up starving in the middle of the night?

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• 30 Geraldine // Oct 6, 2009 at 7:01 pm

  The sleep sense program is going well on night 3. But my daughter gets very apprehensive if at night time or during the day I leave the room to get something and the door half closes. Is this a side effect that will wear off. She is very sensitive and I don’t want to break one pattern and create another.

  Thank you

  Geraldine

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• 31 michaela // Oct 6, 2009 at 9:17 pm

  I have an 8 week old baby and she only sleeps for around 45 minutes at sleep time during the day. How do i extend this time for her.?She has wind and this can come on around the same time.

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• 32 Vicky // Oct 6, 2009 at 11:56 pm

  Hi

  My son is 23 months old and has been overall a good sleeper until about 7 weeks ago. He cries for me up to 6 times a night and wants to come into bed with me and my husband. He wont calm down with my husband and screams for “Mummy”. The only way to calm him is for me to lay next to him. He goes to bed with a dummy(Sorry in Australia we call it a dummy. pacifier?). He goes off to sleep fine no problems. We read books on the lounge before going to his bed for 1 more book before I say good night to him and leave his room. He doesnt cry with me leaving him. However he will wake about 2 hours later and then just continually wake wanting me to be next to him. I have recently gone back to work and not sure if this has anything to do with his constant waking and wanting me either. Or is he just using me as a sleeping tool? HELP?!!! what can I do to ensure he sleeps through the night in his own bed and so I can too!

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• 33 jenni // Oct 7, 2009 at 2:17 am

  My daughter is 2 and a half. She goes to bed with a tip cup of water. This can be a problem for two reasons, 1 she often want more than 1 cup full to get to sleep and then wets through her nappy. 2 she often wakes once or twice a night wanting more water. So my question is

  How (and should) I say no to giving her water at night?

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• 34 Hanan // Oct 7, 2009 at 4:59 am

  My eight month old baby is lost in her sleep pattern after having daylight saving now we are delayed to put her to sleep and hour after her sleep.

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• 35 sarah // Oct 7, 2009 at 5:29 am

  Hi Dana

  Do you have any suggestions for a smooth transition from cot to big girl bed. Our 2 yr 2 month year old has started climbing out of her cot at night and in the evening. She tries to stal bed time by trying to climb out or crying until she is lifted out. Then a quick cuddle back in and to sleep. I dont know if a bit girl bed is the anwer to her trying to get out, or whether this would make it worse and she would try and get out in the nigh and find us?
  Any ideas, thanks Sarah

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• 36 Marina // Oct 7, 2009 at 9:56 am

  I have a 13 month girl who is still eating 5oz of milk at night, usually at 3am. A week a go she started to refuse a bottle before going to bed. So I really don’t think she needs a bottle to fall asleep. She has no problem falling asleep for the night but during the night she cries because she is hungry at 3am unless she has milk from the bottle she won’t stop crying. What do we do, to get her sleeping through the night.

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• 37 wendy // Oct 7, 2009 at 10:09 am

  my daughter needs a bottle to fall a sleep and this was not by choice. At the age of three months she developed reflux and pneumonia was to get her to fall asleep and then she would eat a small amount. She looked at the bottle as pain (understandable) however; since then she will still not take a bottle awake, which is why she falls asleep with a bottle at bed time. She is only 10 months old and still has reflux which she is being treated for. So during the night she still wants a bottle to fall back to sleep, she will go back to sleep with out one, but she needs to be rocked or patted on the back in her crib, only to wake anywhere from half and hour to hour later and do it all over again. Oh I should mention, that when she does wake ( which can be 2 hours or 5 hours ) after going to bed, you can hear her stomach growl. So I can’t justify not giving her a bottle if I hear her little tummy.

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• 38 Evon Ratliff // Oct 7, 2009 at 9:08 pm

  Hi Dana,
  I wrote to you back when my son was about 6 months old and not sleeping, waking up screaming serveral times a night and not going back to sleep for 2-3 hours, no matter if he was in his crib or in our bed.Well he is now 13 months old and we are lost, we just do not no what to do any more, have giving up all hope that he will ever sleep thru the night or even longer then 2 hours.He is getting worse if anything, he is uncontrollable thru out the night. We have taken him to so many Dr’s and we just can’t let him cry it out because that has’nt worked and it’s getting to us. please what are we doing wrong with are child.

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• 39 Chrystal // Oct 7, 2009 at 10:37 pm

  Hi Dana,
  I have a 5 month old son who still cries when I put him to sleep for naps and bedtime. I am really struggling with this because it makes me feel horrible. We have had a few days here and there where he has not cried, but just when I think we have had a break through and the crying at sleep time is over, it starts all over again. I have been following your program since August and the results were amazing for helping him to sleep through the night! When he gets to sleep at night he typically sleeps for 10-12 hours (waking1-2 times for a feed and right back to sleep). Our bedtime routine consists of bath at 5:30, massage, pj’s, nursing and then to bed awake around 6:30 pm (although most of the time drowsy from the nursing). I make sure to prevent him from falling asleep while nursing at night as well. He wakes anywhere between 6 and 7:30 in the morning and then doesn’t have a consistent nap schedule during the day as he has been most difficult to train nap wise. I try to put him down for naps often throughout the day as I notice he is not able to handle much more than 1 1/2 hrs of awake time. However, he still cries and sometimes cries until it is time for his next feed. When he does get off to sleep for a nap, usually it only last for 45min and he is never able to return to sleep after that (even if I try to go in to soothe him when I begin to hear him stir). I am hoping my son will reach a “sleep maturity” point where he will no longer cry at bedtime. I always feel so guilty, as if I abdoning him when I leave the room, however, the stay in the room method is too hard on me because I just want to hold him. Just wondering if there is anything else you can suggest that I may be missing.

  thanks, any comments are much appreciated!
  Chrystal

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• 40 Lisa Ditty // Oct 7, 2009 at 10:51 pm

  I have a two yrold who has not been a good sleeper. I have purchased your book and it helped out alot when she was about 9 months old but we are having a problems again she wakes at 5.00am and sometimes even wakes during the night but i can normally get her back to sleep with me just patting her but at 5 she will not. I am due to have a baby any day now can you help me out. My 2 yrold is in a bed

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• 41 Sharon // Oct 7, 2009 at 11:45 pm

  Hello
  I was just wondering if giving a baby (6 months or older) a bottle at night in the crib will work to help them settle more during bedtime? Should you give it to them when you put them to bed and lay them down?

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• 42 Rim // Oct 8, 2009 at 7:31 am

  Hi Dana,
  I have a 6 week old boy whom I am having difficulty on putting him on a sleep routine. He wakes up every 2 hours at night to feed. What should I do?? Could you pls give me a sleep scheduel for him. Pls not that I have to take care of my 6 1/2yrs old and 5yrs old boys as well. So I need the sleep at nite.
  Thanks
  rim

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• 43 abby // Oct 8, 2009 at 11:20 am

  Hi my son is 8 1/2 month right now. He can crawl but can not sit on his own is this normal i am stating to get worried any suggestion.
  thanks

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• 44 michelle // Oct 8, 2009 at 4:42 pm

  Hi, My baby is almost 10 months and has never slept through the night. He goes down without problem falling asleep on his own in his cot, but he wakes at least 2 or 3 times during the night crying. he still looks for a feed at about 3am but the other times he just seems to want to know i’m there. (he is quite clingy most of the time anyway!) is this just the way he is? do you think he could still be hungry? or maybe teething? just don’t know!!! have tried controlled crying a few times but afer hours of crying for days on end i give up and put it down to teething. He sleeps in a cot in his own room, but even on the rare occassion i have brought him in beside me he still wakes. Please help! feel like I have tried everything, going back to work in a few weeks and i’m soooo tired all the time!!!. thanks michelle

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• 45 Cindy // Oct 8, 2009 at 10:10 pm

  I have a question about nap consolidation. My son is 18 months old and is starting to only nap once a day vs two naps previously. I am trying to oush back his morning nap and I am now getting him in at 11 am (he goes in awake and falls asleep on his own) he is only napping from 1- 1 1/2 hrs. And that is it for the day. I am trying to move the nap gradually to after lunch around 12:30 - 1pm. Will the nap become longer because I have read the nap should be 2- 2 1/2 hrs long (which is what he was getting in 2 separate naps)

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• 46 Leisa // Oct 9, 2009 at 2:04 am

  Hi Dana,

  I have a 2 month girl and she dosent like to sleep during the day. She will nap for maybe 30mins 3-4 times, then come about 7pm she is sooo overtired that all she wants to do is scream. Just for a means to an end and to give my family some peace, I have walked 5 laps of our street, sat up all night with her. For the the last week I have had about 30 hrs sleep. Her eyes are all red from not sleeping. Im so tired that I am snappy and cranky all the time, Please can you help me and my family before I drive them even more insane

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• 47 Zeina // Oct 9, 2009 at 5:11 am

  Hi Dana

  My baby girl is 8 months old now and she had been a great sleeper up until around two months ago she now goes to sleep around 7 pm and wakes up at 10:30 OR 1:00am and wont go back to sleep for 3 hours i will pat and rock her and she will be in arms trying to sleep but wont for 3 hours… Then when she does fall asleep she will asleep till the morning

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• 48 Kara Braun // Oct 9, 2009 at 11:00 am

  I have a 5 month old (Porter) who falls asleep on his own at bedtime and naptime but still wakes up in the middle of the night every three hours. Is there a method to use other then letting him cry it out?

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• 49 devona // Oct 9, 2009 at 2:08 pm

  hi my son is almost 10 months and ahs never slept through the night,i know i created the problem because he has always gone to sleep on my breast and i deman fed him form the beginning and he has also slept in my room,lately ive been too tired to sleep train him,but i cannot function anymore since i take him to my bed when he wakes up 3-4 times in the night for a feed,its been easier to sleep while i feed him.i read as many books as i could but am not confident that it will work,i started the crying down method lastnight and im confused if i should continue with every nap time during the day,please can you help me im desperate to teach him .thanks

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• 50 Christina // Oct 9, 2009 at 6:58 pm

  Our son is 4 months old. We’ve been working hard all along to establish good sleep associations. By 3 months, he was on a good track–we’d put him in his crib sleepy, but still awake and he’d go down the rest of the way on his own. For the past several weeks, he’s really started to fight it. He screams and cries and writhes around, sometimes for hours. I’ve checked with my son’s pediatrician and she offers no advice–she doesn’t seem to think there’s any medical reason for his screaming. We don’t want to leave him to cry it out. He just gets really upset and throws up. We’ve worked really hard to make sure he gets good naps, we have a good bedtime routine which worked before, and he goes to bed early (between 6-7pm).

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  Reply by Jessica Randall:
  October 10th, 2009 at 12:05 am

  My son is 4.5 months old and I have been sleep training him since 2 weeks. He has cried it out for naps and is doing well going to sleep. We use no props and he soothes himself to sleep. My problem has been early waking from his naps. 95% of the time he wakes at the 45 min mark. I know its sleep transistion but I do not understand why he can’t soothe himself back to sleep since he goes down soothing himself. I have tried shorter waketime, longer waketime. currently its around 1.5 hours. I feed him every 3 hours and he is in bed for the night at 7 (I wake him and feed him at 10) and sleeps till 7 waking 2 times to eat. Both times he wakes are very random. They don’t seem to be habitual wakings so I just figured he is hungry but he is taking less and less in the morning and spitting up more, so I know he doesn’t need the feedings. I have tried CIO for the 1-3ish feeding and he would cry mildly for 30mins. I tried cry it out for 5am feeding and he cried for about an hour and I got him at 6. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you

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• 51 ana // Oct 9, 2009 at 10:18 pm

  i have a son that is 5 onths old and he doesn’t sleep through the night . He wakes up every 2 or 3 hours . I allso have a 3 year old girl that wakes up early so i’m allways very tried .What can i do to get my son to sleep through the night.

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• 52 Mary // Oct 11, 2009 at 9:46 am

  Hello,
  I have a 3 month old baby that I just can’t seem to get her into a regular nap routine. She wakes up at around 6:30- 7a.m. and then needs to nap at around 8:30-9a.m. The problem is she doesn’t nap for more than 1 hour (sometimes less) and then is up for 1 hour and a half and then is tired again and needs to nap agian. The problem is that instead of givng me 2 good naps and maybe a shorter one in early evening she gives me 5-6 small naps which is very difficult to schedule around. Is this normal for a 3 month old and how to I get her to nap for longer???
  Thank you,

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• 53 claire // Oct 11, 2009 at 2:34 pm

  I have a 2 yr old son who goes to bed at 7, i have to sit by his bed till he drops off which takes approx 15-20 min, I need to get out of this habit as im expecting in march and will need to be a bit more free, if i leave the room he is constantly in and out of bed. Also he is waking at about 430 and 5 and will not go back to sleep, as of yet I have resisted taking him into my bed as I dont want to strt this but find myself going down with him and sleeping on the couch while he plays, how do I get him back to sleep at this time of morning

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• 54 Karen // Oct 11, 2009 at 8:45 pm

  Hi Dana
  Our son is 16mths old, he has been a fabulous sleeper both night and day until about the last 6-8 weeks, I could put him down at any time and he would put himself to sleep - I have never put him down to bed asleep. Now when he goes to bed day and night, as soon as I start to leave the room he is standing and screaming and screaming (like terror screaming). I have been very ill since May and receiving treatment that makes me very sick so it was easy to pop him into bed with us as we were all exhausted and now of course that’s where he wants to be at night. He needs one of us to settle him to sleep now, but he can’t stay asleep and wakes up between 4-6 times a night with this screaming. He is a thumb sucker but that doesn’t help him settle either. I am so exhausted and beside myself, I just don’t know what to do. He has a solid routine that has always worked well. I absolutely cannot bear to do the cry it out method. During the day he now needs one of us to settle him and will sleep for approx 1.5 hours once he gets there. Desperate for some advice and help! Thanks.

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• 55 Eracel Perico // Oct 13, 2009 at 12:39 am

  Dana, since the first day that I have my baby, I never have had a good sleep. Until now he gave me a lot of stress. He don’t go to bed at 7 or 8 pm. He usually, go to sleep at about 12:30am, 1 or 2am. I am freaking out, tired and until now he doesn’t want to sleep in his bed or crib. He slept with me everynight. If I will put him in his crib he cries when he awakes and he wants me to get him right away. And everytime he wakes up he wants milk and he doesn’t want to wait, he wants me to carry him to go and get a milk in the kitchen. God, even I am inside the bathroom he still wanna go with me. Dana, I really need your help and a big advise. thank you so much and God Bless you!

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• 56 Jennifer n Marty // Oct 13, 2009 at 2:16 pm

  Dana, please help my son who is 5 mths and my daughter who is 2.5 just wont sleep through the night. Or for the love of god take long naps!!! I am at a loss at what to do for kayla, she wakes 2-3x’s a night and only wants me to put her back to sleep. And my son who is now 5mths and is 16 pounds, healthy, although was very colic in the beginning needs to have me or his father rock him to sleep!! I did that with my daughter for 15mths and I SWORE never again! And look what’s happening!!! I can’t get him to sleep or stay asleep. Or kayla through the night we even still go in and lay with her until she’s out!! Slowly losing my mind I never sleep ever!!!!!!!!

  HELP!

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• 57 hellena // Oct 14, 2009 at 12:34 am

  Hi there my little son now is 4 mths and I didn’t have any prloblem to fall him asleep he sleep every night 11hours and every day 4 to 6 hours adn now he coudn’t sleep I don’t know why I dont know what to do with him he fall a sleep but he cant how may I give back my son like he was i tried to do the best but doesnt work help me if know how I in trouble my little one
  pleas hel me

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• 58 melissa // Oct 21, 2009 at 10:11 pm

  Dear Dana,
  My problem right now with Gavin at night time is weaning him to the bottle. He is six months old today and REFUSES to take a bottle of any kind! Ive tried every type of bottle,nipple, formula, breast milk…. he won’t do it. I am having some health issues and am not making enough milk for him. It is no longer good for my health to continue. So he’s not sleeping…he’s hungry! Im feeding him 1st foods three times a day also. He has gone 8 hrs while im at work refusing to take the bottle. Im never sleeping, not to mention my 3 year old up at night also. I would be greatful for any suggestion you or any other moms might have! Help!
  Melissa

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• 59 Debbie Fallon // Nov 8, 2009 at 8:26 am

  Hi Dana, I have a two and half year old girl, who was a good sleeper and slept through the night most of the time. She was recently quite ill and was waking in the night. We made the mistake of bringing her into our bed. We have also moved her from a crib to a bed. She now says she does not want to go to bed. We have tried being forceful with her and also moved her older sister in with her. We have just started a bedtime routine of a drink and then a bed and a story. Unfortunately she is still waking in the night any where from 3am onwards, she screams for me and refuses to get back in bed unless I get in with her. Ant help or advise would be greatly appreciated as this is having an effect on me.
  Debbie

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