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Hi! I’m Dana Obleman, creator of The Sleep Sense Program. If you’d rather read than watch, I’ve transcribed the text of this video below.
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Hi! I’m Dana Obleman creator of The Sleep Sense Program.
This week’s question comes from Serit who writes:
“Matan is five months old and I cannot get him to sleep from more than a 20 minute cat nap. Can this be changed?”
Well Serit, that is a really common question and I hear it just about from all of my clients. It is a very common thing for a baby to take a 20 to 45 minute nap. Especially if they are transferred from a different place they started. If I were to rock my baby to sleep and then try to transfer him to his crib, I could be pretty sure that 20 minutes to 40 minutes later, he is going to wake up. Usually those babies wake up crying because they are not in the same spot they were when they fell asleep and that can be a bit frightening.
They tend to wake up a bit startled and start crying. It is not likely enough sleep, but it was just enough that it is going to be hard now to try to get them back to sleep. In order for a baby to take a nice long nap they need to be in the same place they fell asleep. I would plan Matan’s day so that (at five months old) he can be napping roughly every two hours. Let’s say he woke up at 7 a.m., this means that by 9am he should be ready for his first morning nap. He should be going to his bedroom and having a story or singing a song; just a little bit of a pre-nap routine at that stage so he knows that nap time is coming. Then he should go into the crib awake where he should be learning to put himself to sleep. Once he has mastered that, he will start sleeping longer than 20 minutes.
Now, it does not come right away…Basically at the end of one sleep cycle, which is roughly 30 to 40 minutes, there is a little breath where children flutter their eyes and come to the surface of sleep. What you want them to do is just slide right in to the next cycle but if they fell asleep in your arms, then will have that little wake up in the crib, start crying and now they won’t be able go back.
If he is a chronic “short napper” then it is going to take time for him to train his body to start sleeping more consolidated for nap time. What you can try in the meantime if you hear him at the 20 or 30 minute mark, is go in really quickly and you can try to get him back to sleep with some gentle touch or some shushing; you can pat his back a little bit, or bounce the mattress lightly and lay it on a little thicker than I recommend you do for the initial lay down.
It will be much better if you can save that nap and get him into another cycle so that he has a fairly solid nap. He will be refreshed and you can keep your day going nicely. Give it about 10 minutes of trying; if it works, it usually works right away. If it has not worked after 10 or 15 minutes of trying, then it is probably not going to because he has had that cat nap so you just have to get him up. Try to make it to next routine/scheduled nap time and if he does not quite have the stamina to go the full two hours again, then you could go a little sooner. It is a bit of work but you can definitely get him sleeping longer than twenty minutes. You will find that he will be much happier when he is awake if he has slept longer.
Good luck with that and thanks for your question. Sleep well!
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To ask a question about your child’s sleep, just leave it in the ‘Comments’ section below! I’ll choose one and create a new video answer each week!
hi, with my 11 dd, i always try to catch her naps times as soon as i see her tired, if i leave it too long after her naptime it affects her for the rest of the day and by bedtime she is past exhaustion, restless, irritable ect. she needs her morning and afternoon nap also and sleeps all night 7pm-7am i keep a tight schedule. she is so active and i guess she needs her sleep to recharge batterys, ive also changed her milk to soya as she was such a windy baby, so grizzly all day and everyday. i tried everything (doctors, hv, everything and nothing helped, just changed her milk and she is such a happy baby now, (she used to constanty toss n turn everynight in bed) ive also taken dairy products out of her diet for now until i get her tested for lactose, gluten ect by docs next week-all this has been interlinked, sleep, wind,being ill,everything. worth mentioning if any of this sounds familiar. i have to be pushy with docs here as they are not interested and keep pestering, finally im waiting to get my dd seen to =) horray =) its all interlinked-good luck xxx
My son is 4 months old and is a belly sleeper. He was able to cry himself back to sleep after a 45 minute nap and sleep another 45 minutes. However, now every time I try to get him to cry himself back to sleep he pushes himself over onto his back and won’t go back to sleep because he hates sleeping on his back. I’ll try and roll him back on his belly, but because he sees me he thinks it’s time to get up. Should I try and let him stay on his back? How long should I let him cry?
Hi, my baby wakes up about 3 times during the 2 hours. I pat her and move the bassinette when she starts crying and stops as soon as she stops crying so she puts herself back to sleep. This normally lasts a few minutes before she goes back to sleep for another 30-45mn,depending. I have been doing that for just under 7 days now. Is this normal and ok to settle her this way? Do you think her sleeping time (i mean not waking up) is likely to improve if I persevere so I don’t have to re-settle her anymore?
My son only takes 30 min naps. I DO PUT HIM IN HIS CRIB AND HE DOES FALL ASLEEP ON HIS OWN. I do not understand. I create pre sleep routine similar to bed time. By the end of the day he is really cranky. He is in bed by 7pm for bed and when he is not teething or having a growth spurt he sleeps from around 7pm to anywhere btw 5 and 6am. I know he needs more sleep during the day. In the past he has taken naps anywhere from an 1hr to 2 hrs. Is this a phase or is there somthing i can do?
I find that to be the case with my 101/2 month old. When it comes to this I have to let him cry it out. Because if I go in and try to get him back to sleep, he is more ticked off than ever! I know it sounds cruel and I hate doing it, but I have tried the other ways too. Usually he tires himself out enough to get back to sleep.
My 4 and a half month old sleeps pretty good at night. She falls asleep in her crib after her bedtime routine, wakes up around 1:00 to nurse, and then goes right back to sleep. Sometimes she wakes up at 4:30ish, but usually cries back to sleep and wakes around 6:15 for the day. But she doesn’t nap for more than 30 – 40 min. (and wakes up crying). I put her in her crib to fall asleep, so she is not waking in an unfamiliar place. I’m not sure how to get her to sleep longer. And she goes to daycare during the week. So I’m not sure what they would be able to do because they have other babies to watch over. Any suggestions?
Hi there
My 23 month old toddler has just started waking up whenever it rains. We have a steel roof so it is quite loud but it never used to bother her. She wakes up very upset crying out “ain Mummy!”. It usually takes quite some time for me to calm her and get her back off again.
We’ve tried singing songs about rain, going out in her raincoat and gumboots during the day, bought her an umbrella. Any other suggestions?
Regards
Sarah
Hi I have a 19month old that wakes at 5.30am every morning. I have put a heater in her room, bought thicker doona and she wears winter pj’s, so she cant possible be cold. Is this just something I have to exept? Has been going on for 12 months now. Aslo my little girl wakes after 50 minutes for her day nap, which is usually around 11.30am. Do I just accept this and get her up or should I let her cry (hard) until she goes back to sleep. Which I have tried and she has cried for 50 minutes, so I have ended up getting her up. Would love some advice as feeling quite fed up with it all.
Hi Dana,
My 4 month old who is used to being nursed to sleep will not sleep longer than 20-30 min. I know this is not enough because she continues to rub her eyes and face into my shoulder and is cranky. I nurse her but try to put her down when she is drowsy and so she usually will cry before falling asleep. Should I stop nursing her altogether? or can I continue to nurse her and just put her in sleepy awake?
I’m afraid to not nurse her because she is so used to it that it takes her longer to fall asleep because she is waiting and waiting to be nursed. No one else can put her to sleep now.
Brenda
My son is 13 months old. Before a few days ago, he would take 1 1/2 to 3 hour naps everyday at the same time. Now, he is starting to refuse to take naps. At night, he now wakes up 1-3 times, but falls back asleep. I’m wondering if he has night terrors, or if he has just grown out of naps. My mom (mother of 2 other kids besides myself) says that it is normal. But I’m wondering if it goes deeper. Could you help me figure out why my 13 month old son won’t take naps anymore?
Hello, I am having a very difficult time getting my 7 month old to nap longer than 40-45 minutes at a time. She is able to stay awake for 3 hours and then it’s really time for a nap for her. I’ve tried putting her down sooner and also later than the three hours. I’ve tried going in as soon as I hear her stir and soothing her back to sleep. I’ve tried letting her cry it out for 20 minutes. And I’ve been consistent trying each thing for over a week. To no succss, she still only naps for 45 minutes.
She is a great night time sleeper (7pm – 6:30am) most nights and only wakes once for the pacifier. I quickly put it in her mouth and she is back asleep. I tried getting her off the pacifier thinking that could be the problem, but after a week of her screaming for 2-3 hours every night and not napping I couldn’t take it anymore and gave the pacifier back. I’ve tried the no cry sleep solution too. NOTHING is working. Any advise to get her to nap longer?
Oh, and she is in her own crib and falls to sleep on her own.
Hi, I know that you posted your sleep question several months ago, but my 5 month old is having the same problem. She doesn’t nap more than 30 – 40 min. and I have tried everything. She also goes to daycare, so that doesnt help either. Any suggestions?
My baby is going down for her nap after nursing and waking up after sleeping for 5 minutes. What is wrong? Am I keeping her up too long or too short? I can’t get her to nurse in the morning until nap time and then she gets very sleepy while nursing. She is 5 months old.
HI, my daughter is 4 months old i have tried to self settle and don’t know weather to continue as it didn’t seem to be getting easier. We are trialing reflux medicine on her with no improvment she is very unsettled and always wakes after 20 – 35 mins weather she has put herself to bed or not. How do i know if it is a medical condition or a sleep issue????? I do not want to be cruel by trying to teach her to self settle if she is not well.
My almost 4 month old seems to wake up after less than an hour during the day, and less than two hours at night – sleeping less than 12 hours in a 24 hour period.
I know the importance of putting him to sleep awake, but most times I do this it seems he does all he can to WAKE UP; turning his head side to side, moving around, etc. We still swaddle him.
So especially after the second or third time during the night I end up rocking or feeding him to sleep because I am very tired and frustrated – especially after weeks/months of this.
I can’t always be helping my baby go to sleep every couple hours, especially with a 2 1/2 year old who also likes my attention.
I look forward to any suggestions you may have!
Dear Dana,
My 11 month old son is an excellent night sleeper, but we are struggling with his 2 day time naps. Is it possible that my son is trying to get rid of one of his naps or is it too soon for him to do this? I’ve tried just putting him down for one, but by bedtime he is really struggling.
Many thanks!
Rachel & Toby x
Rachel I have the same problem! My son is almost 11 months old. Did you find a solution that worked for you? I tried different foods (cereal at lunch) with vegetables. I have gotten down to the cry it out phase. I hate doing it, but that is the only way he gets a nap in otherwise he is unbearable at night time. He usually gets a morning nap from 9 to 10…lately he’s only been sleeping 45 minutes at a time but waking up happy. I him his cereal and fruit as soon as he wakes up and dress him and we go about our errands/playtime until he eats lunch which usually wears him out. But, he still wakes up cranky and fussy! Did you find anything to work for you?
My baby has 3 naps in the day lasting about 40 minutes. My problem is that she does not go to sleep without crying. As soon as I put her down for a nap she starts to cry and then cries herself to sleep. I will have had to visit her cot several times to settle her and eventually she just drops off. Is this normal? Can I settle her without her crying?
My son is 14 weeks old. This has nothing to do with sleeping. I was wondering if its the right thing to be feeding him 7oz every feeding? He eats 5 times a day. Usually every 3 to 4 hrs. Depending. He is a formula feed baby.
Would this be normal? or are we feeding him to much?
Thanks Susan
Hi
My daughter can put herself to sleep for naps and at nighttime, but still only catnaps – usually 45 mins only. I can’t get her to sleep longer or to extend her naps. She’s ok for about half an hour and then gets cranky again. What can I do (she’s four months old)
Hi,
I have read your solution to short cat naps – and have been trying without success to get my daughter to extend her daytime naps beyond 30 minutes. I have sat and waited for her to stir and bottom patted gently each time she starts to stir but I can do this for 30-40 minutes and the moment I stop she will usually waken. She can sleep longer if she is in her pushchair and rocked or walked when she begins to stir….She can settle herself to sleep ok normally so that’s not a problem. Can you offer me any more advice? I am getting desperate as now at 5 1/2 months she is really struggling on 30 min sleeps!
honestly I hope all young mothers will enjoy this stage of being there during the night for the babies , as it will not last long.
i have to rock my 6 month old baby to sleep other wise she wont go to sleep and she also wont go to sleep with out being wrapped up, also when she wakes in the night for a feed she takes along time to go back to sleep and soon as i put her in her cot she wakes up again and she wont sleep unless she is in bed with me
Hi Dana,
We just started to sleep train our daughter, she is 6 months old. Like many others, she is having a difficult time putting herself to sleep during nap time. She cries for an hour and still has a problem self soothing. It is going really well at night and she can put herself to sleep easily. Can you shed some light as to what to do about nap time?
Thanks
My 19 month old has never been a good day time napper,some how we’ve never been to be able to master this one. Fairly consistantly now he will skip daytime naps cpmpletely but thankfully (apart from the odd night when he’s not well or something’s bothering him)he sleeps 12-14 hours at night.
My question is two-fold:
I’ve tried (I think) every strategy under the sun to put him down for a nap when he’s still awake and encourage him to send himself off to sleep but he usually just cries and gets himself into a right state (this has been pretty much from the day he was born). Is there anything you can suggest that would best suit this age group to encourage naps? or is it acceptable at his age to skip naps completely as long as he’s getting a good night’s sleep?
I’d be grateful for your comments. Many thanks
My 10 week old seems to wake up almost exactly 45-1hr into every nap. Once in a while he will go back to sleep on his own, but more often than not, if i let him cry, while checking on him every 10-15 min, he will not go back to sleep, even if I shush/pay him….after weeks of this, i tried a pacifier, which will work. I suspect he has a horrible time passing thru his sleep cycles and putting himself back to sleep. He doesn’t need the paci to fall asleep initially, only if he wakes up. Is this a bad habit to start? If its all that works, isn’t getting a longer nap better than only getting 45-1 hour? I’m also worried he will wake my other child, which he has.
Dear Dana,
Can you help us recover our son’s nap. He’s just turned three but still needs a daytime sleep in additional to his 11h at night. As a baby he was an appalling sleeper (up more than 5 times in a night to about a year) but then we taught him to fall asleep on his own. That was so worthwhile! Since then he’s slept better than all his friends, including a 1-2h nap most days. Sometimes he would even sing and tell himself stories in his bed for an hour or more if he wasn’t very tired before taking himself off to sleep. Then, about a month ago, we changed some of the furniture in his room, exchanging his old cot for some toy storage. Although he can’t actually see the toys when he is asleep, we seem to have made the bedroom a place to play not to sleep. Thankfully, he still sleeps at night, but he is consistently not napping and is quite uncontrollable by late afternoon. (He’s been pretty well behaved before and I have always said it was because he was getting the naps he needed where his friends weren’t). Please help us get our little boy back. Thanks.
I am completely stuck and haven’t found anyone who has been able to help.
My 4 month old son sleeps through the night. We put him down at 7pm. He lies in bed for no more than 5 mins and then drifts off to sleep. We don’t hear from him until 7 or 7:30am that next morning.
Naps are a nightmare though. He can only stay up for an hour-no more. (i’ve been keeping a log for a month now and 5 mins more than an hour and he cries going down for a nap.)
If I put him down at an hour he drifts off to sleep by himself for his nap. BUT he wakes 40-45mins into his nap like clockwork. Sometimes he wakes up crying. Sometimes he plays in bed for 15 mins and then cries.
I have tried feeding him-and he isn’t interested in eating.
I have tried to pat his head and help him before he wakes up at 40mins and it doesn’t work, he is a very social baby and even seeing me makes him want to get out of bed and he cries if I don’t pick him up.
Like I said before I have tried putting him down later and that makes him over tired.
If I put him down sooner-he plays in bed for a while.
I know he can self soothe because he does it initially when i put him down for his nap and then must do it in order to sleep through the night.
Is it just that he is too young and hasn’t developed a longer nap. If he only sleeps 40-45min naps AND can only stay up 1 hour then our 3 hour routine is turning into:
eat, play for 1 hour, sleep 40mins, play for an hour and then back to sleep for another 20mins. NOT healthy at all
Hi
Chris is 9 months and sleeps after nursing. He will normally wake up 4 times a night or more. He is a high need baby with a persistent personality and will cry throughout when i put him in his cot and sit beside him. His crying is so hysterical and I find it too upsetting to ignore him, so I give in and pick him up.
My son is 5 months old and only sleeps 45 mins at a time. I have tried your suggested method for the last two weeks, but he wakes fully and happy. I also try leaving him in the cot, he talks happily and rolls around for the next half hour and then I get him up. He also has silent reflux. How can get him to take longer naps throughout the day? He is on medication morning and night.
My daughter is 3 1/2 months old and we still swaddle her. We would like to begin implementing your program but are unsure if we will be successfull while she is still being swaddled. Should we start to “wean” her of the swaddle first, or try a combined approach. Note: she sleeps horrribley if unswaddled.
My son is almost 10 months. He does not sleep more than 1.5 hrs in his crib. He has slept in his car seat for a long time. I am sure it is comfy and cozy for him and this is why he snuggles in and will go to sleep. We tried to let him cry it out and get him used to the crib, and learn to self soothe…but he vomits. He cries so much and hard he vomits! Then he may be so exhausted and spent – after we get him up and change everything – that he sleeps for a few more hours.
Any advice?
I learned so much about putting my baby to sleep by watching your videos. Thanks
I have a question, my baby is able to go to sleep on his own after our night time routine, he takes a bottle, then he wakes up twice an expect another feeding, sometimes he cries should I let him cry? what should I do.
My son is 4 months old and is a horrible sleeper! He fights sleep during the day for as long as possible. He works himself up screaming and I’ve tried everything to get him to fall asleep but nothing works! Once he’s finally fallen asleep he only sleeps for 10 – 20 minutes! And then he’s tired again in a half an hour and is screaming again because he’s so exhausted. I usually start my bedtime routine at 7pm and he’s usually asleep by 7:30-8. He does good to go to bed at night, but my only problem is once i take him out of the bath to put his jammies on, he’s screaming! and the only thing that calms him down is to eat. Then he usually wakes up at 12am, 3am, and 5am to eat and then will usually sleep to 8am. Is there anyway to get him to go down easier for naps and to get him to sleep longer during the night?! I’m just as exhausted as he is!! Please help!!
My 6 month old son, Dane was 6 weeks premature and so he was regularly awake every 3 hours and had loads of cuddles to get him to a healthy 7.5 kilo boy that he is now. On the down side he does not sleep through ( he has only done this twice) he can awaken as often as 5 times a night or only twice and I need to give him the dummy to settle. My touch stimulates him and he gets very distressed as he is not picked up. Now and then I resort to feeding just so I can get to sleep. His Dr described him as very ‘busy’ as he is on the go constantly and this is what wakes him and prevents him from self settling…his arms and legs flailing wildly…he will almost get back to sleep and be soo tired yet his limbs do not let up. How do I settle him…touching him makes him worse and I have used the shooshing to death….help please. ( He also only has 3 short naps through the day although he stays a good temperament)
how do i get my 1 year old to go to sleep on her own and not sleep with her bottle? She wakes up several times a night mostly cause she wants her bottle. I need HELP! Thanks
I started the sleep sense program with my son about 3 months ago (he is almost 11 months old now) and he now sleeps consistently through the night but he wakes up very early! (goes to bed at 7, wakes at 5:30ish a.m.). I have tried to “reset” his internal alarm clock but he will not go back to sleep once I gently rouse him…any suggestions? I have also tried putting him to bed a little later, but he still wakes up early, and then of course does not get as much nighttime sleep.
Also, even though he will eventually put himself to sleep at night/naps, he consistently cries for longer than 10 minutes every time he is put down in his crib. He also tends to nap for only short periods of time – a long nap for him is an hour! He has 2 a day, about 3 – 3.5 hours apart.
Again, any suggestions would be much appreciated!!!
my son is almost4 months old he is great at night now he only gets up one time at night but he wants someone to hold him and set him up all the time hates to be put in the bouncer or lay on the floor exspects to be held all the time HOW DO I GET HIM OUT OF THIS HELP
My daughter is 11 weeks and I have been trying to really instill a nighttime routine the last week or so. It includes, reading, massage, and singing in her room. The problem is gauging her wakefullness. I begin the routine when I think she seems drowsy, but hasn’t begun to melt down. SOmewhere during the reading or massage she usually gets cranky and the routine is put on hold or ended until I can calm her down. Before I can get her down it’s time to feed her again and she practically passes out while feeding.
I’d like to start sleep training in a few weeks, but am wondering how established the bedtime routine should be before doing so?
My son is 2 months old and since day 0 he’s had trouble sleeping. He sleeps well at night usually just waking once at 4am but the day times are pretty hard. He seems to hate nap times and struggles to fall asleep. When he starts showing sleepy signs we swaddle him and try to help him sleep by rocking him, aiming to put him down sleepy but awake. I then pat his back till he falls asleep, sometimes just before, and let him do the rest himself. The problem with all this is that he gets SO wound up he cries, no, screams so much it’s so upsetting. He screams solid for 20-30 mins EVERY nap time sometimes longer. I hold him while he cries and eventually he gives in. He is so tired but seems to find it so hard to fall asleep. He will then only nap for 30 -45 mins and I can’t get him back to sleep without another 30 mins of screaming. Some days he’s only had 2 hrs sleep in the whole day. I think he’s so tired which makes him pretty grumpy. Is this normal?? what can I do to make nap times less stressful and help him learn to fall asleep without all the screaming?? I’m beginning to dread naptime and struggle so much whenever we go out. Help!
hi. my baby is 1year old, im still breastfeeing him because he does not like bottle feeds. and he only sleeps while breastfeeding. i tried the method of leaving him in his cot to go to sleep by himself, but didnt work coz he cries alot when i leave him in cot. plz plz plz help me i want him to sleep by himself. and also i want to stop breastfeeding aswell. coz i m tierd of it now… plz help…..
HI Dana Obleman,
My baby is 11 months now and he still sleeps with me on my bed while I breastfeed him.
I would like him to sleep by his own soon as I am starting work and I need him to gain a security that he can sleep without me. I want to know if the style of your programme lets the babies to cry for some time as i would like my baby to sleep without crying. I think to let the baby cry is a wrong idea.
My daughter Emma is 3.5 almost 4. Ever since we brought her baby sister home last September (10+ months ago) she wakes every night, several times crying, usually about 3 hours after she falls asleep. It starts off as a whimper and usually ends in her sitting up crying, waking the whole house. Not only is this effecting everyone’s sleep, it is effecting our relationships and my husbands health as he suffers from systematic lupus. We have tried several different approaches and have seen little success. When we go in her room we try to keep it positive and brief eg. mommy loves you etc. We have made it a rule that she falls asleep on her own and she has done that well as of late but we are still seeing the nightly waking even though we have also tried to make sleeping through the night without waking mommy and daddy a rule. She is in good health, happy, kind, social and bright and seems to get along with her baby sister very well. She does not appear scared but often we hear her say she wants daddy to stay with her. We show her lots of love and affection and spend special one on one time with her and she appears to be perfectly content and settled. How can we get her to sleep through the night without crying? Thank you in advance!
We have been using this program for about a month now. It has really made a difference in how my daughter, Carly, sleeps! For the past few days and nights though, she has not been napping like she should and she is waking up 3 or 4 times a night! Before she would take 2 hour naps during the day and sleep all night long (with maybe 1 bottle at about 2 am) We have not changed anything! Still the same routine at the same time. Naps during the day after an hour of wake time. I am just not sure what is going on. Can you help?
My almost 10 month old boy only takes 1 nap a day. He naps between 2-3 hours from 10AM-12PM or 1PM. He used to take 2 shorter naps but suddenly his first nap got later and later and now it’s turned into only 1 nap a day. At night he sleeps from 7:30 until 6 to 7AM and rarely wakes up. Is this ok or should I be working on 2 shorter naps?? Thanks.
Hi dana Finlay wakes in the night crying but his eyes are closed but can get distressed what is the best thing to do
Thanks
Georgina
I have a 5 month old that i adore. He doesn’t take long naps but maybe once a meek he will sleep any where from 1 1/2 to 2 hours other then that he takes 20-30 min naps about every 2 1/2 hrs. The nappong isn’t my problem. I have a small dog with aloud bark and if my baby is asleep and some one knocks at the door my dog barks and wakes my baby and i can’t get him back to sleep. What can i do to get my baby to sleep through my dogs barks
My daughter Adria just turned three months old. We are struggling with achieving longer nap times, but working on it. Once I see a couple of yawns/her rubbing her eyes we go to her room and start the sleepy time routine. She seems so tired at the beginning, but I find an hour later I’m still trying to get her to sleep sometimes and she’s cooing. What am I doing wrong?
My son will be 2 next month. He has NEVER slept all night. We tried letting him cry but that didn’t work. He will cry for hours. We bought him a toddler bed and put it next to ours but he still refuses to sleep in it. At daycare, after napping, he wakes calling for me. Should I try to force him into his own bed and let him cry himself back to sleep at night or should I give him more time?
My daughter Rhianna is 18 months she has never slept through from the age of 5 months.
There is no problem with her going for a nap she has 1 & 1/2hrs Bed time is great 7.20. the problem is she still wakes up 2-3 times in the night. I go into her & put my hand on her shoulder & she gooes straight off.
Please help im so exhausted.
hi dana, i have a 7 month old son, and was just wondering how much sleep should he be having during the day at this age.
I really like your approach to helping babies learn to sleep. I’m trying your suggestion to let my 11 month old ‘practice’ falling asleep on her own, in her own crib while I stay in the room and encourage her. So far she needs me to get her to lie down by laying my hand against her face. Without that, she will stand in crib for 1-2 hours ! I know this is an external cue that I don’t want her to rely on. How can I get my baby to lie down?
My son Trayton is 9 months old. He always slept with me until recently, I just had a hard time during the day with no sleep. We have been putting him in his own bed and he cries for a good 1hr to 1hr1/2 before finally falling alsleep. Then he will sleep for 30-40min before starting the routine all over again. He’s going to bed about 7:30PM. I usually feed him around 11 or 12 and then again around 5AM. I don’t know how to get him to stay alseep all night without crying every 45min for an 1hr. I have read several books and they all say he needs to soothe himself back to sleep but it doesn’t seem to be working. Any advice you might have would be wonderful. Thank You.
My daughter just turned “1″ last week and she has had problems sleeping through the night and taking naps since she was about 3 weeks old. Her father is a construction worker, and will have to work out of town frequently all week and be home only on weekends. He lets her sleep in bed with him when he’s home (I take the couch, since I don’t approve) then I have a hard time getting her to sleep in her crib when he’s gone. She will go down to sleep in her crib at 9:30, but she will wake up 4-5 times through the night and be up for good at 5:30. She only gets about 6 hours of actual sleep at night, then refuses to nap during the day. If she is lucky she will take a 10 minute nap during the day. Unless we go somewhere in the car, then she will sleep most of the way back from wherever we go. Her lack of sleeping and napping is exhausting me!!!! Since I am home alone with her all week it makes it hard to get anything done, much less sleep. Please help!!!!!
Reading the other blogger’s comment left me two understandings 1) 95% of the families will probably be told to simply buy your book/program. 2) My grandmother told me how she remembered a time when “all infants did was eat & sleep”. Something is certainly contributing to the energy levels of this “new” generation of infants that keeps them from enjoying a peaceful sleep. I respectfully submit this thought; are the parents feeling more like they can not complete any task (read, relax, clean, etc.) unless their young children are asleep?
My daughter is almost 11 months an still not sleeping thru the night. When she was 4 months she started to get several ear infections. By the time she was 6 months she had her 4th ear infection and got tubes put in her ears. She used to get up anywhere from 8-15 times a night. Now it is better it is anywhere from 2-4. What can i do? I have a 4 yr old who sleeps fine thru it all. thank God for that. But after getting up so much at night i have no energy the next day. Should i let her just cry it out when she wakes up? Or should i continue to get up each time she wakes up? please help i am about to lose my mind.
Noorallah is 15 months and will go to sleep easily at nap time and bedtime. However, when he wakes he will cry until I go in and cuddle him before returning quickly to sleep. How do I get him to manage this time himself?
i have a 10.5 month old that, until recently, was able to self-soothe and go to sleep on his own each night. We would place him in his crib after bath and a little rocking and he would eventually fall asleep without fussing. In the last few weeks, he will not go to his crib unless he is rocked asleep. He still sleeps through the night but how can we get him to learn how to self-soothe again? Is it a case of separation anxiety that will eventually take care of itself?
my son is 8 month old now and has never slept thru the night. i have been leting him sleep in our bed as he sleeps better with us but now i am feeling so tired as he wont settle without me and wakens about 3am and 4am for feeds!!what should i do
I am almost through your book and can;t wait to put the “sleep” balls in motion. I am a single mom…and the non sleep through the night for the past 6 months is really really exhausting…I have read several books and watched several DVDs….none seem to answer my question (I am not finished with your ook so maybe you will address it). I put Jayden to sleep around 7:30 with no problems…but she starts crying 3 times during the night…she isn;t awake…her eyes always are shut…i still put the bottle in her mouth..she immediatley stops crying until she falls back “asleep” while she is eating. Most of the books that I have read tells me to talk to the baby and comfort her and then leave to let her cry. But the videos that I have watch show a baby who is crying and AWAKE with eyes open…will my baby not actually being totally awake not allow your teachings take effect? I should I still go along with the “rules” that are outlined while Jayden is crying but eyes closed?
Hailey has had horrible digestive issues since she was born and unfortunately has affected her sleep. She went through cycles of constipation, then somewhat normal than diarrhea. I found out finally, that the doctor believes the diarrhea is caused by the constipation. He called this diarrhea a name however I forget what he called it. We are keeping her on a high fiber diet and avoiding a lot of dairy. She was prescribed something for the constipation also when it gets bad. When you have medical issues like this it is very difficult to keep her sleeping normal. She does great when she’s doing good digestively, however lately she only naps 2-2.5 hours instead of her 3-4. any suggestions. Should I maybe go back to two naps instead of one?
I was just wondering my son is 2 and he wakes up 2-3 times a nioght screaming and crying for mommy. I am not sure if it is night terrors because they say only older kids have night terrors. i also cant find anything on how to cure the night terrors if it is what is wrong with him. can you help???
Hi Dana, HOW DO YOU MAKE A 3-MONTH -OLD FALL ASLEEP ON HER OWN?
My son is 10 months old and has no trouble sleeping through the night; however, naptime is a serious issue. I try to put him to bed while he’s awake and let him cry it out but he’s extremely stubborn and he will cry the entire time he’s in his bed. One time he screamed and cried for an entire hour. I’ve also tried to stay in the room and soothe him while he’s in his crib and that doesn’t work either. Lately, I’ve been letting him stay up for 5-6 hours until he practically passes out from exhaustion. Only then will he sleep for 1 – 1 1/2 hours in a row before waking up. I’ve been trying various naptime methods for 2 months now. What else can I do?
Did you find anything that worked there? I have the same EXACT problem!
How can I get my 13 months twins to sleep through the night. I still get up between 2 – 4 time a night. Both babies a usually down for the night by 8:30 but then they are up again by 12:30 and again by 4:30. Normally the only thing that will get them to go back to sleep is a bottle. Please help. This can not continue.
my daughter Ava is almost 2 years old will not sleep thru the night or her own bed she wake up and want to sleep with mommy by her side what can i do?
My 21 month old daughter used to be a good sleeper. Now, all of a sudden, she is having a lot of trouble. One night last week (after she had a sleep over at her Grandmother’s) she was awake from 9:30pm until 6am the next morning! Could it be the upset in routine, is she testing us? Now she cries when we put her down and gets up for a few hours in the middle of the night. Any words of wisdom as to why she might all of a sudden doing this and what I can do to help her?
My son has NEVER been a good sleeper and when he would wake up in the night I would swadle him to make him fall asleep. When he turned 1 yr I let him cry in his crib for about 1 hr, then i heard it would go down from there. He still crys when i put him in his bed and he is 14 mos. Then when we go somewhere like camping or to a hotel it is like starting over. He doesnt sleep good anywhere. Are there any techniques I can do so I am not putting him to sleep when we are not at home, and then when we get home he starts crying again for hrs. What are my options?
my baby is 3mths old. he goes to bed around 8:00pm or so. sometimes earlier. he seems to always wake up around 3:30pm goes back to sleep til 5:00 and wakes sometimes or i will leave him to see if he will go back to sleep. sometimes he will til 7:00pm. when he wakes he seems like he is still exhausted. Sometimes between 5-7 he is grunting and groaning. Lately to get him to go down for naps i have been rocking him to sleep. this is the only way to get him to nap sometimes. How can I get him to put himself to sleep? At bedtime I could put him down drowsy and eventually he would go to sleep sometimes.
my daughter is 13 months, she still wakes up in the middle of the night. she will cry 4 to 6 times a night. and every time is to get a drink of milk or water. how do i get her to sleep through the night.
My baby is 6 months and I have to rock him to put him sleep.How should I change it and make him to fall asleep by himself?
Hi, Dana. One thing that I find so frustrating about a lot of these “sleep techniques books” is that they give great emphasis on your baby learning to put themselves to sleep, but how do they learn that without letting them cry it out? How would my five week old son learn to put himself to sleep. It honestly doesn’t seem possible since he was not one of those babies, who from the womb, was able to do that. Is this something he will learn on his own, or do I need to be helping him?
My baby is now 5 months old and she only takes short naps in the day not longer than than 30-40 minutes the most. What can i do to change this?
Hello
Ryan is 2 months now. Ive started the routine for sleep and it is working till now. He just wake up twice at night for feeding. But the problem is that he tends to sleep on the breasts everytime i feed him. I try, with all the tips you gave, to keep him awake but very difficult.
What can I try else, please
Thank you
My son, Dawson is 13 months old and he is still waking at least once during the night. My husband and I have tried everything in order for him to asleep throughout the entire night. He will only fall asleep with a bottle of milk. His normal bedtime is 9:30 PM to 9:00 AM, but like I said he still wakes up at least once to three times a night. What should my husband and I do? Any suggestions, please?
My son Wesley is almost 1. I put him to bed around 7 or 8pm and he still gets up to nurse in the middle of the night around 2am. I always get him out of the crib at that time cause i dont want to wake up the rest of the house cause he will cry for a good hour if i let him. I am living back home for the time being cause my husban is over sea’s and i feel bad keeping everyone a wake in the night so i just feed him and let him fall back to sleep with me to keep the pease with every one. What should i do?
My baby, Alena, is 8 months old, and still wakes up in the middle of the night because she is not sleeping with me. I put her in my bed, and she falls back to sleep. How can I change this? She also has trouble taking naps during the day. THanks for your response
You speak of babies that don’t go into the bed awake or who don’t get themselves off ot sleep that wake after 40 minutes, Ella goes to sleep in her cot unaided with the exception of wrapping (she has no dummy, no rocking etc…) she is just over 3 months old and has never really napped longer than 40 minutes during the day, she sleeps from approx 7.30pm – 4.30am where I feed her a bottle and she goes back down until about 6.30am.
How can I get her to sleep for longer through the day and for at for 12 hours at night.
Regards,
Fiona
Am I putting Benjamin to bed too early? He is typically asleep by 6:15 p.m. He then wakes around 5:00 a.m., nurses and usually goes back to sleep until 6:30 or 7:00. He is definitely tired at 6:00 p.m. as his afternoon nap rarely lasts past 2:00 or 2:30. Am I stuck with the early morning feed?
hi i’m righting about my six month doughter isabella. She don’t sleep at night without wake 3 or 4 times to feed an snuggle on the breast. will not sleeo in her bed nether as soon as she feeds i put her to bed an she awakes an wants moor breast. I can’t let her cry at night because we live with other people an they don’t like it. please how can i make this work an keeps everyone happy.
If you havent changed the babies nap schedule but his naps have got shorter, would do you suggest try.?
Hi,
I`m a mother of a 1,5 year old toddler.My son was the perfect sleeper.Sleept thru the night since he was 4 month.We have a bedtime routine Bath, bottel and he goes to sleep by himself now he only falls asleep when I stay with him in the room.What went wrong.
Thanks
Diana
My name is Jennifer and my son Jackson will be two years old in two weeks. He usually goes to bed between 8:30pm and 9pm. He still wakes up in the middle of the night and he won’t go to sleep unless he has a sippy cup that has milk in it and I’m afraid that it will eventually start to rot his teeth. Can you give me any suggestions?