Another sleep question

[SuzySunshine]

Ok gang, here is a new one, at least for me.

In the last week R has been sleeping in a 4 hour chunk, eating 5-7 ounces and then going back to sleep usually for 3 hours or so and then eating another 5 ounces or so. After that he usually sleeps anywhere from an hour and a half to 3. But usually after the 90 minutes he wakes up and will go back to sleep but won't let me put him back in his crib.

So for the last 4 nights (or mornings) he and I have been sleeping the last few hours on the couch or in my bed if DH has already gone to work. He's swaddled so he's not rolling over so I can lay him on DH's side of the bed or next to me on the couch and not worry about him really.

So my question is what is it about me laying near him but not touching him is soothing him and how do I duplicate that in his crib so that I can get some sleep - anyone???

[Michele]

Re: Another sleep question

Maybe smell? Could you wrap your shirt around his swaddle? Could be a developmental thing too...and all will change again in a week or so....


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[Ravenclaw]

Maybe try keeping your t-shirt wrapped around a hot water bottle in his crib while you're feeding him, and then taking the bottle out before you put him in the crib. They also sell heartbeat bears that might help.

[alison]

How'd it go last night/this morning, Cheri?

By this time, is A awake and moving around? Maybe he just likes the companionship and doesn't want to be in his room alone. I'm sure A makes some noises when she sleeps that he's gotten used to and finds comforting.

What about a sound machine?

[SuzySunshine]

Last night was the worst in a LONG time. That could have been for a couple of reasons, one is that A has a cold and was coughing a lot.

We have a heartbeat bear, it only stays on for about 45 minutes so it will get him to sleep but won't be on when he wakes up. We have a sound machine playing a waterfall in the room, mostly for Adele.

I went and bought a miracle blanket, its for swaddling and it says its only for up to 14 weeks but I've read online where people have used it past that so we'll see. He gets his arms out no matter how tight we swaddle him, I think that is a huge part of the problem.

[Urowife]

We used the miracle blanket until DD was about 6 months. After awhile, I left her feet out of the pocket and just swaddled her arms. Can't say enough good things about that blanket.

[alison]

We used a miracle blanket on dd to pin her arms down. then it started getting very warm here, so she had a hard time sleeping with all the layers. I got some of those huge Aden and Anaïs blankets that are more breathable, and have rigged them so that her arms are pinned down yet her chest isn't covered. This works really well for her.

[SuzySunshine]

Well that was a waste of $36. We swaddled him and put him down shortly after 8, 45 minutes later he was awake and screaming. Putting the pacifier back in didn't work so we unswaddled him and rocked him back to sleep. This time we swaddled him with one arm out thinking maybe he's out growing the swaddle and that is the issue. A 1/2 hour later he was up again so he's back in his swaddle me blanket.

DH just left because he's on call and got called in. So if this continues he'll be sleeping on DH's side of the bed tonight. UGG!

[alison]

Darn! I guess the only thing I can think of is using an Aden and Anais blanket and really pinning those arms down to his side if you think it's an arms-swinging-free issue. Dd loves it, and goes all jelly baby on me when she sees me coming at her with it. She's almost 7 months old, and the only way she'll sleep is if she's completely swaddled.

[Urowife]

Ugh! Do you think he could be teething already? FWIW, ny DD often wakes up after 45 minutes at the beginning of the night. It's frustrating, to say the least, but I can't figure out what causes it. I know it's a sleep cycle thing, but why can't she settle through it? Hopefully, it's just a short phase for R and it doesn't become the norm (like it has here)

[SuzySunshine]

Well he woke up 15 minutes after I went to bed at 10 so I fed him, changed him, reswaddled him and slept with me. Slept for 4+ hours which is good for him, did it all over again and he slept for another 3. I just can't figure out what it is about our bed that he likes better then his crib.

I'm starting to wonder if its the sound machine. I wonder if instead of lulling him to sleep its making it harder for him to go back to sleep. I think I'm going to take the wedge out of his bed because he didn't seem to have any problem sleeping flat last night and I think we'll try it without the sound machine if not tonight then tomorrow night.

I really wish we had another room to put Adele in but I'm just not ready to put her downstairs by herself.

[HouseofWool]

Cheri - could be be somethng as simple as the sound of his matress? I know one of the waterproof covers on Sophie's bed crinkles when she moves and used to really bother her. It is so hard figuring out their sleep problems. If I could get Sophie to stop waking up at the butt crack of dawn, I would be so happy. She is a grumpy pissy baby all day long because she didn't get enough sleep. I am thinking that I am going to have to try giving her a bottle at 5ish when she wakes up to see if she will go down again for another couple of hours...

[alison]

I think you guys are onto something with the sound machine. I probably wouldn't experiment with anything new until tomorrow night when you've got backup on Saturday (is your dh home this weekend?).

[SuzySunshine]

DH is home this weekend but the kids and I leave Sunday morning for a trip to my parents for 4 days. I was planning on them sleeping in the same room while we were there but I'm thinking I may separate them to see if that helps...

[Pollyanna]

I was planning on them sleeping in the same room while we were there but I'm thinking I may separate them to see if that helps...

I think this is a good idea. When we had baby number two we were living in a two bedroom house. We tried a variety of arrangments, kids together, baby in our room, baby in our room with a divider, you name it we tried it. In the end dh and I moved our bed down in the family room and the kids slept in separate rooms. I made the bed look like a day bed with lots of pillows so our living room still looked okay (not great but okay), in the end it was SOOOOO worth the sleep we got at night. If you have an extra room (or even if you don't it might be worth a try). I know you don't like to be on a different level from your kiddos but they will be okay and you can hear them from the monitor. Good luck!