Sleep Schedule?

Question

I have a 2 month old, and he is on no schedule. He rarely takes long naps during the day, and if he falls asleep it has to be in my arms, and right when I go to put him down he will wake up, But if I put him in his crib and try to let him cry to sleep I feel to guilty and I feel like a bad mom. How do I get him on a good schedule including feedings, and sleep times?

Answer 1

You really do have to let him cry it out...whether it be in a swing or a rocker or in his own crib.

If crying lasts for more than 15 minutes, pick him up. Start over then with checking diaper, feeding, or giving pacifier. Fifteen minutes seems like FOREVER when you're listening to your own baby cry, I know, but set the timer (and shut his bedroom door). Almost any baby can go for that long, and odds are he won't cry for that long.

Next time you use the swing or hold him to put him to sleep, put him to bed JUST BEFORE he falls asleep. Let him fall asleep on his own...kinda. You hold him just until he feels comfy, and then he goes to sleep on his own.

2 months is a hard time. He's been your baby...and he still is. Forever and Ever...but this is the first thing he will conquer on his own. There's nothing wrong with helping him along a little bit.

As far as the schedule goes....he controls you. The only things baby's control is eating, sleeping, and pooping. Let him have it! He'll let you know when he is tired, and you'll learn to pick up on his signals. His clockwork times will change, day to day and week to week, and you'll work around them. The biggest and hardest thing is picking up on his tired signals and responding to them with a little comfort. In a few months, the two of you will get a click going and you'll totally work things out.

Answer 2

I never let my children cry it out. Anyway, my pediatrician feels that 2 months is way too early. You can let him fuss a bit-don't rush right in, but all out crying might be better to wait until 6 months or so. My daughter also did not have a consistent sleep schedule-this is normal and developmentally based. Most children are not developmentally ready to sleep for long periods at 8 weeks. By 16 weeks, she was sleeping through the night with only 1 bottle and by 20 weeks, she was sleeping 10-11 hours with no bottle. I would recommend continuing to put him down awake, because until a baby learns to fall asleep in the crib, they will never sleep through the night. Just keep going in, patting his tummy, give a pacifier, tell him you love him-don't pick him up if you can help it. Try to extend the time until you come back, even by a few minutes. I would probably wait at least 4 more weeks until I tried this, though. He needs to know you are there for him when he cries. Good luck!

Answer 3

First get this book either at a bookstore or at the library:
The No-Cry Sleep Solution:
Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night
by Elizabeth Pantley
ISBN: 0071381392

While most babies tend to follow thier own patterns to eat, play and sleep, many babies are not ready to self soothe until they are 4 months.. So the whole cry it out approach before the 4th month is just a waste of time and can be dangerous for some babies who will cry and cry for hours.

I dislike the cry it out approach simply because many babies tend to exhaust themselves til they can't cry any more. This ups thier CO2 lvls to dangerous levels. If you are going to try the cry-it-out approach - do it right. Don't just put the baby in the crib and leave! There is a specific way to put baby down, let him fuss, walk back in and pat his back, then leave and repeat after 5minutes for a few days to a week , then up it to 10 minutes, 15minutes, 20minutes until baby falls asleep on his own. That said, it doesn't work for the very high maintaince babies.

There is nothing wrong with holding your little one. Buy a sling or carrier and carry him. You can't possibly spoil him until he's older (6-12 months at the very earliest).

And then sometime around 4-6 months it all changes again because of teething, crawling, sitting up, eating solids, ect. Enjoy it now.

I do like that book and it is recommended by the AAP.

Answer 4

Sleep and feeding schedules are the biggest myth ever propagated by Dr. Spock and his followers. At 2 months old, follow your baby's cues and let him sleep when he's ready and eat when he's hungry. Hold him as much as you need to or as much as he needs you to. You can NOT spoil a baby that young.

However, if you want to get him to sleep in his crib instead of in your arms all the time, try putting him to bed when he is almost asleep but not out. Do not try to make everything absolutely silent when the baby is sleeping. Otherwise, anytime there is the slightest noise, he won't sleep. In my house, there is always something going on: the tv on, the other boys playing, music playing, the train going by my house, etc...My kids can sleep through a nuclear war I think!

But your baby is too young still to let him cry it out too much. No more than 5-10 minutes at MOST. Right now, he is building his trust in you that when he cries (his only method of communication) you will be there.

Answer 5

First you wait until he is developmentally ready. At 2 months, he is *too young*!! He may be ready by the time he's a year old. You're not a bad mother, but you *do* have unrealistic expectations. Whether you realized it or not (and I gather not), when you got pregnant, you were signing up for a job that lasts 24 hours a day, and sometimes *without a break*.

Answer 6

At that age, a good schedule is what ever he feels like, sorry but you have a while longer till you have him on some form of a pattern (which maybe sleeping most of the day, that was what I did I'm told).

Answer 7

Try to play and keep him awake when you want him up, then wind things down when you want him to sleep. Eventually he will get himself on a schedule. If he is awake during the day and he sleeps at night, I think you have it made(unless you work at night). As for crying, they need a little bit to help develope their lungs.

Answer 8

Let him go to sleep with one arm around him only, after he gets used to that, put him in your bed with the arm around him and keep it there. Then try pulling the arm gently. when this is all routine, put him to sleep in his crib. Do not sleep with him in the same bed, it can be dangerous.

Answer 9

a baby that young will get him self on a sleep schedule hes still young so. try putting him in a swing to fall a sleep or one of them lay down baby bounceing seat. thats what my son sleeps in on my bed every night

Answer 10

as far asleep let him cry it out. you should be feeding every 4 hours