Thanks for all the answers to the pacificer question (I had tried a few of the ideas already with no luck). My problem is when he's had a full feeding and I know he wants to sleep he gets really angry at not getting to get more breast. I've tried letting him cry it out but he gets so worked up at crying and screaming it's hard not to just give in.
2006-10-23 01:46:23 · 10 answers · asked by Lizard 4 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
At this age a baby should be allowed to nurse as much as he wants. Often babies go through growth spurts and need more than momma thinks they do. You can't over feed a baby at the breast like you can with a bottle. Just let him "comfort suck" until he falls asleep. Letting a baby this age cry it out is very harmful. Studies have shown that it leads to anxiety disorders later in life.
2006-10-23 03:00:37 · answer #1 · answered by Ariana S 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I wouldn't recommend the thumb thing. That is far worse then a pacifier could ever be if you're child doesn't grow out of it.
Really the best way is to let him cry it out. I know it totally sucks to have to listen to him cry for you and it really is heart wrenching. Here are some techniques that worked for our family:
1:Buy a sound machine. (anything that plays soothing repetive music over and over and over again) At first play the sounds/music while breast feeding, let him grow used to them. Then with the music still on lay him in his crib.
2:Make sure that you pay attention to what time you put him into bed. Listening to your baby cry can feel like an eternity. Don't give in too soon.
3:Start a normal routine that includes something other then feeding. Like reading books getting a bath. This will make him stop associating sleep with food.
I hope that those ideas help you out a bit. They worked for us. Our son has slept through the night since he was 4 months old. He's now 11 months!
Good Luck!
2006-10-23 09:17:40 · answer #2 · answered by I Ain't Your Momma 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't take him for rides in the car, he'll get used to it and demand it be done all the time. And he won't care if the roads are bad because of the weather.
Don't start the thumb sucking, it'll cost you dearly in dental bills 8 years from now to have braces put on his teeth to straighten them out again.
You can try lying him on his belly and patting his behind or back, but DO NOT leave him on his belly if he can't roll over onto his back by himself. Should he move his head into the 'face down' position and not be able to roll all the way over on his own, he could suffocate. If he can't roll on his own, don't leave him unsupervised.
Even if he isn't teething you could try a teething ring. Or maybe a damp wash cloth, just take it away after he falls asleep to avoid any accidents happening.
I never had this problem, when my daughter refused to take a pacifier, she just went to sleep, usually hugging a teddy bear and sucking on a mini-bottle, one that only had about an ounce of formula in it. Just enough to get her to sleep, but not really enough to call a 'bottle'.
2006-10-23 09:13:28 · answer #3 · answered by Lucianna 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i know all children are different but my son actually pacified himself w/ his thumb. i know thumb sucking can turn into another issue but right know it's how he stays quiet. my son's a crier after feedings too but i just put his hand up towards his mouth and he pops in his thumb automatically and i give him a quick rocking and his out like light. i don't know if your son is a thumb sucker too but this might help.
he will probably fight the thumb but if you just hold his hand to his mouth then the natural urge to suck his thumb will overcome his anger at not staying on the breast especially if he's full
2006-10-23 08:57:20 · answer #4 · answered by desiree60411 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try swaddeling him. My son would not take a pacifer and we were told to swaddle him in a blanket and hold against us firmly till he fell asleep, then when you put him down make sure that there is alot of rolled blankets around him tightly. Hope this can work for you.
2006-10-23 08:51:03 · answer #5 · answered by Jennifer M 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try holding him close to you and gently bouncing or swaying him. Put your mouth right next to his ear and say shhhh and keep saying shhh for awhile. Pat him on the butt, or back. Lay him on his tummy on a bed and kinda bounce him a little. How old is he? Is he old enough to be teething? If so get him a teether the chew on.
2006-10-23 08:56:22 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Let him nurse.
You can't let him nurse too much.
If he is trying to nurse for comfort or to go to sleep, he will suck differently. It will feel more like "flutter sucking" than like nutritive sucking. There is NOTHING wrong with letting him stay on the breast.
2006-10-23 09:19:23 · answer #7 · answered by momma2mingbu 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Just let him satisfy his need to suck at the breast to help him fall asleep. It's actually much better for their oral development to suckle on the breast than on anything else.
2006-10-23 08:56:03 · answer #8 · answered by I ♥ EC 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It's the giving in that's probably more of a problem. If he cries more than 20 mins, then go in and rub his back to soothe him. But it's important that he learn to self-soothe. My acupuncturist used to put his son in the stroller and wheel him around the house. My mother's best friend used to bundle her daughter up, put her in the car and drive her around the block. You could try some white noise like a fan, blow dryer, etc. But ultimately, he has to learn that he has the power to calm himself down. If you keep rescuing him, it'll take him longer to learn.
2006-10-23 08:51:55 · answer #9 · answered by sonofstar 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
hiya i have the same problem with my lil boy i tend to put him in the garden for some fresh air it almost always works
hope it works for u too !
good luck
2006-10-23 09:29:19 · answer #10 · answered by sami d 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋