How do I get my 5 month old to fall asleep on her own?

Question

I've tried letting her "cry it out" but she cried for an hour and a half. I just couldn't stand it anymore and picked her up. Also, when I get her to sleep and lay her down, she wakes up within an hour. I breastfeed, and at night, all she wants to do is nurse.

She won't take a binki and if I allow her to lay with me and nurse, she will stay latched on all night. My nipples can't stand the abuse.

Answer 1

Actually the Ferber method doesn't work! It is even a little bit cruel. Well, okay i'm fibbing a little, it can work but it still isn't appropriate.

I did a research paper on this topic when I was in college.

America and some places in Europe are the minority when it comes to allowing children to sleep with them. For the most part, cultures around the world allow their infants to sleep with them. This actually increases the attachment between parent(s) and child. Also, your infant will sleep better (and therefore so will you). Remember, when you let your child cry it does not have the mental capacity to understand why. If it learns from this it is behavioral, like how you teach a dog to pee outside. An infant is not a dog, it needs more than this. The ferber method increases a child's indepedence and detachment from it's mother. I guess some people appreciate this. I believe much more in having a strong attachment with your child. Also, remember, that before age two you cannot spoil your child. Well you can, but it won't have a negative effect. In fact every infant deserves to be spoiled.

Links to support my point of view:
http://www.sleepnet.com/infant/messages/626.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/19237/a_factbased_case_against_letting_your.html

Link to explain about ferber method (letting baby cry):
http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/7755.html

Here is a list of some books that might help:
http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/beforeyoubuy/l/aa_sleepbooks.htm

And the most interesting of all and maybe the most helpful:
A woman has discovered that different baby cries mean different things. She has pinpointed what means what. You can use this yourself:
http://www.rookiemoms.com/oprah-baby-talk/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunstan_Baby_Language
http://www.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200611/tows_past_20061113.jhtml

Answer 2

Babies do get 25% of their nutrition at night, so frequent nursing is not uncommon. Also, you baby is at just the right age to be getting really interested in the world around her. Thus, she may nurse less frequently during the day and at night really realize how hungry she is. When I got to your point of "touched out" by my daughter I had her daddy take over bedtimes. If I tried to put her to sleep any other way, all she wanted to do was nurse. My daughter was a little bit older than yours at 8 months, but she was a preemie so she was a little small. This gave me a break and allowed him some daddy/daughter time.

Answer 3

Babies at this age don't know what sleep is. So they need help. There is a reason why breastfeeding puts them to sleep! She will learn eventually. Why do you need her to fall asleep on her own so soon? It takes a long time to learn how to do that!

She is probably teething. My 6 month old is doing the same thing--he wakes up when I put him down, he nurses a lot at night. It's not easy, but it's normal. By nursing her to sleep and letting her nurse, you are giving her POSITIVE associations with sleep. Crying it out is cruel. It teaches fear, loneliness, insecurity because the baby is communicating her need but no one is answering (when previously they did).

Please check out other answers I have given to this question (click on my user name) for more ideas and info.

Try the "No cry Sleep Solution" book.

Teething usually makes babies wakeful. Try Hyland's teething tablets. I find they work.

Also at night I find it pretty easy to fall back to sleep when he wakes to nurse unless I've had caffeine (then I lie there wide awake). If this is the case for you, cutting caffeine might help. I also find my baby is way more wakeful if I have caffeine. I know some people say it doesn't affect them, but it certainly does affect my baby!

Answer 4

I too am a popular time mom! whay we did with our infant boy is transition him. If we constantly positioned him in mattress we would rock him til he became approximately ninety% asleep, The we would rock him until eventually he all started exhibiting approximately 50% that he became sleepy and now we are installation a mattress time time table and rock him for 2 - 5 minutes and then positioned him in his crib, say our prayers, activate his changing shade canines and go away the room. Our little boy is now 3 month previous and can doze off by utilising himself in his crib. in spite of this, we've been given fortunate with a boy that sleeps between 6 - 9 hours a night. the considerable we used became a slow transition. i'm hoping this facilitates!

Answer 5

tricky...one. i used the crying it out method and it worked for me, well actually... i lied.....! it worked finally when my baby was 10 months old. i think it's just in the baby. i do know that we shouldn't let our babies cry over an hour when they are that young (not sure if that's medically proven - just heard that from a nurse and books...). does she weigh enough to sleep through the night, sometimes babies just need to weigh more to be able to make it through the night. i wish i could help you more, i was gonna give you the cry it out method but since that doesn't seem to work i'm not sure.... good luck and sorry i wasn't very helpful!

Answer 6

Let your baby sleep with you. Let her nurse during the night. She is a baby and needs mommy day AND night. It is normal and natural for her to want to nurse all night, and this time will pass soon enough. Try not to rush your baby into growing up! Give her yourself and be comforted in knowing that you are doing what is best for you and your baby. You both will sleep MUCH more peacefully and wake up happy! Just try it. and please... please, don't let your baby cry itself to sleep. Who wants to go to sleep that way???

Answer 7

I have one word... binki. I have had two kids, and they did not need one. but my boy is the same way. Nursing is a relaxing motion. they often sucked their fingers in our womb. Give her a binki. But make sure you nurse her every so often so she gets plenty to eat.

Answer 8

I would try one of those baby beds that attaches to your bed so you wont have to do so much up and down just latch her on and you both can go back to sleep try walmart.com to see about prices