4 month old baby's sleeping habits....HELP!!?

Question

My 4 month old baby boy sleeps for 30 minutes at a time during the day and for only 2 hours at a time at night. I am at my wits end. He is b/f and we have just started him on solids. He won't go to sleep on his own. He needs to be held till he has nodded off and if we put him down too early, he wakes again. We have tried everything - self soothing, letting him cry for a while etc. Nothing works. Any advice would be a huge help.

Answer 1

My daughter is 4 months on the 27th and I had the same problem ,and sometimes still do . I asked her Dr the last we were there ,and she said it was normal . its babys way of getting onto a schedule because they are still getting use to the world ,and how it works . She explained it that baby is use to being in the womb and doing what they want ...sleeping , playing etc whenever they want ,and now have to get use to a routine . My daughter is getting better at sleeping now , but it took endless days wearing a grove back and forth from her nursery to our living room giving her soother back ,and telling her its not playtime. Its hard to listen to your child crying ,but it does eventually work . Could your little guy be hungry still ?? Or maybe he just needs the security of knowing someone is close by . Just think it wont last forever ,and tell yourself you are a great Mom for taking the time ,and having the patience to see him through this stage . Good Luck Hun !!

Answer 2

"Self soothing" is something nice that happens when a baby is developmentally ready. It can't be taught, and the idea that "crying it out" will do a baby any favours is a lie.

Some good info on that:

http://www.talaris.org/pdf/research/CIOPoster.pdf

I would just go heavy on the cuddles for the time being.

(Why solids at four months...?? Solids do not help babies sleep longer -- that's another myth -- and digestive problems could be keeping him up, too.)

Answer 3

My daughter just turned 1 in November, but she has been sleeping through the night (8-12 hours) since she was about 2 weeks old. From the time she came home from the hospital, I gave her a bath every single night before bedtime. I used the Johnson's bedtime lotion/bath/body wash every night along with her warm bath. I wanted to get her into a ritual because children (just like adults) get used to routine. I don't know if this might help for sleeping all night for your infant but it did for mine, and boy I sure was thankful!!

Answer 4

You've already found the right solution - hold him until he falls asleep, and don't put him down too soon! Babies sleep very differently than adults or older children. Your baby will develop a more mature sleep pattern when he is older.

8 INFANT SLEEP FACTS EVERY PARENT SHOULD KNOW
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/7/T070200.asp

STARTING SOLID FOODS
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/3/T032000.asp

Answer 5

What you should do is make him feel really comfortable. Let him take his bottle and rock him. Maybe even hold him for about 30 min. This way you know he is in a deep slumber. Then lie him down.
-Good luck

P.S,
hope you get some sleep

Answer 6

Go get Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child and read it ASAP. I tried every sleep method out there and this one works. It's not even a method, just real info on sleep patterns and how to improve them. It WORKS!!!!

Answer 7

that's what happens with babies, they don't sleep through the night. If you weren't prepared to wake up all hours of the night, you shouldn't have had a baby.

Answer 8

hang in there guy, Been there and achieved that. right it is a few issues I lerarned for the time of those few (definite, basically some.) months. a million. get a mirror and mount it over his crib. make confident its fastened extremely nicely so it has no probability of falling on him. looks to cause them to sleep or a minimum of occupy them. I used a truck mirror. 2. choose for a journey. Mine could bypass to sleep earlier i ought to get out of the community. 3. some thing that makes a chirp or comparable noise approximately each 5 seconds. hide it under the crib. Will tire them attempting to locate it. desire a style of helps. If not, in simple terms bear in mind that it wont final continually and you will seem returned and chortle. they are super thoughts.