Re: baby not sleeping on his own

Posted by traci on October 19, 2000 at 18:24:57:

In Reply to: Re: baby not sleeping on his own posted by traci on October 19, 2000 at 18:12:31:

: : : my baby will be 4 months next week and he cannot go to sleep on his own. i know he used to me rocking and cuddling him to sleep. recently we tried the Ferber method but i could not stand him crying for so long! so of course we failed!! he just cried and cried. even though we checked on him every 10 mins or so, he would not go to sleep!
: : : Please advise!

: : Hey there, I have a 17 month old and he has never gone to sleep without me, as for letting him cry it out - I have to tell you, any doctor or expert that says it doesn't do any harm is full of it. At least as far as my son is concerned. Everytime I delayed going to him he got so upset he vomitted all over his crib. I think as long as you have a happy, healthy child you did not fail. I do what I can to keep my sanity since I am a stay at home mom and our son will not even stay in a room with his daddy if I try to get some sleep. I just lie him on the floor and give him a bottle, most times he just curls up and goes back to sleep on his own and we put him back in his room. Hope things work out for you - Aymee

I have a 9 month old son who stopped sleeping through the night at 5 months old and like you I ran to him everytime he let out a cry. After two months of this, I finally advised my pediatrician. I was told to lengthen my response time for now but not to let him cry for two long for now. I am not familiar with the Ferber method that you are referring to however, I have always read that four months is too young for you not to respond to him. At four months, you still cannot be sure if your child is in true distress of just being difficult. I have always read that by responding to your child's cries you are teaching him that he is important to you and that he can depend on you to be there for him. I wish I could say that the night crying has stopped but some nights are better than others. One tip I can give you is that when he wakes up crying, try comforting him without picking him up. You can calm his separation anxiety and still try teaching him to put himself back to sleep. Good Luck

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