How can i help my baby fall asleep on her own?

Question

my baby is 5 months...i always have to rock her to sleep....she will always fuss before bedtime (she doesn't want to go to sleep but she's too tired)...sometimes it doesn't even work if i rock her...i have to walk around....like for 1 hrs... i work and get home at 8...she goes sleep about 10 or 11.....i get really tired from working sometimes and it frustrate me sometimes....she sleep with me....can anybody help me?... any advice would be very appreciated....

Answer 1

I've been having that same problem with my 6 1/2 month old little girl. I would lay her in her crib and she would just cry until I picked her up and rocked her to sleep. Somehow by searching on the internet I came across some classical music and downloaded it, burned it to a cd and put it in a cd player in her room at night. Now she only cries for about 3 min and by the time the 2nd song starts, she is out cold. Maybe give that a try. It has saved me for the last week! Good luck.

Answer 2

Make sure she doesn't nap too close to bedtime. Give her a warm bath, rock her with her bottle and stick her in bed. Maybe she won't go to sleep as she is used to sleeping with you. Try laying down with her until she drops off to sleep.  Also, maybe she is fighting sleep because she doesn't see you until 8:00 and wants to spend more time with you.

Answer 3

I don't agree with letting babies cry by themselves, I think it's cruel, so I'll second the suggestion to read "The No Cry Sleep Solution" by Liz Pantly - there is a lot of great info in there on getting your baby to sleep without resorting to cry-it-out.

And there is nothing wrong with co-sleeping.  It's what works best for a lot of families (including mine) so if it's working for you don't listen to anyone who says you shouldn't do it.

Answer 4

let her cry it out. i'm serious. if she gets worked up go in and calm her until she is not crying then right back to bed. its the only thing that worked for my baby boy when he was almost 4 months, i tried it all. now at bedtime around 8-9pm if he isnt already sleeping i can just go lay him in his crib fully awake and he can put himself to sleep in 10-15mins. no crying, maybe a little fussing but not much. but trust me it was h**l on earth at nap time for him before i let him figure it out himself. he is sooo much better now. as long as he is tired and no hungry he can put himself to sleep. might take 3-4 loong tiring days/nights but its worth it. dont let the baby scream. let her fuss 15-20mins, cry 10-15mins. be persistant also. she will get it soon enough. also have a routine every night before bedtime like: supper, bath, bottle. something like that

Answer 5

your first problem was that you rocked her from the time you had her. i made the same mistake and not just once. i did it twice, i used to rock and walk the floor with my girls so i'm determined not to this time. all i can suggest is to let her have a little cry, go in and comfort her if she gets distressed then leave the room again but once she is in her cot, don't pick her up. she should be in a cot, not in bed with you or she'll always expect it. babies are set on routine. i work in childcare with babies and there are so many different routines but i have to accomodate for all of them and i can have up to 15 babies from 6 weeks to 2 years. You can try putting one of your shirts that you've worn under her sheet so she can smell you and think your there and also a clock with a loud tick will make her think she's hearing your heartbeat. that's all i can think of right now, hope it helps

Answer 6

I had massive problems with getting my 3 month old son to sleep.  He would just lie awake and cry for hours, then when he finally went to sleep he would wake every hour or two hours through the night and cry again!  Talk about pulling our hair out .... we were absolutely desperate for sleep!

It was a baby sleep audio program recommended by a friend that finally saved us. We followed the advice and began by creating a baby sleep routine which included bathtime, dimming of the lights, putting Paul into his crib, final nappy change and then lullabies. We also made recommended changes to his naps during the day and used some of the other recommended techniques. Within two weeks he was sleeping through the night most nights with just the odd night where he would just wake once!

Definitely start by creating a good baby sleep routine though and you could find that solves most of your baby sleep problems.

Good luck!

If you want to take a look, the audio program is at http://www.babysleepsolution.com

Answer 7

I so feel for you.  I'm sorry you're struggling.  Google the Ferber method.  It is a very "humane" way to cry it out.  We used it last night.  Started w/one minute and only got up to four before he was out.  Routine is huge.  And as hard as it is, and I know it is, you have to break the rocking/walking and the sleeping w/you...unless you want to be doing it a year from now.  I love taking naps w/my little guy, but I only allow myself to do it every once in a while...Good luck.  

Answer 8

Let her have her own bed, not sleeping with you, not matter how easy it is!

Try to set a daily night time schedule. Our five month olds schedule goes like this. Around 7:30, she gets her pablum, then it's off for a nice bath. Pajamas on then it's story time! Two short books! Then she gets breast fed for until she's full. Then she gets layed down in her bed, she gets her soother to suck on. We turn off the lights and she's a sleep  within 10 minutes!

This way, they learn how to fall asleep on their own (self comfort). If she's starts crying really badly, pick her up, nurse her or rock her for a little while to calm her down.

Or you can try what my sister did. She fed her, put her in bed and let her cry it out. Not my favorite method, but if it works?

Answer 9

Try turning some static on from the radio. Always works to get my 3 month old to sleep. It sounds like the womb, especially when its pretty loud. It calms them down. Its like white noise. You could even buy a white noise machine.

Answer 10

If she is so tired - she just needs to release some energy. Around 8 give here a bath and then feed her and then sit in the rocker and read her a couple of books for about 10 minutes then lay her down in a crib. Well you are doing these nigh time activities keep the noise down and try to relax her during the time. If she is over tired she may just need to cry it out for a couple of minutes.  

Answer 11

hi i was in a similar situation with my son who is now 7 months, he used to only take 10 mins of rocking to get to sleep until he was about 4 months old, then he would take up to an hour!!!! i researched everywhere and finally found aware parenting, now he falls asleep in my arms, usually within about 10 mins

our son sleeps with us too :)

Answer 12

All I have to say is PLEASE buy the book "No Cry Sleep Solution!" you can find it at any local bookstore and it is an amazing book. All I have to do to my 3 1/2 month old is whisper  "Shhhhhh... sleepy time" and gently run my fingers over her nose and she goes out! I am not going to lie sometimes she wants a pacifier but she always goes down by 7:00 pm! She may be overstimulated.Honestlyy.. BUY THE BOOK. and start a good bed time regime. I do bath and massage every night so she knows what is too come. Good Luck and congrats on your baby!