hey guys! My dd is 12 weeks today and we have the worst time getting her to sleep. I don't care if I am holding her or if she is in her crib or if she is in my bed she will fight sleep- then when she relizes she is about to go to sleep it get worse! I know she is still little and will still wake up at night, but geeeze she never wants to sleep- she only takes 1 yes 1 MAYBE 2 hour nap during the day, what do I do?

First off CONGRATULATIONS!! She is Beautiful.

=) I am sorry you are having such a hard time with her wanting to sleep. I had the same problem with my first daughter Corrin when she hit the age of 2 months. The only thing I found that helped was rocking her to sleep after giving her a nice warn bottle. Oh and I had to let her sleep with me after she fell asleep. It seemed to pass after a few weeks with her.

Another suggestion would be a swing. Do you have one? With Corrin it was a life saver for me. I use it this time around too as Caitlin will keep herself awake a little too long once and a while and have a hard time going out. But the swing usually works when this happens...

Hugs to you and good luck!!
Oh and Welcome!!

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Hi there!

Have you tried the tips in the book "The No Cry Sleep Solution" by Elizabeth Pantley? There is a large section on ideas for getting babies to sleep that are under 4 months old. Those ideas should help a lot!

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Host of:
The No Cry Sleep Solution
Attachment Parenting

I have tryed some of these tips... but about the swing and stuff I want her to sleep in her crib I don't want her to be 5 and still sleeping with mommy and daddy (she has been sleeping with us till now) I would maybe like for her to have a brother or sister by that time ahhhhh

Hi again!

"I have tryed some of these tips... "

Because I don't have the book with me right now (my sister has it) I can't remember if one does logs etc from 0-4 months or not. What I do know, though, from having e-mailed Elizabeth Pantley to ask about problems I was having when I first started, is that she says her plan works best when you are doing all the tips, all the time. This is the reason that she gives : "Use as many of the solutions as possible, as they fit together like puzzle pieces. Doing only one or two things "a little bit" will help, but committing to your sleep plan and following many of the solutions will bring you better, quicker results!" (you can find more info on this in the sticky above entitled "Extra tips from the author of the No Cry Sleep Solution")


"but about the swing and stuff I want her to sleep in her crib I don't want her to be 5 and still sleeping with mommy and daddy"

I completely understand what you mean about how you want your baby to be able to sleep on her own. This method in NCSS is trying to do just that. However, EP goes about it in a totally different way than many other sleep books. Her method is very gentle and baby-centered... and very well researched: Many experts these days (the author of NCSS, James McKenna-head of the Mother and Baby Sleep Center in Notre Dame, Dr. Sears, Penelope Leach...) are saying that babies develop independence from being close with their parents and receiving comfort when they need it. When this comfort is freely given and a baby' cues are followed, she develops a trust in the belief that her parents will come to her when she needs them. She now will start to learn that sleep is a safe place to enter into, and can begin the business of learning to sleep longer. At 3 months old, babies are still very much attached to their Mommy, and how she acts right now will not necessarily be the way she will continue to act over the months and years.

Regarding sleeping in a swing etc; EP does suggest this in the book, not to become reliant on the swing, but to get your baby used to sleeping in lots of different situations, such as the car, the swing, with you etc.

Hope this helps! I'd love to answer more questions or concerns if you have them!

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Host of:
The No Cry Sleep Solution
Attachment Parenting

thank you very much

The swing should not be used all the time. I use it when I am trying to spend time with my older daughter or nothing else works. I try and have her sleep in different spots. Like her bed... the swing... car seat.... a pillow on the coach that is propped so she can not shift her weight and fall.... as well as with me.

With my first daughter she slept with us until 4 months.. then moved to her bed... It was an easy move but I feel it was because we have moved at the same time to a new place so it was not her normal surroundings. Does this make sense?

I swore I would not have the new baby sleep with us but you know what?? She is... I think some of it has to do with her being a preemie. But She starts off being in her bed at night and with us by around 4 or 5 in the morning. At first she was with us all night but I am slowly breaking that habit.

Anyways good luck to you and sorry for rambling.

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Emmasmom,
here's something that worked really well for me when my son was that age and starting to fight sleep. I carried him around in a sling and just went around doing my business. When he got tired, he just fell asleep. He loved it, and I don't think he realized I was trying to get him to sleep, so he didn't fight it. I used one called an over-the-shoulder-baby-holder. It was the simplest one to use, and believe it of not, I used it on him until he was a year old or so. You can even use it on toddlers to help hold them on your him and keep your hands free. This was wonderful for us, because he didn't like to be put down. He wouln't even stay in his swing.
The best part of all is, once they're asleep, you can lay them down wherever you like and just slip out of the sling. It seems a little tricky the first few times you try it, but trust me, after a while you can do it in your sleep.
Something else that I can now see looking back is that when he was little, I got used to him having a certain sleeping pattern, and when he started to change, I thought it was a problem, and tried to force him back into his old habbits. I was so afraid if he didn't sleep he would get cranky. Looking back, I realize that most of the time he wasn't fighting sleep, he was just maturing and changing. He just wasn't sleepy all the time anymore. If you think that's what's going on with you, just try waiting until she's obviously sleepy. From my experience with that age, when they get sleepy, they will go to sleep. That will take a lot of pressure and worry off you if you just follow her cues. Try to keep notes on when she seems sleepy on her own to see if you can establish a pattern.
Good luck!