[redbonec]

OUr new little girl is 8 weeks old. For the past 3 weeks or so, she has become a very light sleeper. I am looking for any ideas or advice I've not tried!

She will wake at any sound, no matter how slight it is.
But, her biggest challenge is when she startles or moves a bit when she is falling into a deeper sleep, any movement of herself will wake her again.
I have watched her to see that within 1-2 minutes of falling asleep she will move in her sleep and wake all over again. She is not just moving, as she goes on she wakes more and cries more and more. Sometimes I try to move the bassinett for the motion, put my hand on her, pacifier, but it always comes to the point that I have to pick her up and resettle her, then it happens all over again. This can go on several times, until a good 45 minutes has passed. Sometimes it has gone on so long she finally becomes more hungry than tired, then I feed her. But then she is still tired.

We already swaddle, so I cannot make her more snug to startle less than she is.
I have also tried putting her to sleep drowsy but awake, also fully asleep, on her back, her side, on our bed, her bed, her bassinett, unswaddled, at first signs of sleepiness, also more tired. Anything!

Going to sleep is not the problem, she does not mind that at all, it is the staying asleep.

Even in our arms she will wake several times but of course goes back to sleep easily there. But laying down asleep is a big problem.

Any insight or ideas appreciated!

[greenrobin]

You must be exhausted!

A friend of mine gave me a suggestion that worked really well with all of our foster placements. If you haven't tried it yet, it might help.

She suggested that we get a regular old box fan and set it up in the bedroom, blowing away from the baby. Turned on, it kind of acts like white noise. The repetetiveness of the whirring blades seems to soothe some babies--much like a vaccuum cleaner--and helps to mask other ambient noises that might startle her.

I tried it with a little screamy thing who stayed here and it helped him. It helps our son who is hypervigilant. It helps me on nights I'm tightly wound. And it's a cheap, available solution, assuming that you're not dealing with GERD or other health issues.

I only wish I'd thought about it back when our oldest--the lightest sleeper in the history of babies--was an infant!

Good luck!

[Cjmeck]

Well, my first thought was swaddling or pacifier, but I see you're doing that. My other thoughts... what about a white noise machine? We've used fans with both of our kids, and I swear it helped them sleep more sound.
I think you're doing everything right with regard to putting her asleep tired but awake. That will surely benefit her. I would try those first. Also, are you giving her a few minutes to settle back down on her own? With my second child, I learned to just sit outside the door and listen for a minute or two. Often, she would settle herself back to sleep. But other times, you just know when the crying is going to progress into something more dramatic so you have to come to the rescue. Its a hard age for sure. They are becoming more aware of their environment, yet not great on self soothing (and won't be for many months most likely). Hang in there! Just remember its just a phase, it won't be like this forever

[Amber76]

I know some moms who swear by the Miracle Blanket and say it swaddles better and is more soothing than any other type of swaddling. I have no idea if that's true because DS NEVER wanted to be swaddled and was always hot.

I also agree with trying some sort of white noise such as a fan or a white noise machine. Or, what we do is a lullaby CD on repeat. It helps keep other sounds from waking him up by masking those sounds.

DS also MUST sleep in a room by himself and wakes up a LOT when we all have to sleep in the same room. He did that even when he was just a few weeks old before we moved him to the nursery. He woke every three hours when he stayed in our room, but the very first night I moved him to the nursery he slept for 7 hours straight, then 8 the next night. He hasn't slept less than 8 hours at a time since, unless we're in a hotel or somewhere that he can't have his own space.

Good luck!

[CaddoRose]

Get a white noise machine. Can usually be found at Walmart or Radio Shack for around $10-15. The white noise will allow the brain to block out other sounds. Music will activate the brain and is usually not a good choice. White noise has no pattern and works better. Also bathe the baby in lavender. The lavender smell will also help speed the baby into a deep sleep.

[Amber76]

I wouldn't do the lavendar with an 8 week old-our son was allergic to it and our pediatrician said most very young babies' skin isn't ready for it yet.

I also think there is a big difference depending on the type of music. My son sleeps to a spanish lullaby music CD every night and he is a GREAT sleeper. He sleeps 12-13 hours every single night and has slept at least 8 hours straight since he was 2 months old. I've even read research that shows that soothing music helps calm brain waves and help with sleep. Just go for very simple, repetitive music, not something complex or with lots of crescendos, etc.

[jalapeno]

Another inexpensive noise idea: I found some nature sounds downloads at Walmart music online. I got an Ocean Sounds one and a Babbling Brook one for about a dollar each. And both are more than an hour long.

Have you not tried a swing or a vibrating bouncer?

I'm sorry you're not getting much rest. I know how that goes . . .

[sbaglio]

Our daughter has always slept well by falling asleep to classical music. It's the same CD every night, and she's usually asleep (after singing out loud for a while) within a couple of minutes. Once she's asleep, we switch from that CD to the "nature sounds" option on the clock/radio in her room.

[Stormster]

First off, babies that age should have a fan in the room where they sleep anyway since research shows it can reduce the chances of SIDS.

Oh I feel your pain. We have a super light sleeper too. In fact the WHOLE FAMILY is. So one person so much as MOVES and it's like a chain reaction. When I would go check on E if my knee would crack (no old lady comments please! ) he would wake up! So I literally stopped checking on him more than once a night. Also doesn't help that his is the ONLY door that squeaks in our entire house!

OK so what we did was we downloaded white noise from I tunes and put it on repeat and played on a mini speaker. It's also good because when we travel it's easier to take an Ipod and tiny speaker than the typical white noise Machine.....

So yeah we are huge believers in that. We actually ended up getting an air purifier because of his reactive airway which is huge and makes a LOT of strong white noise. Still use it. The only problem ishe's 2 and now we HAVE to use it. It is kind of a good thing to get kids used to sleeping with household noise but some kids just don't get the rest they need.

If you want to spend a little more money (actually in the hundred dollar range) I don't hink an air purifier is a bad thing.

Hope she outgrows it because mine didn't!!!!! Mighty PAIN in the Arse!

[slugbug0930]

Our DD never liked being swaddled but had the same issues. She would wake herself up moving about so we got a sleep positioner for her
The First Years Air Flow Sleep Positioner by Learning Curve - Learning Curve - Babies "R" Us

Summer Infant Inclined to Sleep Positioner - Summer Infant - Babies "R" Us

Similar to those. We actually had 2 of them one on a wedge shaped foam which actually helped a lot with her tummy issues and then one flat one that we used once her tummy issues went away. They kept her from startling herself awake quite as often.

She is also a light sleeper. For her we use an Ipod with music by various artists playing lightly in the background. We also turn on the fan of our central heat/air system while she is napping or at night. The hum of that seems to help mask most of the noise in the house and she sleeps much better.

[OnTheJourney]

Hugs

Sounds a bit similar to my DD. I felt so exhausted and I think I tried everything... in the end the only true saving grace was time... sorry not what an exhausted mama wants to hear. She is however an awesome sleeper now.

Of all the things I tried, the things that seemed to help most in the interm were (all done together):

- swaddled as tightly as possible
- homemade sleep positioner: walls on both sides made from rolled up towels with a soft fleece blanket tuked snuggly over and around it and DD wedged tightly in the middle.
- soft music playing: fisher price lullaby CD
- lamp on with a soft blue light in it: something my DH read would help???

about 8 weeks until about 3.5-4 months were the worst. The it got MUCH MUCH better!!!!
We did all those things until roughly 6-7 months when she became quite quite mobile. At 15 months she still loves her CD playing and has to have a fleece blaket under her to rest her cheek against. She also like to press her back against the side of the crib still as well.

Hang in there... this too shall pass.

[Stormster]

Originally Posted by OnTheJourney

Hugs

Sounds a bit similar to my DD. I felt so exhausted and I think I tried everything... in the end the only true saving grace was time... sorry not what an exhausted mama wants to hear. She is however an awesome sleeper now.

Of all the things I tried, the things that seemed to help most in the interm were (all done together):

- swaddled as tightly as possible
- homemade sleep positioner: walls on both sides made from rolled up towels with a soft fleece blanket tuked snuggly over and around it and DD wedged tightly in the middle.
- soft music playing: fisher price lullaby CD
- lamp on with a soft blue light in it: something my DH read would help???

about 8 weeks until about 3.5-4 months were the worst. The it got MUCH MUCH better!!!!
We did all those things until roughly 6-7 months when she became quite quite mobile. At 15 months she still loves her CD playing and has to have a fleece blaket under her to rest her cheek against. She also like to press her back against the side of the crib still as well.

Hang in there... this too shall pass.

Sounds so cozy!!!!

[OakShannon]

Ohh . . . I remember those days. David was exactly like that. We would resettle him over and over again. Naps and nighttime sleeping were the same. He would sleep for 10 - 15 minutes and then was awake again and just couldn't settle back down. Sometimes it took well over an hour to get him really settled to sleep at night, and he would still wake several times before morning.

Unfortunately, I think our experience was like Journey's - time was the real solution. In the meantime, we put a lot of miles on the rocking chair. But I agree that the music / white noise was a help. Experiment to see what works. We bough a white noise machine that someone here said worked wonders for their baby - and it drove David wild. He couldn't relax with the nature or water sounds. (So try it, but keep the receipt just in case!) But a fan worked pretty well. He still has a fan going in his room whenever he sleeps. I like the idea of trying the sleep positioner too.

David is now a great sleeper, by the way. This stage really will pass!

[redbonec]

Thaaankkkssss everyone for your ideas!

I did read them a few times since I first posted, but have not been able to reply, because where she was sleeping was across the hall from the computer and she would wake with the tap tap of the keys if I typed!

WE have been trying a few things.
Have noticed that the box fan and the noise machine block out different noises. The box fan alone was not enough.
THe noise machine we had with our first daughter we had used for 2 years, and at first when I tried it, it seemed to keep her awake. But, I tried it again and it is working well and keeping her asleep a little better. Had to replace it, as the first one was wearing out and not working well. Radio Shack, Target, and WalMart could not find one there. Wish I could do downloads like suggested, but we are not that computer savvy in this house! And no ipod either. But did finally find a sounds machine at Bed Bath and Beyond, and the waterfall sound is the most consistent and blocks out a lot. There is a heartbeat one on there which I thought was interesting!
Wish music worked--to much for her. Except I will dance her sometimes to John Denver's Thank God I'm a Country Boy and she goes out like a light.

And I could not find a small fan at this time of year! Stores do not carry them until spring. I didn't know! So my husband went an hour south to pick one up at my parents.

And we did move her to her own room finally. After Tuesday night, she woke every time I even moved my foot under the sheet, and then my husband would stir, then she would, and it would just volley back and forth. She definitely has slept better in her room at night, and now the noises she makes is just stirring sometimes, but not waking. She is getting the sleep she needs at least at night now! And now I can use the computer again since her room is a bit further from here.

Stormster I know the cracking joints! Happens all the time, and yes that wakes her too!

WE do use a positioner, wish we'd had one for our first daughter, snuggles them in closer even with swaddling.

Journey I am putting a soft thin blanket around the positioner, and it is softer now.

INteresting about the blue light--just the other night found a blue night light with the fiber optics and it is a little too bright for the baby's room I think for now--when she wakes she is always looking around--but our other daughter really likes it and I noticed last night that it really is a softer light in the room.

OakShannon--exactly--constantly going in every few minutes sometimes so many times!

So, thank you everyone, the sleep is still challenging some, but it has gotten better with your suggestions!