help getting baby to sleep

I really do not want to be the voice of "reason" and "bad habits start early..." I promise you I really do not want to be that guy.

I love nothing more than holding a newborn close to me and rocking her while she drifts off to sleep, and you breath in all the warm milkiness it makes life appear sweet and lovely and perfect.

However ... the reality is that the longer we keep rocking our babies/patting them on their backs/walking them up and down the passage until they fall asleep, the longer we will be doing it.

My daughter was a screamer - like you will not believe. I don't mean she was a moaner, I mean she was a S C R E A M E R that could peel paint.

I used to rock her and pat her until she fell asleep because once I tried not to and she screamed for more than an hour until I picked her up again and rocked her and patted her.

She is a 3rd child so you think I would know better, but because she was so high maintenance, I started doing high maintenance things ... and the cycle began.

At some point my partner stepped in - while I was out - gave baby a bottle, walked down the passage put baby in cot, closed the door and went back to the room to carry on watching Super Sport.

(Up to that point she had been sleeping in a moses basket next to my bed as I was up half the night feeding and patting her.)

You know what - I realised my baby can actually go to sleep without me gently rocking her to sleep (as I had been every day since she was born). She was less than 6 weeks at this point.

This forum and many others are jammed with moms who cannot get a decent night's sleep as they are fighting with their babies and/or toddlers until all hours of night .... the reality is that it starts because we train them as babies.

Please please please cuddle your baby .... cherish every moment, but be realistic that you also need to teach baby that baby can go to sleep by herself without you rocking her for ages .....

Good luck ...

Thanks everyone it helps.

My lG is 2 weeks. I just wanted to say thanks so much for posting this topic Skyler.
I really needed all this advise as well.
Thank you moms

yes please darling while you on ML dont try and rush to get dishes done ... clothing washed and all other chores.... you have one chore and one chore only looking after baby....

My LG is 6 months now.

From birth, she wanted to be held. She slept on my chest. During my maternity leave, I could not put her down to pee. I would pull the pram right in front of the loo, put her down quickly, pee and pick her up again. In the 1 minute that took, she would cry and tears were streaming down her face. I though me child was spoiled!

Only found out the other day that this is perfectly normal.

She now sleeps on her own in her wooden cot in her own room. She falls asleep by herself after putting her down for the night (not always, but mostly)!

Oh, and she never wants to be on my chest anymore

Treasure your little one while you can.

PS: I would wait till Hubby got home and then did the housework. Napped when baby did or read a book with her sleeping in my arms.

oh, how I miss it

we all know how difficult the first few months is, my little boy is almost 5months and only settling into a routine now... when he was that small hubby and myself took turns as baby only slept on our chest and now i allready miss it...
so he will get the idee that he is in the big world now.... i also had baby in his cary cot swadeled in his big cot... they feel safer.

i wont let baby cry now its far toyoung only routine or babit that you should bemaking now is start a bath routine.

i have read the babysense book(still are)

Good luck and congratulations with your new born!!!

Up to about 2 and 1/2 months my baby wanted me to always hold him upright I've heard this is more comfortable when they are windy.
I know rocking them can be quite boring, but try treasure this time. I speak to so many people that say they wish they could get their little ones to sit still so they can cuddle them.
I know how you feel though, my baby is 3 months old and he weigh's 7,2kg's! so rocking him is a pain in the neck! I get sooooo frustrated when he wont sleep! But... he is a baby so...