My ds is two months old and he used to sleep most of the day undisturbed except for feedings even with my older ds running around making a lot of noise. In the past few weeks, however, he has become an incredibly light sleeper waking up quite frequently. Every few minutes to 15 minutes, for example, he will wake up and cry. Once he starts crying I have to pick him up and put him back to sleep otherwise he will continue to cry for a long time. It could be in his crib, in the carseat, stroller etc. He seems super sensitive to his surroundings and can't seem to stay asleep very long even when he's VERY VERY sleepy and tired. My older son is due to return from a trip with his grandparents this weekend and I'm very concerned that my younger ds will not be able to get any sleep whatsoever now that he's become so sensitive. Has anyone else had a similar experience and if so, is this normal and was it just a phase he'll grow out of? My older ds was and is the most sound sleeper that I know and so this is all very new to me. Thanks.

By Semperspencer on Sunday, April 20, 2003 - 04:32 pm:

I really don't have much good news to pass on. I'm sure some babies to go through this as a phase, but it was DEFINITELY not a phase for my youngest DS. He was an extremely light sleeper since birth, and is still at 18 mos.

On the contrary, my 4 year old DS is a very sound sleeper! It was very frustrating when my youngest DS woke up at every noise. I ended up just having to let him cry himself back to sleep. If he cried more than 10 minutes, I would go in and check on him, and if he was okay, I would just reassure him, tuck him back in, and leave the room. He eventually learned to get himself back to sleep on his own. He found his thumb, and pacified himself when he took naps. He does not suck his thumb during the day, only at night when falling asleep. This is the way I handled my light sleeper, hope this helps you out some...

By Tklinreston on Sunday, April 20, 2003 - 04:55 pm:

My ds is too young to have found his thumb. I've tried helping him but he lacks the control. He won't take a pacifier because I breastfeed. I'll continue to try the pacifier but for now - no luck. His crying is relentness and will only stop when I pick him up. For now, it looks as though I will have to keep picking him up every time he wakes up and put him back to sleep. The remarkable thing is, as sensitive as he is, he will sleep soundly in my arm no matter how much I touch him and move him around. Even in his deepest sleep he knows that he is being held. Thanks, anyways.

By Semperspencer on Sunday, April 20, 2003 - 08:05 pm:

That is so sweet, how he will only sleep well in your arms! I breastfed also, so my ds would not take a pacifier either. I agree with you, you will probably have to keep picking him up and helping him back to sleep for the meantime. Things will work out soon, but it sounds like you are a wonderful mother!

By Beth on Sunday, April 20, 2003 - 11:02 pm:

I don't really know if this will work. But I run a fan for my kids. Just for background noise. My dh and I like one to. When my daughter is napping. If I run one even outside her door. I don't have to feel like every noise will wake her up. I know they have noise machines to that are fairly inexspensive if you don't like the idea of running a fan. Good Luck!

By Susan10 on Monday, April 21, 2003 - 12:19 am:

It sounds to me like you were incredibly lucky with your first child, because your 2 month old sound completely normal. Both my kids had to be carried a lot when they were tiny, I held them constantly and rocked them to sleep. They'd wake up and I'd spend hours getting them to sleep again. Then they'd go through a good period for a couple months, then get sick or have an earache or new tooth and it was back to square one. A pacifier worked with my first one, but not with the second. I'll bet since your son is a heavy sleeper that he won't be disturbed by the baby. Good luck. It will get better.

By Semperspencer on Monday, April 21, 2003 - 12:43 am:

Beth!! Excellent idea about the fan/white noise! I forgot to add that! My light sleeper, now 18 mos old HAS to have a fan going when he goes to sleep. We use a stand-up fan. My husband and I have to have one in our room too when we are sleeping. It is probably the white noise that helps him sleep so well, and I completely forgot to add that! Sorry!

By Beth on Monday, April 21, 2003 - 09:30 am:

One more thing I thought of. Do you bundle him tight? My dd had to be bundled like a little burrito. I think she did this for several months. She was not a pacifier baby either but this helped.

By Colette on Monday, April 21, 2003 - 10:22 am:

I do the fan thing too. Dh and I run one and all 3 dks have one. The only downside to having a fan is that now if we go away I have a really hard time sleeping without one.

By Tklinreston on Monday, April 21, 2003 - 11:15 am:

I had just held my ds to sleep for his morning nap. After about 10 minutes when I could tell he was sound asleep, I laid him down. Grabbed my tea and sat down at the computer fairly confident that he was off to dreamland. There is noone else here so the house is quiet.. only the lullaby CD which I play to help him drift off to sleep and to provide some background noise. In less than 15 minutes, just as I sat down, he woke up again. Well, needless to say, he's now sleeping in my arms and I'm fumbling around on the keyboard trying to type with one hand.

Susan... I'm glad to hear that this is quite normal. It's hard to comprehend because I know he's very sleepy and even w/o ANY disturbances he keeps waking up. We just had his 2 month visit so I know he's healthy. As for my older ds, he is a heavy sleeper and will be fine. It's the little one I'm worried about. At least now he can sleep some even if it's in 15 - 20 minute intervals, as well as in my arms for much longer periods. Once my older ds returns, who, btw, has the energy of ten grown men, and is really LOUD, my little guy won't be able to sleep at all. Poor thing.

As far as trying to provide white noise in the background, I bought the CD, "The Happiest Baby on the Block" recommended through this site as a matter of fact, as well as the blow dryer. I can't tell if the CD is working but the blow dryer helps just alittle. (BTW we've had contractors over our house for bids on a patio. The other day one of the guys while meeting with us suddenly remarked that he was getting extremely sleepy and couldn't keep his eyes open. He didn't understand why nor did we when in a quiet moment, I could hear the CD in the background and realized it was the CD putting him to sleep. When we discovered this we turned it off and all laughed). Anyway, for those who resorted to the fan, did any of you try the hairdryer too? I will definitely have to try the fan and hope that it will work. (I'm going to try laying him down again.)

One of the things that I have noticed about my younger ds is that he turns his head side to side constantly while trying to fall asleep or while waking up from sleeping. He'll turn it from one side to the other, sometimes over 20 times and then eventually settle down and is still. Then in a few minutes, he'll do it again. Other times, it ends up waking him up and he'll start to cry. Has anyone experienced this behavior? Oh gotta go.... he's waking up again. Thanks, guys.

By Tercoclu on Monday, April 21, 2003 - 12:49 pm:

I have 4 children and with the first 2 I had almost no trouble with them,I used a radio playing softly.But my 3rd son was a different prospect and then so was my last one..

An old lady who lived nearby gave me these hints.First of all ,many babies loved to be wrapped up snungly ,some also hated sleeping in large spaces.So with the last one,I always made sure he was surrounded by teddies,not close enough to fall on him but enough so he would feel snug..It worked like magic ,and as for the third child,he's 26 now and he still loves to sleep wrapped up like a coccoon...

As for the white noise I use that method for myself as I'm a rotten sleeper.Good luck,it doesn't last long,soon he'll be asleep all the time and you'll be fighting to get him up for school..Enjoy it while you can..

By Semperspencer on Monday, April 21, 2003 - 01:20 pm:

I never used a blow dryer, but I'm sure it would have the same effect as a fan. I just found a standup fan to be easier. I would just flip it on, and go, and would leave it on throughout the entire night, or entire nap. I also bundled my ds up in a tight swaddle, that was another must!

By Mechelle on Monday, April 21, 2003 - 01:59 pm:

I do the fan thing too.

Me and Dh have to have one on even in the winter, (just turn it away from us...........It the fan isn't on, we can't sleep, cause it's too quite!! lol!

I got my kids and the day care kids spoiled to sleeping with fans on.....I can make all kinds of racket in the house with the fan on the kids, the minute I turn off the fan, they are awake.

It drowns out the noise, and very,very easy to get used to

By Semperspencer on Monday, April 21, 2003 - 07:48 pm:

I'm glad to know that DH and I aren't the only ones that use fans to go to sleep! I thought we were wierd or something!

By Palmbchprincess on Monday, April 21, 2003 - 08:05 pm:

My twins (11 months now) were good sleepers for the most part. I gave them a binky in the hospital, and breastfed for 2 months, with no real problem. They still use the binkies. They did, however, have to be bundled up tightly. They were born in June, and I would put them in a light t-shirt, and swaddle them. They also needed to be near each other, they would migrate towards each other in the playpen, but that doesn't apply to you since you just have one infant. Bundling and the fan are the way to go. And when Amy (semperspencer) says her youngest is a light sleeper, she means it!!! You walk in his room, or even too close to his door and he is up.

By Tklinreston on Tuesday, April 22, 2003 - 08:51 am:

I have tried swaddling him tightly many times and when that didn't work, I added the blow dryer and when that didn't work, I added the CD....I still use all three techniques at the same time to try to keep him asleep. I think I'll just have to wait for him to find his thumb, which for now, is tucked away safely inside his fist.