Rocking to sleep

[Sherri123]

Hi i want to know or my DH wants to know ,what is sooo wrong with rocking your LO to sleep.. Whats going to happen in the future..whats the difference in taking 15-20 min or longer to sh-pat or 15-20 to rock youre LO to sleep ..Arent they both just to comfort him? Isnt the sh-pat just a prop also .It seems like so much effort and at least hes quiet and comfortable.In the swadle he so resistant his little head just thrashes around and he screams and cries .We have to sush soo loud .Weve been trying this method for around 3 wks its not getting any better.Its not like we havnt tried.Are we giving up too soon??I believe hes a Textbook baby and hes 10 wks old.Help we are about to give this up!!We are also on the easy routine.When do you think is a good time to give a soother?When hes all swaddled up ? when does this become a prop??HELP!!

[Sarah˛]

Pat/shhhh is a method of teaching your lo to sleep on his own. Rocking to sleep isn't. That being said . . .

I didn't see anything wrong with rocking to sleep for a long time, either. We rocked Henry from day one until he was about 17 months old. It was easier for both of us and I loved the time with him. For some babies, its not a problem BUT for Henry it became a problem. He would not/could not get himself back to sleep at night without us rocking him. It got ridiculous when he was over a year old - to the point where he would wake multiple times a night and need to be rocked. It finally got to be too much so I sleep trained him at 17+ months.

I know you say in your post that you've tried pat/shhh for three weeks but my question is this - have you been doing pat/shhh for 15-20 minutes and then picking him up and rocking him? Or have you been doing pat/shhh until he falls asleep?

Oh - Henry has also had a binky since day one and still does. He only gets it in his crib for naps and bedtime and he knows it. He sleeps with three in his crib and never wakes us for them. Maybe they are a prop but they're an okay prop with me. 

Other than that, I don't know what to tell you. If rocking to sleep works for you, keep doing it. But know eventually you might have to "fix" it. Hope that helps somewhat. Good luck!

[teezee]

just to add...that if your lo is waking at night at all it may be because he 'expects' to be in your arms still and is confused about where he is. like sarah said it is your choice what you do, but the rocking is a prop - the sh/pat is a teaching tool. if you want to rock lo til he is drowsy - that is ok according to tracy's methods, but before lo is asleep he should be in his crib, if he still needs settling shh/pat is the tool to use. it could be that sh/pat is too stimulating for your lo? maybe just the shh or just the pat on its own would be preferable for your lo??..but definately if you do choose to use this method, as sarah said, be sure to stick with it and not 'cave' or else lo will be confused and not know what to expect. it is much easier to teach him to sleep independantly at this age than at an older age - but that is totally YOUR choice. i know i had a hard time letting go of rocking my dd to sleep but i decided to after a few months b/c in the end i thought it would be beneficial to her

about the swaddle - does your lo not need a swaddle? my lo hated to be swaddled too, but those that hate it are USUALLY the ones that need it the most! you could try the aussie swaddle so your lo won't feel so much like he is in a straight jacket and will have a little bit of movement. hopefully that will calm him down. here's the link and good luck!

Swaddling Technique (aka "Aussie swaddle")

btw - sarah - the paci is most definately NOT a prop if you don't have to replace it for him - if he's doing it himself you are good to go!

[Hunter & Sithia's mom]

Well said ladies, Thank you.

Also, I agree that if your son is plugging himself in at night Sara, the paci isn't a prop.

[crazycanuck]

i agree with everything said here - but please don't become so rigid like some do here I find - like times when they are teething etc., sometimes they need the extra rocking or snuggling......I have been rocking my ds to sleep when he wakes at night and only recently because of teething but I am not afraid because he knows how to do down for naps etc., not asleep - i guess what i am trying to say is don't be so rigid that you never rock your baby

Sarah

[teezee]

absolutely agree that if lo isn't feeling well, or is uncomfortable for some reason to definately comfort your lo! but when lo is feeling better i wouldn't continue as it will just become a prop to your lo if it goes on long term...as tracy says it takes three days to make a habit...

[ami_lynn]

With my first born ds I babywhispered, but I *wanted* to rock him.  My comprimise was that I would rock him during the day time for naps and shhh/pat at night before bed.

Let's just say that as we approached 2 years old, he was still being rocked for naps because he would NOT go to sleep any other way (unless we were in the car).  We gave up nap time before he was physically ready because it was hard to rock a 3 year old.   

On the other hand, he's always gone to bed at night with no problem.

So, this time around, I plan on using my rocking chair, but not to get the baby to sleep...just for some extra snuggles!