Annoying 2 month olds.

My boys are 2 months old and we're getting where I'd like to be but aren't there yet. If anyone has any suggestions, please help.

1.) After trying just about every kind of pacifier, I'd about given up. Now I finally have them taking a paci, but they can't keep it in. I prop it in sometimes, but am wondering when they will 'get it'. They were born at 37 weeks, 5 days.

2.) Sleep- they got in the bad habit of being held tightly (almost always swaddled- we still do) and patted/burped. They don't habitually sleep in their cribs yet, either. It's all swings and bouncy seats. What do I work on first: sleeping by laying down awake or transitioning to crib? I'm so over being up in the middle of the night and DH & I taking shifts to sleep. We are going back to Michigan for Christmas, so I'm a little reluctant to get them used to cribs when I think a they'll be sleeping in a Pack n Play there (or bouncy seats).

3.) Schedule. I'm itching to start a schedule with them, but don't know how to do it. I think it might work to start by waking them up at the same time each day. Currently we breastfeed pretty much on demand, although I won't let them go longer than 2.5 hours during the day.

Thanks for any help anyone can give,

Michelle

7 week old id boys

 

I would suggest watching "The Happiest Baby on the Block" DVD. You can get it on ebay for pretty cheap. It talks about how to get that paci to stay in their mouths and how to get them to sleep more. For now I would just swaddle them tightly and put them in their cribs when they're tired. If they fuss in the cribs then I would move them, still swaddled, to the bouncy or swing.

 

Not an expert here, but I'll let you know what worked for us. First of all, once my guys hit 8 weeks I felt like the worst of the newborn stuff was behind us, so hopefully things will start to settle down for you soon.

1) pacifiers, we used wubanubs and tucked the animal part in to their swaddle. that helped some.

2) sleep, we tried transitioning them to the cribs at 7 weeks and they weren't ready. tried again at 10 weeks and they have slept there overnight ever since. we swaddled until 3-4 months and i think that helped with the transition to the crib. they didn't nap in the cribs consistently until 5-6 months. it's only been in the past month that we've been able to finally put them down drowsy but awake and not have them pitch a fit.

3) schedule, despite my best efforts, it took us 6 months to finally find a routine that worked for both babies. lots of moms have success earlier, but unfortantely, in my experience the only thing that worked for sleeping and scheduling was TIME and having them mature a little bit.

good luck and hang in there, it will get better. do you have any help during the day? i have a sitter come by 2 hours a day to give me a break and it's SOOOOOOO helpful.

 

:hug: You are still in the "thick of it", hang in there.

1. Some babies just never take pacis, as hard as you may try! Neither of my girls would.

2. I wouldn't worry about it right now. You need sleep, and if them sleeping in their bouncies gets you more sleep, so be it! When I did transition them(around 3 months), I started with naps first, because I didn't want to interrupt that nighttime sleep!

3. The only type of schedule we had at 7 weeks, was a feeding schedule. Nap schedules developed between 4 and 6 months.

You are still in a stage where you don't get a lot of 'thanks' for all you do for them! It gets so much better as they get older!

 

1. My two never took pacis, despite our best efforts.
2. At 7 weeks, we let them sleep where they were willing to sleep... my DD was pretty good about getting to sleep in the crib and my DS had to start the night out in a bouncy seat and then when he woke up for the first time during the night, he was ready to go in the crib. Swaddling was a big help in the transition to cribs. I second the recommendation of the Happiest Baby on the Block DVD.
3. I only had a feeding schedule at 7 weeks. A nap schedule did not come for us until the kiddos were 6 months.
:youcandoit: Hang in there Momma!

 

Not one of my kids took pacis! Some babies just don't. I would let them sleep wherever works for them at this age, swings, bouncies, etc. you need your rest too! As for a schedule, it's great to start working toward a schedule, but you might not find one that works really well for a couple more months. I know it's frustrating, it will definitely get better in the coming months! :hug:

 

Mine were at least 5 or 6 months before they could really keep a paci/replace a paci.

On sleeping, at this age, just let them sleep in swings and bouncies and don't worry about it. It's just important that everyone get sleep. I promise the transition from swings/bouncies to crib full time is NOT that big of a deal. The only thing we did is always put them down to sleep in their cribs. DD started STTN at 3 months. DS would wake up at some point and we'd transfer him to a swing. He got later and later before he woke up, and at 7 months we stopped using the swing. They both napped in swings until 7 months, and that was an EASY transition to napping in the cribs.

We didn't have a routine until 4-5 months. At two months it was just eat, changed, bouncy, sleep in bouncy, eat, change, bouncy, sleep in bouncy. And so on throughout the day.

 

I agree with the pp's. Our boys took paci's until month 2. Since then they refuse them. I just wanted to say that the second month was the hardest we've gone through so far. Just hang in there!

 

Update- what a difference a couple of days can make! :ibiggrin:

1.) I requested Happiest Baby on the Block from the library a couple of weeks ago... well, it finally came in yesterday. DH (who is home with me- we're both unemployed right now, long story) & I watched it and the paci thing really works! They used to be able to keep it in for maximum of about a minute- in 24 hours, we're up to 5!

2.) We're also finding that I'm now a super-swaddler (I've finally overtaken DH!!) and that the boys really like the jiggling motion. Happiest Baby on the Block was fantastic- it has given DH ways to soothe them without them being patted/bounced all the time. I'm so glad I forced him to watch it with me!

3.) Since we're both home, we have NO routine. I think I'll try for just waking up/being up at 7am. Just to start- otherwise, some days I get up at 5, some 9. I can't handle no schedule.


Thanks for the encouragement, everybody!

Michelle