Annie will not go to sleep anymore!

She was such a great sleeper for the past month and a half. She would fall asleep breastfeeding by around 9:30pm and I would just put her in her crib and she would sleep through the night until I woke her up to eat again before I left for work. Now she does not want to go to bed. Mon, Tues, & Wed I fed her until 11:45 until she finally went down. Last night I put her down and she started crying right away. I let her cry it out for 10 minutes. I went in and held and soothed her for a few minutes then put her back down. She cried another few minutes and finally put herself to sleep. It just breaks my heart to let her cry but I know it's tough love. I have been told to start her on cereal to get her fuller so she will sleep better but I read in my "What To Expect The 1st Year" that that is a myth and it doesn't work. I don't really want to start cereal yet because my milk production is perfect right now and I worry that cereal will effect that somehow but if it helps her go to sleep for us maybe I should start.... I just don't know! What do you guys think? Any advice?! I would also like advice on how to get her to put herself to bed now that she is older rather than me having to bf her to sleep every night. I want her to get more independent.

Thanks!
Ash

my advise may not be too helpful but I think babies need more nourishment by like 3-4 months, thus the rice cereal.  try it and see how it goes..?

She is sooo beautiful!

She maybe starting to teeth or some other issue going on.  You can start her on cereal and/or solids at 4 months.  But Matthew had cereal in every bottle from 5 weeks on because of his reflux and it did not help him sleep any better.  So if you don't want to start solids then I wouldn't do it because it usually doesn't help them sleep longer.

 I 2nd the teething thing b/c Bella has never been a great sleeper but the last couple of weeks its gotten worse!!! The Dr today said yes its teething. Its not the teeth popping through but it is starting the process and her gums ache. I talked to her Dr today and he said to start her on cereal and give it to her  two times a day and then add baby food. He told me that I was shocked. I am going to cont. BF'ing Bella. I have given her cereal all this week but it hasn't made a difference in her sleep but i have heard from others it does. She only gets 1 TBSP of it and 2 TBSP water. She eats about half and half is on her bib. As far as putting her to bed Bella is accually getting the hang of it she lays down at 8pm and knows its bed time. Her day schedule is not set. She wakes up about 6-7am and lays down 2 hours later, then lays down about 1 or so for about2 hrs then cat naps at 5-6'ish  then cereal at 7 bath after then nurse and bed. TEETHING BITES! I got her a bib that said that! hehe!
Good Luck
HUGS
Jess

The newborns gut is open until about six months, any introduction of solid foods (especially those that have no nutritional value and will NOT help with sleeping) should be avoided. Also a baby before the age of six months has no object permanence, so leaving her to cry is not a good idea and can be very traumatic for a baby that small, even in small amounts of time. Actually recent studies have show that when babies are left to cry when they are too little to understand that mommy is not gone forever can raise the cortisol in their brain leading to issues later in life.

Is she learning new things? Sometimes a growth spurt mixed with learning new things can interrupt the sleep pattern. My suggestion is to NOT let her cry, make sure she feels secure and safe and just roll with it, keep making sure she knows you are there, nurse her, cuddle her and love on her and within a few days her sleep pattern will most likely return to normal. During this age babies can also start to develop separation anxiety, which will only get worse if you deprive her of your attention by letting her cry. Even the most stanch CIO advocates will tell you that 4 months is too young to even try it.

Don't try to make her grow to fast, soon she will be an eight year old who is too cool to even hug you in public and you will yearn for the days when she wanted a cuddle, also the more you tend to her needs now the more independent and secure she will be when she is older.

Thank you! I really like your advice because this is exactly what I want to do!! I will revisit this when she is a few months older.

-Ashlie

Go with your gut, sounds like it is right on track!

Also, if you can get to the library, try and check out "The Baby Book" by Dr. Sears. I have read many parenting books, but this is my all time fave!

I don't have any advice but wanted to pipe in that she is a total cutie!

No advice on the sleep thing. I had a hard time with my daughter and sleeping issues. But just wanted to say she's so cute!!

what courtney said!!!! let her be a baby