My 7 week old little boy is having a terrible time sleeping at night. I've tried swaddling him with 2 different kinds of swaddle blankets, not swaddling him, using a sleep positioner, sleeping in the swing, sleeping on my chest in my bed (that worked the first few weeks), sleeping in a co-sleeper in our room & sleeping in his own room in his crib. I know he's tired - he's yawning with heavy eyes and falls alseep if I walk around with him or nurse him but as soon as I lay him down he wakes up in just a few minutes. During the day I let him nap on his tummy and he'll sleep for 2-3 hour stretchs but I'm nervous to let him sleep on his tummy when I can't check on him frequently. Any suggestions? I have a 2-1/2 yr old so I can't nap during the day with him and I can't remember if this is par for the course at this age. Thanks!!
J.,
My second baby did the same thing...I just kept swaddling her and after a few days she got it...but it took her until about 3 months to really get the sleep thing down. I understand the "can't sleep thing". There are still somedays that I can't hardly see straight and my baby is now 10 months old and still isn't sleeping through the night...
It sounds like you have tried everything except wearing him. There are some fantastic wraps, slings, and baby carriers out there. There are babywearing classes available. My son went through the same thing at that age, and he was really only happy in the carrier with his head next to my heart. He slept fantastically and I was able to get stuff done, and my legs got really strong from squatting down while trying not to drop him:) He completely outgrew this need to be carried by the time he could walk, and he is a great sleeper to this day. I hope this helps.
Hi J.! I'm so sorry to hear of your troubles. I know how challenging that can be not getting sleep with a newborn. I'm curious what swaddlers you have tried. They're NOT all created equal. Have you tried Miracle Blanket? It works, but must be snug. Please check it out. It's guaranteed so you'll get your money back if it doesn't work. You can pick one up at The Nesting Place in Grapevine where Kay Willis (RN, Parenting Educator, etc.) can show you how to calm him. I'd call first to make sure she's in. I say it's WORTH a try, truly.
Best to you!
S.
Babies like consistency too. You might want to rethink sleeping on stomach or back. Choose one! Also, not sure what stimulation you have in your home at night. Someone gave me advice that worked. We decreased the stimulation during the night. Used a 15 watt light bulb instead of turning on all lights. No TV on. Decreased noise levels. Chose same bedtime everynight starting around 6 weeks old. She still goes to bed at that same time each night. She also seemed to sleep better if we laid a heating pad in her basinet to warm up the sheets. We took out the heating pad before we laid her in it. Hope this helps.
It could be that he has acid reflux. My first daughter did. I ended up holding her upright in a recliner most of the night - with the use of a sling I could sleep too. Ultimately we ended up having to put her on some medication. She was exclusively breastfed, but the GERD she suffered was pretty bad.
I have a 4 yr old and a 10 week old and both of my kids would not sleep unless they are on there stomach. I to was nervous and still am a little but some people are just stomach sleepers. My 10 week old is in our room in a pack and play and I have it right up against the bed next to me. My daughter has been sleeping thru the night since she was 4 wkd old, she goes down at 9 and wakes at 8.
I think this is probably par for course unless he is awake all night. Little ones typically do not sleep through the night (and that's just 6 hrs btw, not 10 or 12). At this age, a typical night will have several wake ups for food. Their tummies are the size of their fist -- very small -- so they need they get hungry.
First of all, this is just a season of your life and it will pass. Keep in mind that this will not go on the rest of his life! Sleeping on his tummy is dangerous whether you check on him frequently or not, so I'd suggest you stop that immediately. It's possible that he's gassy or uncomfortable sleeping directly on his back, and it's possible that he just needs to change positions often. Have you tried his car seat? Then after he wakes and nurses, maybe in the swing, then the next time, in the co-sleeper. Maybe he's to hot or too cold. Sleeping only 2-3 hours at any given time (day and night) really is par for the course at 7 weeks. You can't expect him to sleep all night, or even longer stretches until abuot 3 months in my experience, and when nursing, most of mine didn't sleep though the night until closer to a year.
I just read through the rest of the responses. I just had to say the SIDS risk is real. I just read an article on it at the Dr.'s office. I know for me, that was not a chance I was willing to take. Just like I wouldn't put my child in the car without a car seat. If, on the off chance, something happened, I would NEVER forgive myself for putting my child to sleep on his stomach before he was ready. I'm not trying to be an alamist, but I think so many people are like "that is so rare and my kid is fine" but if it did happen to you, you would be devistated!
My daughter always slept better on her tummy. We started letting her sleep on her tummy at night around 6-8 weeks and she started sleeping for 8 hours straight. We had the AngelCare Sensory Monitor. It will beep if the baby stops breathing. Just to warn you, it will have false alarms if the baby moves too far off the pad.
I would get an AngelCare Monitor. It's a must have in my opinion. It has a sensor that goes off if the baby stops breathing for more than 20 seconds. (It's impossible to check on him that frequently even during the day. It provided such a piece of mind with all 3 of my boys who have had reflux and breathing problems.) I have found several on Ebay for myself and friends for a fraction of the original cost ~$30 on Ebay, around $100 new. Also, try a sound machine on white noise, make sure his room is dark, and if possible, have a fan in the room to reduce the risk of SIDS. Hope this helps!
This is normal for this age. Get "The Baby Book" by William and Martha Sears. It has great ideas for sleeping (they DO NOT advise crying it out), wearing your baby, and attachment parenting, especially for the high need baby. My son was similar and I slept many nights nursing and holding him in the reclined glider. It helped to hold him upright for 10 - 30min after nursing to reduce gas pains. Finally at 6 months he was willing to sleep in his crib all by himself and now is a great sleeper! Maybe grandparents or friends can help out with your older child sometimes so you can get some daytime naps in. Best wishes!
Read "Babywise". It worked for us.
I know that with my son he was the same way. He'd sleep either laying on me, nursing, or me holding him, but as soon as I'd lay him down to sleep, his eyes would pop wide open. I figured out that it's because I was warm and where ever I chose to lay him was cold, therefor waking him up. So, I got a heating pad and laid it on his bed long enough for it to get warm, removed it, laid him down and he stayed asleep. The cold bed versus warm mom was just enough to jolt him awake. Just an idea.
