6 Week Old Won't Sleep During the Day

My First daughter would not sleep much at all during the day. She would be awake for 8 hr stretchs. That was just the way she was and the pediatrician said it was fine. I too tried everything with her and nothing worked but she was also colic and very unhappy most of the day. My second daughter would only sleep in a baby bjorn front carrier. She was also colic and had acid reflux. If she wasn't in the front carrier she was screaming her head off all day and night. The only way I had time with my eldest or even a second without screaming was using the front carrier. It calmed her right down and put her to sleep. She liked the comfort of being right next to me. The front carrier also freed my hands so I could help my eldest up the slide at the play ground or hold her on the monkey bars (she was only 19mths when I had my second) or cook dinner. If free hands is all you want then use the front carrier. I too wanted some time alone with my eldest but that never happened all newborns are different and my second was the hardest and most unhappy baby I could have imagined. Once she turned 3 mths old she became the best and happest baby ever. The first 3 mths are always the hardest and most demanding. Free time is hard to come by. Good luck with the little one!!

My little guy was the same too. He would sleep in the swing also as the music was playing. I would also try Baby Einsteins. The movies and music are great. I would sit him in his bouncer and turn on one of the movies and he would stare at it. He was and is (at 20 months) a touchy feely boy that loves attention.
If you can get her down in a bed to sleep try placing blankets around her for comfort. I had to do this when my little boy came home from the hospital after 20 days. He liked being cuddled up with blankets (rolled up and place by his sides and head) for security.

T.,
I have a 7 week old and I had the same problem until I got a noise machine. I crank it on high and put it right next to his head. He falls asleep instantly! I learned this from the book happiest baby on the block by harvey karp (GREAT BOOK). You can get a great machine from bed bath and beyond for 20 bucks- it's by home medics. This one gets loud. I have been through 3 machines to find the right one. You might think it's too loud, but the womb is really loud and it simulates that environment. My sister has the same success with her 3 week old. Good luck!!! P.S. The rain or the ocean settings are the best.

My daughter was very much like this. Here are some things i tried.
I finally put her to sleep on her stomach. She went right to sleep that way. I also put up room darking blinds in her room. That helped so much with her napping during the day.
I wish you the best.

Hi T.,
My daughter hated her crib and wouldn't nap in it during the day when she was first born! So, I would put her in her car seat... on my bed and let her fall asleep there. Do you have a swing? My peanut loved to sleep in her swing... I did this for the first 6 months, off and on, like when I had to take a shower, etc. It works like a charm and will let you move around the house while she's dozing or just swinging. I started with the Laura Ashely Canterbury swing and then moved to a Fisher Price cradle swing that went eithee back and forth or side to side once she grew out of the other one. The Laura Ashley swing was wonderful, with multiple songs and a long battery life!

I also used the Baby Bjorn when she just wanted to be on Mama but I had to cook or get something done. That worked really well too!

Good luck!
K.

try a swing. my now 3 yr old was like that during the day and would only sleep if i was holding her. i bought a swing and omg the difference it made. she would sleep ntil i stopped it. at night she slept in her bed but for naps she had to be in her swing. go figure. i think its the motion.

Here are some other ideas you can try. Try getting a $10 air purifier and set it on the highest setting, darken the room as much as possible. Both of my sons are tummy sleepers also. Every time I tried to get them to nap during the day they would sleep for 5-10 minutes and then wake up screaming. So we flipped them over on their tummy. The first time I did it, he slept for 4 hours. Kinda freaked me out but we bought an Angel Care mattress monitor (was $60 or so online) and it really made a difference (in our sleep :) and in the babies. Also, there are some different heartbeat type musics online you can buy. This worked for one of my sons but not the other. So alot of the time it is just trial and error. My second son slept a lot in his swing during the day and I thought for sure that it would mess up his night sleeping in the bed but he had no problems going from one to the other. It was almost like he knew that the swing is only for daytime sleeping. Best of luck!
Jen