Trouble Sleeping

My son did the samething. His baby doctor told us to give him a tsp of rice ceral per oz of formula. Cut a larger hole in the nipple of the bottle. she will sleep longer because she is ful.

The book, The baby Whisperer by Tracy Haag is the best book for this type of thing and it is the best.

D.

Hi, I was there not to long ago. My son is 9 weeks old and is now sleeping through the night getting up only once for a feeding about 3am. The magic age was around 6 weeks old when he stopped being so fussy. I also made sure to keep him awake for a bit after a feeding in the day time and also didn't keep the house quiet while he slept during the day. I woke him up during the day for his feedings every 3 hours and allowed him to wake me at night. At night, I make sure his room is dark and eventually he understood the difference between day and night. He also was found to have a touch of gastric reflux and was so fussy because he was miserable. Once the doctor put him on Zantac, he is like a new baby. Hang in there. He will eventually understand night and day. At night, we also have a routine that we follow. He eats at 7pm, gets a bath between 7:35 and 7:45 and in bed by 8pm. Routine is very important for little ones.

Hi J.
Sounds like your daughter is doing most of the sleeping during the day. plus she's only 3 weeks old, rarely babies sleep through the night so early on. if you believe she had day and night mixed up, start trying to keep her awake between feedings, little by little, so you switch her to night and day. easier said than done. i did try to do that with my girls and it took me a long time. but at 3 weeks they wake up every so often all night long. good luck
V.

I sounds like she has her days and night mixed up. It is frustrating, I know. I went through this with my son. Try to keep her as active as possible during the day. Don't let her sleep for long intervals. Don't keep the house quiet during the day either. Run the dishwasher, vacuum, run errands. Anything to let her get used to the fact that this is the waking time of day. My son practically lived in his swing when he was that young. Even at night sometimes, I'd let him sleep in it. Eventually she will get used to sleeping more at night. It takes a little while, and patience. which is hard to have when your sleep deprived. It's only a phase, and it won't last forever. Sometimes, I find this encouraging to know that every phase has it's end. The hard part is that each child is different, and the time it takes to go through these phases is not the same.

WOW...this brought back a lot of memories of my son when he was that age! I can vividly remember walking around the living room in the middle of the night with a crying baby and crying myself thinking, "I'm never going to sleep the night through, ever again!" Our solution? First of all, we went out an bought the most comfy recliner we could find...my son would only sleep on one of our chests at night...like your daughter, he slept fine in his crib or bassinet during the day, but at night, he wasn't having any part of it...at least with the recliner, you can get a couple of hours sleep without upsetting the baby...don't worry, you aren't spoiling her. Second, make sure you and Kevin (nice name...that's my hubby's name too :D) take turns with the baby at night. If he is working during the day, utilize him on nights in which he doesn't have to work the next day. Everyone needs sleep...even if it's only 2 nights a week, for now. Also, during the day, SLEEP WHEN THE BABY SLEEPS!! This was EXTEMELY hard for me to do...so much to do as a new mother, laundry, dishes, cleaning...but NONE of it matters if you haven't slept. NO ONE is going to come into your house and be appalled that your breakfast dishes haven't been washed. Everyone understands that you have a newborn!

Good Luck honey! It DOES get better! ;)

It sounds to me like your little girl has her days and nights mixed up. Try keeping her awake some more during the day. Engage her is some "play", meaning stimulate her when she wakes to get her blood pumping. keep her awake for slightly longer periods of time during the day and soon she'll get it that night time is for sleeping. Also, if you don't do this already, nap her in a well lit room and sleep her in a dark one. This will help set her own sleep clock. Also remember, although this is such a trying and stressful time, it goes by so quickly. Someday you'll forget all about it and do it all over again! Good luck!

A.

A.

Hi J.!

It's going to be okay! First thing I want to say is PLEASE, PLEASE do NOT try any "home made" remedies or the use of ANY cereal without consulting your Ped. FIRST!!! I "know" it worked for everyone's mother and grandmother, but this is the 21st century. Not the 40's, 50's, or 60's.
Several people have great advice on here. Swaddling is very key! If you're not sure how to do it, ask your ped or their nurse to show you how to do it right for maximum effectiveness. You absolutely do not need an expensive swaddle blanket! The big one that you got at the hospital works great! I nanny for a two month old baby (and have my own son 16 months) and I love that blanket from the hospital! They were also right on the money about trying to keep her awake a bit longer after her feedings. Even if she falls asleep, sit her up to burp her whatever you need to do to interact with her. When I first started to take care of the two month old, it only took me a week to put him on a "schedule". I feed him say at 9 am; that usually takes between 30 - 45 min. and then make sure that I burp him sitting up. Then I stimulate him with toys or colors (or the fan!) until about 10:15 or so and lay him down for his nap. This only took a week and now he eats every three hours, and almost exactly 1 1/2 hrs. from when he ate, he takes a nap. BUT I always swaddle him. His mommy doesn't do that and has a very hard time with his naps on the weekends! She keeps saying I know, I know I need to swaddle him, but hey if she doesn't care if he takes a nap or not, that's up to her. Also, several times when my own son was that little, the swing was a godsend!! I thought I was being a bad mom for letting him sleep in it all night, but boy the few times I needed it, it was fabulous!! If that's where she wants to fall asleep, I say go for it! Make sure she's strapped in and don't feel like this is your fault or that you're a bad mom! YOU'RE NOT!! You're a Good mom!!! After you've tried a few things and something starts to work for you, let us know what happens!!!! Good Luck sweetie!

My daughter did the same thing, my doctor said it could be colic or not. She did suggest gripe water which did wonders. Gripe water can be found at a health food sore. I did not think it would work and when I tried it she stopped crying and slept. I tell everybody about it. It seems that colicy babies start around three weeks and it usually goes away at three months. My daughter cried all evening and night long, and once I started the gripe water she would continue to eat every three hours and go back to sleep. Try it and let me know how it worked.

my baby, like most babies, get their days and nights mixed up. remember that even as adults, our bodies start to settle in the evening and that's when we start feeling al the pains and effects of the day. Being that she's so young, she's still getting used to the outside world. We tried the 5S's which worked half of the time. If you put her in the crib on her back, try swaddling her. With movement, she might startle herself awake, because they feel that they are falling backwards. We also put her on her side, which her dr thought was a good idea. She would stay like that for longer periods of time and sleep for longer periods of time.
If she gets up every hour, don't feed her unless it's time, cuz that causes gas. If it is gas, try the mylicon drops or any baby gas drops.
Our daughter for a while would just fall asleep on our chest and then my husband bought this teddy bear that makes heartbeat sounds at babies r us. You put it on the crib and turn it on...LOVELY!
if she starts to cry/colic... turn on the vacuum, dryer, take a car ride.. the night air soothed mine.

Be prepared for everything...gas drops, lullabies, white noise (you can download it at beprepared.net) swing, gripe water, music, pacifiers. Do what you gotta do and sleep when she sleeps, very hard but worth it. do what you feel is best for her, trust your instincts!!

J. hello,
My name is M. and I have a boy 18 months old now. The best gift my mom gave me was a basinet and I can say even though, the first three months are the hardest the basinet help us a lot. It had vibration and music so when we put him there he seemed to sleep longer. It is har because your baby is only 3 wks old and they are just learning to be outside the womb... swaddle swaddle...:-) Try to show the difference between night and day by diming the lights at night and play soft music. I received some classic music for babies from Enfamil. You have gotten good advice from the other moms too, but I can say that the basinet HELPS TREMENDOUSLY!!
GOODLUCK AND MOST OF ALL BE PATIENT THIS WILL NOT LAST TOO LONG NEXT THING YOU KNOW HE/SHE IS ALREADY WALKING:-)

I'm going to 2nd the Happiest Baby book. I didn't find it till my son was 3 months old & I wish I'd had it from the beginning. My son would cry and be very fussy in the evenings too, not colic, but it was consistant and lasted for a few hours each evening. The tips in the book helped a lot. As far as sleep, my personal opinion is that the first 3 months are the hardest (for many reasons) and you do what you have to, to get thru it. For us, this meant ds slept w/me some nights (actually it was closer to me being so exhausted that I feel alseep w/him), and he slept in a swing or bouncy seat w/the vibrations on for several weeks. Once he hit about 4 mos, he was able to get more into a routine and things got much easier. Hang in there!!!

Swaddle her! Get "The Happiest Baby on the Block" - I can't recommend that book enough. My DD is 6 weeks and we spent the middle two with her screaming for hours every evening. This book changed that!

Dear J.,
I highly recommend a book called, "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child." (It really saved my sanity and continues to help me with every new sleep problem.) According to the book this is completely normal and due to the immature brain that a young baby has. A baby gets increasingly fussy until the fussiness peaks about 6 weeks and usually tapers down by 3 months. My cousin calls evenings with an infant "the witching hour." There is just something about the evenings that makes babies fussy. I remember feeling sorry for my husband because when he got home from work my son went from tolerable to colic nightmare. He would fuss and cry from about 6 pm to 12 pm. He just held my son or wore him in the sling or Baby Bjorn. Don't worry!! This period of time goes by quickly. Having a new baby is so overwhelming. Try to focus on being thankful that your baby is good during the day. Good luck.
K.

Have you tried the Happiest Baby on the Block routine? You swaddle them, Shush them (loudly so they can hear you over their crying), put them on their side, sway them, and finally give them something to suck (breast, binki, finger).
With our daughter (she's now 7 months) we would swaddle her before putting her to sleep. That seemed to help. Then the trick that helped the most was having her sleep with us. They've been carried around and rocked all day long when they were in you, and now we put them to sleep all by themselves. I've read that newborns have much quicker deep sleep/ light sleep patterns, so every 20-30 minutes or so they enter a light sleep. Maybe if you were there next to her, she'd be comforted and wouldn't wake up.
Anyway, that's what we did. Hope it helps!

well i had the same problem when my daughter was younger. your daughter has her days and nights mixed up. she sleeps all day but when night comes shes up. have you heard the old saying you need to spin her in the air on your hands to turn her clock around? i did it with both my kids and it worked with them. what you do is put your daughter in your palm of your hand on her belly. then with the other hand carefully turn her counterclockwise. that should do the trick. if not have you thought that maybe her formula is to harsh on her tummy and she maybe getting gas pockets and needs some gas medicine.

J.,
We bought a womb bear from target. My son is 2 1/2 months old now and still uses it (works great). Also, someone else on "mamasource" suggested the book "The Happiest Baby on the Block" by Harvey Karp M.D. My husband and I have been reading it! Says..."It's the new way to calm crying and help your newborn baby sleep longer" Good Luck!

J.

This is normal for a baby so young. I had somewhat the same problem with my 2nd son. I found out via ultrasound that he had air bubbles trapped and that caused a lot of fussiness, especially at night. Try cupping your hand when burping her. Then when ready, swaddle, swaddle, swaddle. For a baby so young that is the best thing.

You have gotten a lot of good advice, it will soon taper out and her routine will become more normal soon.

Good luck.

S.
Mommy of 3 boys

Hey there, we've all been through those new mom sleepless nights, some more than others! My advice would be to not let her sleep so much during the day. I know it's hard, especially when they're so little, but try to keep her up for a little while in between each feeding. There was a book that helped me out a lot, On Becoming Baby Wise is the title. It helped with routines and feedings, sleep times and wake times, practical advice for crying, etc. You might want to check that out.

My best advice is to keep the faith - she will be three months old, 1 year old, three years old before you know it. And this season of sleeplessness will pass and fade into a distant memory for you - I promise!!!!!

I live in Miami Lakes so if you ever need someone to talk to, I would love to hear from you. I am a stay at home mother of three, ages 6, 3, and soon to be 1...

God bless,

: ) Becky

The Happiest Baby on the Block book changed our lives!! My daughter was very similar until the first night we got that book. She was waking up about every hour thoughout the night. The book describes how some babies need the constant motion so we put her in the swing at night. The first night she slept for 5 hours straight. That was a miricle!! It only got better from there. Our pediatrician wasn't a big fan of the idea becaues she didn't want us depending on the swing but you know what, it worked for us!

She is now 5 months old and only sleeping in the swing for her daytime naps. She is sleeping in the crib at night, no problem.

You have to do what is best for you and what is going to bring you some sanity. I never thought I was going to sleep again, until I read that book.

oh my gosh, This was my son. Seriously. My son needed motion, motion, motion!
We bought a baby bjorn and had to walk around alot. He never took to a swing or anything else. Just us.

I know this is hard. It will pass. I never would have thought it would. Hang in there and get as much help as you can.

J.,
My son was the same way when he was born. I finally figured out it was because he never slept in his cradle during the day. He was always asleep on me, or in his infant seat (we had one of those seats that vibrated for him). I started putting him down for naps in his cradle during the day and over time the nights got better. I hope maybe that helps! Good luck, and I hope sleep filled nights are coming soon!
K.

Hi J.,

Do not despair. Your wee one is still very wee, and it takes a while for them to get used to the fact that nighttime is sleep time. When Cortni was in your belly, she'd sleep during the day cause you'd be out and about, and would wake up at night when you were sleeping, cause there was no movement rocking her to sleep.

I highly recommend loosely following becoming babywise. Basically, it's about putting your baby on a schedule. Begin by feeding her every 2-3 hours. This worked wonders for us. Also at 6 weeks, I started swaddling my son. I wish I had done it sooner - it was a miracle - he started sleeping through the night in no time. I used the amazing miracle blanket swaddler - it really is a godsend and worth the $30. My only advice with it - 1) don't get too hooked on it. Be ready to start weaning her from it by 3-4 months, and 2) when you swaddle her, make sure you do it in a criss cross motion by her face - when I first did it for my son, I just did it straight across and got too close to his face. Oops.

seriously - check it out - http://www.spot4tots.com/

Good luck.

When my daughter was a baby, one of the old remedies that was told to me was to give them a little bit of cat nip tea. All you need to do it go to a herb store and buy some catnip. Make some tea the same way you would any other except put very very little sugar in it. Give it to her about 30 minutes before you want her to go to bed. She should sleep for several hours if not all night. I learned this from my husband's mother and grandmother. His grandmother was Indian and she used it on her children and grandchildren. It worked real good for me and I hope you have good results too. If you have any questions please just ask.

K.

My baby did that from 1 week old until 2 months old. It seemed like as soon as the sun went down my sweet little girl turned into Rosemary's Baby. Good news is she will grow out of it. My pediatrician told me that babies cry and there isn't much to be done about it. You could try turning on the vacuum though. The sound is soothing to tiny babies for some reason. Also, you may try getting her to sleep in her swing? Gripe water is a good solution if it's a tummy ache.

We went thru this also with our now 2 1/2 month old. During the day he slept great in his crib and at night he would only sleep on our chests. In the past few weeks we finally have been able to rock him until he's almost asleep and then lay him down and he puts himself to sleep. Give it time. I know it's hard, but it's normal at her age. Good luck!