Author Topic: 6 week old baby that doesn't like sleeping during the day  (Read 11738 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline anna*

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 900
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 28751
  • My two
  • Location: London, UK
Re: 6 week old baby that doesn't like sleeping during the day
« Reply #15 on: December 03, 2009, 22:43:28 pm »
Half hour naps are a pretty good sign that he's overtired. At six weeks he can probably manage no more than about 1hr to 1hr15 mins awake after a long (1.5hrs plus) nap, even less than that after a short nap. That's total awake time including feeding, changing, winding down. So pretty much at this age they need to spend nearly all their time sleeping.

If he's really fighting sleep and overdue for a nap, this is when I personally would use a sling or rock him to sleep. Once he has caught up on sleep, then you can start shush-pat again for his next nap. It is a lot to expect shush pat to work consistently for every sleep at this age, but you have already made great progress!






Offline ~Sara~

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 264
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 9268
  • Location: Houston, Texas
Re: 6 week old baby that doesn't like sleeping during the day
« Reply #16 on: December 06, 2009, 03:01:13 am »
Hi Becky...just checking in on you.  How was yesterday/today?
*formerly tersaseda*

 




Offline Becky1985

  • New & Learning The Ropes!
  • *
  • Showing Appreciation 0
  • Posts: 11
  • Location:
Re: 6 week old baby that doesn't like sleeping during the day
« Reply #17 on: December 06, 2009, 11:51:53 am »
Hi.

I havent been on for a couple of days so just read all the messages. Yesterday was a knightmare, he became so overtired, that he just wouldnt sleep. I have been swaddling him which i think is helping as he is not waking himself up as much kicking and throwing his arms about ( which he used to do). However He does sometimes still manage to get his arms out! Despite trying to get him donw for his morning nap yesterday he would not sleep, after rocking him in my arms and in his crib, he wouldnt sleep. I then took him into town a little later ( out in the car) to which he normally sleeps however yesterday he didnt!rHe became very fractious and cried alot. >:(give the mornings he normally wakes around 7:30am/8am to which i give him his feed, then he has finished i normally change his nappy and then try and get him down for another nap around 9am. The last couple of mornings though, it has been a  constant battle as he has been fighting sleep all the time! Any suggestions?....I am perseverring with it, and being consistent doing it every day but sometimes he sleeps sometimes he doesnt, if he doesnt he becomes frustrated and cries...

Ive never known a baby not to wanting to sleep!!!Why do babies not want to sleep?i am trying my hardest to help him and teach him... I have just ordered a sling as well to see if that helps, are they any good? I dont really believe in them as i think sometimes they can cause the baby to become more attached to you, and do not want to sleep when put down, but then couldnt i get him used to going to sleep then once asleep in the sling ( thats if he likes it) then put him donw in his crib so he isnt actually sleeping on me, would that work?


Offline anna*

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 900
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 28751
  • My two
  • Location: London, UK
Re: 6 week old baby that doesn't like sleeping during the day
« Reply #18 on: December 06, 2009, 12:37:48 pm »
((((hugs)))) honey, I know it really is hard. It's not that he doesn't want to sleep - he doesn't know how to! I know it sounds crazy, but tiny babies really need to be taught how, and the more overtired they are the harder it is for them. You are doing great work to teach him.

At six weeks I would try to make sure that he is never awake for more about 1hr-1hr10mins max. So that means you need to be wrapping him up in his swaddle and starting to shush-pat when he has been awake only about 50 mins. If he had a short nap, that will need to be even shorter awake time, so literally just feed, change, and get ready to sleep.

Re the sling, it's a really good idea at this age for him to catch up on sleep. I would try to get him to sleep with shush-pat for at least one nap per day, but if it's a big struggle, he could have some of the rest of his naps in the sling. You don't want to come to rely on it, but at this age the most important thing is that he gets enough sleep, it doesn't matter so much how he falls asleep. When he is about 12-13 weeks old you can start again with shush-pat and he should start to find it easier.

I don't know where you are in the world but the Miracle Blanket (US) or Mothercare Swaddle Blanket (UK) is brilliant and keeps them really tightly wrapped. My LO was always huge for his age and very strong and it kept him swaddled til he was 4-5 months. The swaddle needs to be really tight, he shouldn't be able to move his arms at all, like a solid little log of baby.





Offline Becky1985

  • New & Learning The Ropes!
  • *
  • Showing Appreciation 0
  • Posts: 11
  • Location:
Re: 6 week old baby that doesn't like sleeping during the day
« Reply #19 on: December 06, 2009, 13:43:30 pm »
Yeah thats what i thought at least that way then the sling will enable him to catch up on his sleep. Its so hard to get him to sleep though, once i feed him he normally looks very sleepy and i try so hard rocking, swaddling him and then putting him down to sleep, he then gets bored and frustraated and then cries, i then pick him up he still cries can take ages to soothe him.
I know they need sleep but im trying so hard to help him and encourage him to sleep i cant false him!!!
With the Shh/pat technique do you leave him on their side in the crib? If he starts crying what do i do... he gets vey frustrated once swaddled as he wants to move about, he then gets himself in a state crying...

He is good at night most of the time. Just during the day!!!

Offline anna*

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 900
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 28751
  • My two
  • Location: London, UK
Re: 6 week old baby that doesn't like sleeping during the day
« Reply #20 on: December 06, 2009, 13:50:19 pm »
No no - with shush pat you pick him up. Shush pat him on your shoulder until he is totally calm and drowsy, then lie him down and continue to shush pat until he is in a deep sleep. If you lie him down and he starts to cry again, try to settle him with shush-pat in the cot but if that isn't working, pick up and shush pat on your shoulder again until he is totally calm and drowsy. I think the key is going to be to start shush pat early enough so that he can calm down before he gets overtired.





Offline Becky1985

  • New & Learning The Ropes!
  • *
  • Showing Appreciation 0
  • Posts: 11
  • Location:
Re: 6 week old baby that doesn't like sleeping during the day
« Reply #21 on: December 06, 2009, 14:32:33 pm »
Well today i have been shh/patting him, until drowsy but ive had to shh quit loudly over his cries! is that correct, then when he is drowsy and calm eyes closed i put him down in his crib to sleep then 5 ten mns later he is waking up, then i am repeating it again and again, am i doing something wrong?

He just keeps waking up!!!

Offline anna*

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 900
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 28751
  • My two
  • Location: London, UK
Re: 6 week old baby that doesn't like sleeping during the day
« Reply #22 on: December 06, 2009, 14:44:31 pm »
When you put him down, you need to keep shush-patting until he is in a deep sleep, this takes a good 15-20 mins. They have 'jolts' as they are falling asleep which wake them up when they are very tiny - so for now you need to keep shush-patting past those jolts.





Offline ~Sara~

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 264
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 9268
  • Location: Houston, Texas
Re: 6 week old baby that doesn't like sleeping during the day
« Reply #23 on: December 06, 2009, 20:12:58 pm »
*hugs* Becky. 

I don't have anything to add to Anna's brilliant advice, but I wanted to let you know that you ARE doing a wonderful job!  You're a great mom who wants to help her baby learn very valuable skills...if he has to sleep in a sling for a few naps to catch up on sleep, that's okay :)  Like Anna said, he's so young right now that even if you start really trying to sleep train after a couple more weeks, he should still pick it up pretty fast.
*formerly tersaseda*