Active Baby Doesn't Want to Nap

I have a 2 week old that loves to be held too. I also have a 2 year old and 3.5 year old so sitting and holding her all day just won't work. I use the sling. I just got it for her - never used with my first 2. It's great as I can make her happy and be hands free. I got a super simple loop sling - no rings or attachments. It's just a big loop that goes around me and I can tuck her into. It's simple and light and easy to pack in a diaper bag for being out. I shower at night when my husband's around to sooth...

Unfortunately, my son (who is now 14 weeks old) went through the same phase. I know that at times it can be frustrating, especially when you have a million things to do or if you want to try and nap with him. What worked for me was using a carrier. I went to the store and bought an inexpensive one (the Baby Bjorn is great but you don't want to spend $90 if it isn't going to work for you). I put him in it at around the same time each day and walked around the house with him. He felt as if he was being carried, it mimicked the motions he felt when he was in the womb, and you can still get some things done. After a while (about two weeks) he will start to get sleepy at that time and he might start napping for you. I hope this helps!

Hi,

My son was the same way, and by 3 weeks it was a bit overwhelming.

I got the "New Native Carrier", a sling, that I could carry him in all day long. He loved it and would sleep while I cleaned and vacuumed. It really helped with the bonding. I can't recommend baby wearing enough!!!

check out pittsburghnino.com--they have monthly meetings where you can try different slings and wraps out. thebabywearer.com also has good info.

I got my sling at the E-house on E Carson St on the Southside of Pittsburgh.

Hope that helps, and email me with any questions.

My son is 16 mos old and while he is just a fun, sunny toddler, I really, really miss carrying a little newborn.

Good Luck, R.

I highly recommend reading Babywise. It has been a lifesaver. We have used it with all four of our kids and love it.

Hi K.. I have two boys both of whom were not good sleepers initially. They both had their days and nights confused forever (or so it seemed) and were rather colicky. For months we developed the habit of letting the baby sleep on us to keep the peace. Although this bought us some time without crying, it was a tough habit to break. But once we did our kids slept so much more peacefully. A book I found very helpful and would recommend is entitled, "Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child" by Dr. Marc Weissbluth. He is a pediatrician who specializes in sleep and sleep disorders. No gimmics just time tested experience that does work (or at least it did with our boys). Both of our guys sleep about 12 hours at night (they are 3 years old and 8 months old) and nap well during the day too (my 3 yr. old is ready to give it up, but the baby still takes two solid naps a day). I hope you find this helpful. Good luck and hang in there!

Have you tried a sling? That can make holding him easier. Once he is limp as a dish rag, then try gently putting him down--leave him in the sling, but keep him some place close by that you can monitor him with all the fabric he could get tangled in.

You can also try laying down in bed with him--chances are that you could use a nap just as much as he needs one. Make sure you follow the same safety rules with your bed as you do a crib/bassinet--no pillows or loose blankets around him. You also shouldn't do this on a couch or a waterbed.

3 weeks old is classic growth spurt time, so make sure you are feeding frequently enough.

I was also going to suggest a sling - check out www.goo-ga.com - they sell the Peanut Shell and I found it to be awesome for slinging my newborn. Without any rings or ties, it's great for a beginner. The other thing I'd recommend is a tight swaddle - there are some great new blankets (Miracle Blanket is the only one coming to mind right now) you can try if you have a hard time getting a tight wrap from a receiving blanket (I've had 3 babies and can't swaddle to save my life - they always kick out of it! LOL).

You might want to co-sleep, but also consider bringing your baby's crib sheet to bed with you and wrapping yourself in it so your smell transfers. This may help your little one when it's nap time in the crib.

As for showering, I always brought the bouncy seat into the bathroom with me and strapped the baby in. Yes, there were times he cried the whole time I was in the shower no matter how much I talked to him or played peek-a-boo, so I'd just skip washing my hair that day or move triple-time faster through the shower.

hey K., i'm a mom of 3, the last one is almost 5 months and he is a great baby!!, but my middle child sounds like yours. she just wanted me to hold her all the time and by 6 months she was killing me!! my doc. said to put her in her crib after lunch and go do all the things that i needed to do. well you can guess how that went, she would cry on and off for 2 hours a day but i held strong and by the end of 2 weeks she would either take a nap or play with some of the toys in her crib. this worked for me and i guess the bottom line is no baby is the same, but i thought that you could at least try this and see. good luck -H.

First I would say that at 3 weeks they are not likely to really nap (unless you have a wonder child). They kind of sleep 100 times for 10 minutes, which you are hardly aware of, or for longer stretches of time when they are nursed / fed, which doesn't help you anyway. It improves starting from 3 months. And yes - they want to be held because the new world is overwhelming for them.
Otherwise: 1. Make sure he is well fed.
2. Swaddle (as said already by others).
3. Try a swing (with two ways swinging option recommended!) - the type that you can turn on and it rocks your child automatically. My second child slept in the swing exclusively for the first 12 weeks (do I need to say that my first child did not sleep "at all"?).
4. Try a hair dryer noise (together with a swing).
Take care, good luck and remember that eventually they do start to sleep).

All I can say is that this will pass; babies this young need to be held as much as possible. I was also worried like you when my daughter (now almost 9 mos. old) was born. She needed to be held constantly to sleep, including at night. Do you swaddle your baby? We started swaddling with a SwaddleMe blanket around 6 weeks and that helped a lot...My advice is to get comfortable, keep the remote & phone nearby and invest in some easy to make lunches (I lived off of Lean Cuisines) so you can hold your baby while microwaving your food:) And shower in the evening when hubby is home...Enjoy this time, it will be over before you know it!

the sling works great to carry him around, do you have a bouncey seat they are great they fit right in the bathroom and they vibrate. you may also try to put him down before he gets very active some babies get more active when they are tired and don't understand how to settle down to sleep try laying him down fifteen min after he eats and rub his belly stroke his hair if you are lucky he will sleep.

my daughter(9 weeks) will not sleep unless she is swaddled. If she falls asleep in my arms, and i put her down, she is awake in 5 minutes if she isn't swaddled. Have you tried that. I noticed that her arms flail if she isnt wrapped, and it wakes her up. I also bought one of those nature sound machines that seems to work well too. I use the waterfall sounds, because it sounds like the shower, and she likes that.

oh...i feel for you...lol..my son who just turned four...was like that...if he slept, it would be for twenty minutes,if that, and only once or twice a day,even as an infant..during the night, he didnt sleep well either...and he would cry whenever i put him down...from lack of sleep, i was absolutely a wreck..and i got no help from my husband or anyone else..i would give in and hold him just so he wouldnt cry...there was a couple times i thought i was having a nervous breakdown because i was so stressed and overtired...and that is the only times my husband would take the baby and i would sleep for one night and feel so much better the next day....now my daughter is nine months old..and from day one, if i knew she was fed, and changed and it was only cause she wanted to be held but i needed to do something else...i.e.eat...lol...i put her down and let her cry...good thing was she wouldnt cry too long...if that doesnt help..how about one of those things that let you carry the baby around with you while you do things..or put him in a bouncy seat or the swing near you so he can see you...or putting on music or the tv...i know what its like to not even get a chance to eat all day and shower...FORGET IT!!... do whatever makes you comfortable but also make sure to not stretch yourself too thin...i know i tried to play with my kid alot to tire him out but then i think he got overtired and wouldnt sleep...reading or baths did nothing to calm him...he never took to a pacifier or stuffed animal..the only things that worked for him to sleep was a carride or a bottle in the crib...that is it...for three years...is it possible he has gastric reflux?? i know that my son had that...when they lay down, the acids come back up and it makes for quite a cranky baby...its worth looking into...they say kids have different cries for different wants and needs but my son always had the same cry..dont know if i helped any...but if you think i can be of any assistance, please let me know..R.

This was my first, I couldn't put him down till he was almost 4 months old. The second I tried he would scream his head off. He didn't nap or get any kind of schedual till he was 5 months old not to mention the viscious colic he had. It may be gas pains that make him cry when you put him down, try some mylecon. Other wise you have 2 choices, buy a front carrier and wear him or listen to him scream for 10 minutes while you eat. You could also get one of the bouncy seats that have lots of stuff to look at ( I used the aquarium one) put him in and turn the music on, let him cry for a minute till he notices everything. Give him a full minute it might just get his attention. My 7 month old does this she crys till she realizes she has toys and stuff then calms down. I hope you get some relife soon.

My son is now 9 weeks old. I was having the same problem.I would have to hold him during his afternoon and morning naps. I feed him and now we found that car rides really help. Even still, if we don't go for a car ride in the afternoon, he won't nap unless I hold him. He likes any kind of motion.

Let him be. My son is 2 1/2 and sometimes you have them be. get him a play mat that he can lay on and keep busywhile thats on put on ssome noggin or little einstein. he'll absorb alot and tier more quickly. its ok to make them learn to entertain themselves sometimes. Im not saying leave the house or even the room but you dont always have to hold them. it's ok. trust me sometime the inexpensive simple ways work and you may not have to by toys and certainly use medications and herbs as a last resort.

Hopefully the fact that you say he doesn't want to sleep "during the day" means that he is sleeping at night, which is a good thing! :) I highly recommend swaddling up to 6 or 8 weeks old. My son did great with being swaddled, laid on his side on my lap, and he loved the side to side motion of me swinging my legs back and forth (your baby might prefer a different motion of course). Also a steady shhh. Do this for a few minutes, and he was all relaxed and ready to slide into the crib. I adapted this from thoughts from Happiest Baby on the Block. It make take a little experimentation, but find what sort of soothing works best for your baby and slowly try to get him into a routine. The Baby Whisperer's advice of each day contains several cycles of eat, activity, sleep, "you time" helps with this also. Good luck!

As many others have said, definitely try the swaddling if you aren't doing that already. I swaddled all three of my kids until they got to the point where they kick the blankets off and it was a huge help- they wouldn't sleep unless they were swaddled. Espcially because your baby is still so young, I think the swaddling helps them feel a little more secure. Also, don't be afraid to let your baby cry. I know that it is easier said than done. In my experience at three weeks old a baby is still doing a lot of sleeping during the day. about 45 mins to an hour of awake time then 2 hours sleeping before waking for next feeding- it could be that he is overtired and that makes it even harder for him to settle himself. Obviously all children are different and every day is different so there is no exact science. As long as you know that your baby is fed and the diaper is clean, put him down and give him about 5 mins to cry and see if he settles. If not, cuddle him a little more, then try again. If you are feeling brave you can let him cry a little longer, but at this age I wouldn't let him cry much longer than 10 mins. Remember, he is only 3 weeks old and he's still getting used to this world. If you can get him to sit in a bouncy seat you can put him in the bathroom while you shower, or next to you in the kitchen while you fix yourself some much needed nourishment. I can remember many days feeling the way you do. Just take it one day at a time, try to relax (babies can sense when their mommies are tense). "Cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow...for babies grow-up we've learned to our sorrow...so quiet down cobwebs...dust go to sleep...I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep!"

g.