Establishing a Routine..

I think that 11 weeks may be a little too early for a routine, but that is only based on my experience with my 9 month old daughter. I can tell you that i had the same problem (when i put her down, she would wake right up) and the doctor told me to let her take her nap in the swing (we had the pompasan swing, so she could lay down) and that did the trick!

Good luck.

D.,

I was thinking differently then the respones given thus far. My kids seemed to develop patterns before 2 months. So, I did an internet search and everything that I found said that you should start early in trying to help infants set sleep routines (as early as 4 weeks). The reality is that the longer a sleep problem exists the harder it is to correct it.

Here are a few sites that I found had helpful information with regards to helping your little man set up good healthy sleep patterns.

http://babycare.iloveindia.com/sleeping/sleep-patterns-ro...

http://www.pediatricservices.com/parents/pc-13.htm

http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/welcome/treatmentguides/sl...

I hope some of this helps you and that you get a little peace.
Best of luck,
K.

I think you can establish a routine, and the baby will eventually get it. I started the bath, swaddle, bottle, and sleep routine pretty early on. It didn't work magic at first, but after a while it caught on. That doesn't mean that he'll sleep as soon as you develop a routine, and it can't hurt to have a routine. My son wouldn't sleep flat anywhere, so finally I gave up and let him take his naps in the swing (with the swing on low), and at nights he'd sleep in the swing (with the swing off). He was always a better sleeper at nights than nap time. Naps were challenging, I think he though he was missing out on something. I even had to put on the blow dryer in order for him to fall sleep during nap time. He was on two naps till about a few weeks after his first birthday and then moved to one nap. We still do the nightly routine, though it's a bit different. I now skip the bath every once in a while, and we read books before nap time. I also did the modified ferber method at about 4.5 months(I didn't go more than 7 minutes of crying, and I stayed in the room more than the suggested 2 minutes in between). The first night was very difficult, and the second got a bit better, and third night was easier, but by the forth night he didn't even cry. he's been falling sleep on his own ever since, and at 20 months sleeps from 8 to 8, and takes a nap anywhere from 1 to 3 hours during the day. It does get better, I remember thinking I wouldn't be able to survive the 4 months before I can establish a routine, it seemed so far away at the time. If you don't mind it, use the swing it helps. I also used the mylocon, and the organic gripe water, and I think it really helped. Good luck.

Hi there,

Actually I established a sleep routine very early on for both my kids. Mine actually used to sleep most of the day in the beginning so I would try to keep them up except for a couple of naps and then at 8 o'clock (while they were still in a bassinette in my bedroom) we would shut off all the lights (and lower the tv) until they went to sleep. We did this every night and both my kids have never had a problem sleeping through the night. As for naps in the day, try doing the same time everyday. Sometimes it takes a little bit to get them in the routine. I know my response is more for night time, but I figure any little bit helps.

Yes! It is WAY to early. Let the baby eat, sleep, etc when he wants to. It'll all fall into place.

I think is too soon to establish a routine, but what I did was after my daughter was fully nursed and I got the signs of "tireness" I would put her in the basinet or crib and let her cry no more than 10 minutes sometimes my little one would fight it but the sleep would take over. I know it is hard to listen to them cry. For me, it got easier with my second one. It gets better with time. For example, Around 3 to 4 months, my daughter was in a pseudo-routine.
morning: 2 naps in between feedings and playing
afternoon: 2-3 naps between feedings and serious entertaining (park, strolling, singing, dancing, reading etc..)
night: the bath has been a saver for me. She loves it and it relaxes her, which sets the stage for bedtime.

Still now at 5 months, everytime I put her in her crib, she wines for about 5 minutes and then she navigates into her well deserved sleep.

Enjoy your little one time flies!

Hi, I just read some of the responses and have to 100% agree with Susan V. I too ferebrized my daughter and it only took her about 2-3 nights to get the idea. It was almost like she waiting for me to finally get it and just put her down when she was starting to show signs of tiredness. So now I never let her fall asleep in my arms, and as much as I miss it it really has done wonders. Everyone is getting more sleep now. AND if she happens to wake up during the night she is able to put herself right back to sleep. I highly recommend buying the book "How to solve your child's sleep issues" I skipped right to chapter 4 and read the chart, and that very night started the method and seriously within 3 nights she was going to sleep all on her own. She was 13 (and 1/2) months when I did it, but you could definitley start now. I know there are people out there who disagree with the Ferber Method, but for me it was a godsend! Good Luck!

D.,
My son is 10 weeks and only sleeps for about two hours for every four(he is bottle fed every 4 hours). He usually falls asleep on his own if I put him in his crib or swing and just let him be. I don't think that they need to sleep that much during the day anymore. Not sure if that answered your question or nbot but I figured i would mention it.

J.

My son was the same way!!!! I had to be consistent with setting a bedtime pattern. I had white noise that I put on for him when he went down at night. Consistency is what helped him to get the picture of an established bedtime. Good Luck!

Hi D.,my son was the exact same. It drove me crazy because everyone I spoke to with a baby around the same age never had a problem.I was so tired and had to bring his swing with me if I was staying at my parents.He only liked movement to help sleep. Pretty much since day one he got a bath every night which I think really soothed him. He's 15 months now and looks forward to his nightly bath. So our night routine starts with a bath followed by his milk and a little snack of cheerios and a book. We put him down by 8pm and he sleeps til 8am the next morning. He has a blanket he sleeps with and I leave on some soft classical music to drown out noise. I took a week from my sleep when he was 6.5 months old and "Ferberized" him. I never let him cry more than a few minutes in the beginning but soon realized if I let him cry for a little longer (10 min) he was able to put himself back to sleep.Every night it got easier and by day 8 or 9 he was fine and was sleeping in the crib through the night. During the day he takes 2 1-2 hour naps. I just wait for him to rub his eyes and away we go. I think he's still catching up on the 6 months of no sleep.He is still a light sleeper but soooo much better. I wish you luck and sleep! Just a thought,maybe he is still hungry after nursing so isn't satisfied enough to sleep. I believe this was one of my sons problems. Not an efficient nurser and was a big baby so had to follow up with a bottle and he slept a bit longer.
Good luck!

Hi D.
Sorry to tell you but it's to early for any type of routine.
I know your fustrated. Please try to be patient. Usually a sleep routine can be establish around 4 months.

N.

Hi D.,

I have a 9 month old son that had problems taking naps during the day when he was about your son's age. My son's problem was a little different than most babies. My son had a lot of gas in his tummy every time he ate. I would nurse my son. He would be completely asleep. Then, the moment I laid him down he would wake up and cry. A few times when I did lay him down asleep, he would sleep for like 5 or 10 minutes and then scream out in pain. I finally realized that his tummy was constantly full of gas pains. I had to find a way to get all those gas bubbles out as burps.

We tried the mylicon. That didn't help very much. I finally found Gripe Water that worked for us. We used "Baby's Bliss" Gripe water. It contains only natural herbs. You can buy it online or at a health food store. It states on the back that you can give it to infants as young as 2 weeks old. Gripe water states that you can give it to your child up to 6 times a day.

Once I started using Gripe water, my son would take 3-4 naps a day. We were both so much happier.

Also, I know not all moms will agree with me but I started putting my son to sleep on his tummy at about 3 months old. He had a bit of acid reflux so this helped him to sleep without the acid coming back up his throat. He is such a good nap taker now. He currently sleeps for 2 hours in the morning, 1 hour after lunch, and 1 hour later in the afternoon. He is not yet sleeping thru the night but that's another story.

Good luck! I'm sure that this no sleep schedule is stressful for you. Just remember that you as the mom know your son best. Try out a few of our mommy suggestions and see what works best for you.

Hi,
Congratulations. You are right-it is way too early to try to get him into a rountine like that. He is brand new. It is very common for new babies to like the motion of the stroller or carseat and certainly the comfort of the mother's body. Speaking from a psychological/developmental perspective (I am a psychotherapist), this is the time where you want your baby to feel secure and loved-that is the first feeling you want your child to experience. You want him to know that when he cries, you will respond, when he is hungry, you will feed him, when he wakes up, you will be there. If you give your child this initial feeling of security, it is the beginning of his ability to have confidence that he is loved and can get his needs met. Later on down the road is when you start to set limits and create boundaries, which will be equally important! If he is a secure,content baby, it will be easier for him to accept limitations (as opposed to an anxious baby who is not sure he will get what he needs and keeps pushing).

So right now you should enjoy taking him out in the stroller for walks and having him lay on you while he is sleeping. It won't last too long. Good luck.