What Are Typical Schedules for 7 Week Old Babies?

Hello! You go some really great advice, I just watned to add....if you are concerned about the tummy time. One thing that really worked for us was having us lay on our backs and baby on our stomachs. He didn't hate it as much because it was like mommy was holiding him, but he was laying down and still exercsing those neck muscles. Good luck :-) You sound like you are doing great!

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Your baby sounds right on track for his age ;-) Enjoy this time frame with your baby, it goes by so fast. Everything constantly changes. By 4-5 months he'll be playing, sitting up, laughing. I see you post a lot - don't stress so much and just enjoy your baby ;-) I don't know where you live but if you're in San Fran, the East Bay or Palo Alto area you should check out Day One. You'll meet lots of other moms - new and experienced. If you need to get in shape check out Baby Boot Camp. Congrats!

Dear D.,
All babies are different. My daughter was so alert from the minute she came out that it was weird. My son was far more mellow.
Your baby might not quite be ready to interact with you, but you can interact with him by talking to him and singing to him when you feed and change him. When you lay him on his tummy, pat his back or rub his little legs.
He's still pretty new, but he'll wiggling and rolling around and reaching for you and pulling your hair any day now. lol
After a bath, I used to put lotion on my daughter and give her a little massage and tell her "Mommy's gonna get this arm, then this arm, then this leg, then this foot, and these toes, and this tummy"....she was an infant, but I still made a little game of it. I will never forget the first time I got to the tummy part and I heard her first giggle.
Congratulations on your baby and don't worry. He's only had 7 weeks to get used to the outside world. You'll be having play time before you know it.

Hi D., My baby is 9 weeks old today.Your baby sounds like mine .Only just this week is she staring a wake for a short time and smiling at us. I hold her as much as possible. She dose mama source with me. Enjoy this time holding a sleeping ,cuddly warm baby. It gose by soooo fast. Some of our special time is during diaper changes. I noticed that she liked to look at the wall and rail when I change her so I just got this fold out book by tiny love on amazon that I put so she can look at it while she lays there. She really likes it! I put her on her tummy once a day even though it's only for a minute or so. Bath time is another fun interaction time. All these interactions are small parts of the day. Most is sleeping. So curl up in the rocking chair with your baby, turn on Jon and Kate plus eight, and thank your lucky stars you can totally enjoy one baby. Have fun

That is about right for a 7 week old. I would say around the 2 month - 2 1/2 month range is when they start to interact. My daughter is 3 months now and she interacts more.

it really all depends on the tummy time. Maybe try at about 3 months my 2 didn't like it much either. right now, the feeding, chaning and napping seems pretty norma

The answer to your question is as individual as each baby! In my opinion, "schedule" and "infant" shouldn't be in the same sentence. My daughter ate every 30 minutes (or more!) for the first 3 months and slept every hour and a half or so. Thankfully, she was never that bothered by a wet diaper (nor had a problem with diaper rash) so I wasn't forced to change that as often as some other mothers. Now, at almost 8 months, she eats and sleeps about every 2 hours. And, yes, I let her fall asleep while nursing - but, even so, she doesn't seem to have a problem also being able to fall asleep without the breast or bottle during the day when she's with her au pair. I let her set her own schedule - a lot less stressful than trying to force my own schedule on her. So, unlike most other babies, she goes to sleep around 9 pm, wakes up between 7 and 9 am, and has 30 minute to 2 hours naps every 2 hours throughout the day. (More or less...)

Tummy time - some parents swear by it, others don't. I've opted to listen to those mothers who tell me they hardly ever did tummy time because their babies put up such a fuss and their babies still managed to figure out how to crawl, etc. I don't believe in letting my baby cry extensively so for quite a while I could only do about 30 seconds to a minute of tummy time. She'll handle a lot more now that she's older. I wish I had heard the idea of putting her on my tummy while I'm on my back, though - I think she would've liked that a lot better so I'd recommend that.

I'd also recommend Dr. Sears "Baby Book" and babycenter.com to help you know what to expect and get sleep advice. I don't believe in sleep trainers.

My two cents - hope it helps!

Just love and cuddle that little one and don't expect too much too soon!

Here's the best resource I've found for infant/child sleep schedules and getting them to sleep through the night. Check out www.sleepsense.net. Go to Do-it-Yourself options and get the e-book for $47. Do it soon, and save yourself months of lost sleep--for both of you!

D. Obleman is a sleep specialist and has a blog (with videos!) where she answers numerous sleep questions for moms with various problems. The schedule is key, but at 7 weeks, I wouldn't worry about it. With both my kids, I tried so hard to get into a schedule, but it didn't happen until 3-4 months of so. I wish I wouldn't have worried so much about it, because I always thought I was "failing" at the scheduling thing. But at 7 weeks, your baby is still a newborn. Just feed, cuddle, and love him. Just make sure he stays AWAKE after a feeding, and the rest will fall into place in a few weeks. Don't worry. Just DON't feed him to sleep, or you'll run into a lot of sleep problems down the road.

Please check out sleepsense.net--I refer this site to everyone I know. I've even taken advantage of the online, chatline where you can get answers to your questions with a sleepsense consultant. It's been a lot of help for me. Good luck!

A.

Hi! My son is 8 months old, so I am a litte "rusty" on the 7 week old! But what caught my eye was the tummy time. You HAVE to do it! Every time I read a book, talked to a person, or went to the MD they always asked about tummy time. It really does have an impact on things in the future like crawling and rolling etc. Jacob, my son, was NOT thrilled with it way back then. I would put him down and he would scream until he fell asleep. Sometimes he would move a bit, but he usually cried then slept. But the more you do it, the more he does it the more he will get used to it and learn to do things with it!

It was a while before interaction began! Usually it's just eat, sleep, poop, pee, cry and that is IT! Hee!

Congratulations on your little one!
Jen

By 3-4 mos, you will be able to play and laugh. For now, you are meeting all his needs. He will probably start smile at you soon. Enjoy the quiet time and get as much rest as you can. Ditto with a schedule. But by 4 mos you will really need a schedule with regular naps (2 hours awake, then nap) and bedtime.

If you are bored and want to connect with other moms, look for an indoor playcenter. In So Lake Tahoe, there is The Tahoe Tot Spot. There may also be a baby play time at your local community center. If you are breastfeeding, try going to a La Leche group (ask your OB's office or the hospital).

By 3 months she should start interacting more. Tummy time is important to build her muscles so she can learn to roll over and crawl. I would recommend at least 5 minutes of tummy time a day. If she crys that's ok, let her cry for a minute or so. The crying and wiggling around is actually building those muscles. And I guess we are never to young to start learning that sometimes we all have to do things we don't particularly like.

his time is coming......7 weeks he'll start anyday now to follow you with his eyes, smile, etc. Each child is different, try keeping him awake after you feed him, hold him close and talk to him, make silly faces at him, etc. He'll start to get some interest and in no time you two will be playing together.
Try to find a toy that is soft and has things hanging off of it, if you show it to him, his curiosity may come out to try and "get it".

good luck
K.

Oh and trust me, the time when they are still and just want to cuddle and have mom hold them is VERY SMALL......don't rush him. this time truly is precious, everyone told me the same thing and I didn't believe them and now, all I want is for my son to stay in one place and hold me ha ha

3 months. Your baby is right on track. I suggest a class or group where you can interact with other moms and babies of all ages. "Mommy and Me" or some such. Ask your doc or pastor for a suggestion of a mommy and baby group.

At 7 weeks old it sounds like you are doing what is "normal". They don't really need or have a schedule at that age. It's too difficult.

AS far as tummy time. My son slept on his tummy so I didn't have to worry about that. Just keep trying, eventually he will take to it. It's very important to strengthen the core muscles and it will help prevent the flat had syndrome which so many babies have nowadays unfortunately.

Hi D.,

Congratulations on being a new mommy! I think babies typically become more interactive around 8-10 weeks of age. My daughter starting playing more and developed more curiosity around her 2-month birthday. Now she's 5 months old and plays all the time! The first 2 months babies pretty much just eat, sleep, and dirty their diapers. It will change soon. I promise. Just hang in there~! Being a mom is a wonderful thing, and so much fun!