7 Week Old Not Sleeping Enough

Put him in his swing. . . . so you get a break. . . . If he "needs" the sleep, he'll sleep. Another way to get an infant to sleep ? Vaccuum the house. The loud noise will put him to sleep. :-)

Try reading "The Happiest Baby on the Block" and swaddling him. There is a product calloed a "Woombie" you could also look into. You can google the name or find it on Ebay. Good luck, honey...I know it's hard...remember, it will get better. :)

Dear K.,
Until you and your baby get into a routine that works, try sleeping whenever he sleeps. Every new mom goes through a period of sleep deprivation. It comes with the territory --and you are probably spent from giving birth and caring for another person. You won't be able to do all the things you used to be able to get done. Try to spend more time right now holding your baby and cuddling with him in bed. This is a precious time of bonding that passes quickly. Think of it as an opportunity -- everything else will wait.
Good luck,
N

Both of my boys slept better in their swings for naps then anywhere else except the car for the first few months and they transitioned fine to their cribs when they were older. There was no failure to thrive and no sleep issues further down the road. I also nursed them to sleep and they still figured out how to do it on their own. I believed that sleep anywhere was much more important for their and my well being than them being in the "right" place and falling asleep in the "right" way. If your son sleeps better in one place than another, let him sleep in that place as long as it is safe. My youngest slept in his car seat in the crib for a while cause that was the only way to get him to sleep for about a week so I buckled him in and let him go. It wouldn't hurt have him checked for reflux though because if that is the issue, nothing else well solve his sleep issues. Go with your insticts instead of what the "book" or anyone else says is the right thing. The writer of the book doesn't know your son, you do. Good luck and enjoy your son.

Hi K.. I know it is difficult when you first get that little one at home and you want things to run the way you invisioned them but our little ones have a different plan. It is perfectly normal what your son is doing. Think of it like this - the first three months are like the 4th trimester. THe best way to get him to sleep is to either have him swaddled or having motion (in a swing or sling) also remember that he is used to loud noise from being inside of you and it is best to have some noise maker (white noise (dryer running) to help aid in the sleep. Silence can be defening. here are some articles incase you are not doing the following.

http://parenting.ivillage.com/newborn/ncare/0,,lz_76v6,00...

http://www.thehappiestbaby.com/excerpts_video.html

You'll get it down - don't worry. Neither of my sons have slept through the night and i have just accepted that. It's who they are. one day i'll be able to catch up on my sleep (and i'm a working mom).

Best of Luck!
J.

You are right, he's not sleeping enough--normal is like 16 hours a day at that age, but he probably just doesn't know how to stay asleep. If he wants to go to bed early evening (anytime after 6), that's probably his biological bedtime. Let it happen and enjoy the brief peace of your evening with your husband. I do recommend swaddling if it seems that he's squirming himself awake (mine used to punch himself in the face until it woke him). Good luck!

Make sure you are feeding him enough. if he likes to sleep in the swing put him in there. It is kind of a ever changing thing when they are that young. Before he goes to bed for the night make sure he is well fed and may be give him a warm bath. sometimes when my son was young he fell asleep in the vibrating boppy which i like and recommend. it makes different sounds like the heartbeat sound. target$50. It is really beneficial while they are little.

Hello K., I am sure you are sleep deprived, It is very difficult with a first baby, they are alot of trial and error, ha ha. They seem to know that and can easily sense when you are the least bit nervous, think ablout this if you are worried about doing something wrong, the good part they do not even know if you do make a mistake, well I am not sure if you are breast or bottle feeding which can make a huge difference. I have done both and with breast feeding if you eat anything spicy, gassy with caffeine or anything it does affect the babies mood and sleep. With babies that age their stomach is small and they are unable to sustain a full stomach long. I tend to be very old school and was with my babies and added a few tbsp. of rice cereal to their badtime bottle with a tsp. of stage 1 prunes in the bottle to keep them from having a hard time with BM, they will normally sleep for 5-6 hrs or more. he should be sleeping alot more. just take time to relax and take a bubble bath and make sure to spend time with dad also, when the baby cries dont feel you have to run and get him as soon as he makes a noise, they are very smart. you should be through the adjustment period soon, dont be afraid to have the baby stay with grandmom for a night here and there, I am sure his grandparents would be thrilled to give you a much needed break. if you have any questions please feel free to let me know, thanks M.

My daughter is six weeks and wasnt sleeping much at all during day but would sleep 6-7 hours at through the night. WE had her tested for reflux and found out she has it. She would be fussy during day and when lay her down she would wake up after 20 min. My doctor was stumped because she was sleeping long stretches in night. I think from exhaustion. My son was the same way as a baby,we ended up switching his formula. He just was never a good daytime sleeper. I also think you may find the book, "The Baby Whisperer" helpful. It helps get your baby into a routine and on a sleep schedule. The author is a nanny and says if your baby gets use to sleeping with "props"(ie. Swing, rocking stroller) it will be harder to establish good sleeping habits. I know the feeling, you will do anything for them to sleep My son slept in his swing a lot. I find my daughter is not comfortable unless you hold her. Funny how every child is so different!

Eeek! My daughter went through this at the same age, it's SOOO HARD! What saved us was the "Sleep, Eat, Wake" Pattern in the book "On Becoming Baby Wise" for infants.

Every time you wake your baby from a nap, feed him, then let him play/be awake, then let him fall asleep on his own without eating. Then feed him immediately when he wakes up. He will start having approximately a 3 hour cycle of this, napping 1 to 1 an 1/2 hours, eating, then playing for 1/2 or hour before falling asleep. The predictable cycle really will relax him, and you'll always know what he needs next, a nap or food. You can time you errands and chores (and naps!) to coincide with his since you'll know when they're coming.

Plus he won't be dependent on eating to fall asleep. Eventually (I don't know how) he will start to sleep longer at night and eventually all night. But it takes a little time.

I remember falling asleep once beside my daughter while she was SCREAMING in the day time, I felt myself fading (crashing) so I surrounded her by pillows, made sure she was safe, and PASSED OUT on the floor with her screaming in my ear. This was while she would only sleep in the day and never at night....but the new routine fixed it. I feel for you! Good luck!

You probably have a belly sleeper. We had the same problem with my daughter. We thought putting her on her belly was something you do if you're a bad parent or if you don't care about your baby's risk of SIDS. My best friend and my sister (who has 4 belly-sleepers of her own) all convinced me to give it a try. She slept for 6 hours at 6 weeks, 7 hours at 7, and by 8 weeks she was sleeping for up to 9 hours every night. Yes, SIDS is a concern, but we have a healthy 9-month old who still prefers to sleep on her tummy. (If you're afraid of the tummy, try laying him on his side.) Good luck!

K.,
He is FINE, NORMAL ...you are just tired ! thank goodness you have 1 year to re coup !!! [ think of the mommys that go back to work @ 6 weeks, yeaks ...]
The swing [ and other baby/ child devices are designed for a child placement as mom does a chore ... such as ; car seat ...IS ONLY FOR A CAR TRIP , swing is used as MOM MOPS UP A SPILL OR WASHES THE CRIB SHEETS [ [to keep baby safe] .or simply for a baby comfort if can not stop cry'n ... etc] can end up a baby sitter !!!!!!!!!!!..
you will have a ' failure to thrive ' baby if you 'depend' on swings, car seats, bouncers , etc ...
= get a routine ...
= keep baby busy ... [ play with him on floor, in lap]
= Go outside daily. kids love outdoors [ sun hat,glasses]
= give him bath time [ pre nap or bedtime]
= feed him . he may be hungry ...[ hence, do not give a bottle every cry either] add baby rice cereal to his mid day feeding .
= change his sheets [ ahhhhh] change his cloths [ ahhhh]
= your mom goal = feed baby breakfest, lunch , dinner and 2 naps and sleep all night ... chuckle .......
all baby's are their ' own' time ....he is young enough to train him ..
happy mothers day .
'these are the best days of your life '
a grammy

First question is are you nursing...if so..they will go every two to three hours of sleep then nurse..and they will not sleep through the night till they are off nursing...I have a three year old who I nursed till he was two and a year old..who does not sleep through the night yet...maybe 4 hours 5 or 6 if I get a good night....Now the explanation of this..so don't be scared or worried is......When our babies are small the bonding is soooo needed..that is the way God intended it..they are babies once...and you never get that time back...so invest if you can..and the swing is where both my boys slept for the first 7 months...that is ok..:) I hoped that helped...Just remember this world is rush rush rush...take the time to invest in your baby..eye to eye talk...words of blessing and encouragement...like " You are sooo beautiful..you are special..Lots of I Love YOu's and and kisses......and that little person will grow up to be a confident...successful adult...Blessings,T.
God Loves You Like No Other. :);)

HI K.,
He might have his days & nights mixed up. I would let him sleep in the evening til he wakes up on his own (you can TRY to sleep then, too!). By "early evening" do you mean he is falling asleep after dinner--like 6:00? If so, do his bath & jammies, feed him and put him to sleep, rock him, or walk him til he's sleeping, then put him in his crib. Don't worry about getting him to fall asleep in his crib on his own yet, I'd make sure he was OUT before putting him in. Eventually you can get him into a routine with a morning nap and an afternoon nap and all night sleep.
Hope that helps--maybe I'm not understanding the situation exactly, but at 7 weeks he should be sleeping a LOT, so I'd let him go with his own schedule right now. Good luck & congratulations!

Are you swaddling your baby? If you are, that's good. Maybe for a few night let him sleep in the car seat and put the car seat in the crib. I tried that, and then I transitioned to just the crib, and my 7 week old is doing great. On nights when he doesn't fall asleep easily, I use the car seat again. Good luck!!

He may have mild refux or gas that is making him uncomfortable when he is laying flat on his back, which is why he may prefer the car seat and swing. My son had reflux until he was about 3 months old and I used a wedge in his bassinett (until he started to really wiggle around) and that along with Mylicon drops helped. My sister-in-law puts her daughter in her car seat in the kitchen with the fan turned on and she sleeps for hours. The upright position and the white noise soothes her to sleep.
He may also have his days and nights mixed up, so try to keep him awake and active as much as possible during the day. I'm sure you're exhausted, but luckily this stage doesn't last forever. Good luck.

This is totally normal. Countinue to try to put him in his crib, but if he won't sleep there then move him to his car seat or swing. My first son would only sleep in the swing or bouncy seat (or car seat in the car). He liked the upright position. At 5 months this was no longer comfy for him (he stopped sleeping in them) either b/c he was too big or b/c he wanted to move around now. So we moved him to the crib. We had only a little trouble with the crib. We wound up doing the cry it out method (I was against this at first)and he slept beautifully. He's been a good sleeper ever since. We probably could have done the Ferber method, but I didn't have the patience for that (I was exhausted - my son was a big eater & didn't sleep more than 2 hours at a time (even at night) until he was 3 months old, then he slept for 4 hours at a time at night. It wasn't until he was six months old that he finally slept for 6 hours. Around 8 or 9 months he slept through the whole night - like 10 hours).
So my advice - use what works. Get some sleep yourself & don't stress too much. Babies know what they need & it sounds like you've figured yours out. And I do believe 10 - 12 hours is the right amount of sleep time, but I'm sure you could call your Dr & ask. Good Luck. (Oh & keep telling yourself this won't last forever. He won't go to kindergarten sleeping in the swing!)

I haven't read any responses....
My MIL had a solution that I swore wouldn't work, but tried with my kids and it did work. When do you give your son a bath? If you switch it up, no matter when you give it now, he will sleep longer for you at night. I don't know why this works, but it does. It's like the bath resets their 'timer' or something. Hope he starts sleeping for you more. As far as sleeping in his crib....put him in there while he is still awake. Let him fall asleep in there. I know not everyone is a fan of the 'cry it out' method, but it helped me keep the sanity I have left!!! I have four kids. One was a preemie and my first two and last two were close together. A schedule is a good thing for everyone! I hope this helps and you don't take anything I said wrong. What works for you may be different than what worked for me....

Hi there!

I feel your pain! But there is hope!!

My daughter is now 21 months old and has just made the transition to a big girl bed within 3 nights and I firmly belief it's because of the good sleeping habits we set for her as a baby which we got from a baby expert by the name of Tracy Hoggs.

Do yourself a favor and get the book - The Baby Whisperer, by Tracy Hoggs. She also has a follow-up for toddlers, really worth reading, at times I would question just to find out that what she does and suggests really works and is gentle for your baby. She does not belief in the Cry-it-out method.

PLUS she really does address every other problem you can possibly think of with various scenarios, I found it great when I needed to reference something really quick, or when something suddenly changed - she really puts it into perspective and her methods are caring, nurturing and loving, which is axactly what a little baby needs from his mommy!

Best of luck!!!!

I.

I've read many of the responses and some have very good advice - but some are wrong. Do not put your child on their belly to sleep, it increases the risk of SIDS. A baby who is breast fed will sleep through the night before they are weaned - my oldest did at 10 weeks, my youngest at 13 weeks. There is nothing bad about using the swing for a nap. I did it with both my boys and they are now happy healthy 7 and 5 year olds - no risk of failure to thrive. I know many parents who used car seats for their children to sleep in both for naps and at night and both the children and their parents are FINE. You do not have to have your child attached to you 24 hours a day. That is overwhelming and not healthy for either of you. Of course you should hold your child, love and cherish them, but you can put them in the swing/boucny seat/stroller while you do something other than household chores! My boys often fell asleep when I took them for a walk in the stroller - it's a good exercise for you, a great stress reliever and good stimulus for your child. Best of luck.

Hi K.,

My daughter NEVER ONCE slept in her bed before she was 4 months old. For naps, she slept in a sling wrap, on me or my husband. When whe would start getting crabby, we put her in it, rocked or bounced a little until she drifted off. Yes, this meant I couldn't do a lot of housework, or much of anything but rest and watch TV. At first that was frustrating, but once I accepted it, I came to love it. She never sleeps in my arms now! It was such a brief time, I really cherish it now. Plus.. truthfully, I needed the rest, too.

At night, she slept in our bed, next to me. I breast fed, so this was extremely convenient. We would all lay down for the night around 8 or 9, she would wake up once or twice to eat and then fall back asleep. Sometimes my husband didn't even hear her... she would just nudge me and latch on.

I realize this isn't for everyone. But it worked for us. Once she hit 4 1/2 months, my husband transitioned her to her own crib/room for the night. After three nights of modified cry it out, she slept through the night (from 8p - 8a.) She then started napping in her crib, as well. She is almost 2 yrs now, and she sleeps like a pro... so don't worry that he'll become dependent upon anything.

I highly recommend the book, Healthy Sleep Habits. Happy Baby. It is very informative. Good luck!!

My son loved to be swaddled and I'm guessing yours would too if he likes to sleep in the swing and carseat. He feels snug in those places, like in utero. He probably also feels somewhat lost in the big crib. Maybe you could put some rolled up towels in around him to partition him so he feels safer.

He is still so young, I'd definitely defer to his schedule. I'm a big believer in NEVER waking a sleeping baby, ever, unless he needs medicine or something dire.

Congrats on your son and good luck!

Hi K.,
Trust me, I KNOW how exhausting and frustrating this can be. My daughter will be 8 weeks this Sunday and I had the same exact problem!!!! I was lucky if I would get a three hour stretch from her at nighttime and then she would be up every 40- 1 1/2 hours after that. I was lucky if I got 3 hours of sleep a night (I also have a 20 month old that starts her day at 5 am). My 7 week old also slept best in the swing but I really wanted to get her accustomed to her crib and not create unnecessary habits. I am a strict believer in routine so we started one specifically for her from day one and we always kept her swaddled but nothing helped. Finally, about 3 nights ago I was hopeless and beyond fatigued and tried putting her on her belly. Ever since then she has slept a minimum of 5 1/2 hours at a time and has only gotten up once at night. My oldest daughter also would only sleep on her belly. I know this is very controversial, but if you are comfortable with the idea, it has been a life saver for me. She is a totally different baby, all smiles, ever since she has been sleeping better at night. Good luck!!!!!