Parenting Forums

Posted: 07 October 2008 at 10:33am | IP Logged

Elliott seems to have his nights and days mixed up! Is it too early to try and set him in a routine (he's 3wks)?  He sleeps all day, goes of with a dummy and we take it out when he's asleep without it bothering him, however at night from about 8.30pm he just cries when he's not being held, if we manage to put him down in his basket and the dummy falls out (even if he appears to be in a deep sleep) he screams.  If we attempt to put him in his cot (even in his basket) he screams blue murder and flings his arms around and it takes ages to resettle him.  Last night I cuddled him for nearly an hour he was in a deep sleep as soon as his head hit the mattress he was wide awake wailing! 

Dh is back at work now and I also feel really guilty that he's not getting any sleep should I stay downstairs and sleep on the sofa or keep trying with the cot?

Oh and he gets hiccups at night time too which keep him awake any tips?  

Posted: 07 October 2008 at 11:22am | IP Logged

It took my son Eds 5 weeks to swap his pattern around so he slept at night and was awake more during the day. My son was born at 10.38am but I had been on morphine at the end of my pregnancy and he was a bit sleepy when he was born. He fell asleep after his first feed and woke up at 8pm when he then fed and napped on and off all night. This then stuck.

He was a lovely baby but between 6 and 8pm he would become colicky and cry. He wouldn't settle in his moses basket or crib (despite being happy sleeping in them during the day) and would only sleep if either myself or my husband held him. Difficult as my husband was back at work after a week so couldn't be up all night.

The best tips I can give you are

• make sure when your baby is awake at night you keep the lights dimmed, feed your baby if needed but do not play with them. Keep night time as a dark, quiet, rested time. Keep your voice soft and low.
• during the day your baby will still need naps but between sleeps engage him in games of peekaboo and similar. Make sure he learns to nap in the daytime with the curtains open. It is important to mark the difference between day and night.
• Have a night time routine which involves a nice calming bath - maybe with baby bath with lavender which helps sleep. Put PJ's on then offer the last feed of the night. You could do this in the bedroom with the lights low.
• If possible put your baby in his crib/cot sleepy but still awake. It is important he learns to send himself to sleep as he then wont need to wake you if he wakes himself.
• Sleep with a t shirt, new teddy or small blanket for a few days so it takes on your smell and then leave this in your baby's crib. They will pick up your sent from it and feel close you you. Replace it every few days.
• It wont happen straight away and even when you have cracked it growth spurts and the like can send it all into disarray!

Thats all I can think of for now. Good luck. You are not alone - newborns are hard work despite their size!

What I can say is the 5 weeks Edward was awake at night for seemed like forever at the time. He is now 3 and a half and that was a very small part of his life, one I hardly think of now, and he now sleeps very well. You can do it!

Posted: 07 October 2008 at 2:49pm | IP Logged

I was only telling friends the other day how during this 5 week period I managed to get a few hours sleep between feeds by asking hubby to take baby downstairs and keep him quiet while I rested. I breastfed so I had to be awake 3 hourly for feeds. Around 30 minutes into this sleep I was woken by hubby. Worried something was wrong with our baby I asked what was wrong.

"Guess what" he replied "I managed to make a cup of tea with one hand whilst still holding Edward with the other!"

I was speachless!

Posted: 08 October 2008 at 5:23pm | IP Logged

I know its only one night! BUT Elliott slept in his cot last night! Yeahhhh!  Lol We went up after his 10pm feed and he fell asleep at 10.45 in his sleepbag in the cot.  He woke up for his feed and went back off in his cot straight away and woke for another feed early morning again he went back off in his cot afterwards and woke for his 8am feed this morning.  Yeah I had some sleep and dh didn't have to sleep on the sofa! lol fingers crossed for 2nite!  Thanks for the advice we did everything except bath him. xxx

Posted: 08 October 2008 at 6:13pm | IP Logged

Thats great!

At this age routine is the key - I dont agree (personally) with the gina ford type routines but I do find that with a basic routine babies settle better and are much happier. Good luck.

Posted: 08 October 2008 at 8:29pm | IP Logged

my friends said that ellie(now 13 weeks) was an australian baby. she did just what you said. slept all day and wake most of night. hated her moses, so had her with me which health visitor freaked about but i needed sleep and with a c-sec and breast feeding it was my last resort. she sorted it out herself. now she is down by 7, can't get her to last much longer but still has about  naps in day, and wakes a few times in night. does your babe have colic? only ask as that what ellie had. kicked in at 2am every morning. good luck x

Ellie went in cot at 4 weeks and loved it.

Posted: 09 October 2008 at 2:09pm | IP Logged

No he doesn't have colic, but he gets terrible hiccups!  Usually at bout 2am too! DH and I have agreed that no matter what we won't put Elliott in our bed, DH is worried about squashing him if we do.  We put Elliott in his cot straight away cos I couldn't carry the moses basket up and down the stairs after my c-section. Last night was a result too!  So we went and invested in another sleepbag this morning! Fingers crossed!!!