6 week old non-sleeper!

[jennasmom]

My baby is six weeks old and is doing something new that is definitely NOT cute! When she wakes up at night to eat she will not go back to sleep! I'll spend an hour or more getting her to go back to sleep and then she'll be awake again in an hour to nurse again! I've fallen asleep the past two nights sitting up in bed holding her. That's the only way she'll calm down. It's so frustrating... Any tips on how to get her back to sleep? My husband is convinced that she'll sleep longer if we give her cereal. I'm a first time mom and am not sure what to believe about when to give her cereal. Any advice?

[supermomwannabe]

Don't give your baby cereal yet. It's bad for her digestive system this early. I had nearly the same problem with my daughter when she was the same age and I freaked out because 2 weeks later I was going back to work. Iris was sleeping most of the day and was awake most of the night. She would wake up to eat and just want to stare and coo. My mom gave me the best advice and it worked:get her on a schedule. It's hard at that age but I started with bath time. I didn't want to dry out her skin so I just let her sit in the tub without washing for about 15 minutes each night at 7PM. If she was asleep I woke her up and then she would stay awake for a few hours and go to bed later. If she went to bed again soon after the bath I'd let her sleep mabe 2 hours and wake her up again if she wasn't already up. The later she went to bed, the longer she stayed asleep. Now she's 4 mths old, she goes to bed at 7 PM and I have to wake her up at 7AM to get her ready for day care, she doesn't wake up once through the night. Of course, every baby is different but I hope this helps!

[jaydsmommy]

yeah its definetly early for cereal, but does your baby sleep during the day, cause if your baby does sleep through the day then shes not tired, my son has slept through the night since he was born, and know he is 5 months old, but he only woke up like 2 times during the night but now he sleeps from 8 at night till 7 in morning, and its really nice, but just try to keep your daughter up all day and she will sleep at night,

[fuzzy]

I also did what supermomwannabe did and it worked for my son!He had his day and nights confused so, I had to keep him up more during the day so he would be tired at night. The bathtime tires them out and it's a good routine to start with.I would also wake him up before I went to bed to make sure he was full! I started this routine at 6 weeks and within the week he slept a full 8 hour night!

[libbylyn2]

be sure to keep the room dim at night feedings. Don't look in babies eyes...I have read that this makes them excited and causes the heart to beat faster. Don't talk to baby and if you do talk very quietly. Hope your sweetie will start sleeping soon so you can catch some z's.

[jennasmom]

Thanks for the advice. I definitely need to get her on more of a set schedule and I'll try keeping her awake more. I hope it works because I only have two weeks of maternity leave left!

[lnaegele]

I agree with all the wonderful advice given in other's responses but wanted to add something that I also did when my little one (now 10 weeks) was going through the same thing. I learned that he liked to sleep in his infant carrier just as much (if not maybe a little more) than his bassinet. So on those nights that I couldn't get him back to sleep after a wee hours feeding, I put him in his infant carrier with a pacifier. He fusses for a little bit and then falls asleep for the remainder of the night. I've spoken with other moms (new and seasoned) who have used similiar tricks. If it's not an infant carrier it's a swing, the stroller, etc. GOOD LUCK! Nothing is worse than a mom who is living off of no sleep!

[alestage]

I actually only had this problem for the 1st week until I figured out that my now 7 month old son liked sleeping in bed with us rather than his own crib. You may want to try that but also be sure to get your baby on a schedule. Bathing with Johnson's bed time wash really helps our baby boy get a good nite's rest. And don't nurse your baby every time she wakes up she may not be waking up bc she's hungry. Make sure you are burping her bc a gassy baby will NOT rest. One more thing I use happitummi waist bands on my baby when he gets fussy and in about 3 mins he is out like a log. These are herbal pouches that you microwave and release calming aromas and the warmth feels comforting on their bellies find them at happitummi.com

[jennasmom]

I'm definitely going to check out happitummi! Jenna does like sleeping with us. She definitely sleeps better in our bed than she does her own, unfortunately! My husband balked at the notion of not talking to her or looking into her eyes when he changes her diaper, but the first time he did that and she went right back to sleep, he changed his mind! Last night she got up twice, but went back to sleep much faster than normal. Thanks again for all of the great advice. It's nice to know I'm not the only person with these problems!

[Momof4angels]

I had this problem with all of my children (I have 3 and 1 on the way). I found that if you let them sleep with you, especially if they are breastfeeding, they sleep much better. Just be careful where you put the baby and make sure it will be safe. All of my children have done this. It comforts them to be close to you. I enjoyed it too. Don't worry it will stop eventually even if you don't let them sleep with you. They will figure out the difference between night and day and that you sleep at night and get up for eating and diaper changes and then go back to sleep.