7 Week Old Not Sleeping

Just try to sleep when he sleeps. He is still young and probably just establishing a sleep routing with naps. It takes a few weeks. DONT force a baby to stay awake as the previous entry suggest. It will just make for a grumpy baby and sleep deprivation can actually have the reverse effect and make him sleep even less!

I keep my babies awake from 6pm - 10pm. My mom's trick. All of us slept through the night by 6 weeks. and I was a preemie! I've tried it with two of mine and it works like a charm. My 2nd was sleeping through the night at 5 weeks. It's not really fun trying to establish this schedule, but SO worth it! I just use a damp wash cloth on their cheeks, or play with them so they can't fall asleep until it's time. Good luck!

"Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr. Weissbluth. It is a little preachy and heavy with studies in the beginning, but LIFECHANGING between my first and second child.

hang in there B.! :D and YES! by all means, sleep when your baby does. (don't worry about the housework, thank-you notes or anything else but you & baby for a little while. all the little stuff will wait for you.)

as far as i remember... this sleep pattern is totally natural and normal. he isn't even two months yet. give yourself & him time to adjust. you're probably lucky he's sleeping as long as four hours at a time.

his belly is tiny tiny tiny & he's used to a constant food supply from the womb. he has to adjust to being fed & his belly has to grow before he will be able to go without food for too long.

color me crazy, but this is my understanding of it. i don't remember getting more than five hours of straight sleep until my baby was 12 - 16 wks.

you might try a side bed similar to the one on the link http://www.babybunk.com/. this type sleeping device really helped me. i could just feed my son & go back to sleep. since i bottle fed, my husband & i would take turns getting bottles (usually two throughout the night)... if you nurse, a side by side sleeping would really come in handy.

good luck!

Have you tried putting him down with a sleep positioner? Both of our kids preferred being held or sleeping with us, but when we would put them in their pack and play or crib we found that the sleep positioner would help them sleep on their sides, which they both preferred, and we felt more comfortable with, as well as kept them feeling snuggled, which is one the main things babies want. Plus, and I'm sure you've heard this a thousand times, but make sure you sleep when your baby sleeps, even if it's during the day....or at least lay down. Everyone tells new moms this, and usually new moms think they should use the time their baby sleeps to get work done, but seriously, this time is for you and your new baby. Especially while you're still getting your patterns established, make sure you get as much rest as you can! Good luck and congratulations!

Oddly enough, my little guy would NOT sleep on his back, either. We rid his crib of EVERYTHING other than a light sheet, and he slept on his tummy. It was the only way he would do it. It's hard to suggest that... My mom did it with all her kids... If you aren't comfortable with that, try putting a blanket in between the two of you while putting him to sleep. That way, when you put him in his crib, he doesn't feel the harsh temperature change. Good luck, let me know how it goes!!

Get the book, Healthy Sleep, Happy Child. It will help you understand your baby's sleep patterns and what to expect. I wish I would have had this book earlier. It will help you understand how to help your baby sleep longer and better, but you still may loose some sleep, so sleep when he sleeps.

Is he only sleeping TOTAL 3 hours at night or waking every three hours? That is the norm. He will be eating a lot at this age at night and cannot expect him to sleep longer then three or four hours at a time without wanting to eat. Make sure he is swaddled and put him down for a nap/bed without rocking him to sleep and put him down awake. These tricks right now will help you a ton later too.
Also try mylicon after each feeding to make sure his tummy isn't just gassy. That worked wonders on my daughter.
Make sure he isn't overly tired as that backfires too.
Set up a routine for sleeping to some degree but in the infant stage with both of my kids I just kind of laid them down after feeding every time. Babies at 7 weeks should sleep about 15 hours total. Some kids are more alert then others and have a harder time settling in. I would lay both of my kids too in the bassinett in the living room too so they heard noise, giving them too much quiet will cause issues later too.
Let him fuss a bit but lay him down awake not waiting until he is asleep, swaddle him and lay him down about three times a day.

Try and be patient. I know easier said than done right? My third was very colicky and honestly he's 5.5 months old and I still don't know how he functioned during the first 4 months of his life. He never slept-seriously he would sleep for a total of maybe 5 hours a day. I just dealt with it and kept getting up with him and because I have another baby as well he wasn't overly held at all. Try and put him in his crib and swing, don't be afraid that you are holding him too much, but set a routine and stick to it. It will save you honestly. He started sleeping through the night at 5 months and only after I let him cry it out for two night in a row. My other two kids slept through the night right away, so it was really hard for me. Do the same thing at thesame time everyday. It will get easier I promise. Also, do you put your shirt or bra in his crib with him? If not do it.

My girlfriend had the same prob a few years ago. She and her hubby discovered by accident that their daughter could only rest peacefully if they put her in her crib with her head snugly pressed against the corner. The baby apparently was used to the pressure on her head in the womb and missed the feeling. Hope it helps!

I wouldn't expect an infant to settle into a sleeping pattern until 3-4 months old, and not through the night until 6 months (that's when mine finally did, and only after starting solids).

Sleep deprivation is normal for new parents.
I recommend relaxing about it, let go of trying to control his sleep schedule, eventually it will become more 'normal'.
ALSO, the series of books, "YOUR INFANT", "YOUR ONE YEAR OLD", Etc. by Bates & Ilg. I find these books indispensable for my understanding what goes on developmentally with my child.

Try giving him some gas medicine, and when he does wake up try to let him soothe himself back too sleep. You could also try some tylenol or motrin and see if it may be the teething or possible ear infection. I hope this helps and gl.

Oh, this is hard. My first was a bit like that. Either I couldn't wake her or she was up all the time. Turns out it was food issues. So consider your breast milk if nursing. Take dairy and soy out of your diet completely and make sure to not have caffine or other stimulant. Give it at least two weeks. Then if that isn't it, try something else. Also, is her room too hot, too cold. Is he near a vent in the room that comes on with the A/C. Maye she wold like a constant sound of a fan, humidifier, or niose machine? also, mine slept primarily on her left side. I use rolled up towles or a position wedge to keep her there. Also, make sure to swaddle tight. he is very young and many like to be swaddled until six months or so. that said, maybe he is too tight.....

Hey congrats on the new baby! First off I have a question do you hold him alot? like close to constantly? If so I had the same problem with my first son who is now 11 wow crazy, but I was always holding him and if it wasn't me it was someone else. in fact when I would put him in his basinet at night he would whine like a little puppy but as soon as i would just lay my hand on him he would stop and go to sleep but I'll be darned the second I moved my hand he'd wake up and start his wimpering again, I finally decided after weeks of no sleep for either of us that I just had to break him of it. It was hard and it was draining but it took about 5 days and he got it. I just layed him down and he'd start I would reasure him that it was ok played soft musicto him sang and stayed strong on no picked him it up it was sooooooooo hard on both of us but after 5 days he figured it out and got easier.the 5 days were no p icnic we bonded. you just have to go for it, godd luck

Hi B.,
First of all it does get better as they get older!! I can feel your pain as my son didn't sleep well either when he was that age. Have you tried swaddling? Another great book is The Happiest Baby on the Block. Once we got back to swaddling our son, he slept better. Another thing, babies this age sleep when they are tired and take advantage of the time that he is sleeping, sleep when he does. Are you nursing? If so there is a position that you can use to nurse that will allow you to get some sleep, side lying nursing is a great position! Lastly check out askdrsears.com a great web site where I learned alot about babies and their sleep habits!
S.

My second son would only sleep in a bouncy chair. You know the ones that vibrate? He tended to be hard to burp and also wanted to be held most of the time, so the reclining position of the chair and vibration helped with both issues. Good luck and hope you get some shut eye soon!

B.,
My 2 year old was the same way when she was that age. I thought I would die of sleep depervation, and that time has stopped. Fortunatly it does get better, and you will eventually get more than 4 hours of sleep at night! I read all the books, and actually found them so confusing and complicated (probably b/c I was SO sleep deprived) I didn't want to have to put my baby on a strict schedule, and we were dealing w/ colic too... so it was just too much. So, i just did what I had to do to deal and get some sleep. Which included co-sleeping. With co-sleeping I could nurse at night and still sleep a bit. A huge thing is to sleep when your baby sleeps. This was SO hard for me b/c I wanted to clean, take a shower ect... but just let that stuff go, and get some sleep :) When she naps for an hour in the afternoon lay down and catch some sleep too. By the time my daughter was around 3 months old she was only waking up 1 or 2 times at night to nurse, and with her in bed w/ me, I felt like I was actually sleeping through the night! She did start crying all the time when we laid her down when she was around 4 months old. We took her to the Dr. and found out she had an ear infection. So while that cleared up I slept sitting up and holding her in an upright position. By the time she was 1 we had weaned her from our bed and into her own crib. She now sleeps 10-13 hours a night. I think alot has to do w/ the individual child... my 7 week old son has slept 4 hours a time at night and does that for about 12 to 16 hours. I co sleep with him as well, so that I can just nurse and continue to sleep. He also can just stay put and nurse. But alot is it is just his personality, it has nothing to do w/anything I have done. Hang in there, it does get better, and just keep trying things until you find what works for the 2 of you. With my daughter I also found a few things that I tried, but didn't work, that may work for you. Try putting a heating pad in the bed before you lay them down, this way there is not such a temp differance after you lay them down. Just be sure to take the pad out and put it far away so they cannot reach the cord. Also, I found a bed by dr. sears that swaddles a baby, I wanted to buy it but it was around $200 and my daughter was starting to sleep better so I did not order it. Keep up the good work I hope you find something that helps!

Target has a heartbeat bear that costs about $20. It sounds like a heartbeat in utero - what he heard during your pregnancy. Also, think about letting him sleep on his tummy. I know people freak over this idea. Both my girls slept on their tummies. That is the position babies are in while in utero - it's not called the fetal position for nothing. Also, the "back to sleep" thing has only come about in maybe the last 25 years - before that, doctors did NOT want babies on their backs. If you're concerned about it, make sure there is nothing in the crib and put him down for a nap. Then you can watch him and see how he does.

The first night I put #1 down on her tummy at night, my husband stood over the crib almost all night. He didn't know that I'd been putting her down that way for naps. She and I both slept better after we went to tummy sleeping.

I have a 10 week old girl that is the same way!!! I have found that making our house and her room DARK is key and having a noisy fan on helps to drown out the sounds around her. "White Noise" is key!!!
At 8 weeks we finally moved her into her room and it was amazing, she now sleeps for a long chunk of time at night. We got blackout shades for her room and put a fan in that room and it has been amazing! She still won't sleep during the day unless we put her in her swing (in a dark room) and even then it is only a few hours in the morning and afternoon. BUT now that she is sleeping at night, for the most part, it makes the days more enjoyable. Hang in there... everyone told me she would get better with sleeping and she has been each and everyday!

This is a hard one to tell you since its so politically incorrect but my DS was a tummy sleeper from day 10. He slept great in my arms but as soon as we tried to put him down on his back he'd snooze a few minutes and then be awake. On day 10 I put him tummy down on the carpet in the sunlight (he was a tad jaundiced) and he conked out for 2 hours. He was a much happier baby when he woke up. From there on out he was a tummy sleeper. Did I worry? Of course. But did he sleep fine? Yes...and he's still a tummy sleeper two years later. Not sure if this will help you, but trying different things will help you discover what the problem may be.

GL and here's to some quality snooze time.

I would higly recommend that you get a copy of "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child." Its an excellent book with great advice. I went through this too... good luck!

Watch the video the Happiest Baby on the Block by Dr. Harvey Karp. It cured our son's colic in 10 minutes and he slept for 5 hours straight. It was a lifesaver for us. I think it should be required for all new parents. We do it with #3 now and still love it.

Hello my dear precious new mommy!
That is tough. My daughter loved the swing and the bouncer for sleeping. Also, there are a couple books that I loved to help understand every stage. What to expect the first year, was great and I loved "Baby Wise". Sometimes it's gas, sometimes there just hungry, sometimes they just want to be help and swaddled. Try them all. And when he does to down, lay down and sleep. It will do you all a world of good. Also, see if you can find a MOPS group in your area. It's a group of moms with children from birth through Kindergarten. Lots of support.
T.

My advice is also to let him sleep on his tummy. They make us paranoid but I know a lot of moms that do it and don't admit it to their doctors so the statistics can't be that accurate. I'm still paranoid enough to wait until they are about 4 weeks old but it is such a dramatic difference that I wonder why I wait. My four year old is a great sleeper and has always been able to sooth himself to sleep. Now my two month old is sleeping 8 hours at night and can comfort himself if he wakes up before he's really ready. I've never done the crying it out thing. I don't like it and I've never had to as long as they are on their tummies.

You baby sounds alot like my 2 yr. old when she was a baby! My daughter was the perfect baby until she hit 2 weeks old and then she turned into the baby from "hell". She wouldn't sleep at night, no matter what we tried and believe me, we tried everything from letting her cry herself to sleep to reading books on how to get your child to sleep. Nothing worked! When it came to naps during the day, there was no way she was going to take a nap! It was almost like she was afraid she was going to miss out on something if she took that nap! Finally, at about 5 months old she started to get on a sleep schedule. It wasn't the best but, I decided that she was just one of those babies that didn't require alot of sleep! Even now at 2 years old she still wakes up at night, not all the time, and is starting to not take her afternoon nap. I think that they come down to this earth with their own personalities and we as parents just have to learn to deal with it! LOL Good Luck!

Baby was held 24 hours a day in the womb....even holding him 12 hours a day is a 50% decrease to him. My suggestion, hold him and sleep with him on your chest. You'll love the memories and the closeness and you'll get more sleep.

My last baby was like that. Honestly, he slept in the swing until around 9 months old. The carseat works well, too, but doesn't move. It could be they want to be swaddled still, held in a more rounded position, maybe they are dealing with gas, too, but the swing took care of all that. I used the kind that can lay back and rock side to side instead of front to back. I asked my pediatrician about it at every check up and he said it was just fine. So, I'd go with something like that, because after a certain point, your no good during the day, either.

B.,
My first had the same problem. I used two different things that seemed to help. The first was a clock with a loud tick the other was placing a hot water bottle with a blanket wrapped around it next to the baby. Car rides also helped but then we got stuck driving and not sleeping. Hope these help you, but every baby is different.
Good Luck
E.