Bad Sleep Habits

Not much help - but I would give it a couple days. He's only one month old and sleep habits do not form right away. He's growing so fast this first year and has a lot of adjusting to do. Have you ever read the book Baby Wise? It offers some good advice on setting schedules. Good luck.

N., dont worry children especially newborns will do that when they are going thru grows stage and their bodies are full of enery....just enjoy the moments because they wont last...or you can try playing with him to keep him up longer then at the end of the day give him a nice warm bath with that parents choice theraputic bath gel for babies it helps them to sleep.....but just incase they do let your doctor be aware of it

This happened with my daughter when she was born. We just kept her awake the best we could during the early evening hours and would not let her nap at all. Kept passing her from one to another and kept her stimulated. This might take a few days, but eventually it worked. Don't let them nap in the early evening until you put them down for bed. Good luck!

Congratulations on being a first time mom. My first bit of advice is that this is not going to be easy or smooth sailing. All babies are different, all babies will be wonderful one day and the next turn into a different child! But no worries, you are his mom and you know best, and what works for me or someone else won't work for you necessarily. However, each of us will probably suggest a technique, but overall you have to learn to watch your baby and learn his own quirks and go from there.
Ok with all that...here goes my advice.

Babies will sleep varying amounts during the day and night. "Sleeping through the night" according to the APA (American Pediatric Association) is 5 straight hours at night. You however have to help your child between feedings and a consistent routine will help stretch the time out and gradually he'll start sleeping in longer intervals. I'll start out by saying my daughter didn't sleep "through the night" (8 hours) until she was 8 months old, my son was about 5 months old. Probably b/c I knew what I was doing with him and not so much with my daughter.

Go buy or check out from the library The No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley, an AMAZING book which helped us and will help you learn some easy, simple, "duh huh" thoughts about sleep! At first a baby will sleep more because they are growing and need their rest. During your daily routine, make sure you feed your baby (breastmilk or formula) and try to interact more and more with him. He'll want to sleep and usually will fall asleep at the breast or the bottle but he'll gradually grow out of that, but the soothing comfort is very nice for newborns. Make sure you play and use toys for him to grasp or work on his gross motor skills or his tracking skills with his eyes, or soft books to chew on or look at. READ to your child, even if they are sleepy and not into the idea of reading, listening to you and to the words is key!!!

Try to work on keeping him awake more during the day and start with a consistent night time routine. You choose what works for you, but I did this with my son when was about 8 weeks or so and have not change it a bit. We didn't do this right away with my daughter so it took a bit longer. But we head upstairs around 7:30 or so depending on your child and how long of a nap and how long he's been awake, you judge, but we go up and we either bathe or get ready for bed. During the winter months we bathe just about every other day. Only b/c the weather makes everyone have really dry skin, and they don't get that dirty during the day anyway. So we just head up and either get a bathe or get dressed. Read books, clean up our toys, keep things and activities in a calm manner, nothing to exciting. And they know it's time for bed. We snuggle, sing, and have one on one time with them and put them to bed with a quick kiss and we leave. Yes, we LEAVE the room. In the beginning he'll probably cry, and want you back, but I usually don't make eye contact and I leave the room. They both know it's bed time and they both roll over and go to sleep and they sleep through the night.

There will be times when they won't d/t to bad dreams, teeth, wet diaper, a cold, you name it but you just need to remain calm and trust yourself to put them back to sleep. DO read that book, it's well worth the time and money if you buy it. Read it now while he's still young and you'll learn what to look for.

All of what you said, sounds perfectly normal to me. Just enjoy them while they are young. It only seems like yesterday I was bringing her home. Sigh...take care.

A. B

Day/night confusion is common. Just put him in a sunny spot like a window or brightly lit room, and go about your daily activities (vacuuming, dishes, etc) as normal. It will all work itself out in about a week.

I would try to not let him fall asleep while or after eating during the day. The goal is to have him eat, play (or stay awake), then sleep during the day and then eat and go right to sleep at night. He will soon learn this pattern and get on some sort of a schedule. The stretches of awake time will become longer and longer... right now it may only be for 5-10 minutes, but if you stay consistent he will become more tired by nighttime. Also, do you have a noise machine for the night. Sometimes babies sleep all day because they like the constant noise, then while it is completely quiet at night they can't sleep. My kids slept with one until about 6 months and it was no big deal to wean them from it at that time.

dont worry about it they go through nights like that only worry when it becomes an every night thing in that case keep him up more during the day so he sleeps at night

N., congratulations on your new little miracle!
Just rest assured that a four week old baby does not yet have "habits." He's trying to find his "rhythm." Babies are born with a natural schedule ... some call it a routine ... so it's not a good idea to try and force a routine on him. It's best to learn his 'language.' They have cries that professionals have been able to interpret. All over the world, in all the babies they studied, the language was the same. Learn more about it here:

http://hubpages.com/hub/Why_is_my_baby_crying

As he grows and has longer stretches of wakefulness, during the day try the Baby Einstein videos for newborns.

At night, around the same time every night, create a "bedtime routine." dim the lights, put on soft music, and keep your voice soft and low. Talk soothingly while you rub lotion on him, and change his clothes ... put him in his jammies.
This kind of 'ritual' will begin to create triggers in him that help him recognize the order in his world. During the night when he wakes, keep the lights off and you voice soft. It's a way to show him, "This is when we rest."
You might also try a white noise machine (we use a small fan) during the night. That will drown out external sounds that might wake him, and over a short period of time will become a sleep trigger for him.
Best of everything. They grow up fast!

CeceD

Hey N.! Congrats on the new baby. I know you probably don't have tons of time to read but there are two books that will help you immensely. The Contented Little Baby is all about getting your baby on a schedule which helps SO much. You have to kind of take it with a grain of salt - if you followed it exactly, you'd drive yourself crazy! - but, it's a great jumping off point as far as a sleep schedule is concerned. Healthy Sleep, Happy Child has tons of great information on the importance of sleep for babies of all ages and is probably my favorite parenting book. My son is almost 3 and has always been a great sleeper (I swear it's because of these books!). By maybe 3 weeks old, he was already on a great schedule and only had to wake up once a night to eat. He has been sleeping through the night and napping great since he was just a few months old (we decided to let him "cry it out" instead of rocking him to sleep at about 4 months - it only took one night of excessive crying!). Good luck!
M. Conran
www.nomommybrain.com

Did anyone mention you would never sleep again??? Congrats on the little one! My only advice is to try and keep him up during the day...let him sleep when he just can't possibly be kept up, but do his little "exercises" like moving his legs and arms to help keep him stimulated. Talk to him alot and try to keep him entertained. It will be tough and may take a few days. This is completely normal. Does he go to daycare? See what they allow him to do, I had one once that let my daughter sleep all she wanted so she could deal with other things....we changed care providers, obviously! They do need naps so talk to your pediatrician about how many hours during the day he needs to be sleeping. Best of luck and again, congrats! Oh, one note, if you can, try to sleep while he is napping...you can set an alarm and be up a few hours later so you can wake him and try to get on a schedule, again just check with the doc. Take care and hope this helps!

It has been quite a long time since I have actually had babies around...mine are now 13 year old twin boys, which is a little different than having just one...with two any break is a good thing. My suggestion would be to try to keep him awake more during the day(not a lot more as younger babies need more sleep). Perhaps when you wake up, change him and feed him, sit down with him on the floor and play for a while. It doesn't have to be long 3-4 hour spans but maybe 45 min to an hour of peek a boo or tickle games or playing with rattlesor other "noise" making toys. This will stimulate reactions from him, it will be attention getting. On warmer days put him in the stroller and go for a walk...that may put him to sleep but it may keep him awake also as he see some new things for the first time. Of course after you feed him luch, let him take a nap and when he gets up to be changed, start playing with him again. After you feed him his last meal of the day, give him a bath right before bedtime, it will relax him and if you do this everyday, he will know that after bath time, it is bedtime. The key to good sleeping habbits is routine. Will it work right away, probably not but once he knows the routine, it will get better. Even with routine, there are just gonna be some "bad" days. That's life but a routine certainly does help. Each day is different and while your baby is sleeping on a good day you can do the housework...on a bad day, you can take a nap and catch up on the sleep you are missing.

Congrats on the bundle of joy! I read BabyWise and it really helped me get my daughter on a good sleep, eat, wake-time routine. She was sleeping at least 6 hours at night by the time she was 6 weeks and it increased from there. The author of the book is Gary Ezzo (I think). Some people have strong opinions about his ideas (because it does involve letting the baby cry sometimes), but I found it very helpful. I just wasn't really rigid with the schedule and it worked out great. Now I have a toddler with great sleep habits. I hope this helps. I know those early weeks can be really hard, but it gets much better.

N.,
I have a 14 week old little girl and she is sleeping from 10:30pm to 7:30am. Something that has helped me tremendously is the "Miracle Blanket". The website is http://www.miracleblanket.com/index.htm
When you watch the demo, it looks really cruel. I bought it when my little one was 4 weeks and just began using it 2 weeks ago. Big mistake, I should have used it sooner.

In addition to this swaddler, my little one is on a bedtime routine. At 4 weeks old it is hard to find a common ground for you and your baby. However, try to begin a bedtime routine such as a book, bottle, then bed. Also keep your home bright during the day and dark at night. Using only a nightlite for diaper changes. By doing this it helps the baby know that its night time. Something that my pediatrician recommended as well, and it has worked for me, is if the baby wakes up for a feeding in the middle of the night, do not give the full amount. For example, my daughter eats 4 oz, if she wakes up she is only given 2 1/2 oz. By doing this the baby is not up for very long.

Hope this helps and good luck!
S.

Your little one has his days and nights mixed up. Relax this will get better. When the baby wakes up in the middle of the night do not turn on lights. Keep a night light in the room that you change his diaper in and quickly nurse or give him a bottle to get him back to bed. I found that nursing them back to sleep in my bed and then putting the baby back in the crib got them back to sleep quicker. My bed is warm and they just seem to go back to sleep quicker than getting up and going in another room and trying to get them back to sleep.

I was always told never to wake a sleeping baby. If the baby is sleeping they need sleep more than they need anything else. So I would probably not wake the baby up during the day. What I would do is talk to the baby, play with the baby and try to keep the baby awake a little longer during the day to get his days and nights on a schedule.

I wouldn't worry too much after one night. I have a baby who has never been a good sleeper, so I know how you feel. But just so you know, babies this small don't have sleep habits yet. What he is doing is normal- every couple hours waking up. Mine was the worst at 6 weeks, I thought I wouldn't survive it! They say they can be up a lot more when they are getting ready to reach a new milestone or master a new skill- it might just be that.

I have read several books and from what I remember- until they are about 3 months, there is no hope of changing their habits, and most babies don't really get into a good routine til 6 months. Please don't listen to people who say to leave him cry or try to change his routine at this point. If you aren't sure what's normal, ask your doctor.

I like Cece D's suggestions, those things have all helped me also. I had REALLY good luck with the book The No Cry Sleep Solution. (I have heard horror stories about BabyWise, please check with your doc before putting any of their suggestions into practice. To be fair I haven't read all of it, but what I have read I couldn't agree with and it made me uncomfortable.) I also try to use books that are written by specialists/doctors. It helps when you understand WHY babies are behaving the way they are. At my house it seems like every time we get into a good routine and he finally sleeping through the night, his schedule changes again or he hits a growth spurt or cuts a tooth!

Congrats on your new baby! I am a mother of one and one on the way, and am no way an expert but I'll tell you what worked for me. First of all, it's normal for a baby to be wide awake at night and sleep all day. Every baby I've met is the same way. However, one thing you can do is keep it real bright in your house during the day and dark at night. Use nightlights only (if possible) when you get up for feedings and diaper changes. Also, get into a bedtime routine with your baby. Whatever works for you - I never followed any books for this. I stayed up late and brought my baby up to bed when I went. At 7 weeks he slept from 11pm to 7am. Just be patient and remember that it does get easier and all babies are different. I'm just hoping this same theory works when #2 comes along! Good luck!

If you're nursing and you had some caffeiene (and if that's unusual for you), it could've affected him. At one month, they don't really have 'sleep habits'. They're just now getting used to the whole 'outside world' (outside the uterus, I mean!) It takes a good 6 weeks to 6 months (depending on the kid) to establish regular 'sleep habits'. I mean, it takes 21 days for us to develop or break ANY habit, and he's barely that OLD! LOL

First thing you have to come to terms with is that YOU have to alter your sleep habits, not the baby's. Sleep when you can. You will be up nights, this is to be expected. So get out some DVD's and a comfy rocking chair and get used to it for awhile. In a month or so, maybe a few months, your baby will start to form a much better sleep ritual, stick to the same motions and schedule so this will happen. Do NOT over feed your child in hopes a full tummy will keep him asleep. Don't try to keep him awake during the day, take this as an opportunity for you to catch up on sleep yourself. Babies, especially newbies need like 20 hours of sleep a day and since there is only 24 in a day, most of the time he will be sleeping. Imagine, he slept and was awake when he wanted to be while in your tummy, he can't change that right now...and he has NO idea what night and day mean, but he will, soon enough.
Sleep tight!

If it was one night don't worry. Since you are a new mother try one of those up to date baby books . I am sure the baby's doctor could reccommend a good one for you. But if it lasts for more than 2 or 3 nights and he is crying call the doctor !!!!

The baby's days and nights are mixed up. When he is awake during the day to nurse or eat keep him up as long as possible until he is so tired he can't stand it anymore. Do this at every feeding. If he falls asleep while eating rub the bottom of his feet or rub his head to get him aroused. I don't know how often he eats but if he eats every 3 hours let him sleep for 2 1/2 hours and wake him up 30 minutes before he is scheduled to eat. Keep him a awake by stimulating him. After he eats let him sleep. He may just be going through a growth spurt too. If that is the case he will be over it in a short while. He's just too new to say what the problem is. Be patient with him. Remember he's still adjusting to this world and you are adjusting to being a new mom. My advice would be to sleep when he sleeps until you get his sleeping pattern the way you want.