Getting 6 Week Old to Nap?

This sounds exactly like my older son when he was a baby! I couldn't believe that a baby wouldn't sleep! I found this great book: "Good Night, Sleep Tight" (It has a subtitle but I can't remember it off the top of my head). My second son was so different; he slept until he was 2 1/2 months old a lot of the day and all night (with feedings at night). I know each baby is different, but most little ones still need naps and night time. The helpful thing about this book is that she tells you at each age level HOW much sleep they need approximately so you can gage against the average/ and ways to get them to sleep well. I would recommend you start doing a lot of tummy time (back to sleep, tummy to play is the new slogan) because he needs to get stimulated and tired out so he'll take better naps. My son hated tummy time, but I started gradually increasing it until eventually he could play by himself a little longer without crying. Hope this helps!

I'm no pro as I am a new mom of an 8 week old. But if all else fails, I know I can get him to sleep while in my sling. He grunts and moans for a while, but falls asleep after 5-10 minutes. Then I can put him down in his swing or bouncy seat! I haven't tried napping in the crib yet, but I need to start soon! I also recommend the Happiest Baby on the Block book, but it sounds like you may have already read it! Good luck!

About me: New to the Frisco area and I am a first time mom of 8 week old baby boy. I am married to my wonderful husband, Paul, for 2 1/2 years!

J.,
You've had a lot of advice on how to get your son to sleep. I would like to pose this question, how about just accepting this as who he is? Not all babies (or adults) are sleepers which is something the general public either doesn't know or isn't willing to acknowledge. You said that he sleeps good through the night and that he is happy. He is only 6 weeks old, so new to this outside world, and yet he is adapting very well. We moms all have so much to do that when we aren't able to do what we should when we think we should we think something is wrong. Ask your doctor if there is something to be concerned about regarding this non napping. If your healthcare professional isn't worried than you need to relax and roll with it. Set your son on the floor close by while you take a few minutes here and there to brush teeth, cook, tidy up or whatever. Trust me (a mother of a non napper who is now a great teenager) it will all work out, be okay and will definitely change in no time.

My youngest (now 2) wouldn't sleep well until she was almost 11 months old. I was recommended the book "Good Night Sleep Tight," by Kim West. I would not say that any book is a do-all/end-all solution, but I was amazed at the transformation that occured in my little girl's sleeping! Please check out her website at http://www.sleeplady.com

Congrats!
Loni

I wouldn't think a six week old would nap. I would think they would just sleep every couple of hours all day and night. My second son wouldn't sleep at all during daylight hours except for cat naps of 15-30. I thought I might lose it for the first few months. He is on a tight schedule no, but it took until he was about 5-6 months before that happened. Some days I would carry him in a sling for a few hours so I could get some things done. It worked fairly well. My son started napping better when I put him in his bouncy seat to sleep during the day and he took naps in it until he barely fit into it. Just get through these first few months and things get easier. The first 3 months or so are really tough. Good luck and congratulations!!!

Read "Babywise," but take it with a grain of salt. I never knew the three hour block you should be planning for your baby - eat, play, sleep. This will happen in a three hour rotation in this order. It stresses the importance of putting baby to bed awake so they learn how to put themsleves a sleep - a very important skill - have you seen the number of requests dealing with this very issue, but now the "baby" is two to four years old. When baby wakes after 15 minutes give it some time before you go get him. He might go back to sleep.

Oh my! You must not be able to get anything done during the day :-)
Well, I think one thing you said was key -- he's perfectly happy being awake as long as you're holding or playing with him. For a 6 week old, "awake" does not mean "not tired." He should be eating about every 3 hours (could be 2 1/2 hrs, could be 4 hrs, but should be reasonably regular). If you use the beginning of a feeding time as your starting point, he should eat, then be awake for a while (maybe 30 min to an hour, but could have an occasional stretch that's longer), then you put him down for a nap. I know it seems weird to put a wide awake baby in his crib, but they need the down time, even if it takes him a while to fall asleep. If he fusses and cries a while during this "wind down" time, there are lots of theories on what to do. It depends on the kid, and depends on your parenting style. The extremes are from holding him for all of his naps (i.e. wearing him in a sling all day) to letting him cry while you check on him at gradually increasing intervals. We fell somewhere in the middle of that with ours. With our first, we put her in her crib for nap time, then went to check on her after 10 minutes and she'd usually be asleep, and she rarely cried more than 2 minutes. With our second, he actually cried when we put him down, and would get MORE upset when I checked in 10 minutes, so I waited 20 minutes and he'd usually be asleep by then (after crying for about 18 of those 20 minutes!). Also, I noticed he didn't cry as long if I put him to bed when he seemed perfectly happy. I learned that he'd start melting down after being awake about an hour (that includes the 30 min it took for him to eat). So, I would watch the clock after a feeding and put him in his bed after about 20 min of play time. He wasn't showing obvious signs of tiredness, but I knew it was coming. He'd look at his mobile, or the ocean wonders aquarium, then go to sleep with just a couple minutes of fussing. He got to wind down before he reached the point of overstimulation, so getting to sleep was much more peaceful.
Also, a couple good books you might look into are Happiest Baby on the Block, and Babywise.

If you are nursing, be sure you are not eating or drinking anything that might keep him awake. He might be sleeping so well at night because he is pooped. Good luck and rest when he rests.

It's already been suggested, but our swing works wonders!! I had a friend suggest this swing while I was pregnant, telling me it's the only place her baby would nap for extended periods of time. I'm SO glad I took her seriously! Our swing rocks side to side, or back and forth like a normal swing. Our daughter LOVES the side to side rocking action. She'll easily take a 2-3 hour nap in it! The particular one I have is "my lil' lamb" or something like that...i found it at Target on sale for $120--Babies R Us also carries it.

All I can say is don't give up! He needs that nap! All three of mine did the same thing my first daughter wouldn't even sleep at night and then not take a nap all day! I was going crazy! What I did was every day at the same time lay him down or put him in the swing or bouncer after a feeding give him his pacifer if he takes one make the room dark whatever you do at bed time do at each nap and let him just relax and eventually he will realize ok this is my rest time and go to sleep if your lucky you might even try doing it in the morning and afternoon just make sure there is 2-4 hours in between each nap so he will sleep each time and if you do decide two naps I would let him sleep no longer than 2 hours on each. He will get it! It just takes time and patients and when it does happen you will almost giggle with excitement trust me it is a good feeling! good luck!

It's highly unusual for a six-week old to sleep all night. Count your blessings and put him in a sling and carry him around and talk to him, or put him in an infant seat next to you and talk to him, or just learn how to do things with one hand while you carry him with the other. There are lots of options, none of which involve napping.

Remember, you have a very smart little boy in there whose body isn't ready to entertain him yet. The more you talk to him now and hold and play with him, the more trust he will have in you and the more independent he will be later on.

Hi J.!
How about letting your little one nap in a swing or bouncy chair. I did this when mine were little and it worked out great for all involved. At that age I just feel like they are too little to cry it out. (just my opinion)
Good Luck!

Neither of my children slept at night like that until they were closer to 6 mos, so probably because your newborn is getting alll that good sleep at night, he sleeps less during the day.
My babies took good naps during the days, and I was able to get a few things done, but since they'd wake up so often during the night, I didn't get much sleep and I was like a walking zombie. Newborns are difficult no matter which routine they have and it takes some adjusting before you'll figure out how to get things done.
Does he have a bouncer or swing? My son was always in the cradle swing(rainforest) at that age, and my daugthter(who is now almost one) spent most of her daytime in the little pink vibrating bouncer whenever I needed to shower, do laundry,wash dishes,eat,etc.
When I had my daughter, I was much more confident and would put her in the bouncer at 2 wks old and sit her in it on the floor of the bathroom with me while I took a shower. She liked the sound of the water and the hairdryer b/c they were familiar sounds. I'd sit her in the living room while I cleaned, and put the TV on. I'd sit her in the kitchen while I cooked.
Routine is also very important so don't rush to feed him everytime he cries. Follow an every 2 or 3 hr feeding schedule followed by a little playtime and hopefully he'll start napping more.
Or use the sling!! It tends to hurt your back and shoulders though so you may need shoulder rubs at night from your husband, but at least you can get some things done! :-)

I had the same problem with mine. The best thing you can do is try to establish a schedule. Babies of that age need about 14 hours of sleep a day. Their natural sleep cycle will be about 3 hour intervals. (I am going to assume your baby eats about every 3 hours as well) Feed your baby when he wakes in the morning. When it has been close to the 3 hour mark, make sure he is dry and comfortable, start to cuddle and get quite, then nurse him and attempt to put him down. It will take awhile to establish this but him knowing what to expect when and also having the opportunity to be put to sleep before he gets overly tired will be worth the hard work. Good luck! Another life saver when you have to get things done is to find a comfortable sling and wear your baby. I recommend the Maya wrap or the Moby wrap. Feel free to contact me if you want info on this.

Baby AND Mom need baby to nap! My son started sleeping through the night at 6 weeks but still took lots of catnaps. Have you tried a swing? What about putting him in an infant carrier and doing your housework, etc. The motion and warmth of your body might lull him to sleep. Good luck!!! :-)

Congrats on the baby!
One suggestion I have is babywearing. I wear my baby around the house and can get all sorts of things done, even brushing my teeth. And the baby being close to mommy's heartbeat often lulls them to sleep for a nap--you can wear him while he naps (or even if he stays awake) and do your normal chores, or even just get on the internet. We are a carrying species and we are meant to wear or carry our babies for the majority of the day. I have a moby wrap and a handsfree mei tei, bought them both at Peppermint which is on Campbell and Plano Rd. They also have an online store www.peppermint.com

Good luck! It will get better. Around 12 weeks you should have much, much more predictability. I swear by the swaddle too.

maybe he is getting enough sleep at night already I would ask your pedi what he/she thinks. I know it is difficult for you cause you need the break but if it were me I would rather him sleep through the night with no nap than keep me up all night. such a double edge sword.

Congrats on the baby. I understand your frustration. If I learned nothing else- sleep patterns are a constantly changing thing with babies, so it might change even without you doing anything. My suggestion would be to up the stimulation. Go for a walk outside or have new people come over. Get that baby brain thinking or learning and maybe he will need to nap to process all the new thoughts. Just some new sounds, images, etc- nothing extreme. :) Also, take ANY offer of help so you can brush your teeth and take a shower!
Best of luck.