Help! My 6 Wk Old Has Day/night Backwards. Suggestions on How to Flip This Cycle

My daughter had her days/nights mixed up too. For the first couple of weeks, her bedtime was 4am. It wasn't fun at all. Like others have mentioned, we did the lights turned down low, no talking/only business, etc. Something else we did was turn off the TV starting at 8pm. Also, we started a bedtime routine - bath, bottle, swaddle,then bed. The swaddle was a huge help in signaling it was bedtime. One other thing is we never let her sleep for more than 3 hours/nap during the day. Our pedi actually suggested this after hearing of our little night owl's issues. I hope you get some sleep soon!

my daughter was the same way when we brought her home, she would sleep most of the day and sit wide eyed and wanting to be held from 12am till about 3. I used to sit awake with her and cry. It was awful. Our Dr made some suggestion we didnt think of and after a few weeks she was switched around. First off dont turn on any lights at night when you change or feed him , keep it dark with only a night light so you can see, dont talk much to him in the middle of the night, keep it business only. changing and feeding. and do the opposite during the day even if he is asleep. be loud, except during certain times you like him to nap. have all the shades open, keep it birght and go about your day as usual dont tip toe around him, teach him the difference between when we are quiet and sleeping and when we are awake. hope this helps, goodluck

I feel for you! We've all been there and the sad truth is that all babies do figure it out but its not usually until they are a bit older, especially with your baby's rough start with the RSV.

I've never ever woken a sleeping baby, I think that is doing the baby a great disservice. He will wake when he needs something.

I totally agree with just using a nightlight at night when you are up with him at night and don't talk to him unless absolutely necessary. I'd do the diaper, feed him and back to sleep, all lights out. He will lay there, he doesn't need to be entertained at his age, and he will fall back to sleep eventually.

Your older kids are definitely old enough to work together for you (perhaps bribe them with money or gifts) by watching a movie or playing a game quietly so you can get a nap during the day. Even if you set a timer for 60-90 minutes when the baby sleeps. I'm guessing your 10 year old can be trusted to come wake you if there is an emergency, someone comes to the door, etc. Give yourself the much needed break you need and if you have friends or relatives offering their services by all means, take them up on it! Last time I checked Mom's didn't get any awards for being able to handle it all themselves without help! ha ha.

I wish you lots of luck and more sleep.

I don't know if this is true, and I've never tried it myself, but another mom told me when that happens that the key is not letting them sleep for more than O. hour at a clip....then it'll be easier to get them back on track with night sleeping. again--not sure if it works or even if you'd want to try it with a 6 week old. Feel better!

try to keep him up more during the day so he will be more tired at night.

the same thing happened with my first because i didn't know what to do with her, and would let her sleep the day away, and then at night she was ready for some action!

My suggestion is to have the area where baby sleeps lit and noisy during the day, and dark & quiet at night. Dress or undress baby when sleepy during the day. Start a pre bed time ritual of a bath & gentle massage. If your baby os the type to get stimulated and energized from massage, use that for daytime. Good luck!

You're doing a great job, and part of this answer is that it takes time, which can feel exhausting at times.
I know this may be hard with your two other little ones, but getting your baby on a schedule is important. While it may be exhausting for a time, it pays off in the long run - trust me!
First - how often does he eat? At 6 weeks, probably about every 3 hours? A routine during the day is important to have to helps kids sleep at night. For example - your "cycle" would be that you put the baby to bed for 1 - 1/2 hours, wake him up and feed him, then he needs to stay awake for an hour and a half - then he goes back down for a nap. While it may be hard to keep him up if he's used to sleeping in the afternoon, get your other kids involved and just focus your attention on him - play with him, bathe him, whatever to keep him up during those times. It's important to not feed him to put him to sleep, but this should be done as he is waking up. As with any situation, flexibility is key. While this is important to try to follow the routine, there will be times when you just can't, and that's fine. But it really should only take a couple weeks to turn things around and have him sleeping regularly.
Just to let you know about me so you don't think - who is this giving this advice?? I am a mother of three and a child and family therapist of 18 years.
Hope it goes well. Remember this phase will pass - you're doing great!

We had the same problem with our son...and the doctor said we would have to wait it out...really...nothing we tried helped (SO sorry to say)...we just had to wait until he was a month or two older and it changed on his own.

However, I do think your other kids are old enough to watch a movie or play a game quietly in the afternoon. I would put the baby in a swing...and take a nap. Set a timer for an hour or so...and take care of yourself. The older ones can let you know if there's any real crisis. I had to spell out specifically what they could wake me for...or I would be awakened for a hundred silly things. You MUST get some rest or all will suffer.