10 Week Old Sleeping Troubles

This goes against all medical advice but with my first one, she slept better on her back.She hated being on her belly for almost any reason except to play. And, if you are bottle feeding, add cereal to the bottle before she goes to sleep. With my second one, she slept for about 2-3 months backwards in a swing with it swinging... I strapped her in. They are both happy and healthy at ages 8 and 6.....

At 10 weeks old she is still in the "4th trimester". She needs wants, needs and craves the comforts of the womb. That's why she wants to be close, that's why she wants to be held and that's why she hates her crib. Google 4th trimester. It will give you some great info on why she has some of the behaviors you are seeing.

She is far to young to try to sleep train. So the putting her down drowsy thing has no meaning to her now. She doesn't get it. She's running purely on instinct at this point. She has no concept of day and night.

You can start night routines so that when she's old enough she will be able to start to "get it". Babies thrive on routine. They learn what to expect and what is expected.

Make sure you swaddle her before getting ready to get her to sleep.

She may have a bit of reflux which will make it difficult for her lay down and be comfortable. Try a sleep wedge like this one:

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=240184...

I still use it with my 2.5 year old when she has a cold so it's def. worth trying as it can be used for a variety of things and for a long time. And it fits tightly under the sheet and is the same width as the mattress.

Try a white noise machine.

At this point you can't expect her to sleep thru the night (and that means a 5 hour stretch). She can only do what she is physically and neurologically able to do. But you can try the above to make her more comfortable and possible get better sleep.

Dr. Sear Baby Sleep Book has some great info on infant sleep and I personally found the more I knew and understood infant sleep the better I was armed to teach my 1st how to sleep when he was old enough. The Baby Whisperer also has great info and tips along with The No-Cry Sleep Solution.

And always remember that parenting never stops. Doesn't stop because we are tired, sick, have to get up early in the morning, have to go back to work, have a date night planned, it's nighttime. I always tell myself this when things get hectic or frustrating.

Newborn babies don't have problems sleeping. From day one, a newborn is sleeping like a newborn. They have a 24 hour cycle, not day and night. A 2 month old may not have a longer stretch at night than 3 hours, and not all of them are nappers. My oldest took those 20 minute naps during the day, nothing like the 2 hour naps I heard other moms say their little babies took. I'm wondering if she's getting enough to eat? Waking frequently at night and being inconsolable may mean that she is really hungry. I would also try something other than the crib, maybe she doesn't like having so much open space, sleep her in something smaller. Are you swaddling her? If you swaddle, they can't be as squirmy.
Good luck!

Well at 10 weeks old this behavior isn't uncommon. Babies this little usually don't sleep alone all that great. I remember somethings my baby just falling asleep on my hubbies chest and that was fine with me. At this age you do whatever works. You baby is way too young to understand patterns or "bad habits" so don't worry about doing anything that will cause problems later. And you can't do sleep training yet cause again your baby is too little to understand and routine so she can't be sleep trained. That shouldn't be started until around 6 months. I did sleep train both my girls so yes that works and I am all for it but again they baby has to be old enough for it. So my advise is to try some different things. Like let her sleep in the swing or vibrating bouncy chair. Or get a sleep positioner so your baby stays nice and tight in bed. I have had a few friends that would put their baby in the carseat to sleep in at night. They loved the tightness and slept great in there.

Maybe you should try a co-sleeper..... Then she is still in her bed but right by you so you can reach over and pat her.........

Or have you tried a bassinet? Slightly smaller quarters and maybe she would feel more secure.......?

We co-sleep because I'd rather sleep with my baby than have to be up all night trying to teach them to sleep by themselves. I don't want to sleep by myself, so why would they/???? LOL.

swaddle swaddle swaddle!!!! I went through the exact same thing and ended up having to swaddle my son until he was 4 months old- he would sleep for an 8 hour stretch at night and this was the only way- it's gotta be tight and you can even get larger ones if needed when she outgrows the smaller blanket. Give it a shot- a desperate mother will try anything- I remember these times all too well =)

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I don't have much advise. We have opposite situations. My children slept great until they reached four months. Anyways, maybe swaddeling your baby might help. If she doesn't like her arms wrapped, you can try burrito wrapping her, where her arms are free, but wrap her from her chest to feet. Both my children hated there arms wrapped by 4 weeks. When they are that little, sometimes open spaces disturb sleep. Maybe the crib is too open for her? Some people buy sleep positioners, but alot have been recalled, and people are recommended to stop using them. Wish you the best. Hopefully other mommas have better advise. :)

I highly recommend swaddling. I swaddled mine until about 5 months. Wrap her up, then hold her and you can lay her down without disturbing her more. My daughter could be hysterical and literally would be asleep in 90 seconds when I swaddled. I wish I'd learned it sooner with my first! (I am not a proponent of co-sleeping. A coworker lost her infant daughter and while I cannot say co-sleeping was the cause, I know statistically, babies who are co-slept have a higher SIDS rate).

my daughter was the same way. i sleep trained her. i put her in her crib after she was feed and changed, i would stay in the room with her, lights off light music playing, and let her cry, but not for hours on end, after a few mins i spoke and told her that i was here, then she was cry some more, i let her cry a little longer and then reassured her, as she got older i left the room, but still reassured her that i am only in the other room, or down stairs, and ever since all that she is 3 now, and goes to bed like a champ.

best of luck i know this isnt the best answer but with my daughter i felt that it was the right thing

Try reading Babywise. It helped our DD become a great sleeper.

I know how hard this is for you. My dd had sleep issues as an infant until we co-slept with her. I highly recommend co-sleeping. At the least I would buy a co-sleeper so baby can sleep right next to you.

Another poster had suggested your dd may be hungry. That is very possible. She should still be nursing about every 2 or 3 hours. Please make sure you are feeding on demand. If she is taking formula she won't eat that often but will still need frequent feedings. A full baby will sleep well.

Please don't try to sleep train her at all. Sleep training is never a good idea I don't care how old they are. It will cause you more problems in the long run.

I highly recommend this book.
http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Sleep-Book-Complete-Parenting/...

Hi M.,

Check out the No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley. This is expected for a 10wk old. Do you have a swing or a sling you can use during the day? Have you tried putting her down slightly elevated? This may sound odd but our youngest had reflux and we had to keep her upright or lay her to sleep slightly elevated. She was able to rest much better when we realized the reflux was making her uncomfortable when she was flat. (I'm not saying your daughter has reflux, I'm just suggesting maybe she is uncomfortable and there is an underlying reason for her waking when you put her to down to sleep). I know for us, it was very draining until we figured out the case for our daughter.

For our babies we have used a co-sleeper next to our bed and I would bring our baby to bed with us when s/he woke to nurse. Co-sleeping isn't for everyone but I remember with my first struggling with what you are going through. I was looking to everyone else for ways to fix the situation when all I needed to do was listen to my instinct. Once I tuned in to my instinct and put the pack & play next to our bed and started co-sleeping, we all were able to sleep peacefully. If you are wondering how we ever got them out of our room, we transitioned to a night time routine in their beds and our three oldest kiddos have been in their beds since they were a y/o and our baby is still in our room.

Remember this too shall pass.
Best of luck to you.
J.