2 Month Old Still Not Sleeping Well :( Any Tips?

Most 2 month olds do not sleep well, so don't feel bad. I personally found that co-sleeping with both my children helped me get through this tough sleeping time. I co-slept with both of my children until they were five months, and they transitioned into the crib just fine. I used the miracle blanket with my second child, and she seemed sleep better than my first. If you have any questions about co-sleeping I'd be happy to answer them.
Good Luck!
M.-

buy the book - how to solve your child's sleep problems by Dr. Richard Ferber. It is available on Amazon and it worked like a charm for me with both of my children - 4 and 19 months - they sleep great and fall asleep in the bed/crib on their own. Good Luck to you

Is that the time you put him to bed? My son did the same thing at that age, and it turned out that he was over tired. We moved the bath time to 6:30 followed by a bottle and bed by 7. Once we did this, and he got used to it, we didn't have any problems. he would sleep from 7 to 3 or 4, get up to eat and right back down till 7 or 8 am. The key I found, is a routine for sure. Whatever the routine, bath, book, songs (whatever), just choose one and stick to it. It will save you big time in months to come.

My daughter was a terrible crier for 3 whole months. One night she cried so bad that I just prayed all night that she would sleep and the next night she slept.
Not saying that praying alone works...its more for yourself. He is still young and he is use to living the last 9 months in a tight warm bath. This is a big change for him so give him a bit more time. It will get better

I feel so bad for his belly. Little boys have an underdeveloped belly at birth. They just can't digest well until 3-6 months. Call your pediatrician. He might need zantac. My son cried all day until 5 months and then turned into an angel. It was his belly the whole time.

try putting a little bit of cereal in his milk. Just a half of teaspoon or so because he's probably still hungry. You have to make sure that he doesn't get constipated while feeding him cereal so be sure to give him water with half of teaspoon of Kero syrup (clear) in it after feedings.

Trust me this will help!
Good Luck

Hi - my son did this until he was 3 months old, when I finally gave in & put him to sleep on his belly. From that night on, he slept like an angel. He'd still get up once or twice for feedings, but he would go back to sleep in no time. He started taking really good naps. Before he was only sleeping for a few minutes here & there, and by night time, he was exhausted, which caused the incredible fussiness & screaming. I think he had a slight case of reflux & being on his back just made it worse...

i have a 9 week old who will not sleep in her crib, but sleeps great in her carseat. so for now, its parked in her room at night and she does great! good luck :)

Hi M.,

I have a thirteen and an eight year old. I am a little rusty but With both of my sons I needed to change formula. That applied to many of my friends as well. I don't know if you are bottle or breast feeding? The purple can was what worked the trick for all of us. Also he could be gassy? Lay him on his back and gently bend his knee's toward him and away. Do this motion for a few time's and that will help him to relieve his gas pressure. Hope this is of some help to you. Congratulations and best of luck!
Sincerely, C.

Hi M.,
My baby is 3 months and we just went through this. This is going to be a long note because it was EXTREMELY difficult for our family the first time (both our children were colicy) and if I can give you any tips that help I'll be happy. Do your best to take care of yourself and just live from moment to moment. Don't make plans. Just stay in Self-preservation mode for the next month or so.
I highly recommend you run to the library and get a copy of the DVD "The Happiest Baby on the Block" by Dr. Harvey Karp. He has simple solutions that changed our life...we know how hard it can be. Swaddle your son tight, try a binkie, rock him or bounce him relatively fast (carefully of course, no shaking), hold him on his side or on his back and make the "shhhhh" noise rather loudly down close to him in his ear or use white noise. We did this and found we were not rocking her at a fast enough pace and we were not making the "Shhhh" sound loud enough in her ear. At first we had to do all these things at once, but M., when we were patient and got it right, it worked like a charm. Almost like she had on on/off button.
We also tried some infant gas drops. It helped a lot. Not a cure.
At three months or so it should stop. The end is in sight. Right now do what ever you have to to get sleep and take care of yourself. If you have to put him in the swing all night, securely fastened, it is OK. If you have to put him in the car seat in the crib, that's OK, too. If you have to put him in the car and go for a drive at 4:00 am give it a try. Try a vibrating bouncy chair.The dishwasher and vacuum sounds also help. With our first baby (also had colic) I would put on a hairdryer on low and gently let it blow on her tummy (keep the hairdryer a foot away from him and make sure it isn't too hot for him) and it helped tremendously. She'd go right to sleep.
It seems like movement/sucking/sound together were the biggest help to us.
Good luck! It will be over soon. No one knows what it is like until you've been though it. Take care of yourself the best you can.

I swear by the book "The Best Baby On The Block" Swaddle your baby. They like the feeling of safety and comfort. Are you nursing? Try feeding more during the day and less at night. It is so hard the first three months of life. My friend had the same problem and it worked for her. Let him cry at night; not forever of course. If he has eaten and has a clean diaper he may just want to be comforted by you. They get very used to that feeling of your warm body. Try the swaddle thing. Shoosh in his ear. It is very calming. This all worked for my daughter. Slept through the night (6:30pm-5:30am) since three months old. People can give you all the advise in the world but you have to try what works for you. Good luck!

I think it is very normal for a 2 month old to have his fussy time at night. So, don't be overly concerned.
I have 3 girls (6, 4, and 1). For my first 2 I tried to do everything "by the book"-- I read about everything-- and followed all the "rules" don't feed them at night. . .don't pick them up when they fuss. . . don't put them down asleep. . . you've heard it all, I'm sure. With Baby number 3-- I don't have the same time to dedicate to following all the "suggestions" I just need to do what works. At bedtime, or during the night I would just put her next to me in bed and nurse her-- she would fall asleep quickly and I could get some much needed rest-- I would return her to her bed once she was asleep. She's a great sleeper, far ahead of the other 2. One thing I've learned and you will too, with time-- I know my child far better than anyone--- and I go with my instincts and with what makes sense to me more than what the "experts" recommend-- it just works better for us all that way. Veronica is such an easy, go with the flow child--
I wish I did things differently the first and second time around.

my son did not follow a normal schedule until 3 months. now he sleeps exactly when we sleep. he sleeps in bed with us which probably helps him adjust to our schedule.

Could your baby be colicky? Experts say that colic peaks at 6wks- but 6wks from your baby's due date, not their birthdate! My daughter arrived 11 days before her due date and at about 8wks old she became incredibly colicky. There was nothing we could do to soothe her. She would wake up, just like your little one at 10:30pm and was up sometimes until 4am! We were exhausted. My first instinct was to nurse her, but then we realized that additional milk in her stomach only made her more fussy. We began using gripe water throughout the day and night, I massaged her belly in clockwise direction all day to help her pass gas and we held on tight until the faze passed.By ten weeks old she was sleeping from 7pm-2:30pm and by 13/14wks she began sleeping from 7pm-7am, which she is still doing. It will pass, M.!

Best of luck!
S.

Neither of my daughters were good at sleeping at bedtime. They both preferred to force themselves to go until they dropped. At 8 weeks the first one was inconsolable unless I held her but I could lie down with her and let her nurse for a while. She would sleep then as long as she was with me in bed or wherever. She awoke frequently. We tried putting her in her crib and letting her cry it out. I finally decided that was cruel and unreasonable. If your son's sharing your bed is a problem for you and it's really about the crib, try a futon on the floor. I did this with my first, (now 25) who always found a way out of the crib (scary) so we replaced it with a twin size futon on a thick carpet. We put bolsters around the perimiter. She was about 9 months old (and walking - running) when we did this. She still got into our bed often but did not panic the way she did in the crib. Also, when necessary, one of us could lie down in her bed, thus making it much more attractive to her and less exhausting for us. Ultimately, she had "sleeping alone" issues until she was 5 and learned to read to herself. Then she didn't call us or come to us unless she was sick or had a nightmare. Our second daughter (now 18) would not sleep in bed with us, loved her crib, had to be taught safe ways of getting in and out of it (again - walking, climbing, running by 9 months) but was a TERRIBLE sleeper in general until she was about 7 years old. But when she did sleep it was a good night's sleep. At 8 weeks she ws just as you describe. Sometimes all I could do was sit with her in the living room (The furthest place from other sleeping family members) and just hold her while she screamed. She also had indigestion and colic. I believe this was a big part of it. She breastfed until she was 2 (not a lot) but from the age of about 9 months on it was mainly in order for me to have some peace. All other forms of food were considered "food on the run" and she would not be still. Breastfeeding was, for about a year, the ONLY way to get her to be still and relax. But her infantile discomfort finally seemed to calm down with the introduction (with doctor's blessing)of plain lowfat yogurt flavored with a SMALL amount of whipped cream. A few spoonfuls of this concoction seemd to soothe her and then I could get her to sleep and into her crib. If I tried to lie down with her she would get restless and often spit up all over us and we would have to change bedding and clothing, etc. This was more indication of digestive problems and reflux. As long as she was truly upright when fed and kept that way for quite a whiule after, she was fine. It took months to entirely discover this. Kids are all different. We parents have to be flexible and remember that early childhood is exhausting but fleeting. No kid fits a mold. But it will be over so fast your head will spin. Enjoy it to the fullest. It may help to remember that from his point of view it is unnatural to want privacy. Sleeping is a time when we are each alone anyway. If he wakes up and cannot see you he cannot understand that you have not disappeared altogether. He may be over tired trying to fight sleep for this reason. Or he may be experiencing hunger and/or indigestion as well. Be patient. This, too, shall pass. Best of luck to you.

Most likely he's just being fussy and this will end in another month or two -- my daughter cried from late afternoon 'til midnight. Gradually the period diminished. Kimberly is right -- those crazy "low impact aerobics" moves really helped -- my baby didn't like being cradles, but rather held with her head by my shoulder and being walked up and down a staircase. Your son could have a bit of reflux -- he might like his bed at a bit of an angle with his head higher than his feet. My baby was also easily overstimulated. It was always worse if she'd had a big day. If something really doesn't seem right, talk to your pediatrician!

M.,
2 months is still to young to have a set pattern, but if he is still crying here are some questions for you to ask yourself: Are you breast feeding, if so what are you eating that is affecting him? Or is he getting enough breast milk? If you are feeding him formula, what kind is it? It may need to be changed due to the gas/iron content in it is too high for him? Ask the pediatrician what other formula is good to change to. Is he bringing his knees to his chest as though he were kicking? How often doesn he have a BM?
Rubbing his stomach helps to sooth him, and stretching his legs.
Hope you get some sleep.
Ana S.

Try the car seat(in the crib). It works like a gem and there's nothing wrong using it. It eases their breathing and it keeps them from waking themselves up. They feel like they're being swaddled or held (line it with a blanket and pulll all plastic harness devices to the side). When they're in the crib they flail their arms and feet at the slightest noise or dream and then they wak themselves. The only possible downside is the transition @ 5 to 6 mos out of it BUT many people have no problem at all with the transition AND you and your family need rest NOW. Hope this works...I think it will. It also helps with reflux.

2 months is way too early to start a routine. wait till at least 5 months...just rock him, cuddle him, whatever he needs to feel loved and comforted by you. trust me the time will FLY by! My son is now 7 months and for the first 4 months, i had to hold him most of the time while he slept because he was fussy and gassy. have you tried to put him in a swing to sleep by your bed? they love the motion..good luck! D.

I cannot offer advice, just encouragement. My son had the exact same crazy period until he was about 16 weeks, then, all of a sudden, he changed. Until then, I had to carry him around for hours until he settled. You can try giving him a warm bath just before his last feed of the night - that worked occasionally. And a surefire, albeit tiring, way to get him to stop crying is to put him on one shoulder and do deep side lunges - two steps one way and two the other. I know it sounds crazy but it really works and you get some exercise. An experienced mother taught me that trick and it's saved me. It's magic! Good luck and keep in mind, this too shall pass.

My son went through something very similar, although his period was from about 8 to 11 each night. Lots of crying, just couldn't be soothed. It was hard on him and hard on us, too! But eventually he grew out of it (early in the 3rd month). Our doctor said that it's typical for young babies to have a regular fussy period each night and that if he didn't seem to be in acute pain and it wasn't happening at other times of the day, not to worry.

In the meantime, just keep trying different things to see if they help him to calm down. For us, nothing worked all of the time, but some things that did work included being swaddled, being carried in the Bjorn (facing my chest), using a pacifier, being in the bouncy chair, and listening to music with heavy bass/beat. He also liked taking a bath, though would fuss again when it was over. We also noticed at times that the more things we tried, the more keyed up he would get - maybe we were over-stimulating him. So at times all we did was hold in him the football hold, facing outward, and walk.

The DVD/book "The Happiest Baby on the Block" by Dr. Harvey Karp was helpful to us with some of its suggestions, too.

I know how hard this can be... hang in there, it really does get better!!!

M.,

While I am not a doctor, I can tell you that you have the 3's...crying 3 hours a dayk, 3 days a week equals colic ;-(. You might ask your pediatrician about Levsin drops; they truly do help.

Colic does peak 6 weeks from due date; 90 percent of all babies are over colic by three months.

Hang in there...OH, and try running water nearby while you rock the baby in your arms or running the hair dryier (sound silly but white noise helps.) I'd suggest the vaccuum but at that hour, you're likely to wake up your neighbors too :-).

Good luck and remember what they say--this too shall pass!

A.

First I want to say congrads.I have a 8wk. granddaughter,she goes through the same thing. She choose to be up between 2:00a.m. and wouldn't go to sleep until 6:00a.m. I told my daughter it was because she stayed up when she was carrying her. What I do is give her a warm bath and massage her body. She loves that. It took a couple of days, but it worked.
Now that he's 8wks,He will start to stay awake longer during the day and sleep more at night. Have you tried putting a little rice cereal in his bottle(only at night before bed)it will keep him full longer. Rice cereal is ok, it's not as heavy as oatmeal. So don't panic it's normal with him. When is his B-Day? Da'Nasya B-Day is Dec.15th. Well I hope my advise works talk to you soon