6 Week Old Sleeps 12 Hours - Then Stays Awake 12 Hours? HELP!

I know it is weird. I have three. The third, a girl, slept from 6 pm to 6 am and no naps from 6 am to 6 pm. It was exhausting. But, she is a beautiful 6 year old now. I am glad we made it through the hard times. She never did nap.

Wish I could help.

J.

Nap with her. if she will fall asleep don't put her down. My little guy is going through similar stuff and my daughter could never sleep on her own for like 6 months.
She is probably growing or hitting a developmental milestone. Don't worry. If she has slept before she will do it again.

Sounds like how my daughter was. Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child which is good but thought Babyswise was the shorter, easier version. You just have to stick to it, it's very frustrating and can drive you nuts but it pays off in the end. My daughter, now 19 months, still sleeps 12 hours at night and naps.

"The Baby Book" by Dr. Sears

I found it when my first child was about 4 months. It was a breath of fresh air for me, after reading Babywise which I had many issues with (and been recommended by seemingly everyone).
Or his website...http://askdrsears.com/

As far as a sleeper, I recall my childbirth educator recommending a hammock-type bed that feels a lot like the womb to a baby...their movements rock themselves back to sleep. I can't remember the brand she used, but I just goodsearched (better than google!) "baby hammock sleeper" and found some good results. One example of this type of bed is http://miyo.sycamorekids.com/testimonials.html

Also, it might not be ideal, but at such a young age and if you already have them, why not just let her sleep in your wrap/sling? That's how my babies often slept as infants and it worked great while they were small and so young. So many benefits to babywearing, even (and especially) during naptime!

Hope any of this is helpful!

~N.

My little guy is almost 5 weeks old, also a big baby...was almost 10 lbs at birth and is about 11.5 now. He usually takes 2 big naps during the day..one between 11-3 for 2 1/2-3 hours and another one between 4-8 for the same. Sometimes, like yesterday, he doesn't want to sleep. Or he'll fall asleep and I'll put him in the bassinet in his pack m play and he'll wake up after 15 minutes...so what I've learned is he likes a lot of noise sometimes...he'll nap sometimes downstairs in our family room on our oversized ottoman propped up in his boppy. It works! Most of the time he'll sleep in his room, but sometimes I think it's too quiet for him and he'll wake up. Also, if he's not falling asleep and is super fussy and I can't get him to sleep, he loves being in the car. So we've put him in his carseat and put that on the dryer while its running. If he falls asleep like that, or while in the car or on a walk, I leave him in the carseat and don't move him. He sleeps very comfy and cozy in his carseat too...try taking her on walks or on a little drive. That'll usually work and if she falls asleep, leave her in the carseat! lol...hope that helps:)

Everyone has different sleep habits. I remember when my daughter was born, up till about 3 or 4 months, there was no rhyme or reason to her sleep patterns. Once she hit about 4 months I was able to observe her natural rhythm, which became consistent around that time, and develop a daily routine based on that.

It sounds like she just wants to be close to her Mama at all times, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that! If she will fall asleep with you, use that time to get some rest or maybe read a book or something.

I know it is frustrating but this will not last forever! Good luck.

My guess is that she needs a schedule. If she is at the point of rubbing her eyes and they are red and puffy then she is beyond tired which will only make things harder on you to get her down. At 6 weeks I would recommend a 2 hour break between when she wakes and when she goes back down for a nap... try putting her down for a nap 10 am if she is up at 8am. Let her fuss or cry a bit... some kids do need this in order to unwind. I am NOT a fan of the CIO method, but sometimes a little fussing is all right. Give her about 5 minutes... then if she is crying hard go in (if it's mild fussing let her be) pat her on the back and tell her mommy loves you and I will see you after your nap... then wait 10 minutes... if you have to go back in repeat the process. At that age... after 20 minutes I'd say that somethings amiss and maybe pick her up and rock her or leave her lay there and rub her back till she falls asleep. Remember... she's only been on the planet for a total of 6 weeks! Imagine how she feels... and totally helpless and reliant upon you for her EVERY need. SCARY!
Wait! It just dawned on me... when my son was 6 weeks old the ONLY place he would sleep was on my chest... I would prop myself up on the couch and lay him on my chest and out he would go. Give it a shot :)

Snuggle spot...It is a baby bed/pillow that makes a baby feel like it is being held when you cant hold it. www.laneybug.net

I don’t know about you but I had a spoiled baby that only liked to sleep if someone is holding her. I got tired of sleepless nights so I invented this pillow that I call the Snuggle Spot. The pillow snuggles the baby so they feel like some one is holding them and they are safe. Babies love it, the first time I put my daughter in it she slept 9 hours straight and every night since! I put her in the pillow fully awake with a full belly, and swaddled. Since the pillow snuggles them the swaddle stays intact! I recently went out of town and I did not want to pack the portable crib, changing pad, etc. so I just took a chance and only took the pillow. It was amazing, even in a diff environment she slept all night. I just put her in the pillow in the bed next to me or on the floor next to me. It is the perfect Co-sleeper! I changed her diapers in it, She likes to watch colors and lights of the TV so i put it in front of the TV. It fits perfectly in portable cribs and in regular cribs. My Daughter has reflux and has to be elevated so that her formula stays down, The pillow slightly props her up so that she is comfortable and stays clean!!! If you have and questions or concerns or want to place an order feel free to send me a message. The pillow is totally custom, you can pick the fabric, name or saying.

I read Babywise, but found the most help from Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. It is similar in that the author discusses having routine, but he also gives a lot of different scenarios/reasons why your baby might have trouble at different stages. Really great.

6 weeks is a "new awakening" for some babies - it certainly was for mine! It's like they figure out that something good is going on, and they get REALLY alert! It is very important to at least offer the opportunity for sleep no longer than 2 hours after their previous wake - less for some babes.

Some sleep helps that worked for us - using a sleep positioner helped her feel "held" in her bassinet. We used a binky and swaddled tight with swaddle blankets and would shush and sway to sleep. We did this until about 5 mo., then we did a modified CIO (checking at intervals). But the nap routines do not really get very "routine" for a while yet - for most babies 3-4 months at the earliest. Don't get frustrated, try to be consistent. And you got some good responses here - babies do make a lot of noise - give her a chance to settle. We also used a noise machine on "rain" - ours would always fall asleep in her bouncer while I was showering, so we tried to replicate that sound...seemed to help a lot!

Take care, and ENJOY that little one!

I use to lie down beside her and read a book, or take a nap myself when I knew she was tired. I still do sometimes, when she is resisting a nap and I need some 'quiet time'. =)
Good luck to you
R.

When you put her down for naps... just put her down. Don't hover over her or stay there or "wait" for her eyes to close.
Then just walk out.
MANY times, like adults, they need time to actually fall asleep. So let it happen. Unless she is screaming/crying of course.
But just let her be. Try that. Let her, if she is able to, just lay there and she may fall asleep in time. That is what I did.
Sometimes, a baby can't "sleep" because we go and get them with the slightest sounds they make. But babies makes all kinds of sounds... not all being that it is because we have to pick them up. I am not saying let her cry... BUT, get to know her sounds... and then you will know which sounds warrants picking her up and soothing/comforting her or not.

She is obviously OVER-tired. Per the way you describe her rubbing her eyes etc. So, try and put her down BEFORE she gets over-tired. Because Over-tired babies and kids, actually have a HARDER time falling asleep and they wake more. AND she is probably going through developmental changes... at these junctures, sleep ability gets tweaked, BUT it passes. Just be patient.

Sleep is never static or finite with a baby, AND their sleep patterns changes... they are always changing and their developmental changes/cognitive changes affects their sleep too. But is passes. Its NORMAL stuff. At each growth-spurt of developmental change or when they hit milestones... they sleep will get impacted. So keep that in mind.

And some babies just will not nap, unless in their crib and are very routine oriented. Both my kids, would NOT nap if on the road or in a stroller. ONLY in their crib, would they nap. So I was ALWAYS home at their nap times. REGULARITY is key... and down the road as they get older. At this age, there is no "schedule."

But at this age, keep in mind that they don't have "patterns" yet... like a 1 year old. She is very young still. They are still getting used to everything, and their feedings will change too. Even cluster-feeding will occur where they will need to feed even every single hour. Its NORMAL though. So feed on demand 24/7... not according to a "schedule." If feeding according to a schedule... an infant will NOT be getting enough intake. But obviously your baby is growing fine.. but maybe her "appetite" is increasing. My kids, at times, fed every hour... 2 hours max. A baby grows rapidly... and their appetite 'needs' increases.

A great book is: "What To Expect The First Year" which you can get at any bookstore or online like at Amazon.

A baby changes all the time... so as soon as you get used to one "schedule" it will change. Again and again. All throughout baby-hood and toddler-hood.

My son, slept the best in a Moses Basket, until he grew out of it at about 3 months.

All the best,
Susan

Hi C.,
I have a great on line book called "Sleep Sense Program".
Shoot me an email at ____@____.com and I will forward it to you. (and enyone else who might need it!)
Maybe you just need to stick to one way of putting her down. Make a schedule for her. When you want her to take a nap, then put her in her crib. (put her down in the same place every time) When you want her to go to bed, then you put her in her crib to sleep. She may cry for a bit, but she will eventually sleep. I would wake her up to feed at night every 4 hours. Then she would be more tired in the day to nap. Be consistant!!!
Hope to hear from you soon!
M.

my son did this too. he would sleep in my arms, but if i put him down?...forget it. eventually i just organized the day so that i was able to sit and hold him while he napped - watched tv or read a book or something. i realize this may not be doable for everyone...but, if you can swing it, i highly recommend it. it actually ended up being a wonderful part of the day to just sit and relax with him sleeping in my lap.

good luck!

My daugther did the same thing (she now 23 mos and I have a 6 mos son). I was at my wits end because I could get anything done. I ended up nursing her while laying down in our king sized bed. She would literally nurse for more than an hour, slowly. But then she would be so full that she would sleep there for anywhere from 1-3hrs. I could then at least fold laundry and rest myself. My son never quite got as bad as that because I knew the little trick. With him I would swaddle him in those aden & annais blankets and then nurse him laying down until he fell aspleep. I still do that when his is fussy at night and won't go to sleep. BTW both kids have been great night time sleepers anywhere from 6-10 hours a night on a regular basis since they were 4 weeks old.

When I was desparate I would drive around - go to a drive through starbucks and then park somewhere and read. Or I would just hold the baby after he or she fell asleep nursing. Of course you can't use the time to get anything done, but it won't be long until you don't have a snuggly baby to hold and you will miss it.