Better Sleep for a Newborn

S.:
Get the Baby Wise book! I'm such a huge advocate for it because it worked so well for us and a number of other parnets we know. It's all about flexible scheduling - flexible being the key word. It's about helping your baby find a routine to get his natural timeclock aligned with your family's. It gives you all kinds of common sense tricks that help you to get your baby sleeping through the night when he's ready (7 weeks is a bit soon!).
It's kind of controversial because some of the advice is contrary to a traditional attachment parenting approach, but ultimately, you know what's best for your baby. We just used it as a guide and modified as necessary. Our daughter is a healthy, independant sleeper who, most nights, has fallen asleep in her crib with little or no fuss since she was 3-4mo. old. I highly recommend it! Good luck.
J.

You have received a lot of advice and resources already but I just thought I'd add one more. We read Preparation for Parenting by Gary and Anne Marie Ezzo and followed their advice regarding a sleep schedule with our kids. We also started our two babies out sleeping in their crib(or pack-n-play) from day one. The hospital had them on a 3-hour feeding schedule, which is exactly what the Ezzos recommend, so we just continued with that. The 3-hour routine started with feeding, then awake time(except for at night), then sleep time. We did have to let them learn to cry it out at first, but that didn't last long and they are both great sleepers. My daughter slept through the night at 6 weeks and my son at 4 months. You can find out more about this method at the Growing Families International website: www.gfi.org. It looks like their books are on sale real cheap right now. We didn't necessarily agree with or do everything they teach, but some of the advice was very helpful.
We were worried about waking up our older one when #2 came along(with adjoining bedrooms), so we put him in his pack-n-play downstairs until he slept through the night. Both of our kids also have a stuffed animal they sleep with which has seemed to help, and they listen to music. Good luck!

The key to getting your baby to sleep is to put your baby in bed with you! Cosleeping on the couch is very dangerous. The baby could fall down in the crack and suffocate or fall on the floor, if you drift off to sleep. Don't listen to people who tell you not to sleep with your baby. Research cosleeping on the internet or in the Dr. Sears books. It is very safe if done properly. Babies were designed to be with moms. SIDS is also called crib death for a reason. A majority of cases occur in cribs, not in a parents' bed. Overlying doesn't happen with a non drug using, non smoking, breastfeeding mother who has a natural awareness of the baby in her sleep. It is NOT normal or healthy for a 7 week old to sleep through the night. Breastfeeding while side lying is the best way to get sleep with a young baby. Before the baby even begins to fuss, you can feel him moving around. You can put him on the breast and both of you will go back to sleep. Your husband will love it because he won't even get disturbed. I know my husband does.

If you really are against cosleeping, try a baby hammock. We have the Amby Baby bed that we use for naps. It is found at www.ambybaby.com

The first thing I would recommmend is DEFINTELY NOT letting your 7 week old cry at night. At such a young age your child still needs your help. Whether it's hunger or just lack of ability to put himself to sleep, this world is still so new to him. I would suggest getting a co-sleeper (it's like a port-a-crib that attaches to the side of your bed). It was the only thing that kept me from sleeping on the couch with my little one. I was in no rush to get her in her room and she sleeps in there 11 hours. I understand having another would make it tough if you had to be up all night or if crying kept waking the older child up, so keeping your little guy cozy and comforted for the time being will probably help you all get a good night's rest. I would wait til at least 3 months old before attempting to put him in his crib if he is having such a hard time.
Good luck, I know it's tough, but hang in there!

I started my little one a schedule as soon as he came home from the hospital... at least tried... for night I had him in a bassinet right next to my bed, and then at about 3 months I put him in a pack & play in our bedroom(but made sure he could not see us) to get use to not seeing us and then at about 4-5 months I put him in his crib in his room.. I did the a little farther thing every week... start rocking him to sleep.. then next week I put him in bed and sit next to him till he fell asleep, and then wait in the hall, ect. I also developed a time for me it's 8 pm I give him his bath and put him to bed.. even if he plays, thats fine as long as he is in bed.
for naps, I set at least one time a day for me 3 pm where I make it quiet time.. most of the time he falls asleep just from boredom.. but I would put him in the pack-in-play.. no toys no tv..and maybe put some music on, but keep him wherever you are so he can see you, and he now falls asleep on his own at 3pm.
Just keep it on schedule and let them do what they want, just as long as you set the standard, they will eventually realize that they are always put down in the pack in play or crib or whatever, and they can't get out, and if they play thats ok... as long as they are in it..
My son is now 9 months old and sleeps through the night, and he does not fuzz when it is bedtime.. and he takes his naps at 3 almost without me telling him..his body just knows it's time to sleep..
Good luck... patience...

I was the same way when my daughter was born. She wouldn't go to sleep until 11-12pm/am & would only sleep for an hour or two at a time. By chance, we were at my mom's & she wrapped her. Not swaddled, Claire doesn't like her arms covered or wrapped too tight. We also slept in a room with a fish tank. That night we both got 6 straight hours of sleep. When we got home, I put a radio in her room on white noise. Another thing was that I used 2 blankets, one under her & one over her. Again not swaddled. Obviously in the summer, things have changed. She sleeps in a diaper & a very light sheet. It seems that she doesn't like sleeping in a cold or cool bed. I also agree with co-sleeping. For us, we used the boppy pillow right between us. In my opinion, most babies figure it out, we are just in too big of a hurry to wait for that time. My son didn't sleep fully through the night until about 14-15 months. We got him whenever he needed us. We are doing the same for Claire.

S. ,
Have you tryed giveing the baby a bath and a cearal bottle before bed? Thats what the doctor told me to do with my oldest. Good luck
L.

Two books that are great:

#1 - The Happiest Baby on the Block by Dr. Harvey Karp. Good for getting you through the first few months.

#2 - Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Marc Weissbluth. This is an absolute FAVORITE of mine. The instructions are based on over 30 years of sleep research in infants/children. Start reading it now. I wish I had implemented the plan at 4 months instead of waiting until 6 months.

#3 - He's probably sleeping great through the day because he is sleeping poorly at night and is just so overtired he passes out. When you get him up in the morning, open the curtains, turn on the lights and simulate a 'sunny day' to get his circadian rhythms going. He will probably only be 'wakeful' for about 2 hours, so be prepared to put him down for a nap within 2-3 hours.

At 7 weeks old you really can't get him on a 'schedule', but should focus more on a 'routine'. Learn to read and respect your baby's sleep cues and once you notice them start the soothing process (whatever you may choose to soothe - nurse, pacifier, rock, swaddle, calm music, etc.). Create a routine for EVERY time your child will go down to nap or sleep for the night and be consistent with it. Children become less anxious when they know what to expect and are more likely to know 'when it is sleep time'. Additionally, implementing the routine will promote a natural 'schedule' that most children seem to follow (morning nap, afternoon nap, potential third nap, good bedtime).

For the first 8 weeks our baby slept in his room in his vibrating bouncy seat. After that, we cut it out cold turkey and put him in the crib. He transitioned without a hitch and was 'sleeping through the night' at 2 months from 8:30 - 4:30-6:30. So, what you might want to try is nurse him in his room and when he is finished, transition him to a bouncy seat or his crib. If he cries, go in and reassure him then let him be. Sometimes a baby will fuss for a few minutes then fall right asleep - do you fall asleep the minute your head hits the pillow?

Feel free to send me a PM with any questions or more suggestions. My baby was sleeping great, but on a really funky schedule and napping only in my arms. I had to get serious with a sleep plan because he would be in daycare soon and no one there will hold him for 3 hours while he sleeps, so I knew I had to do something to get him ready. I'm more than happy to help, so PM if you'd like!

I swear by Gina Ford's book "The Contented Little Baby Book." I know some of the sleeping issue just depends on the child. We followed the feed/sleep schedules and other avice in the book and our son slept from 10pm-7am straight from 5 weeks on and from 12 weeks on has slept from 7pm-6am straight. Our son is now 16 weeks and naps beautifully. Some of her best advice is to NOT feed/rock/swing your baby to sleep. All feedings (with the exception of the last nighttime feeding) should be followed by a period of being awake. Then your child learns to fall asleep on his own...not because you fed or rocked him to sleep. I've also heard great things about the book "Babywise." I know not everything works for everyone, but this book really worked for us. It was a lot of work in the beginning to say on the schedule, etc. but well worth it! Good Luck to you. It will all work out! In addition to the books, I am a firm believer in swaddling. We used the Miracle Blanket. I don't think you can find it in stores but they have a website. One more detail...we put our son in his crib literally from day one and he seemed to do very well with it.

My son was the same way, he would wake up 5 min. after I put him down, all the time. If I held him, he would sleep fine. I finaly gave in and let him sleep on his belly (everyone can save the preaching on how bad this is, I know) ---- BUT, it worked.

Have you tried to put him to sleep in a car seat? My daughter had acid reflux so everytime I would lay her down she would wake up a few minutes later so I started to put her in her seat and she would sleep for several hours (which is much better than a few minutes!). If you really want him to sleep in his bed I would make sure not to let him fall asleep while you nurse. Wake him up to make sure he is full and then lay him down. Right now he needs to learn how to soothe himself to sleep. I used the 5 minute rule where if you know nothing else is wrong (like wet diaper) let them cry for 5 minutes, then go in and sooothe and calm the baby, then put them back to bed. If he starts to cry again wait 10 minutes then go in and soothe again. You don't have to pick baby up just talking and putting your hand on him might be enough to soothe him. Keep increasing by 5 minutes each time. The next time he lays down start over. This method worked well for my oldest child it only took a couple of days. Also don't let the baby take too long of naps he may have his days and nights mixed up. Hope this helps!

The Miracle Blanket worked for me! I give them as gifts to all my expectant mother friends now. Basically it's just a swaddling blanket, but nothing else worked for us but this. Here's the web site: http://www.miracleblanket.com/

HI S.,
My son was almost 18 months before he slept all night. I finally had to put him in bed walk away and let him cry. My husband and I lived in an apartment that you could hear everything throught the walls so I did want him to keep everyone awake all night. Then one night the upstairs people kept me awake all night and that was it. If your 2 year old is a light sleeper you might not be able to do that, but I found out that after about a week my son would sleep all night. You might try one night and see what happens. GOOD LUCK!!!

My first advice is to break the bad habits now before he gets much older and more set in his ways. Try to find something, like white noise or a fan, or a soothing CD, that usually helps them stay asleep longer (works for me too:-) it drowns out other noises and is soothing to newborns. Maybe swaddle him and lay him down then pat him or rub his belly until he falls asleep and gradually become less and less involved in the falling asleep process. If you're worried about him waking his sibling, maybe put the crib or a pack-n-play or cradle, whatever, in your room until he gets the hang of it. A lit-up mobile helped with my daughter - it was a fisher price model with fish and it displayed lights on the wall and ceiling - very mesmerizing. It also had a remote so you could restart it from the door, it has white noise, and music and several settings for the lights - it helped immensely during those learning to fall asleep months. Just get him into a good habit as soon as you can for everyone's sake! My SIL really likes the "Happiest Baby on the Block" book that I think is about sleep habits - it might be a good read for you.

Good luck!
H.

It's a lot of trial and error. No 1 method will work for all families- Cry It Out, co-sleeping, nursing to sleep, swaddling, etc. We were very lucky to have my daughter sleep very well from the beginning, but I do give much credit for this to Marc Weissbluth's book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child." I've stated this in so many posts here, but I think it's really a good book. Weissbluth explains not only *how* to get your baby to sleep well, but *when and why* they go through developmental/sleep stages. I can't remember off the top of my head what's happening at 7 weeks, but the book was always right on with my daughter.

We also always had a bedtime routine with my daughter, and still do (she's 16 months). She is great at recognizing when she tired and when it's time to go to bed. She has even gotten to the point where she walks over the stairs as the evening comes to an end and asks to go "night night."

Good luck! At this very young age, your son will change his routines every few weeks, but you'll learn to read his cues.