Ok my baby is 4 weeks old she will be going into daycare at 8 wks. How long do I let her cry? If she cries now I pick her up. I usually will let it go for a few minutes and then pick her up. I want her to not fuss when she goes into daycare. Help I do not want to spoil her she is so little.i love holding her an soothing her when this happens but when do i allow her to cry and for how long. she will be in daycare from 7am till 3pm. How do i start a schedule. please help
At this age, you can't cuddle a baby too much. She's going to cry at first in daycare, that's normal. I say hold her as much as possible now, because you're going to miss that when she's in day care.
At 4 weeks you pick her up whenever you or she needs it - you can't spoil a 4 week old. She won't cry all day at daycare, she'll adjust and you will too. Don't worry and stress about getting her on their schedule, it will happen gradually as she spends more time there. The only schedule I really had with mine when they were newborn/infants was a feeding schedule, I tried not to feed them sooner than 4 hours after the last (when I breastfed it was on demand, but I had to switch to formula for medicine reasons). It is a good idea to get her used to napping in a crib and going down awake, but again if you're not comfortable with it don't stress yourself out at this stage.
They're only really little once, and it goes so much faster than it seems at the time! Cherish spending time with her and cuddling her, it will do you both good, and there will come a day (too soon!) when she wiggles away to go play instead :(
Don't even worry about what she'll be doing in 8 weeks. Just hold her and love her right now and don't let her cry. That will make her feel insecure. She should know her needs will be met. Crying is a signal she needs something even it is just to cuddle.
A good daycare provider will help you with your routine with your baby. She'll fall right into a good pattern once you go back to work. She'll begin with the provider's routine throughout the day and after a few days she'll continue it at home.
So, for now, just enjoy your time with her and don't worry about what may or may not happen in the future.
God bless..
I don't think you can spoil her right now. This is your time with her and you need to enjoy it. As far as scheduling goes, I suggest you get the book The Baby Whisperer. It is great at getting babies on a eating and sleeping schedule. Good Luck!
Hi, Kathleen. Make sure you hold that baby girl absolutely as much as she needs you to. It is not possible to even begin to spoil an infant who is younger than 6 months old, and as are other stages in a child's life, this is a very critical time for your little one. Not only are you getting to know her, but she is also getting to know you, realizing her securities, and developing attachments. Contrary to the theory of spoiling a baby this age, if you go the other direction, it's actually possible for her to develop attachment disorders and other insecurities and issues, were she to be left crying on a regular basis and not given the attention a newborn baby needs. So just enjoy this time you have with her. It will not last long! Congratulations on your new blessing, and you're a great mom!
here are some links that i think will help
http://askdrsears.com/html/10/handout2.asp
http://www.mothering.com/articles/new_baby/bonding/connec...
Don't even worry about spoiling your precious little angel! When they cry it is their way of communicating a need to you - I am hungry, I need a diaper change, etc. Responding to her quickly should comfort and reassure her and then you should have a more content baby. Schedules at this age are tough. You really just respond to her needs. When she gets older, you will have plenty of time to create a manageable schedule for you both. Take these next 8 weeks to bond, love and enjoy your gift from God! They are only this little once!
At 4 weeks, don't worry about a schedule. And if I were you, I wouldn't let her cry it out, my doctor told me they can't self-soothe until 6-8 weeks. If she likes being swaddled I'd suggest a Miracle Blanket, that'll keep her real calm at daycare after her feedings if they're willing to use it.
Hi Kathleen,
Congratulations on your little girl!
4 weeks is still very young. I would totally not stress about a schedule or spoiling right now. Enjoy her while she is so little.
I highly recommend the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth. With both boys I found the first 3 to 4 months to be unbelievably stressful and this book really helped me feel I was doing things right.
Good luck!
C.
All babies cry and it is usually because they need something. Sometimes that something is just you. I don't believe you can spoil an infant that young. As far as daycare goes well she will probably be fussy, but that is o.k. that is the way babies are and your childcare provider knows what to expect. It will probably take her a few days to adjust being somewhere new, but she will do fine. Keep giving her lots of love they grow up way to fast so enjoy every minute of it.
Well, I don't believe a 4 week old baby should be allowed to just cry. That is too young an age to be spoiled and when she cries, it's because she needs something. At daycare, you can't control what they do, but I would make it clear to them that when she cried, she should be fed, changed, or just held, if that's what she needs.
You don't have to worry about "spoiling" her until she's about 4 months. At 4 weeks, it's great that you respond to her cries quickly -- this is what helps her build her security and trust in you and know that her needs are met.
She's also too young for any sort of rigid scheduling. She should eat about every 3 or 4 hours (that's timed from the beginning of one feeding to the beginning of the next), but sometimes she might go sooner than 3 hours, and sometimes longer (hopefully for your sake the longer stretches are at night!).
In 8 weeks when she goes to daycare, she'll be a totally different baby than she is right now. By then she should be sleeping longer stretches at night and she'll likely fall into a routine by then.
If you have trouble now determining what she needs when she cries, try writing things down for a few days and you'll likely see a pattern. Keep a little notepad and a pen in her room, or by the rocking chair and note when she wakes up, eats and naps.
The recommended routine or pattern is "sleep, eat, play/awake." That whole cycle should repeat every 3 or 4 hours. So, if she eats at 6 a.m., it might take her 30 minutes to eat, then she should stay awake a little while longer (maybe another 30 minutes) before napping for a couple hours, then wake up again for a feeding at 9.
Again, if you're worried, I'd recommend keeping a log of her routine for a few days during the week before she goes to daycare so you'll have a good idea of what to tell her caregivers while you're away.
Good luck, and congrats on the new baby girl!
Oh, Kathleen. :) Just don't worry about it. Love that little one anytime at all that you can. Once daycare comes, the schedule will lay itself out. I had to go through this with mine too.
However, if you feel like your little one does change in attitude once she starts daycare, then consider changing to a new one. If you feel like she's loved and taken care of, it makes all the difference in the world.
Pop-in visits now with her to the daycare... if you walk in and there's ALWAYS babies crying, etc. Go somewhere else.
Have fun... and remember... deep breaths... and ONE thing at a time... ;)
