Getting My 10 Week Old on a Sleep Schedule

I have a 7 month old and read the book, "The Baby Whisperer". I strongly recommend it. I cannot do the "cry it out" method - Dr. Ferber - but did this and it truly works. I have an older child was was a very poor sleeper and wish I had done this w/her. Good Luck!!

Hi D., Your baby is very normal for 10 weeks old. Years ago we never heard of reflux only spitting up from eating too much. You have to go with his needs until he gets older. It is not easy and we do lose sleep but you will survive just as the others before you. Love your baby every minute, he will grow fast. Best wishes, Grandma Mary

Hi D.,

My little girl is 3 months old now (BF baby too) & her "schedule" changes all the time. Just when you think you've got it down, they go & change their routine. She's now going to bed around 7:30pm & wakes up at around 3:30am before waking for the day at 6:30am. Not sure if that will last but I'm liking it right now!

I know this is somewhat of a controversy, but do you use a pacifier? I tried with all my might to avoid it but it helped my little girl fall asleep better. Remember that some babies need to suck more than others and it's either thumb/fingers or a pacifier. Sucking also stimulates digestion which might help the reflux? I'm no expert on reflux though so maybe don't listen to that ; ) I'm sure your pediatrician will have more sound advice!

I read one of the responses that suggested eliminating the 5pm nap, sounds like a pretty good idea to me.

As far as the rocking to sleep, I do it too & I feel that she sleeps better & why not? If it's working for you & you enjoy that time with your son, who are you hurting? I believe that babies cry at this age or a reason and as a parent, we are able to fix it. You cannot spoil a baby this young. I do put my girl down before she is totally asleep & keep one hand under her back & the other on her stomach then slowly pull them away one at a time (the one on the back first). This way she isn't shocked by a cold mattress...Just an idea ; )

Remember you are doing a great job even when you feel like you might not be. Being a first time mom can seem like a daunting task at times but if you go with your gut, you can't go wrong. So congratulations on being the best mother in the world to your little boy!

xoxo,
C.

sounds like a great schedule for that age...keep up the great work! : )

sounds normal. after 3 months it starts to even out and hte nighttime stretches will get a little longer.

as far as the posters who suggested not rocking your baby to sleep and "teaching" him to self-soothe, i want you to know it all depends on the baby. my first is now 2 and still can't self-soothe. my second started sleeping through the night at 10 weeks and i have never had to rock her to sleep, EVER, and she's now 5 months old. i didn't do anything differently with her than i did with my first. they're just different babies with different needs.

meet your baby's needs and the rest will follow.

Hi D.,
Im a new mom breastfeeding also.. i have a 3 1/2 month boy and he has about the same sleep pattern. last month he went to sleep at around 11pm was up at 2 to eat then 4:30 then again to eat 6 then about 7.. then he'd stay up for about an hour or 2 and go back down an hour or 2.. then he would be up pretty much all afternoon with a few quick naps only lasting 20mins tops. this past month it has been getting alittle better. i have been cutting out the night feeding, he just dosent seem to want it anymore or at least he doesnt wake me up crying anymore. i try to put him down around 8:30 he usualy finally sleeps by 10... and hes been stirring around 3:30am..he kinda looks like the exercist.. he moves his head side to side over and over again, usually it means he has gas.. i push his legs up to his stomach and he usually farts and i put his binky in before he wakes himself up and he sleeps again til 5 when i take him out and feed him. i think your babys sleeping habbits are normal, or at least the same as my sons.
S. H

Hi D.,

Congratulations! Your schedule sounds perfect. It sounds like you are doing a wonderful job. My dr told me when my babies were 13 or so pounds they could go about a 5-7 hour stretch at night. My daughter started sleeping through the night at 10 weeks old, but my son did not until he was 16 months old. They are all so different! Both of my kids had reflux and were on meds for it - my daughter did not seem bothered by it and slept well, but my son, who just turned 2 has had a horrible time with it and we only now have him sleeping well.

sounds good to me! i think that is his schedule, as he is napping after 2 hours. the only thing you might want to try is getting to bed a little earlier as going from 6 ish to 10:30 seems a bit long to stay up. ever 3 hours for breastfed is totally normal. babies in general are sleeping thru the night when they sleep for just 5 hours- not our definition of course, lol. but breastfeeding, and the babys weight are factors as well as what type of sleeper you have. then growth spurts, teeth, milestones, ect all mess up the schedules anyway.
my kids are very restless, but i imagine the reflux makes it worse. i swaddle all my kids at least arms until they are quite old. otherwise they rub at their eyes and wake up. highly recommend the miracle blanket or the snug and tug. white noise and pacifiers also help. i would def say its better to address those restless moments rather than just wait and have him wake up, also if you know he is stirring to eat, pick him uyp before he really wakes. sounds like you are doing great, i rock my babies and there is nothing wrong with it. they are little for such a short time, enjoy it. and dont let anyone advise you to cry it out. you will be fine

Morning and afternoon naps are good. He should be taking a nap every 3 hours at this age. Also let him fall asleep on his own. Do not rock him to sleep. He has to learn to soothe himself and fall asleep. You will create a nightmare in the future if you do not do this.

Sounds like you are doing a great job. I am a first time mom as well and this is what worked for my daughter. I breastfed as well until she was about 3 1/2 months. She liked to be swaddled and wrapped up tight at night. I also gave her Mylacon at her bedtime, after the first breast and before the second. This helped if she was gassy. You could try laying him on his side when he goes to sleep. You could aslo try putting one of your shirts that you have worn, not laundered by him in the crib. This way he has your scent close by. Good luck and know you are doing a great job so far.

My son is now 11 months old. He used to take a 1.5 hour nap around 10 am and another around 3 pm. He started staying up later (9-10) so we took away the second nap. Now he naps for about 2 hours at 11:30 and is READY for bed at 7 pm. He sleeps until 6:30. Good stuff. Do you use a crib wedge for the reflux? They are pretty cheap at Babies R Us and seem to help.
I just realized that your request said 10 weeks (I thought it said 10 months). I think your little guy needs to keep on nappin'.

A two month old is still a little young to get on a definite schedule, but it sounds like he has already fallen into a set pattern. I would wait another month or two before trying to get him on a more definite schedule. I would probably eliminate the 5pm nap and try putting him down around 7pm, even though you may have to deal with some fussiness for an hour or two. As for the reflux, I know infants can be prescribed medication for this, but I am not sure at what age, so u would have to ck w/your pediatrician, but if he is having discomfort you may want to try that route so he can get some relief, it sounds like the pain is waking him up. As for the rocking, we all love to do that, but it is harder to get them to go down on their own. I used to rock mine for about five minutes or less and then put them down awake. If they fussed or cried, they eventually learned how to self soothe and were able to fall asleep on their own where I didn't have to rock them I could just put them down. But, not everyone can stand to hear their baby cry, so it depends on your resolve if this method is for you. There are lots of books on how to get them to sleep on their own and tons of different methods. I hope this helps, enjoy him, the grow so fast!

I think your baby is just working out the kinks. His sleep schedule for a breast fed baby sounds normal.

As far as the reflux, all three of my boys had reflux for the first year of their life. You really need to watch what you eat to get some control over the reflux. Every baby is different but I had to stay away from any food that was red, coffee, and chocolate. I also propped up one side of their mattress so their head was a little higher then their feet. That really helped.

He is too young to put on a schedule at this point. There is not really very much you can do at this point but be consistent about where he sleeps- always put him in the same place and try to give him a few minutes before you go to him when he wakes up. BF babies need to eat more often than formula because the milk is digested quicker, so this is why he is waking up so much. He will eventually start to sleep longer. The reflux may also make him wake up more often. You could always try putting him back to sleep without a feeding for one time that he wakes up at night, because he is old enough to go about 5 hours. But no more than once, because he still needs to eat at night at his age.