Help for Keeping Baby Awake During the Day

D.,
I have been taking care of children for years, I have seen a number of different types of sleepers. Trust me - you need to just go with her sleep pattern. If she is only 6 weeks old - you are just gonna make her cranky and you frustrated. Then no one is getting any sleep. You really wont be able to "adjust" her sleep cycle til she is closer to a year old. Good Luck!

I would consult either your lactation consultant or your pediatrician. I tried breast feeding with my first son and had to start supplementing him with formula after two weeks because my body was not producing enough milk for his needs. It was first noticed by my lactation consultant when she checked his weight. We had been going through the same thing, all he wanted to do was eat and sleep, I couldn't lay him down for more than 15 minutes w/o him waking up. They gave me this bottle and tube contraption that laid against my nipple when he fed, it was too much of a hassle (especially at night) so we ended up switching to bottles with a mix of breast milk (pumped) and formula until I stopped producing. If that is the case don't feel bad or inadequate, there are a lot of women who do not produce enough milk to support their child and there have been for many years, that is what wet nurses were for before formula. It can also be a family trait, no woman in my family has ever been able to breast feed. Just be glad that we have as many options today that we do.

Both my kids slept in their bouncer for most of the first year of their lives until they figured out how to get out of it. The gentle vibration of the bouncer does wonders. Also try fleece blankets in her crib they don't feel as cold as bed linens usually do. You may try warming her crib up, remember she has fallen asleep next to you in this safe warm environment so as soon as she feels you putting her down it's cold.

As far as the nursing goes, feed her has much as she wants, I think someone else mentioned about the growth spurts and during those times you're going to feel like she is attached all the time especially if she falls asleep while nursing plus the more she nurses the more you'll produce.

If you feel that she's not getting enough just pay close attention to the number of wet/dirty diapers she's having. Also at her check ups is she on track with weight gain? If she is then she is getting enough to eat.

With my son I always felt like he was attached because when he would fall asleep so would I (I learned the lay down method of nursing him for just that reason). So basically our days went nurse, sleep, change diaper (I would then go pee), nurse, sleep.

I think there is some advice in there somewhere. Enjoy your little one!!

Mel

Hi D.,
Are you sure she is getting enough to eat? I tried breast feeding my daughter, but I wasn't producing enough. She was always attached and the only thing that anybody ever saw was the back of her head. I would consult with your baby's Dr. to see what the signs would be. My daughter always acted hungry, even after just coming off the breast. After we switched to formula(which was VERY difficult for me to do....I WANTED to breastfeed more than anything!) she started to have a little time where she wasn't asleep or eating. Best of luck to you and I hope this helps!

You have to read the book Babywise! It's incredible! It talks about getting them on a schedule during the day to regulate their metabolism-- this helps them to sleep during the night. :) I have 3 girls- ages 7, 17 months, and 4 months. I have followed the babywise system- and they have all slept through the night starting at 8 weeks-- My last one wasn't until 10 weeks though. :) Let me know what you think of the book! :)

Hi D.,
When my daughter was about that age I thought the same thing you are thinking, however for my daughter the more she slept and the longer naps she took, the better she slept at night. When my dughter was about the age of yours I nursed her every time she cried too, and like you said she would fall asleep. I just had to always remember that the more your baby sleeps, the more his/her brain is developing. My daughter is now 8 months old. I usually put her to bed around 8 o'clock. She usually doesn't wake up until about 3'oclock. I nurse her and she falls right back to sleep. Once my daughter does fall asleep, I have to hold her for about 5 minutes to be sure she is sound asleep otherwise she will wake right up once I lay her in her crib. I found that by laying her on her side, she stays asleep and sleeps longer.

I think the first thing you need to do is make sure your baby is getting a full feeding and you can't do this if she is falling asleep while feeding. I think that is the root of the problem. Try undressing her before nursing, or rubbing her face with a damp, cool cloth. Talk to her, sing, etc. but do everything you can to keep her awake while feeding. Put her on one breast and let her feed as much as she wants on that side, making sure she stays awake. Be sure to burp her and then change to the other side. It is sometimes a challenge to keep them awake while feeding, but you have to. Burping is also very important and could be the cause of her crying. Burping will also help keep her awake if she is trying to fall asleep. You are the mother, this baby does not have the mental capacity to know what is best for her, but you do. She needs your direction. Also, falling asleep right after feeding is not good for digestion either. Try to keep her up at least 10-15 minutes after feeding at first. You could give her a bath, put her in a baby seat and look out the window with her. Sing, play with rattles, etc. Then put her to sleep. Then feed her again when she wakes, keep her awake, then play, then sleep. Be sure she isn't sleeping too long during the day though, she needs the constant nutrition. Then at bedtime, let her sleep, but don't let her sleep more than 5 hours at night either without feeding at this stage.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention, my baby wanted nothing to do with a crib, but loved a bassinett or pack n play. Maybe the smaller space is cozier? She started sleeping when I got her a bassinett and a wedge (with sides). I think the incline helped with upset tummy. I would put a heating pad on low her blanket for a minute before laying her down (make sure it doesn't get too hot!) and she started sleeping wonderfully.

Hi D.,
My husband is a pilot too and gone often. I can relate to having a lack of sleep with no spouse to help out. I can offer you some suggestions..that have seemed to help while my 3 were infants.
1. Remember that kids under 3 months sleep anywhere from 16-20 hours a day. 16 is pretty average.
2. Keeping a kiddo up past their sleepy stage will only aggrevate them and make them over stimulated..making it harder for them to sleep through the night. Actually, making sure she is sleeping and taking naps during the day is a good way to assure that she will build good sleeping habits and begin sleeping through the night. Keeping her awake will overstimulate her making her more fussy and inconsolable.
3. Sleeping though the night is a 5 hour stretch at this age.
5. Breast fed babies tend to sleep for shorter lengths of time b/c moms milk is digested faster than formula.
6. Try offering a pacifier.
7. Buy an airpurifier for her room..not to clean the air but to make a steady background noise for her...which might comfort her and help her to sleep better.
and remember..it is ok for them to cry for a few minutes...

I know that your position can be difficult and the sleeping thing will come with time. I also work full time...and with my husband gone..I have truely mastered routines and nap/sleep schedules. All of my kiddos go to bed at 7 and sleep until 6:30 am. It's possible..you just have to instill good sleeping habits now while they are young. Good luck.
K.

My daughter is 8 weeks old and we just wne thtrough the exact same thing. She is going through a growth spurt. All they want to do during a growth spurt is eat, sleep and cry. It will get better all on its own. Don't try to push her into a schedule, it will just happen naturally. As they start to get older they stay awake more and more all on their own. With in the next couple weeks I bet she will start to be more awake and alert. My daughter just started letting me put her down in her bed for a nap without holding her this past weekend and it just happened without much effort. Be patient and don't try to keep things real structured. it only stresses you out. Listen to what your baby needs. I learned that reading all of those "books" and trying too hard to make babies life the "perfect" situation is a waste of time...and it ends of making you crazy. When you try all these things and they don't work it just makes you feel like you're doing something wrong or not being a good Mom...or atleast that's how I felt. I have found if I just go with the flow and do what makes my baby happy her and I both do a lot better! Hope this helped. IT sounds like we have a lot in common. If you ever want to chat about the girls and compare notes shoot me an email. ____@____.com

L.

check out the book Babywise. Although my husband and I do not necessarily agree with everything in it, we did value the information on Parent directed feeding, sleeping etc. You may not find you agree with it but check it out it may help.
With this we got our son to sleep 10 hours at night at 8 weeks and our daughter slept 8 hours at night at 8 weeks in their cribs.

Now our son and daughter have both increased in sleep and they both sleep from 8pm until 7:15-8am.

Hope this helps!

She will adjust into it in her own time.

Actually I just read a thing this morning that a child cannot regulate their sleep cycle until the age of 3.

I know most people say not to put anything in the babies crib, but I use to put my night shirt or shirt from the day before in with my little ones. It helps to give them the sence you are still there. And if they were sleeping on me tummy to tummy I would lay them on their tummy. I agree that you need to hold them for a few extra minutes to make sure they are fully asleep... they like to stay almost asleep for awhile sometimes. But I also spent many night on the couch with a baby laying on top of me too, that was usually the days I was really dagged down and knew I would get more rest that way.

At the end of my leave - I had a few tell me that it always seemed like my little boy was attached. My hubby joked that I was the mother ship and he was always docking for supplies. It is normal for them to eat a lot & all the time, take lots of naps, and what all your attention when they are up.

I wish you luck!!! Going back to work is a hard thing to do... I've done it with all of my little ones (12 yr, 3 yrs and 18 mo) and it is the thing I dread the most with the one I'm carrying (due in June).

First, at her age it's still pretty normal to sleep alot during the day. Provide lots of light, especially natural light during waking hours to help reset her internal clock. Provide stimulating activities when you want her to be awake. Sleeping and eating is her life right now and it's really hard to make them change their minds about either. As far as the sleeping at night - my daughter was much like this and I bought a mobile that has a light display that shines on the ceiling and walls - it was a fisher price one with fish and you can adjust the sounds, including music and white noise as well as the light display. It also had a remote so I could restart it from the doorway. She was mesmerized by it in the darkness of the night and usually could lay there staring at it until she fell asleep on her own.

I hope this helps some!

Hi D.,

Your baby is still so young that all she can do is sleep. You cant force her to stay awake you really need to let her sleep I was surprised at much our babys can really teach us. I found the following information at www.kidshealth.org.
Newborns should be awakened every 3 to 4 hours until their weight gain is established, which typically happens within the first couple of weeks. After that, it's OK if a baby sleeps for longer periods of time. But don't get your slumber hopes up just yet — most infants won't snooze for extended periods of time because they get hungry.

Infants need 16 to 20 hours of sleep each day so it is very important that you let her sleep when she wants. When she gets to about 3 months or 4 months then you can try to establish a napping routine but right now at 6 wks it is just too early. Hang in there though it only gets better I promise. My son is now seven months and he has a great routine. But for now I cannot stress enough that young infants need lots and lots of sleep. Good luck.

Hello,
First, let me tell you, your daughter is normal! Of course she would rather be held than put down to sleep!

My advice is to write down what your ideal routine would be..
6:00-7:00 wake, feed, bathe, dress
7:00-9:00 nap
9:00-10:30 eat, play, run errands
11:00-12:00 nap
ect...

make this the ideal, what works best for your return work schedule... then try to follow it...wake her up at the times you want her to be awake and do what it takes to keep her that way and then put her down the times you want her to sleep...actually put her down and soothe her with your voice or patting her, or pacifier...what ever it takes, with out picking her up. This will be easier if you go ahead and put her in her crib, it will be easier on your back.

Somehow by just having a plan to follow makes this easier. It will only take a few days of doing this. By putting her down awake she will learn to soothe herself and fall asleep. If she has fallen asleep while nursing gently wake her as you lay her down so she actually is has to fall asleep again in her bed. It is ok if she fusses, this is part of the process of falling asleep. Some babies take 10-15 minutes to fall asleep. I'm not talking about screaming, but fussing for a few minutes and then soothing again. The Happiest Baby On The Block is a good book.

After a few days of getting your day figured out, try letting her settle herself at night before you pick her up and feed her. I wait 60-90 seconds before I do anything! You can go to my website if you want to know more about me, I have brought 39 newborns home from the hospital for a local adoption agency and also am a newborn care specialist. Hope this helps you a little.
Angee
www.cincibabylady.com

Not much time to type as I'm nursing my 4mo old to sleep... :)
I 2nd the 'No Cry Sleep Solution' also the "Happiest Baby on the Block" by Harvey Karp.
Oh and Babywise...also known as 'Raising Kids Gods Way' is by Ezzo...he has been in court due to his bad advice which has caused health problems in children whose parents followed this advice. Putting a baby on an eatting schedule can be very dangerous since they can go 'downhill' very fast...couple that lack of adequate food with a virus floating by and you may have a very ill child. Please--do your research--and follow your baby's cues. she will tell you what she needs if you'll only listen...
on Ezzo:
http://www.ezzo.info/York/selfpublishing.htm
http://www.nospank.net/ezzo3.htm
http://www.nospank.net/aney.htm
In defense of Ezzo, he has changed much in his revised edition of his book, possibly due to the lawsuits. Also--Ezzo has no credentials...he isn't an MD nor does he have any degree in medicine or child psychology etc...

It's completely normal. Please don't make your baby stay up because all it is doing is making her miserable, not too mention it is unhealthy. Also, let her eat when she wants to. Babies grow SO much during the 1st year and the crucial growth spurts are around 6 weeks, 10 weeks, 12, etc. This goes on for the whole first year, so do not prevent her from eating. It's crazy to try to put a 6 week old on a strict schedule. All babies have their days and nights messed up for a couple of months (welcome to mommyhood!). Also, babies need to feel safe and secure, so sleeping in a crib is very scary for a newborn. She spent 9 months in a very warm, safe, and secure environment with you, so the only person she wants to sleep with is you. Try swaddling her, or let her sleep in a car seat until she is older. You don't need to hold her all night, but do try to make her feel secure. Not all babies are alike, so I can't stand these books that tote quick fixes. Babies are babies and it's cruel to try to make a baby behave like we want them to in the first couple of months. I followed by daughter's lead, and she was sleeping 8+ hours a night by 3 months. I didn't let her cry it out, or stop her from eatig and sleeping and she has always been a very happy baby because of it. Just follow her lead because this period of time will end sooner than you think. Enjoy these moments because, trust me, pretty soon you will be missing these days.

As for getting her to sleep in the cradle, you might try swaddling her with one of the SwaddleMe blankets that has the velcro so you can get the baby in there good and snug. Our son had trouble sleeping anywhere but on me or his dad until we discovered how much it helped to have his arms all wrapped up like a mummy. It looks uncomfortable, but he liked it.