I have a month old baby girl who is the sweetest miracle however she recently started becoming more active at night especially after breastfeeding. She will sleep well until around midnight and then she wants to be fed and then she thinks that it is time for play. We have been supplimenting with formula as there are times that I am too tired to feed her so my husband will. I need advice on how to get her to sleep more during the night as my maternity leave is almost over and I will need sleep to be able to function at work. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
When she wakes up at night don't talk or turn on the lights. This will teach her that it is night time and only time for sleep not play. I hope that will work for you. Good Luck.
S.,
The best way to "teach" your baby when sleep time is is to make sure you do not turn on lights, do not speak directly to her, do not turn on the tv or radio, and when she wants to play just hold and rock her. If you have to turn on a light to prepare a bottle, leave her in the dark bedroom while you go make the bottle. Only have a nightlight in her bedroom or where ever you change her diaper. All of these things worked wonders in establishing the difference between night and day with my baby. He's now 9 months old and sleeps straight through the night every single night. Every once in a great while when he does wake up, all I do is change his diaper and lay him back down. You'll be good to go once you set straight the difference between night and day.
K.
I'm also a breastfeeding mom and had a similar problem with my girl. Try laying on your side and putting a big, firm pillow behind you and one between your knee's. Lay your daughter on her side, facing you so she can nurse while you lay down. You will need to lean back onto the pillow. My daughter would fall asleep with no problems. She is now almost 7 months old and I still do this. Just be sure she can breathe. I would wear a sports bra and expose the breast she was nursing on, and pull the sports bra down just enough to push the breast down by her nose so she had plenty of room to breathe. I hope this helps!
Hi S.,
Be patient. Your entire life has just changed and it will take some time to adjust. The first few weeks are the hardest to get through, but things will improve. Two of my children didn't sleep through the night their entire first year. As for getting them back to sleep after nursing, I also would recommend changing the diaper before the feeding rather than after. I swaddled (I used the Miracle Blanket because it stays on)my babies, and I used a pacifier from the beginning (I also exclusively nursed and it did not interfere with nursing with my wee ones). Then, after a dry diaper and a tummy full of warm milk, they were wrapped up nice and cozy in their blanket with a pacifier to suck on and went right back to sleep. We've used the musical light toys too. Congratulations on your little blessing. Merry Christmas!
It takes about six weeks to get a baby on a day/night schedule. Stimulate her during the day to extend her periods of wakefulness. When you put her down at night, warm her bed with a heating pad or hotwater bottle before you put her down. Use sounds that simulate the womb at night to soothe her.
I found a few things help but honestly as she gets older she will sleep longer remember she's on liquids and it does require more feeds with that little tummy so for sometime she may not sleep as long as we all hope. One thing that helped my boys was by fisher price the aquarium that hangs on the side of the bed it has ocean noise and music they even have one now with a remote so you can turn it on outside the baby's room. Another child slept many times in a fisher price chair that played music and vibrated it could be made into a rocker later but best part was it would lay back. It was called fisher price learning patterns infant to toddler rocker. I also had to have help with breast feeding some bottle help was great mothers need sleep also. If you have friends or family that are willing to come over even during the day before you go back to work let them watch the baby and do anything they are willing to do while you get some zzzz's.
I also agree with the other mom change her diaper when she wakes up then breast feed when she falls asleep put her into something that will help her stay that way for a few hours. I also have to admit this is a trying time the first 4 months take alot out of a parent. Those are the only tricks I had other then I by advise of my dr who was a mother finally gave in and put once at night a small amt of rice cereal in the formula and my boys sleep at bit longer not real thick just like a 1/8 of a teaspoon, it made a difference and many folks are against it I know I was a first time mom and my dr was a women with 5 kids I tried what she suggested and it helped. I also had to make sure the flow was from alike medium flow nipple. That's all I've got that helped ever please take no offense about the rice cereal many moms get upset to even hear of it and I mean not to offend no one I also breast feed as well but to be a good parent and functional I did that just at night it was about 6 weeks. I hope maybe the chair alone works for you or the oceans sounds aquarium helps. Best of luck and many blessings to you.
She's a month old - that's how it goes.
It would be VERY VERY VERY early for her to even remotely sleep through the night. The time she's awake at night is valuable time to just be with her, even if it inconveniences you - unfortunately, what creates a loving, kind, good child does not always coincide with parent preferences and when parent's force their schedule (including sleep schedule) on kids, the outcome isn't always positive.
Find a balance between your and her needs, but assume you'll be tired for a long time to come and make peace with it!
She's only a month old, so don't set your sights too high in the sleep department. That's just what babies do, some for many, many months before they finally get the hang of the nighttime sleep thing. You've already gotten some good advice and I definitely agree with the Fisher price Ocean Wonders Aquarium suggestion. I LOVE that thing and my 2.5 year old still falls asleep to it every night. My only other piece of advice is to keep everything very calm and quiet and as understimulating as possible in the middle of the night to send baby the very clear message that it is NOT playtime. A very quick diaper change, feeding, and back to bed. I used to have to avoid all smiling, eye contact, talking etc. or my daughter would get too wound up. I used to pretend I was asleep when I was nursing her. When all else failed, she ended up in the bed with me. Try different things and just do what works--moms need their sleep too!! I would avoid the cereal unless absolutely necessary and certainly check with your ped. if you want to go that route. Good luck and, be assured that sleep IS on the way--it just may not be quite as soon as you had hoped. Baby girl will get the hang of it soon!
Be sure you are changing her diaper before you feed her not after. A diaper change can sometimes wake up an otherwise drowsy baby. Also it is okay to lay her down if she is awake even if she is fussing a bit, give her a minute to see if she can soothe herself.
my baby is about the same age.While he is not as easy to get back to sleep as his 2.5 yo brother he is also not as hard as his 5yo brother. What I find helpful is bringing a diaper into the bedroom with us sits on my bedside table until baby wakes (less moving around is also better for mom) also we cosleep so it gives often enough nights of longer than average sleep and less interruption on the shorter than average nights. i dont supplement havent and hope never to have to aand i've been breastfeeding non stop at least one since dec 2003 its not that bad really. so we change as quickly as possible baby gowns are my trick there no snaps to mess with! nurse sometimes he is still awake so i just hold him more upright and pat his back til he is asleep (usually has a stubborn burp there) the flow of my breasts is also different i get more full on one side and it flows faster so i try to nurse on that side BEFORE i go to sleep so at least one middle of the night feeding is from the side i can nurse laying down and both baby and i doze through it.
i also try to keep our daily rhythm the same not only for my baby but my other children so they know that after breakfast we get dressed and make beds then they tidy up and i nurse the baby again we do homeschool and love much of the waldorf method so thats what its inspired from.
Good luck!! as for baby toys items we dont use them the baby has an organic teether gnome that i wore under my shirt and then when he was born put in the carrier with the baby while wearing him in the sling so when the baby is alone so i can shower etc he can still smell us and have that comfort also.
You need to stimulate her more during the day. Try to keep her up for about 2 hours or more before going to bed. She needs to be tired to sleep. Sing songs like ABC's,or patty cake. Do this little piggy's. Count her fingers and toes to her. You might not think she is understanding but doing things like this will give her a head start on learning and stimulate her at the same time.
