Nap Time and Wake Time

hold that baby, mama :)
she's only been on the planet 4 weeks!
I am a firm believer that you do what works until it doesn't work anymore & then you go w/ the flow and work on the next thing-
my sons are 4 yrs old & 15 months old and they both are GREAT sleepers! I followed THEIR cues. I let THEM lead me.
Call me a radical, LOL! but seriously, this precious time goes by SO SO SO FAST- I know it sounds cliche but it's SO TRUE! So my advice is hold that baby! rock that baby!
heck, I still rock my 4 yr old. Does he NEED me to? No, but it's a nice quiet calm together time that we have together and who knows how much longer it will last? Does he go to sleep on his own if I'm not home? You bet! Is he asleep after I rock him? No way, he's wide awake! At this point its just a lovely part of our night time ritual/routine...

Wake time activities? here you go :)
Hold your baby in a sling, like a hotsling, you can get at Target
http://www.target.com/Hotslings-Baby-Carrier-Hearts/dp/B0...

and go about (small) things in your house- do a load of laundry, make yourself a snack, hop on the computer, go for a walk in this nice weather, all the while talking and/or singing to your baby. Being close to you, going on adventures around the house (& outside) and hearing your voice is great activity!

try lying her down on her back and on her belly on a play mat w/ things swinging overhead (gymni I think they're called?)- when she can't take it any longer, she'll let you know! then pick her up and hold her some more :)

check out www.thebabywearer.com/forum

check out local babywearing meetings - once a month in Hallendale Beach
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HollywoodBabyWearing/?yguid...

check out these sleep books:
http://www.thebabywearer.com/cgi-bin/bookshop.pl?locale=u...

Enjoy your sweet new baby!!!

Hold your precious baby! My son will turn 4 months Friday and when he was 4 weeks he never napped out of my arms. I carried him around all day in a sling going about my business and he just snuggled in and slept most of the day. I even wore him in a sling when I left the house to run errands. It is so much easier than pushing a bulky stroller around. At around 2.5 months I started laying down with him for naps and that's what we do now. We snuggle and nurse until he falls asleep. I either nap with him or sneak away after he's asleep but I always rush back to him at the first sound he makes. I don't believe in putting them down and letting them cry themselves to sleep b/c I think that doesn't teach them to be "independent" but rather they learn nobody is there for them and they start to lose faith; they'll end up being more clingy b/c they don't want to be abandoned by you. By always responding to their cues and not letting them cry they learn that they have unconditional love and support and that's what ultimately makes them independent. Your precious girl is only 4 weeks old and the time really does go by fast (I hate how everyone says that but it really is true). If you can, hold her as much as possible. :-)

As for the 8pm fussiness - we went through that. At the beginning my son was sleeping his long night stretch from about midnight to 4 or 5am, having just naps up to that time. Then he gradually started to become fussier and fussier earlier in the evening. After trying everything from rocking to bouncing to car rides, we bought an Ergo carrier and my husband started wearing him in the early evening - even when he seemed wide awake. Within minutes he was fast asleep. It always worked like a charm. Looking back we think he was trying to tell us it was time for an earlier bed time. Good luck!!

In the end, only you know what is best for you and your baby, but, I agree, if you keep rocking her to sleep you will pretty much always have to. As much as it hurts, you have to let her cry. I know it stinks, I've been there. BUT she has to learn to soothe herself and all going in and taking her out and rocking her to sleep does is show her when she cries, you come to hold her. What person wouldn't rather be snuggled to sleep than have to do it themself, right? So as much as it stinks, you have to let her figure it out. As long as you know she's not in pain, next time she cries, you have to just let her be. She IS tired, and she WILL eventually fall back asleep. Trust me. It's hard, but you can do it.

As the others have said, keep holding her as much as needed. She was so used to being "rocked to sleep" by your body movements while you carried her inside you... let her adjust to being "outside in the world" a bit longer! Do what you feel is best, because most times you are right. Others will offer plenty of advice, but you are the Mom! Remember that you cannot spoil and infant! You can only show unconditional love and comfort...
We used the swing a bit when our little one was especially fussy... our dinner time tended to be when. She has not suffered any poor sleeping habits because of it. We also didn't sleep train until 9 months. Again, it's what works for you as others have pointed out.
Good luck, enjoy your time with your little one. As I write this, it makes me look forward to this time again in a month or so when I deliver #2!
T.

When she cries, although she is about to fall asleep, she probably is protesting to losing that cozy comfy place in her mother's arms. Even now she is learning that when she lets you know, you will be there to comfort her. I chose to keep my son close to my bed for those long nights. As for activities for a one month old - Singing, Rocking, Talking to her. She is learning to focus on things about 10 inches from her face, so you may use a toy for her to follow things with her eyes or head. She is probably interested in shapes of things so maybe point out things on the wall or in books, let her focus, and tell her what they are. You could also give her your fingers to hold while she is on her back and let her try to pull up a little - very slowly and gently of course. At this stage she is learning to grip things, too.

Hi R., 4 weeks seems too early to train your baby to sleep on her own. I have a 11 week old son and he was the same way when he was 4 weeks old. I started training him at 6/7 weeks and he loves to fall asleep on his own now. In fact, when he's sleepy, he gets so fussy until I put him down in his crib.

In terms of things to do during wake time. You can talk, sing and read to him. I read to my son since he was 1 week old. Your baby might not understand what's going on but she loves to hear your voice.

Hi
Your baby is still so young, so it is ok to rock her right now. By 3 months or so you should try to put her to bed without falling asleep. Also by that time you can let her cry herself to sleep a little. As for the feed-awake-sleep, you should start a pattern. If you are on a 3 hour feeding schedule then you should probably feed, let her be awake for about an hour or so, then sleep. Keep in mind that the schedule will constandly be changing. After about 4 months there may only be 3 naps a day. The most important thing is to differentiate daytime and night time. Make sure you wake her during the day to feed and let her sleep at night as long as she wants to. If she wakes up and it isnt the full 3 hours yet (or whatever schedule you are on) then get her back to sleep.
There is also a great book that i read that really helped called "Baby Wise".. it is definately worth reading.
Hope this helps.

Your baby girl may not be ready to fall asleep on her own. She's only 4 weeks...I think it's OK to rock her at this age. Most resources I've read say that we should start teaching babies to fall asleep on their own between 3-6 months. Your daughter is only 4 weeks old; she's probably not ready, so keep holding her, and soon you can try again. Good luck.

Listen to your mother's heart. People are quick to give advice sometimes. Just take what you like and leave the rest. My little ones rarely napped regularly until about 6 months when they started crawling and exerting energy. I found they would nap in the bouncy seat and swing sometimes. Each child is different and you know your child the best. Trust your instincts...

LaurieK
www.mymonavie.com/LaurieK