Why Won't 10 Week Old Sleep?

My daughter did the same thing - what finally helped us was the video "Happiest Baby on the Block" by Dr. Karp. It was a life saver - gave specific instructions on the 5 S' (swaddling, shushing, singing, swinging, sucking). It was recommended to me by several friends and helped tremendously in being able to calm a crying/fussy baby and helped her sleep better, especially when she found her arms - they were too much of a distraction for her. Good luck!

I'm not sure what advice to give you, but I can reassure you that you are not alone. My son is 12 weeks and doesn't nap, unless he is nursing. I've heard other moms advise to just let the baby cry it out at the same time every day until he/she realizes that that is nap time. I've been thinking of trying that

My 3rd boy just turned 1. He was the same way. The only time he stopped crying was when I was holding him or he was eating. After the first 3 months he started sleeping through the night. . I know you probably feel like you are neglecting your 1st. It happens when they are close in age. I got prego w/ #2 when my 1st was 8mo. There is plenty of time to make up for it. Just try get into a schedule. And keep to it. Things will settle down. Do you bring the baby in bed w/ you? That also worked for me. I did that w/ all 3.

Hi S.,
I had the same trouble with my kids. I put them in the swing for naps. I didn't care what people said, b/c I was tired and needed to get things done, and my poor twins were exhausted.

It worked like a charm. Don't worry about it being a bad habit. They outgrow it. My kids are 11 months old now and haven't used the swing to sleep since they were 5 months old. I think for a little baby, why not? Whatever works for you.

I def. wouldn't hold you baby all of the time. That will be a problem. B/c then he/she will expect you to do that all of the time. But if your infant sleeps well for naps, using the swing, then he will be more alert and calm later and you won't have to hold him.
good luck

you didnt say if you tried letting her cry for a little bit. if not try that for a couple weeks. she might need to learn to get herself to sleep

First off, you aren't alone out there, many of us have been in the same boat and feel your pain, just hang in there.

Sounds to me like your little one is becoming a teenage girl already, afraid she will miss something so she doesn't nap much. My daughter is 15, almost 16 and boy are they nosy.....

Anyway, my son does that too, he is 5 months and rarely naps longer than 20-30 minutes at a time during the day. The good news is that he does sleep through the night now.

I think you know that the swing works, so use it, don't worry about any bad habits at this point, you need your rest and your sanity. My son also loved and still loves his vibrating bouncy seat. We have the one with the water, the Aquarium Bouncer with calming vibrations and music. I called that the magic seat for a while and for a good reason!

There are also others on this site that highly recommend the infant carriers which i personally have not used but it keeps the baby close and moving with you all the time.

Remember, she could just be going through a growth spurt and that it will pass in a few days.

Hang in there!!!

Hi S.,
I think its fine to let her nap or even sleep in a swing. My son slept in his swing until he was like 4 months old. I also swaddled him until he was about 7 or 8 months. He was similar, arms always flailing around and he could relax. I am a huge proponent of swaddling. My son is now 20 months old and he sleeps through the night fine on his tummy. He was done with the swaddle right around 8 months, I transitioned him out of it by using a sleep sack. I hope this helps you. Good luck.

I found a sling or other carrier works great!!! The baby can sleep and you can have both hands to play with your son!!! A great one is at kangarookorner.com. Good luck and she will grow out of it.

I know how hard it can be in your situation!!!! I have been there too. The ONLY thing that saved me at all was a wrap called the moby wrap. You can look it up on mobywrap.com. It is a giant long piece of fabric that wraps around you and baby and keeps baby snug up against you. Warm and snugglie. It is the best wrap out there. It is able to be used for many years to come in many different styles. Our five year old can ride in the backpack wrap. The only way I was able to do anything for the first 3 months was with this wrap on. Not only is it great for comforting the baby but you can "wear" the baby all the time and it is easy on your back and your big guy won't feel like he is being put aside. It is still being used an a fairly regular basis and my baby is already over a year. Moby wrap comes in many great colors, we have a black one, so daddy feels comfortable wearing it too. As a matter of fact, he wanted to wear it more than I did. I always said to him" I got the first 9 months now you get the second 9 months".
Good luck getting some sleep.

I would definitely try swaddling to keep her from flailing around and not sleeping. She may not like it at first if you haven't been doing it, but it does create a sense of security and, frankly, boredom, that helps them sleep. And if the swing works, isn't that what it's for?

The best thing that i found to be soothing to all of my children is a fan. Face the fan away but put it on high. This has helped every child of mine to fall right asleep. Sometimes it takes longer, but most the time it's 3 minutes or less. Hope this helps.
M.