Newborn Sleep HELP!
in Baby
Im lo is only 4 days old and i know newborns are meant to sleep most of the time but he seems to sleep all day and then when it comes to night time he just wont go to sleep in his cot yet if hes put on bed with me he doses off straight away! any ideas would be great, im sooo tired
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Replies
- stick to a routine, same thing every night, same time
- distinguish between nighttime and morning - curtains open, say "GOOD MORNING" in the am
-Keep the house bright during the day; curtains opened, lights on, tv/radio on. Basically keep the baby as stimulated as possible during the day.
- at night stick to a darkened room
- no talking when you feed in the night
- no eye contact with the baby when you feed in the night
- no tv, radio, stimulation at night
- be in the baby's room for the routine (ie:feed & comfort the baby in his room during the night rather than taking him to another room)
In the meantime, do try to sleep during the day. Any bit of sleep you can get is going to help you to fee better. Don't worry if your house isn't tidy. Unplug the phone and don't worry about missing calls. Don't worry about cooking meals. Do an online grocery shop and have it include lots of ready meals.
Good luck to you! It will get better.
as for sleeping in your bed thats o.k if you don't mind it but he will get too used to it, you could try swaddling to make him feel more snuggly and secure in his cot x.
babies go from being in a dark warm place where they can be awake and asleep and its constantly dark, so like it has been mentioned, keep it really light during the day.
my lo hated to be swaddled, she was in her big cot without swaddling by the time she was 1 week (she hated her moses basket with avengence,no idea why). but i was an evil mum ( i was seriously) if she had been fed, changed, winded and she was still crying, i left her to cry (it was hard but like i said i am evil lol)
she was sleeping thru the night 10 til 7.30 from around 2 weeks.
i never had her in bed with me, a old friend of mine did that and she rolled on top of her baby while asleep (luckily tho she woke and called 999 and thank god no permanant damage was done to baby) but mum has never forgiven herself and still goes on about it to this day (10 years later).
its does no harm to baby to let them cry for a while, altho that depends on whether you have the heart for it.
good luck xx
Have you tried using a ready-made swaddling blanket. My LO was so wriggly the he'd escape from a swaddle made from regular blankets. Mothercare do a swaddling blanket and its really secure.
I must admit that I've caved in a couple of times and had LO in bed with me for the night, when hubby has worked nights. Can you try settling him with you and then moving into cot when asleep, its only a short-term fix but it might give you a chance to catch up on a few Z's.
I hope you can find a way that works for both of you.
p.s you are NOT selfish for wanting sleep, its a basic human need not a luxury xx
Lin.