my three week old baby has her days and nights mixed up. i've tried all kinds of things to get her to stay up more during the day and nothing works. should i try giving her a little cereal at night or is she still too young? i know she's still little and sleeps alot. i just want her to do her sleeping at night. she's up from 1to 3 or 4 in the morning
2006-08-13 07:57:44 · 23 answers · asked by mommy_dearest 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
I have a one week old and after a couple of sleepless nights I thought I was going to die. But now she actually sleeps pretty good at night. The only thing I changed was not holding her as much during the day. Especially if she falls asleep, I put her in a swing, bouncy seat, or in her crib. Then when I'm ready to sleep at night I feed her then I wrap her up in a warm blanket and snuggle her until she's sleepy then lay her in her crib. Expect to get up at least 2 times a night to feed her. But don't feel bad letting her cry for maybe a minute to see if she can comfort herself back to sleep. And make sure to keep the lights on during the day and off during the night.
2006-08-13 09:04:14 · answer #1 · answered by mommyem 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Unfortunatly, you're not gonna be able to regulate your baby's sleep pattern for quite some time. My daughter is almost 4 months old and she STILL has me up twice, sometimes three times a night. Newborns sleep A LOT so try and adjust to them.. sleep when she sleeps and you'll find that, even if you don't get a lot done in the day, you're a lot less irritable. I really would steer clear of giving her cereal. It's a common misconception that it'll make the baby go to sleep faster, but it doesn't always work and it could constipate your baby. Babies usually aren't ready for cereals or other solids til they're 4 months old. Best of luck to you and your daughter!
2006-08-13 08:25:09 · answer #2 · answered by Emily C 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
DO NOT GIVE HER CEREAL. The AAP says babies should have NOTHING but breastmilk or formula until 4-6 months of age. (Preferably closer to 6 mos.) Giving her solid foods early will put her at risk for allergies, asthma, diabetes and obesity. The idea that cereal will help her sleep better is an old wives tale. Her system is NOT ready to digest cereal yet...she doesn't have the enzymes to digest it at this early age!
At 3 weeks old, it's very normal that she still has days and nights confused. And it's NORMAL for her to continue to NEED to be fed at night for a long time still. She is trying to double her birthweight by 6 months. She NEEDS to eat 24 hours a day. Continue to breastfeed or formula feed her on demand at night. She still has several growth spurts to go through right now.
When she wakes at night, do not turn on the lights or only use a very dim nightlight. Speak quietly and softly to her. Make the nighttime atmosphere very different than the daytime atmosphere to help her understand that it is time to go back to sleep, not to stay up to play.
2006-08-13 08:03:57 · answer #3 · answered by momma2mingbu 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You DO NOT give cereal to a newborn! Newborns are going to need to sleep sometimes during the day. You should not try to keep her up all day long.
When she is a little older you can do things to get her into a better routine, but when she is only a few weeks old you need to let her do whatever her body needs. She needs to get up at night to eat now anyhow!
2006-08-13 08:03:02 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
No cereal, and she does not have her days and night mixed up some newborns it takes time for them to adjust to your sleep schedule. I have a 4 month old that gets up at 2 am . I am an adult and do not sleep at night everyone has there pattern it could be your child does not like the brightness of the day. See she already has a personality ;-)
2006-08-13 08:03:03 · answer #5 · answered by College Student 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Three weeks is too young to give a baby cereal, her digestive system can't tolerate it yet. There's not much you can do about her sleeping through the night, again she's too young, I would expect to have at least a few more months of sleepless night. Take naps during the day when your baby does and it will help you to get through those 3AM feedings. Good luck.
2006-08-13 09:10:32 · answer #6 · answered by latingirl0527 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First time mom?........................... Well, babies sleep most of the day when there new Born's. Don't worry your O.K. There sleeping patterns are weird. Unfortunately you were blessed with a baby that sleeps all day and is up all night. My suggestion to you is go with the flow and see what your baby's personality is later on. Bond with her. They also say that not to have the baby's area quite; that you should go on a do everything that you normally do. Like that the baby get use to your home style.
2006-08-13 08:09:27 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
That's life with a baby. She'll get it straight but life for the parents at 3 weeks can be very tiring! Try to sleep yourself during the day when she does so you can at least be sane.
2006-08-13 10:56:39 · answer #8 · answered by Courtne 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think that a newborn needs as much sleep as possible because the nervous system of newborns is immature. Let the little angel rest.
2006-08-13 08:04:12 · answer #9 · answered by jolie 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Hi there mrs dog bone
She is still a little to young for cereal i would say when shes asleep in the day then you get some sleep to hun its hard work i know my little girl was the same she was asleep most of the day and wake up 4 times at night. hope this helps
2006-08-13 08:06:02 · answer #10 · answered by Foxy lady 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋