3 week old wanting to be held all the time?

Question

My 3 week old daughter is only happy if she's being held or being fed.

Is she too young to let cry for awhile, or is it true that some babies need more love than others?

I can't hold her all the time, I have a 13 month old daughter that needs attention too.

Answer 1

It will not hurt to let her cry for a little bit while you are attending to your 1 yr old. You can put her down and let her cry, but go look at her every once in a while so she knows she is being heard and put her in a swing or bouncer in the same room you and your daughter are in so she can see you. My kids are 12 months apart...I know how you feel!!!!!!! It's hard to divide your time. I tried to read to my 1 yr old while feeding my baby and stuff like that to try and even the attention. So, follow your instincts and good luck!! It'll pass!

Answer 2

I have a 3 month old and she loves to be held too. I also have a 3 year old. When their that young its ok to hold them cause they are so use to being inside you that they cry when you don't have them so yeah go ahead and hold your baby don't try to let her cry it out yet shes too young.And for your other baby let him/her help you with the small baby and when the little baby is asleep spend time with the bigger one. Babies need lots of love so give it to them.Don't listen to some of these people who are rude. So what you had a baby at a young age that don't mean your a bad person just do what you think would be best. GOD gave you those babies for a reason and that reason is because HE thought you would take care of them so keep being a great mama and keep asking questions that your not sure about cause there are nice people on here that will give you all the advice you need.I'm 22 and got pregnant with my first child when I was 19 and had her 3 months before I turned 20 now I have a second child and I'm 23 and she 3 months old.Just because your young doesn't mean your not smart.

Answer 3

3 weeks old is too young to be spoiled. Your daughter is an infant and her crying is her only way to communicate with you. For some reason she needs to be held and fed more. Some babies require more attention than others. Maybe she is developing colic or something. Each baby is different. Hold her as much as you can. Don't' leave her to cry. Get as much help as you can -- you're very busy taking care of two!!! If she cries for 2 or 3 hours then you should call the doctor.

GOOD LUCK!!!!

Answer 4

Oh gosh yes it's WAYYYYY to early to let her CIO. Personally, I don't believe in that but even the experts who do suggest it will tell you NOT to do it before 6 months of age!

She's only 3 weeks old. A child this age is NOT manipulative! Being held is a true NEED for her at such an early age. Just 3 short weeks ago she was inside your belly and could see/hear/smell/taste/feel you every second of every day. She is not old enough to know you exhist when you aren't in contact with her right now. AND she still thinks of the two of you as one single being right now.

Another reason that they say not to CIO at such a young as is that babies NEED to be fed frequently when they are this young. They are trying to double their birthweight by 6 mos and that takes a lot of feeding! (Imagine if you had to double your weight that fast!)

And it's just a survival instinct!

Do you have a sling? Wearing her in a sling will help you to take care of her and meet the needs of your toddler.

Plan ahead to help take care of both kids.
Pack diaper bags for outings in the evening before bed.
Prepare sippys of milk or water for your toddler at night or first thing in the a.m. and keep them in the fridge so they can be grabbed quick.
Keep quick, healthy and easy to grab snacks available for you and your toddler.

Get hubby or other friends or family members to help out some until baby is a little older. The first 6 weeks are the hardest. They go through SO many growth spurts SO close together in that time! Common times for growth spurts are during the first few days at home and around 7-10 days, 2-3 weeks, 4-6 weeks, 3 months, 4 months, 6 months and 9 months (more or less). Hopefully, once you pass that 6 week growth spurt she will fall into some routines and you'll find you can put her down for short periods of time without her becoming upset.

Try to spend some special one-on-one time with your toddler while the baby is sleeping. You can even involve her in baby care some. "Will you sing to baby while I change her diaper?" or "Please bring mommy a burp cloth/bib/diaper for the baby." When baby is nursing you can sing or read stories to your toddler or play with puppets.

When you simply have to put the baby down for a few minutes, you can try different things to see what she likes best. Swing, bouncy seat, car seat, bassinet, etc. Maybe one place is better for her than others. I found that putting mine down somewhere like a swing or car seat where they were still sort-of enclosed and had a sensation similar to being held (as opposed to a wide-open crib or pack-n-play) might work better. Try swaddling her too. Then, talk to her while you are doing whatever you are doing for your other child or for yourself. "Mommy is right here..." etc. Or even have your older child sit beside her and play with her feet or sing to her (if you feel you can trust her to be nice and not try to pick her up).

Answer 5

Small babies are like that, it's normal. Do you have a strap on baby carrier? They are great because the baby is close to your body and feels held but your hands are free. I'm talking about the kind of carrier where the baby is strapped to your tummy and there is a head support. If you don't have one, see if you can borrow one from a friend or purchase one, they are great.

It's really hard having two little ones, but they grow up so fast. Enjoy this time with your newborn, it won't last. Don't worry about house keeping, laundry etc. It will just have to wait for now. Those babies are most important!

Congrats on your new baby!

Answer 6

She is way too young to be allowed to cry. She's not crying to annoy you, or take you away from your other child... she's crying because she needs you.

Try having someone else hold her during the evenings, or when you're not alone. During the day, put her in a snugglie or any type of infant carrier, so she'll get the closeness she needs and it will free your hands to play or tend to your other child.

Answer 7

Babies that young cry because they need you. Yeah, its hard to have 2 kids at a time. You are a teen mommy? Things to think about to make sure there is not a next time.

Answer 8

yes, she is too old to let cry. I have a twin brother and sister(twins) which are 13 months old also. They don't have to be held very often, so you might have to start letting the oldest one cry a little bit, but not much. I love your name by the way*TeenMommy*

Answer 9

Darlin', human contact-especially from the mother-is the most essential factor in any and every childs' development. It imparts a sense of Love and safety, which are the foundation for all aspects of character development. To put it simply, it is their instict to want touch......it is their only real validation of security at that age. Hell, ancient Aboriginal tribes in Australia never put their children down until they could walk. In turn they have the most peaceful existing culture known to man. Touch is key

Answer 10

She sounds like she has colic, colic starts at 2 weeks peeks at 2 months and goes around 3 months, my baby had it for about a month, and all you can do is just put up with it, it will eventually pass. Try buying a sling so your hands on for your other little one.