I need help on a sleep pattern for my newborn!?

Question

I have a 3 week old newborn and he will be a month on thursday, but he doesnt really sleep through the night. he wakes a couple times and its starting to get really tiring. How do i get him to sleep through the night a lot more?

Answer 1

You shouldn't be expecting a 3-4 week old baby to sleep through the night. It's unrealistic. Only babies on TV do that. A month old baby NEEDS to be feeding around the clock. He is trying to double his birthweight by 6 months of age and that requires frequent feedings. His tummy is only the size of his little fist. Imagine if you had to double your weight that fast! You'd be getting up to eat at night too! If he is only waking "a couple of times" then that's GREAT because many babies would still be feeding every 2 hours around the clock at this point. TECHNICALLY, one 5 hour stretch of sleep is considered "sleeping through the night."

Sleep when he sleeps. Take a nap during the day. Go to bed earlier yourself. Wake him to feed him right before you go to bed in hopes of getting him to go a little longer stretch at night before he needs you. Bring him into bed with you, especially if you are breastfeeding. Just be sure to follow safe cosleeping guidelines.

EDITED TO ADD:
DO NOT give your child cereal this early. It is an old wive's tale that it will help them sleep. AND the AAP recommends waiting until 6 months to start solid foods. Until then ALL the child needs is breastmilk or formula. Starting solids too soon can lead to allergies, diabetes and obesity.

AND ONCE AGAIN:
You should NOT let a 1 month old cry it out. Crying is how a baby this age COMMUNICATES. If the child is crying, he NEEDS something. You DO NOT leave him to his own defenses. He is helpless and doesn't even understand completely yet that mom and baby are two separate beings. Responding to his crys helps to build trust and teach him that people love him and will meet his needs. Even the so called "experts" who do suggest CIO DO NOT recommend it prior to *6 months* of age for these very reasons! Babies NEED to eat around the clock at this age.

Answer 2

It's a very *real* need and a primal instinct for your newborn to wake so often. Rest assured this is totaly normal and in time you will get more rest.
Here are a few tips in the meantime:

-sleep when your baby sleeps
-co-sleep at night, your baby will sleep better being so close to you and you won't need to get up to feed ( assuming your nursing ) HOWEVER, you must safely co-sleep, ie: don't smoke or do drugs or drink, no sleepy medications, firmly fitted sheets etc. If you are a super heavy sleeper then it isn't reccomended either. Instead, you could take a side-rail off your crib and have it beside your bedside, right up against the wall. It gives you easy access to baby and separate sleeping quarters.
-limit noise and lights when your baby does night-wake, this will show him that nighttime is not playtime
-have a trusted friend/family member come and babysit during the day so you can rest, in between feeds of course

Remember, you are not alone in feeling so overwhelmed with a newborns intense needs. Your attention to him at the young age will pay off in the long run.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

All I can say is good luck! I have a 4 month old and a 3 and a half year old. My first child didn't sleep through until she was a year old, and it looks like my second one is on the same path. She still gets up once a night. they just have to grow out of it. Alot of people said to try cereal, but i did and it made no difference. Some babies just need more food is all!

Answer 4

You need to be patient. My son did not sleep through the night, every night, until he was almost one yrs old. Honey, there is no way you child is going to sleep through the night anytime soon. You may have a night every now and again that he will sleep, but then you are going to wake up at some point and freak out because he hasn't woke up and you think something is wrong. When he gets a little older you can try to give him cereal in his bottle at night. The idea is they will be fuller and sleep longer. That didn't work on my son. Sorry I don't have a better answer.

Answer 5

Babies this little are not meant to sleep through the night. They spend most of the first 3 months growing. They have to eat frequently to keep up with the calories that they are burning to grow. Just feed him when he wakes (I know it is a pain!), but you will have a happier and healthier baby.
And, not to discourage you, but my two youngest (ages 3 and 2) STILL do not always sleep through the night. Things will get better, but at this age, they will sleep when THEY want to sleep and they will cry when they are hungry. There are only 4 things that babies this age HAVE to do: eat, sleep, poo, and grow. Things should be getting a little better in a few months when his stomach gets bigger and his feeds can get bigger. It just takes time and A LOT of patience.

Answer 6

Sorry to say that is quite normal for a 3 week old baby. It will get better. He is probably waking for a feed. I would try to get some sleep during the day when he is sleeping. There are things you can do to try to help him get in to good habits. When he wakes for a feed in the night, don't put all the lights on and don't stimulate him too much. During the day, talk to him more and he will eventually learn the difference between day and night. Is he feeding more often during the day? Some people try to change the feeding pattern by trying to feed slightly more often in the day and then have the last feed around 11pm in the hope that he will go longer. It doesn't always work and is probably better to feed on demand if you can and he will eventually go for longer periods but the things above can help the longer periods happen at night. Good luck and enjoy this time. Try to accept help if you have it and don't try to do too much. Don't listen to parents or grandparents who say that their baby slept during the night. Most are exaggerating or have selective memory and a very few are just very lucky.

Answer 7

My baby slept through the night at one month old. The trick is, no late afternoon naps for the baby try to work it so the last nap they take is before 6:00. In the bottle before bed time add cereal to the bottle to make it more filling, but not to thick. If he has not had cereal before mix a little light corn syrup in with the bottle maybe 1/2 a teaspoon. This will prevent constipation. At a month old it is time for cereal, that is why he is still waking up the milk is not enough to keep him full through the night. My recomedation is work on this about a week, you have to slowly fit him into a new schedule, My schedule with my baby was 10, 2, 6. Try to stretch his feedings every four hours if he will let you (except during the night) if he does not go that long then you might need to increase the amount he is getting each feeding. Hope I helped.

Answer 8

Most babies will not start to sleep through the night until they are at least 2-3 months old. Until that time you'll probably be a zombie. Just keep doing whatever you are doing and know that it won't last forever. I know it's hard to see now, but things really will get better. Also, accept any help that people offer to you. Good luck.

Answer 9

Pray that you get a baby who sleeps through the night be six weeks! Right know there isn't much to do. Feed him more during the day, when he does awake at night keep it quiet and dark and after you feed him put him right back down again. He just needs to figure out that night time isn't play time. Don't worry when he's 10 I'm sure you'll get your sleep back!!!

Answer 10

We found it easier to sleep when he does. He didn't really go through the night, like 12 til 6, until he was a few months old.