my 7 week old baby?

Question

Hi, i have a 7 week old little boy and he sleeps perfect at night time wakes every 4 hours and goes to bed at around 7pm every night..He is awake alot during the day and when it come time to sleep i have to hold him and pat his bum and wrap him up in a light cotton wrap,i have a 3 year old and kinda can not remember doing that to her mmm is this Normal???

Should i let him cry for a little while

Answer 1

i think that's sweet...i see no harm in doing that at 7 weeks...but id start tapering it off soon...or you'll have to do that for a long time...cuddle them while you can...cause THEY GROW UP!!!! FAST!

Answer 2

The most important thing for a baby of that age is routine. We got our daughter into a routine straight after birth and its paying off now.

A good tip is to use a swaddle cloth, your boy has no control over his arms yet and will keep himself awake by moving his arms that will distract him.

I would suggest that you need to just go through the trouble of getting him to go to sleep in his cot, if you don't do it now, it'll be worse as he gets older.

Try the pat-shush technique. Its tiring and can be very tough on you. Put him down in his cot and leave him, when he cries go in, pick him up, pat his back/bum and shush him. As soon as he is quiet, put him down again. You must stick with it and it doesn't take long for a baby to learn what is happening and he will respond.

Another thing could be that he is not getting enough sleep during the day, causing him to be over tired, that makes it very hard to get a baby to sleep. He needs a good sleep in the mid-morning and a good sleep in mid-afternoon.

The main thing is that you are caring for him and he knows that you're his mum and is responding to you. There's not much harder than raising kids, so don't worry, you're doing a great job.

Figure out the routine and stick to it.

Check out the Miracle Blanket from Bonfit Baby......I swear by it ..

http://www.cradleandall.co.uk/show_product.php?prod_id=1165

You can get them on ebay very easily if there isn't a shop near you.

Keep your chin up and best wishes

Answer 3

It is not unusual.

My first baby did not sleep during the day and fought sleep at night then all of a sudden at 8 months he slept through the night and had 'normal' daily naps. My second child slept through the night almost from the beginning, if fact he liked to sleep so much it was not unusual to have to wake him to ensure he got enough food.

Each child has different needs and demands. My sister-in-law had to hold her son until he was asleep as he would cry if put directly into a cot.

If you know he has been nourished properly don't worry and let his personality come through.

Answer 4

During the day time try giving him a bottle or breastfeed and make sure that he is dry, burped and comfortable. Then wrap him and lay him down and leave him in a familiar place where he sleeps. He may cry but you have to leave him for a minute or so. if he continues to cry go in and reassure him that you are there but don't pick him up. Continue to do this spacing out the time over longer intervals. Eventually he will go to sleep. Use a dummy if you have to, it will not hurt. Sometimes they just want something to suck on for comfort.

Answer 5

Every child is different and if you are happy with this settling method then continue. Your baby seems to sleep well after you have done this. If you are not then you have to try to change the routine. Your baby will probably cry for a while, but if you keep to the same routine that you develop then he will eventually settle this other way. If it was me, I would continue with the current method, it may take time, but it works well and your baby is getting a lot of love from you while you are holding and patting him.

Answer 6

He is perfectly normal - in fact it sounds like he is doing great by sleeping for four hour stretches at night. Many babies wake up and need to be fed even more often than that. Babies that tiny have very tiny stomachs so they need to be fed often. Also, they may just need reassurance and love from mom. Nightwaking in infant may actually have developmental benefits. Here's an article all about infant sleep that I found very helpful when my daughter was young. It says, 'In the first three months, tiny babies seldom sleep for more than four-hour stretches without needing a feeding. '
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/7/T070200.asp

I would definitely not let a baby that young cry. It is impossible to spoil a baby. If he is crying, it is to communicate a true need to you. It sounds like everything you are doing is just fine!

Answer 7

I think we almost all have to do that with our babies - help them in some way to fall asleep. I usually rub my girl's tummy and give a few kisses now that she's older, but when she was little we'd wrap her up snug like it sounds you are doing. I dont think you have to let your baby cry, there is nothing wrong with rocking, singing, etc to your newborn. I 'spoiled' my daughter like crazy and she is a great sleeper now. We stopped rocking her to sleep around 4 mths I think, maybe a little later, because she started being able to go to bed by her own. Naps were always much harder than at bedtime, but napping is really important so I think you should do whatever works to get your baby to sleep (without letting them 'cry it out').

Answer 8

I found the "swaddling" method (wrapping in light cotton wrap) was fine when our son was newborn, but I wouldn't expect that to be necessary at 7 weeks. Congrats by the way!

Our son, now 4 months old, did settle when swaddled in the first few weeks, but then we stopped that and just nursed him till he fell tired, then put him down to sleep.

We found that walking away before they actually fell asleep was better than waiting for him to sleep before leaving him.

I suppose all babies are different though.

Answer 9

Relax ... you are doing fine. All babies are different and just because your three your old behaved differently at nap time doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong now with your new baby.
When my second daughter was a baby she used to love her nap time. I would just give her a cuddle and say "time to rest now" and carry her upstairs. We'd sing some songs and then she'd nap for a couple of hours. I guess she got used to the idea that nap time was a time of peace, relaxation and cuddles. And it sounds like your baby does too. Enjoy him and congratulations.

Answer 10

I have 3 kids, each one will have different behaviours, my newest one is 5 months and is the polar opposite of his 4 year old brother, and both were differnet from the first. It's all normal, as long as the baby is healthy and happy, your fine.

Answer 11

Dear Aussie,

Perfectly normal! Please don't listen to those that say not to pick your baby up right away when he cries. Seven weeks is too young to let cry, folks!

The more you hold a baby, the sooner they will feel comfortable and let you go.

Please people, don't use web-sites as references without having any experience in these matters. Every baby is different, always was, and always will be.