4 weeks old baby wont sleep?

Question

i have a four weeks old new baby hich does not want to sleep[ in cot or moses basket will only sleep if walking around with him all the time as soon as put him down when got him to sleep wakes up straight away any advice please

Answer 1

My son went through the same thing...what helped with me was swaddling him with a blanket and sometimes rocking him in a chair till he fell asleep OR i would lay him down on his belly ( even though most people say you shouldnt...it was the ONLY way he would sleep) and while on his tummy, i would kinda rock him back and fourth with my hand to make him think he was being held and walking around...it does help. best of luck and hope you get some much needed rest soon!

Answer 2

Ok, if you've exhausted all the obvious (hungry, wet dirty, cold/hot, etc) then you could consider letting him cry for a while to see if he will self soothe. It is also possible that he might have wind/colic or even reflux. Babies with reflux hate being lain down flat on their backs and will cry inconsolably, and often but not always sick up a lot of their feeds. If this sounds like it is the case try raising the head of his cradle up on some thick books or by putting a pillow under the mattress and consult your GP or Health Visitor as he might also need medication to help him. Swaddling as some people have already mentioned may well help him, for some reason it helps them feel more secure and they may sleep then. I would strongly recommend against sleeping him on his tummy as this dramatically increases the risk of SIDS/cot death.

Answer 3

At this age, babies need to be comforted, cuddled and lots of contact. You are not spoiling your baby by picking him up, rocking, and soothing him to sleep.

Nap when your little one naps even if you want to do other things take time for yourself and get some sleep when he sleeps. Your baby will eventually sleep better.

If you have a sling put him in it and walk around with him as much as possible. It may help him relax. If he falls asleep in the sling, remove him and gently put him in his moses basket and take a nap with him.

If you have the basket in a different room than you put it where you are. When he wakes if you tend to him quickly in the early months they don't seem to fuss as much because they learn that you are there taking care of them. They learn to trust.

Some other things that may help-check to see if his diaper needs to be changed, if he may be hungry (if breastfed they tend to eat close to 1 1/2 -3 hours and if formula fed 2-4 hours), if he is too hot or too cold. If you notice his stomach has a lot of gas talk to your doctor to see what you can do to help. Some babies have colic and it is just a phase that they go through.

Babies love to be swaddled. Swaddle him when you put him to sleep.

If you have someone to help you, let them help you so you can get a little rest!!!! It is tough in the first months but it does get better and it is all worth it!!!

Good Luck!!!!

Answer 4

Four weeks old is too soon for a baby to learn to put themselves to sleep. My oldest went through that, and as hard as it is, you will get through it. You didn't mention if he napped well during the day or not. At four weeks, it's hard to get a real schedule going, so if he does nap during the day, as much as you may want to get things done, give in and get a good nap also.

We had a vibrating bouncy seat that really helped. We would swaddle him very tightly and when he had fallen asleep, place him in the seat. That only lasted for about 2 weeks till he was able to be placed in his crib.

The answer from Mommy was a great one also!!! Infant swings really do work!!!!!

Good luck!! I know it's hard, but when you're walking the floors and feel alone, try to remember that you're not. There are about a million other women going through the same thing at the same moment. You will get through it and you will sleep again. I promise!!!!

Answer 5

First of all I just want to point out that you can't "spoil" a four week old baby. They don't have the mental capacity to think "hmmm..I know exactly how to get mum to do what I want". Babies love to be cuddled by their mums. They get the reassurance, love and warmth they need from cuddles.

Go through the checklist: Is he wet, cold, too warm, hungry, etc. Does he have colic? Rule out anything medical.

Young babies love to be swaddled. It creates the enviroment of the womb and prevents those jerky movements that babies make and wake themselves with. Try this website:

www.bumpto3.com

They sell the ever-popular Gro-bag. Your baby is too young for a gro-bag of course but they have just started selling Swaddling bags. They're for very young babies.

In the meantime I would put just try to reassure your baby when he's in his moses basket by rubbing his tummy or his back and let him know that you're there. HE'S TOO YOUNG FOR THE "CRY IT OUT" method. If you just leave him to cry he'll just feel abandoned and scared. That method is meant for much older babies and even then a lot of parents aren't comfortable with it.

Take care and the best of luck. It does get easier believe me!

Answer 6

Do you have a baby sling that you can wear him in?

Also, when you lay him down, don't lower your arms down to the bed. Instead, keep him close to your body and lower your whole torso so that you are very close to the bed with him and slide your arms out from under him. We used to say we couldn't let our oldest "feel gravity" or he'd wake up.

Try putting him in a swing or carseat so he is still surrounded and still has the sensation of being held to some extent.

Try warming the mattress before you lay him down with a warm rice sock, hot pad or electric blanket. Just be sure to take it out when baby is in the bed.

Are you swaddling him tightly so he doesn't wake himself up with his movements?

Answer 7

My son was the same way, the only thing that helped was a swing - http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2265268&cp=&f=Taxonomy%2FTRUS%2F2255957&origkw=swing&kw=swing&parentPage=search-

He would sleep in it for hours! Don't worry about spoiling him, he's your baby...love and care can never spoil a baby! He is now 5 months old and sleeps in the crib. It's kind of a transistion from mommy's arms to the swing to the crib...and not too many tears are involved :)

When my friends with little(er) babies come over they put their babies in the swing- and sure enough the baby is asleep in 5 min...

Good luck!

Answer 8

He may be getting used to being rocked to sleep and hasn't learnt how to go off to sleep by himself. As he's only 4 weeks old this problem may resolve itself, but if not (and you are going crazy) there are special clinics that can help.

I'm in Western Australia and I used the services of Ngala. I stayed for a week and they 'trained' my baby (and me) to sleep. Was the best thing I ever did! They feed you, hold your hand and basically help you to be confident as a parent. Plus you're there with other Mums and Dads who are in the same boat.

Answer 9

I would lay the baby on the belly, gently pat back and hum as the baby calms gradually stop patting and just lay hand on back until baby is out. It may take longer the first couple of times but consistency is the key.

Answer 10

try the controlled crying method which means that you leave him for a couple of minutes and gradually leave it longer and longer. you don't pick them up when you go to them, you just go and reasure them. eventually he will wear himself out doing this, although i wouldn't bother with the moses basket as then you may have the same problem when you put him in his cot. you could try swaddling him tightly to make him feel secure. good luck i know this can be exhausting :)