Our 8 week old little girl has been a great addition to our life, however the sleep deprivation is starting to get to us both. How can we start the process of teaching her to sleep for longer periods of time?
2006-11-18 02:34:20 · 11 answers · asked by Tyler M 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
Only babies on TV sleep through the night this young.
Real babies need to eat around the clock at this age.
They are trying to double their birthweight by 6 mos.
Just imagine how much you'd have to eat if you needed to do this!
I wouldn't expect a baby under 6 mos to sleep through the night and honestly, it's normal for them to wake at night for the entire first year.
Technically, a 5 hour stretch of sleep is considered "sleeping through the night."
When she wakes at night, feed or change her with as little talking and light as possible. Keep the lights dim and whisper if you need to speak. This helps set a completely different tone from daytime interaction and helps teach her that night is for sleep, not play.
Consider bringing her into bed with you, especially if you are breastfeeding. Everyone gets much more sleep this way. Just be sure to follow safe cosleeping guidelines.
2006-11-18 04:24:20 · answer #1 · answered by momma2mingbu 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
8 week old babies DO wake up every 3-4 hours to eat. Expect this for the next 4-6 weeks or so. Then worry about letting her go a lil longer between feedings (15-20) minutes or so until she sleeps thru a feeding giving you more time in bed yourself. If she is breast fed it may take 5 months or so before she sleeps thru the entire night as breast milk is digested more quickly. I made sure mine was in sleeping in another room so I didn't answer every whimper. That made a huge difference.
2006-11-18 04:23:00 · answer #2 · answered by ronnie 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It took a really long time for our (now) 3 year-old to sleep through the night, but our (now) 6 month-old has slept through the night since he was about two weeks old, so the main thing to remember is that every kid is different. Try to nap whenever she does so that you can stay rested. I know there are probably things around the house that are driving you nuts, but they will wait.
But... How much are you feeding her? Is she draining her bottles, or falling asleep in your arms. If she's falling asleep, she's not getting enough to eat, so she's waking up because she's hungry. Don't be afraid to wake her up--burp her, bounce her, blow in her face--whatever you can do to keep her at least semi-conscious. Most of the time, even if she's asleep, brushing her cheek with your finger will trigger her rooting reflex and get her eating again.
Try to get her to eat till she's FULL! I thought my mother in law was nuts when she was letting Chris eat up to 10 ozs when he was two weeks old, but he slept!!! --For up to 6 or 7 hours!!! Now, the only reason he wakes up in the middle of the night is if he took too much formula and has wet his diaper to where he leaked through to his sleeper.
2006-11-18 02:43:48 · answer #3 · answered by suzy7o7 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Make sure her tummy is full when you put her down. If you're breast feeding it may be hard to see how much she is really getting. She should be up to about 4 oz per feeding by now. A her last feeding before bed, give her a bottle, and see that she gets it all. You can also try mixing the rice cereal with the milk/ formula, but you need a nipple with good flow.
2006-11-18 02:43:22 · answer #4 · answered by nytugcapt 3 · 0⤊ 3⤋
you could try getting her to eat an extra ounce or two before you want to put her down. its okay to put her to bed while she is awake. its helps in the long run. hopefully she'll get bored and fall asleep...which will become a routine.
my daughter started sleeping through the night 7+ hours when she was about 6 weeks old.
2006-11-18 02:43:19 · answer #5 · answered by kerpleenket 1 · 0⤊ 2⤋
do not believe you can "teach" to sleep for time periods, this is body requirement......dependent upon rest needed.
generally once a baby adapts to your/their routine - sleep falls into place right along with the other activities .....
things you can do to help ease into nighttime sleep could be.....
being sure temp in room is comfortable to outside temp, babys wardrobe reflects those temps, prior bathing in lavender scented babywash, nightlight is available but not in babys view, also lavender scents in the room area help calm hopefully to rest
....sometimes just basic comforts help us all.
2006-11-18 02:41:02 · answer #6 · answered by Marsha 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋
try keep her up in the day time as long as you can then give her a warm bath and a good bottle that should work
2006-11-18 15:10:48 · answer #7 · answered by This is just my opinion! 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
its an 8 week old baby.. babies that young DONT sleep though the night.. their stomaches and bodies cannot go that long without food...
didnt you look into this BEFORE you got pregnant???
2006-11-18 02:46:51 · answer #8 · answered by CF_ 7 · 1⤊ 3⤋
There really is no way to guarantee that. Just give it time, it will happen.
2006-11-18 03:59:06 · answer #9 · answered by hisbabygirl66 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You can't. She is still too young.
2006-11-18 02:55:49 · answer #10 · answered by KathyS 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋