How can i get my baby sleeping through the night?

Question

We are first-time parents and our daughter is now 12 weeks old and is still not sleeping through the night. She doesn't seem to like the moses basket and wakes up immediately when you put her in there. We have been trying her in the cot and she still isn't sleeping. She seems to have day and night mixed up, which i hear is normal. But how can we turn it around? Does it make a difference that she was 5 weeks premature? Do I just let her naturally get into a sleeping pattern or are there any tricks? Please help.

Answer 1

To correc tthe mix up between day and night, we found that we stimulate the baby more during the day to prevent him from sleep so much. the less sleep he got during the day the more he sleeps at night. In due time he will just naturally sleep more at night. Also to make him sleep longer we would feed him just before he sleeps. Some people would dream feed their babies too. I have not done this, but apparently you can gently wake the baby up in the middle of the night and give him/her some milk and put them straight back to sleep again... That may work for you. And don't forget to swaddle your little one tightly. They feel more secure and become less fussy.

Answer 2

The same thing happened to my daughter about that age. She started sleeping through the nights at 5 weeks then all of a sudden started sleeping more during the day and awake more at night. My pediatrician told me that since she had already been sleeping through the night then she doesn't need to eat then. (Except maybe if she was on a growth spurt. I was nursing too so it was hard on me.) She told me to make sure she was okay (not cold or hurt) and then let her cry. But not to feed her. As hard as this was it seemed to work. I also didn't let her sleep or take a nap after 5pm. I know they say don't wake a sleeping baby or prevent them from sleeping when they are tired but to help get the days back I needed to do this. But some babies just need to find their sleeping pattern on their own. Are you putting her to bed awake? This can also help her learn to fall back asleep if she awakens during the night. Is she in her own room yet? If she's cold try a sleeper instead of the moses blanket. Have you had her 3 month check up yet? You can also ask her doctor for a few ideas to get another perspective. Good luck!!!

Answer 3

You cant make a baby a sleeping schedule while they are that young never mind trying to get her to sleep through the night! Every baby is different some sleep through the night the day after the hospital while some take years to learn to wake up in the morning. I am one of the lucky few whose baby started sleeping through the night at 6 weeks and even then I though 6 weeks was too long. When my baby was only a few weeks old she would be up all day and not sleep even a wink until night came, I talked to my nurse because I was concerned that she was sleep deprived and she told me not to worry..When a baby is tired she will sleep no matter what the conditions or where you are! What you can do to get started is get into a routine...Give your baby a bath, read her a short story, then give her a warm bottle or breastfeed her..let her lay content until she dozes off...Eventually she will recognze this routine and now what things follow one another. Some babys nap during the day frequesntly while some wont sleep at all..If your baby say gets up at around 6pm from her last nap..keep her awake until 8-9pm and then put her to bed. Your baby may not like this as many don't and in that case you will just have to wait until your new little boss calls the shots. Remember to sleep whenever she is sleeping and when its light let the light shine in and the sounds of day creep in and at night make it very quiet and dark...This is the biggest trick of all is to let them understand the difference, this has helped my daughter and now she naps 2-3 times during the day and sleeps during the night! Good luck and don't stress as it will get better.

Answer 4

My wife and I are 44 years old and have 4 children. Our first child was premature and after he came home from the hospital my wife would set up a routine at the end of the night. First you have to follow a routine that the baby will get used to. Start with a play time which would be talking or reading to them. This would start the calming process for the baby. Then give the baby a warm bath. After the bath, give the baby a bottle to fill the little tummy. Then put the baby to bed. You might want to start this at 7:00 pm and finish about 8:30 pm so that the baby is comforted clean and satisfied. It's best if you start at the same time every night so the baby will become acclimated to this routine.

Answer 5

when my kids were babys they always liked being swaddled in a sheet ( perhaps if u sleep with it for a couple of nights to get ur scent on it she may be just missing u so this might help also) , i suppose this is a sign of feeling safe and secure. u could try letting her have less naps and shortening them by waking her, also when u think its time for bed say about 6.30 give her a feed at 5ish, then bath, maybe a top up on the milk and bed it will probably b quite hard but if u keep at it im sure it will pay off. good luck x

Answer 6

My eldest was 6 weeks prem and I don't think that is an issue. Obviously, I don't know how you are handling things but my lad used to wake regularly through the night........he wasn't hungry or wet but I used to try to give him a feed which he didn't want. He did take a drink......but once I changed that to plain water after a couple of weeks he started sleeping through.
Whatever else..........don't worry that you are somehow doing something wrong. All children are different and there is no 'one size fits all' answer. You might try letting her sleep a little less in the day but not if it gets her stressed out.

Answer 7

Yes it does make a difference that she is 5 weeks premature. maturity and brain development is why baby's start sleeping longer. Your baby is actually seven weeks old. Most babies begin to sleep through the night at around 12 to 16 weeks. It takes time but it gets better. A very good book to read is by Dr. Marc Weissbluth Healthy Sleep habit, Healthy Child. I swear by this book and the all the different methods and they really work. You should try and begin a night time routine with your baby. She is too young to let her cry it out. If you decide that is the way you are going to go you daughter you would still have to wait until she is 25 weeks old. Because she was premature.You have to wait until they are at least 20 weeks. Try the book it really helps.
Good Luck with your baby!!!

Mommy of 4

Answer 8

My baby all of the sudden started sleeping 5 -6 or more hours strait per night when she turned 3 months old. She was 2 weeks late so I think that makes a difference. I still have to put my baby down in her bassinet when she is already asleep or mostly asleep or she will wake right up and also I usually have to nurse her before she will fall asleep. I think that babies will start sleeping through the night when they are ready and that we shouldnt try and push them. During the day we keep the lights on and dont turn down any of the sound and during the night we dim the lights and quiet the sound so that she can distinguish the difference between night and day. I still think your baby is too young to let cry it out during the night. I think its cruel and your baby needs you to soothe it at this age, in a few months your baby might be ready to cry it out if you feel like trying that. I dont think I will let my baby cry it out ever, but i may change my mind in a few months. I think as mothers we should follow our instincts because each baby is different.

Answer 9

at 2 0.5 months my daughter slept 4 hours at a time. She did not sleep with the help of the nighttime till she change into round 6 months previous. with the help of the nighttime I mean bedtime at 8 pm and getting up at 7 am the subsequent day. She might want to wake atleast once a nighttime from the time she change into 2 months to 5 months previous. She might want to desire a bottle and diaper replace. reliable luck Morgaine

Answer 10

Try:

Moses basket: switch to a cot that has more space. Also try her in her own room as her own space and quiet may be what she needs.

She may be hungry - if she is bottle fed try a formula for hungry babies at bed time

Try controlled crying - it sounds mean, but done in a caring way it is best for her and you. Basically good night time routine of bath story and bed. Always same time. Then put her down for her sleep. If she crys a little rub on her tummy and say shush gently. then walk await. leave it a few minutes then return if she is still crying. look up the technique on the Internet

Are her gums sore or cheeks red - if so may be teething in which case you have to wait for it to pass. Try calpol or other paediatric pain killer

Hope this helps