Newborns on schedules???

Question

Is it possible to put a newborn on a schedule??? My son is almost 2 weeks old and I seriously think he has his days and nights mixed up. He has taken one good nap today and the rest of the time he is either wide awake which is fine, but when it comes time for bed he doesnt want to sleep. He will start to fall asleep and when I lay him in his crib he wakes up and cries. The only way I can get a little sleep is if I lay him on my chest. I know I cant keep doing that though. Is it ok to lay him in his crib and let him cry himself to sleep? I dont know what to do. I feel like I am going crazy! I just want to do things the right way. This is my first baby, and I am lost. Please help!!!

Answer 1

Yes it is possible to put a newborn on a schedule. I would try doing the same routine every night. What I do is give my daughter a bath, then feed her and rock her to sleep, swaddle her and put her in her cradle. It worked for my first child, and is now working for my 2 week old (it took a few days). Give it time, a lot of babies get their days and nights confused. Try not to get stressed, it will get better, I promise! Remember, he is trying to get used to this new experience too! I hope this helps! Good Luck!

Answer 2

I think it is important to put a newborn on a schedule, but at such a young age think of it more as a routine. Try to remember it that he is just been "on the outside" for a short time, and it will take some time for him to get used to it.
Stay calm at night when he is awake he can sense when you are frustrated and this will only make him feel the same way, use a soft lighting(like a night-light) and try some "white noise"(a fan or heartbeat music). During the day, he is used to the sound of the TV or your voice or a number of other noises which often help a baby sleep, so when it is completely dark and silent he may have a hard time falling and staying asleep. He is probably sleeping well on your chest in part because of the sound of your heartbeat.
I have 3 children, my youngest is just 6weeks and he sleeps well. I use the same blanket every night to cover him and as soon as it touches him, he falls right asleep. I think a 2 week old is too young to be able to "cry himself to sleep" . Even if he does fall asleep, he will be restless and wake up within a few minutes. It's better to get him comfortable. Once he can sooth himself then it is ok for him to cry a bit.

Answer 3

This stage of infancy is hard. You can suggest a schedule by clearly defining day and night. I used to open the curtains in the morning and keep the house bright until about an hour before bed. I dimmed the lights and closed the curtains. In time, the children learned the difference between night and day.

A newborn should still sleep all day. Do you have a sling or Snugli? You can take a walk or run the vacuum with baby in the sling to help him sleep. It's counterintuitive, but good naps lead to good night sleeping, which leads to good naps!

Please don't make him cry by himself now. He still thinks he's a part of you. Is there someone who can help you by holding baby while you shower, cook, have a cup of tea? Do you have a swing? The swing was the only place my first would sleep (besides my chest). Letting baby sleep in the carseat is another trick.

The last thing that worked for me (and I was skeptical at first) was skin contact. It's magical! Put baby inside your button-down shirt (directly on your chest) for a nap. Let baby be as naked as you can stand while you do this. I don't know why it works, but it helps make babies feel more organized.

It sounds like you have a high-need baby, and it is a challenging job. You're doing great. Get as much help as you can! When someone offers, ask what they want to do (laundry, shopping, cooking) and tell them when to do it. You'll get through this!

Answer 4

He is only two weeks, he runs on instinct not knowledge. Regarding his schedule, observe what he does during a 24 hour period. He has had his own schedule for the past nine months, it's just not the same as yours. Slowly you can change this. Interact with him more during the day and try to shorten naps close to his "bedtime". Also during night feedings keep it quiet, boring and with dimmed lights, he will catch on. With him not sleeping when you put him down, he just doesn't want to be away from you. He has been listening to you breathe and your heart beat for 9 months, he is not soothing himself without you. There is a bear that you can buy that might help him. It plays the noise of a heart beat or the noise the baby heard in your womb. It might be worth a try. Try to get him to soothe himself not let him cry at night. When he is older and knows better, or realizes what is going on then they can cry, but not now. God luck and don't worry it will all work out soon.

Answer 5

Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child was a god send! It is definitely ok to let your baby cry himself to sleep, starting self soothing is a good thing. But I agree about not letting him cry for extended periods of time.

The earlier you can get him on a schedule the better for both you and him :) The other piece of advice that I would offer you is that take advantage of when he naps and sleep when he does, then you're getting some sleep!

Good Luck!

Answer 6

With my son I did the feed on demand thing for the first 3 months then watched his eating patterns and he developed a schedule on his own. I let him cry himself to sleep when he was 4 months and has slept great since. I am a firm believer in the bedtime ritual also and started one for my son when was 3 months, which included bath, book, bed. Babies that young don't understand what your reading but its calming for a young baby to hear your voice. Reading also increases vocabulary. Put him to bed awake and let him cry for 5 mins, go back in there and rub his back, repeat until he falls asleep. It also helps if they are NOT using a pacifier then you don't have to keep putting it back in which can get tiring.

Answer 7

the only schedule he is going to be on is his own. he probably wake up because 1 he cant hear your rhythmic heartbeat and 2 your warm his bed is not. try putting a clock in his crib to mimic your heart beat then put a heating pad where you will lay him just be for you lay him down remove the heating pad so his bed will be warm make sure he is swaddled snugly so he feels secure lastly make sure there is a blanket or one of you shirts that you have worn for him to lay on so he can smell you. newborns recognize you by your smell since they cant see well at first. i know it sounds like a lot but it works my son was the same way and he still likes to cuddle up in my robe to take a nap or relax hes now 10 good luck i hope it works for you too.

Answer 8

It is too early. At this age, it is very common for infants to be mixed up about night and day.
Both my wife and I (especially her) thought we were going crazy with the birth of our first child, that is very normal, and very stressful. Just keep telling yourself that this stage is temporary, it will not last forever.
Your baby and you will slowly but surely evolve into a schedule, but it does take some time (usually several weeks, sometimes a bit more).

At two weeks he is much too young to be left to cry it out. Right now, he needs to know someone is there for him always, that someone will comfort him and connect with him always. He was connected to you for 9 months, and suddenly that all stopped. He needs to know you are still there with him. It it extremely draining, but you need to allow him to sleep on you, to be close to you. You will thank yourself later, when he grows into a happy, well adjusted and trusting little guy.

Answer 9

most newborns sleep most of the time. I don't think you can do much now, but at 6 weeks he will be old enough that you should keep him awake as much as possible during the day and then at 9:30 pm feed him and ten minutes after he's eaten and burped put him in the crib with a fisher price soft toy. ( the same toy every night will give him the signal it;s bedtime.) if he cries ---wait ten minutes before picking him up. every night add 5 minutes.this should work. good luck!! p.s. if you must feed him during the night keep it to one bottle at 2:30 to 3:00 am. after a week substitue water for formula. and a week after that hold him for 5 minutes and back to bed. if you are a nursing mom---you are screwed. you will never sleep again. and your child will be whiny and clingy.

Answer 10

YES!!! Read "Healthy sleep habits, Happy Child." My son is 9 months old, and we put him on a schedule at about 3 weeks old. Crying himself/herself to sleep is a good thing. They learn to self soothe. Don't let them cry for maybe more than 5 minutes. They will feel abandoned. You must follow your instincts though.