My 2 month old daughter sleeps at the wrong time...?

Question

Okay, i know babies sleep alot but my 2 month old daughter sleeps all day, wakes up to eat but goes back to sleep, she if fully awake and playful about 9, 10p.m. stay up till about 2 p.m or 3, then she will sleep through the night till about 11a.m or 12 in the afternoon just to eat....and same routine. My doctor said keep her up during the day and i try, trust me when she wakes up to eat i try to keep her awake by holding her up, talking to her. I do everything but it seems she is so tired she just falls asleep in my arms regardless of what i am doing! She keeps me up so late i'm so tired and i'm starting to sleep late. Help me, what can i do?

Answer 1

this is perfectly normal for a baby of this age to have days and nights mixed up. what i did with my daughter was started her on a bedtime routine. she had her evening bottle around 6pm. we then sang songs and talked for about 15 mins. then it was bath time. i used the lavender baby shampoo and took my time bathing her, and talking to her while doing it. after a few nights she calmed down about the bath and was enjoying it. also i always had a radio on during bath times. but she also sleeps with a radio and this was comforting to her. i would then wrap her in a dry towel and snuggle for a few mins. then i would give her a baby massage that would last about 10-15 mins. then i would put her in her sleepers and put her in her bed. this was around 8pm or alittle later. she would sleep until around 2am and get up for a bottle, and after a few lullabys would go right back to sleep and stay asleep until 6-7am. we have stuck with this schedule, and even if a bath is skipped we still do the lotion massage, and she has slept through the night from 8pm until 6am from 12 weeks of age. also i have added a book in to the routine. try a bedtime routine, and keep her up by bathing and stimulating her for a few hours right before bed. hope it helps. hopefully a peaceful bedtime routine will help her get back on track. also during the day keep all of the lights on and around 6pm or so keep them dim or off. this will allow her natural clock to help too. good luck.

Answer 2

Geez, what a predicament?!?! I'm so sorry. If I were you I'd try to keep her awake as much as possible (as you are doing now) for a day. Let her nap for 15-30 minutes then wake her back up for as long as you possibly can. Give her tummy time and play with her while she is awake so you can wear her out. Implement a bed time and feeding schedule. If she's sleeping at that time then wake her up. It will be hard the first few days but after a while (when she's so worn out she'll sleep at night) she'll get back on track. Make sure you keep the activities fun. Do you have colorful toys to keep her stimulated? That's another thing I would use when I had this problem (not to the extreme) with my son. Just wear her out during the day and she'll sleep more at night.

The key is to get her to sleep at night. The more she sleeps at night--the less she'll be asleep during the day. I know that seems obvious but it's really important. Also, when she's sleeping try to sleep too. It's important you get rest!! Best of Luck!

Answer 3

Maybe try waking her up at around 5pm. give her a bottle play with her for a while till around 6 and then give her a nice long bath (I had this insert that went into my bath that the baby layed on so you don't get sore arms) then give her a massage to wind her down, another bottle and then put her to bed. Baby's are all so different my baby at 2 months went to sleep around 7 but then would wake up every two hours for a feed through the night. Don't feel bad if your sleeping late you do what you can to get through. Good luck

Answer 4

If you try to keep your baby up, she will only become 'over tired' and will be restless and cranky, making things even more difficult for you. My five year old did the same thing, babies change their patterns, the only answer I have for you is to try and get as much sleep as you can when your baby is asleep too -yes, even during the day- having a baby means making some adjustments, and I think thats what you'll have to do for the short term until your baby settles into a day=awake and night=asleep type pattern.
good luck, I know what its like:)

Answer 5

In time your daughter will get her days and night right but until then you just have to bare with her. I went through that with my baby. bad thing for me I was trying to still work for a while after 2 months of going to work on 2 or 3 hrs of sleep decided to be stay at home Mom. baby now sleeps when she is suppose to but love being home.

Good Luck

Answer 6

I had the same problem. My mother (mother of six so she has a pretty good idea) suggested to bath my baby in the later evening for at least three or four nights in a row versus morning or daytime bathing and it worked. Our routine is bath at around 8 to 8:30pm and then a bottle and then bed. A friend of my would put cold washcloths on her baby's feet to keep him up during the day. Good luck.

Answer 7

Trying to keep a baby up who wants to sleep really doesn't sound like a hot solution. It will only make baby very cranky and therefore everyone else cranky, too. It's more realistic to try to gradually get her used to when she's supposed to sleep. When she naps during the day, allow her to go to sleep, but cut her nap (especially her latest nap of the day) short, so will likely be more ready to go to bed when you want her to. Wake her up gently by calling her name or playing with her, even taking her clothes off and using a warm washcloth should help wake her up. Then, when you want her to go to sleep, nurse her and rock her to lull her to sleep, use the car, the baby seat on the dryer, whatever it takes to get her to go to sleep. She won't sleep all the way through the night, but after several nights, she'll get the idea of when she's supposed to sleep. As time goes by, her natural rhythms should start to kick in and she'll sleep when you want her to. When she wakes up at night for feedings or just wanting to play, keep lights dim, and play low-key so she'll soon learn nighttime is for sleeping. Keep everything at nighttime very soothing. Hope it helps!

Answer 8

i am going to say this but believe me it does get better. i know you are tired no you are beyond that you are exausted been there done that and my daughter did the same thing to me. it will get better. my suggestion to you is not to wait till feeding time to wake her up i would wake her up about an hour before she is to be fed and try to play with her. it may not work but it is worth a try. Good luck

Answer 9

don't try to fight sleep it's common for a newborn to sleep and eat at the oddest hours, is your room sunlight friendly? just leave the curtains open so she can see the light and her internal clock would do the rest. hang in there!

Answer 10

WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU. DON'T YOU KNOW THAT THE BABY IS NOT ON YOUR SCHEDULE, BUT YOU ARE ON THE BABY'S SCHEDULE. AND WHAT IS WRONG WITH SLEEPING IN THE DAY AND BEING AWAKE IN THE NIGHT. JUST BE GLAD A T 2 MOS SHE WILL SLEEP LONG PERIODS SO YOU CAN REST. MOST CHILDREN AT 2 MONTHS DO NOT SLEEP ALL NIGHT ANYWAY. AWAKE EVERY FOUR HOURS OR SO TO FEED, CHANGE AND BE HELD AND CUDDLED. SOUNDS LIKE YOU DON'T KNOW WHEN YOU GOT IT GOOD.