Will it ever end?

Question

I try to keep my baby awake so that he will sleep at night, but nothing wakes him up and when he does wake up he wants to eat... and I can't imagine letting him cry at 2 weeks, but I don't know what else to do.... HELP

Answer 1

You are only 2 weeks in-- a baby sleeps a lot during the day... and most doctors want to hear you say that you are feeding him every 2-4 hrs around the clock. I highly recommend that you get some sleep when he lays down for a nap... or else you will be beat! And see if someone will watch him for 1 night, so you can catch up on the zzz's.
To keep him up, try a damp towel. If it's warm, take him outside some so he can look at the trees or cars... My daughter loved to sit outside on the swing and that would keep her awake for a bit. Sadly, many babies don't sleep through the night or long stretches that early-- I wouldn't try to keep him up all day, I'd just limit his nap time at the most... You could try "BabyWise" if you want him to be on schedule--- there are links online about it and also plenty of books--- BabyWise recommends starting a schedule at 2 weeks...
Here's the basics:
2-4 weeks feed at 7am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm, Bath, 7pm, 10pm BED, 1am, 4am (use an alarm to stick to the schedule)

4-6 wks: 7am, 11am, 3pm, Bath, 7pm, Bed, 11pm, 3am (if your baby eats 30 mins early for 1 feeding, don't adjust the rest of the day-- stick to the schedule)

7-10 wks: 6am, 10am, 2pm, Bath, 6pm, Bed, 10pm (eliminate night time feeding if the baby is atleast 13 lbs)

11-16 wks: 6am, 10am, 2pm, Bath, 6pm, Bed by 8pm

Adjust the schedule as you need it-- I didn't follow BabyWise to a "T" w/ my daughter-- my exboss did this w/ all 4 of her kids and they slept through the night by 12 weeks... Getting his daytime eating and sleeping schedule down will help you get sleep... But don't bank on getting a full night-- my daughter is almost 9 months and still wakes up to nurse once a night. Good luck.

Answer 2

At two weeks of age, your baby needs 16-20 hours of sleep per day. Do the math -- that only leave 4-8 hours of awake time! Your baby does not yet know the difference between night and day, and at this age there is little if anything you can do to teach him (although later on it will help to keep it dark and limit stimulating interaction during the night). Also, he needs to eat every two or three hours day AND night. His stomach is the size of his fist, and that is not enough to hold him over through the night. At this point in time, the best thing you can do for your baby is to feed him on demand and let him sleep when he wants to sleep. He is growing so fast right now that he needs a LOT of sleep. Don't worry, this stage will end and eventually your baby will sleep through the night and be awake during the day -- although he might be two years old by then!

Answer 3

at 2 weeks it's very hard to have a sleeping pattern although I'm not saying it's impossible. Most babies that young only wake during the night when they are hungry or need to be changed. So in other words, what you are going through is normal. Babies at that age sleep most of the time anyway. Just keep trying to get him on a schedule. It takes time, but you can do it. Good Luck!

Answer 4

Calm down! :) Your not the only one to go thru this. Don't try to keep him up all day, he's an infant, they sleep like 18 hours a day the first month or so, so keeping him up all day won't make him sleep all night, it will just keep him cranky. Try and get him on a schedule. My son would eat every 4 hours when he was born, he would sleep 4 hours, wake up and eat, about an hour later, sleep again. He was on that schedule until 5 weeks (waking up every 4 hours) and then he just started sleeping thru the night no problem. Don't stress, your baby will sense that and get upset. Just breath and get the baby on a schedule.

Answer 5

A two week old baby is not going to sleep through the night, it will be months before your baby is done waking up every 2- 3 hours for a feeding during the night.

Answer 6

It is hard to try and change your infants schedule like that. Flipping the sleep schedule to all night is tough, and sometimes can take as long as nine months to get right. Unfortunately, babies are on their own time, and don't much care about your sleeping habits.
Here's the good news, being up in the middle of the night for a feeding may not be your favorite thing, but it's some wonderful time for you and your baby to bond. One day when your baby isn't so much a baby anymore you will think fondly on these days. Take it from me, my son is now 15 and I miss those days so much sometimes.

Best of Luck To You

Answer 7

At two weeks you are just in the middle of that hard stage - He will wake up and want to eat because he is still so small his stomach doesn't hold much. My doctor told me that by 6 weeks they should be sleeping at least 4 hours at night - wake up once to eat and then sleep another 4 - Wait at least 4 more weeks until you expect him to sleep long at night

Answer 8

at two weeks you should not try to keep the baby awake it needs to sleep a lot. so stop being lazy and caring about your sleep and give your baby what it needs. when my son was 2 weeks old i would only get like 4 hours of sleep a day so suck it up and deal with it. sleep when your baby sleeps. grow up you have to change your schedule for the baby not the other way around.

Answer 9

At 2 weeks, you have to let baby sleep when he wants. You cannot expect him to sleep all night yet, though some babies do. Also, most babies need to be fed every 2 to 4 hours, regardless if you are nursing or bottle feeding. If you are tired, which I am sure you are, you need to sleep when baby sleeps. Its the only way to do it. Let things go around the house for right now, you can clean up later. What's most important now is taking care of your little guy and yourself.

Answer 10

He's two weeks and you think he will sleep thru the night - of course not and yes he is hungry! I put my babies in bed with me and we both fell asleep quickly as she would nurse back to sleep -
At 2 weeks old he doesn't know where he is or what's going on - you are the only thing he knows! He needs to be eating every 2 to 3 hours still.
Yes babies regulate their sleeping and eating - get Dr. Sears book called The Baby Book or go to www.askdrsears.com