Newborn baby Question?

Question

We have a 6 week old newborn and he will not go to sleep on his own. If he lays down he'll only sleep for 30 min max after being fed and rocked. We tried to let him cry himself to sleep but he would not stop even after an hour. After we picked him back up, he was sweating bad from whaling so hard. Anything else we could do? Anybody who's had this problem have any alternatives?

Answer 1

Babies this young should not be let to cry himself to sleep, they are too young to understand. Their cries are for a reason...hunger, diaper, or distress. If the baby has been fed, has he been adequately been burped? did he get enough food? is he sick from the food, some babies develop stomach problems from the breast milk or from the formula - formula is more of a problem than breast milk - unless Momma has been eating something very spicy, or unusual. Has he been gaining weight? Call your pediatrician.
Check the diaper, all set there?

Distress is the most common....check the bedding, is it warm enough?, too warm? breeze? Something in his clothing that has him upset?

I am thinking tummy problems, but it could be colic. However 6 weeks is really young their sleep patterns are FAR from being established, and its common for babies to have short sleep - wake - eat - sleep, etc. How often does he sleep a day? If all together he is sleeping 10 hours, even if only at 30 minutes a shot, then that's about right.

My best suggestion is to call your pediatrician, and describe the situation to them, they should be able to help you further.

Good luck, and congratulations!!

Answer 2

Personally I dont believe you can spoil a new born baby or baby at all, so why let your newborn cry for more then a few mins? If your baby is crying theres a reason and letting him cry for an hour is unreal! If your baby doesnt want to eat, need a diaper change, or needs to burp, he might have a stomach ache. Get some candy kanes, break off a small piece add to 1 or 2 oz. of warm water, and try burping again. They have drops for this also but candy kanes work well if you dont have any. Sitting them in their car seat on a washing machine can help. I think hes got a stomach ache, signs of this is pulling his feet up or and a hard stomach. If you cant figure out whats wrong with them the candy kane usually helps without giving them meds. You dont allow your newborn baby to cry for more then a couple mins, they cant tell you whats wrong other then crying. Their not intelligent enough to know that if they cry your going to pick them up so you cant spoil them. ALWAYS pick up your baby give them love, and cuddle him until you figure out why hes crying! After all this is YOUR job as a parent. Next figure out why, this could be the nipples your using, my friend used breast feeding nipples after breast feeding but had them upside down! which created a stomach ache everytime he ate. It could be the formula, or hes getting to much before burping, try giving him 2 oz burping him then 2 more, burping him again, sometimes 1 or 2 burps isnt enough so pat a few mins longer. Lay him in different positions in his bed until you find the one he likes best also might help. Mine liked on their sides best with a little stuffed animal behind them. Also my boy liked holding a small baby blanket while he slept. Make sure its not to warm or cold in babys room. Check the temperate in babys bed. My daughter liked noice when she slept, if she was in a quiet room she wouldnt sleep long, try a radio or tape with soft music.

Answer 3

At 6 weeks old he is definitely too young to cry it out. I know its tough. My son was a screamer too and would not sleep on his own. After 3 nights of no sleep I just took him to bed with me and did the whole co-sleeping thing. Which at first I was afraid to do because of those crazy horror stories about parents rolling over and suffocating their kids. Which after much research I found that most all cases were parents under the influence of drugs or alcohol. As a mother I am always aware of my baby and still wake up a couple of times a night just to make sure baby is alright. Did you know Japan has the lowest rate of SIDS and the highest rates of co-sleeping and breastfeeding. There is a correlation.

That being said I know co-sleeping isn't for everyone. So here are a few tips that might work. Swaddle your baby nice and tight like in the hospital before placing in crib. It is the next best thing to being near you and feeling your warmth. Sometimes movements wake up babies, if he is swaddled nice and tight he has less of a chance of waking himself up.

Please remember though to never swaddle in a hot room because heat is a factor to SIDS, so they say. So keep the room air conditioned. :)

Hang in there it gets easier. My son is 20 months now and yes still co-sleeping. We live in a one-bedroom apartment but are hoping to get him his own room soon plus we have another one on the way.

Answer 4

Well, first of all, I would like to point out that contrary to popular beleif, you can't spoil a baby at that age, so don't worry about picking him up to much. My daughter had a hard time sleeping for awhile, so i got one of those swings and let her nap in that.
He could be colic, and in that case he will cry alot, be prepared. you should mention it to your doctor, he should have a check-up coming up soon. Are you feeding him according to what the books say? is he being breast fed? Maybe he just isn't getting as much food as he needs. I know my daughter went on cereal a little earlier than they reccomentd, because at 3 months she was drinking 8oz milk per feeding an wanting more.
Try it out, give him more at the feeding than he normaly gets. if breastfeeding, give him an ounce of formula from a bottle or shot glass ( i breast fed my son and for the first three weeks, i'd give hime 2 oz of formula during the day, he didnt seem to be getting enough. And i gave it to him from a shot glass, he sucked it back, amazing!)

Answer 5

6 weeks old is too young for them to be able to soothe themselves. If the baby is crying, there's a reason. There's usually a 6 week growth spurt, so maybe he's hungry again. If he's sweating from crying, maybe he was hot to begin with...my baby gets overheated easily and hates to even have a jacket on. Most pediatricians don't recommend letting babies cry it out until at least 6 months old. Your baby is looking to your for comfort and protection.

People may tell you that you're spoiling the baby, but it's just not possible at this point. Everyone told me that my daughter was spoiled and that's why she cried all the time, and that I should just let her cry. She was 7 wks old at this point. It turns out she's allergic to the DHA in formula, and she was crying because she was sick and miserable!! If I'd listened to everyone she would now be 6 months old, and a very unhappy baby.

Answer 6

My 3 month old son has done this for the last month or so. If we are holding him and he falls asleep if we lay him down on his own its not but 15 to 20 minutes later that he is screaming and crying...We started to let him sleep with us, (I know its not good) but we wont get any sleep unless we do...we also tried putting him in the swing that works to. He sleeps through the night if he is in bed with us other wise he wakes up every hour or so.

Answer 7

I have a 6 week old and he does the same thing. What I do is either lay with him on my belly on the couch or I take him to bed with me after about an hour of sleeping with mommy he is usually sound asleep that I can gently move him to his crib and he will sleep on his own for 2 or 3 hours.

Answer 8

A six-week old baby is way too young to CIO. And if you think this is a problem you're going to go crazy when he gets older. There's nothing wrong with your current situation. Totally normal. Just enjoy the newborn phase. When he gets older you'll wish that was your only problem.

Answer 9

make sure that he is swaddled when you lay him down. you know wrapped tight in his blanckets. he may have colic which means that he will scream no matter what you do. talk to his doctor about this and they will confirm it for you if that is his problem. make sure you are burping him before you lay him down and if he looks like his tummy hurts or if it feel tight then gas drops can help. hes a little young to be teething but check his gums just in case. make sure where he is sleeping is soothing. that there is little noise or lights to distract or wake him. maybe get him one of those sound machines that make soothing noise. good luck.

Answer 10

Hey don't worry I went through the same thing with my daughter(now 6). She however got very familiar with that frontal carrier and most times that was the only way to soothe her. It may seem like forever but he will eventually grow out of and grow up. Cherish these moments while ya have them.