2 questions about my 10 week old daughter...one about cold hands/feet and one about sleeping...?

Question

My daughter's hands and feet are always cold when I get her from her crib in the morning...doc said not to worry, but I was just wondering if anyone else has that happen...also, I know I will get a lot of mixed opinions on this, but how long do you think it is okay to let her cry at night after I put her to bed and she wakes back up? I always make sure she is fed, burped, changed, etc. and I rock her to sleep. But she usually wakes up about 10 minutes after I put her down in her crib. I always go back to check on her, but she stops crying as soon as I pick her up so I know she is okay. I really don't like the "let her cry" thing too much, but she needs to learn to sleep at night. So I am just wondering how long you guys think is an appropriate amount of time...thanks for any advice!!

sorry, i forgot to mention that she sleeps in sleepers so her feet stay covered, and the mittens don't work...she takes them off!! also, just for the record, i'm not expecting her to sleep through the night, but longer than 10 minutes at a time would be nice;)

Answer 1

The cold feet and hands are completely normal.

The reason she is waking 10 minutes after you lay her down because she is going WTF, I was in Mommy's arms, now where am I???? You need to lay her in her crib drowsy but still with eyes open. You can stay beside her, hand on her chest until she falls asleep but this way when she stirs she will know where she is and won't wake up and freak. (Imagine falling asleep all warm and comfy and then suddenly you realize that the bed doesn't feel right, it's cold, the lighting is different and you open your eyes to find yourself in the bathtub. Wouldn't you freak as well? LOL)

If you leave and she starts to cry, the first couple times you can go in right away, then let her cry for 2-3 minutes, then 5 minutes. She'll tire herself out the first few nights with crying but will quickly learn that you do keep checking on her and that the crib is where she sleeps, no point crying about it. Do not pick her up (unless she goes from crying to hysterics) but try to calm her by placing your hand on her chest and shushing her. Once she calms down, try walking away. Like I said, only respond immediately for the first couple cries and then slowly stretch it out. Never let her cry for more than 10 minutes or so without checking on her. It took my son at 5 weeks old, 5 days to adjust to sleeping in his crib. Patience and perseverance are the keys here.

Once she gets used to sleeping in her crib and you can put her down with eyes open and she goes to sleep most nights with little to no fussing, then when she cries you will need to go check on her to make sure she is ok right away (if she wakes and starts to cry). If you put her down and she cries right away because she doesn't want to go to bed, then you need to stand your ground and let her cry (still check to make sure she is ok every 5-10 minutes). At various times they will test to see if their crying will get them out of bed and more Mommy time, if you know she should be tired and sleeping don't cave, it will set a bad habit (you may wind up with the kid that keeps getting out of bed asking for water/story/tuck in/anything to delay going to sleep!) Now if my guy cries at night it's because he rolled over and stuck an arm or a foot out of the crib and can't get it back in, or he's hungry.

Good luck! This is just what worked for me so YMMV

Answer 2

Baby Cold Hands And Feet

Answer 3

If Zantac isn't working, go back to the doctor and ask for something else. It's pretty common to be switched to Prevacid (that's what my baby is on), but I think there are a few other alternatives. Also, if she is having trouble getting comfortable horizontally due to reflux, she should be in a bouncer chair. She can sleep in it at night, too, although you will want to try different positions well after she has eaten while she is awake, like tummy time, so that her head doesn't get flat in the back. The reflux makes the acid come up, and by elevating her head, you will be taking advantage of gravity to help keep it flowing normally through the digestive system. But waking every 2.5-3 hours is normal at that age.

Answer 4

Hands and feet...this time of year, I put a pair of socks on inside my daughters sleeper. Seems to help with the feet. Hands are trickier....

And as for the crying thing...both my girls slept through the night at that stage but only in their carseat. Both my girls like the closeness of the seat, with the head cushion that went around. If I moved them to the bassinette, they would wake up shortly after. You may try a more cozy environment for a while. She hasn't been out of the womb that long. My youngest who is now 10 months old still wiggles to the edge of her crib and falls asleep with her head as close to the bumper as she can get it. If I put her in the middle, she rolls right over until she is touching a side.

Good luck.

Answer 5

wow..there are so many opinions..lol i just read all of your answers.. i have a 10 week old as well..when i get her from her crib she does have cold hands and feetsies..i keep socks on her or the pjs with the footsies..its normal im sure. i don't put mittens on her because she sucks on her thumb when shes puttin herself to sleep..(she just started that ahh!! lol) and actually some babies do sleep through the nite. my baby girl sleeps anywhere from 9-10 hours at a time..each baby varies.and its not "cruel" to let your baby cry..sometimes they just have to do it..of course after everything else you tried is done. A lot of babies fight their sleep and puttin them down to cry is the only way they can fall asleep on their own..Now if she cries more than 20 or 30 min then i would get her..anywhere from 5-10 min is perfectly ok! GOODLUCK! :-)

Answer 6

Cold hands and feet are normal! The baby still has weak circulation in those parts of the body and since its getting into winter its more likely to happen.
As for sleeping through the night I know its hard but after a couple of nights they will fall asleep on their own! You have to just let her cry! It shouldn't last more than 15-20 minutes if you leave them alone. Yes check and feed and diaper but after that lay her down, walk out, and CLOSE THE DOOR!!! If you have to check on her during this time then do so with out her seeing you look from a distance. Other wise just listen to the cry if its just getting more pathetic then she starting to fall asleep. If its a cry of pain then immediately check on her. You have to learn the different cries of your baby and what they mean. You know when she's hungry by the cry she makes right? Now listen for wet its a little different. As is pain and tired. All she is trying to do is get you to rock her to sleep. If you keep picking her up as she wants then guess what mommy BABY is in control not you! If you let her cry she will get the idea that its bed time and your not coming to let her up! Good Luck and Congrats!
You can get her to sleep through the night! I've seen some babies that sleep through at less than six weeks with the exception of the early morning feeding every night! There is a book you can get I can't think of the name off hand but it deals with this issue and others of early parenthood. I tried the methods on my youngest at about your daughters age and they worked perfectly she was sleeping by the time she 12 weeks old!
Edit:
the books are "Baby Wise" They have one for young babies and toddlers. It took me a while to find the name for you b/c its been a while since I've read them!

Answer 7

About the cold hands thing: I put those baby mittens on my daughter just to give them a little warmth and got those baby leg things ( go to this website, http://www.babylegs.net/) to keep her legs warmer and to help hold socks on.

Now with the crying thing. With your baby being 10 weeks old she is not going to sleep through the night, forget it. They usually don't sleep through the night until they hit like 6-7 months. There is nothing wrong with her or you. Stay up with her, rock her and enjoy this time because before you know it they don't want to just be held anymore they would much rather get into the pots and pans drawer and make loud noise and yell. Trust me.

Answer 8

My daughters feet and hands would turn purple. They have immature circulatory systems but they are still getting blood to their feet and hands. There isn't a need to worry.
Stop rocking her to sleep. You can rock her just don't do it to sleep.
I hated the letting her cry it out too. BUT I tried my version of it ONCE. I put her down drowsy. She was fine for a few minutes then started to cry. I knew she was fine (clean, fed, no gas). So I decided I'd leave her for 15 minutes. I stayed in my room and cried. She kept screaming and I felt awful. But I thought its' not like I'm leaving her for hours. I'm giving her 15 minutes to calm down. After 15 minutes I was going to go pat her, maybe give her a paci, or possibly pick her up, only because I felt so awful. But surprise to me she fell asleep at 13 minutes. And since then she will fall asleep by herself if I put her in there eyes wide open because she knows it's nap time or bed time. Crying does not mean they are sad. That's the only way they can communicate. My daughter bumbles (that's the only word I have for what it is) but its her way of saying I'm done and I want to go to bed. I'll nurse her and burp her and while she's up on my shoulder she'll start bumbling and I put her down. She's almost 6 months old and she can put herself to sleep just about every night. And she sleeps 8-9 hours at a stretch at night. I like to think it's because I sleep trained her correctly and I really watch for early cues when she's tired rather than waiting for her to get restless and screaming.

Answer 9

I think the cold hands and feet thing can be normal. But if you are concerned you could try to keep booties and mitts on her while she sleeps. As for the letting her cry thing...I know it's hard, but sometimes it needs to be done. I think the time will vary with each child. Try it for just a couple of minutes at first and then go longer each time. My neice is just 2.5 wks old and my sister-in-law just told me that she finally gave in last night and let her cry after trying to get her to lay down for 30 minutes or so. She said that it only took her about 5 minutes to calm herself down and go to sleep. I think you can tell the difference between your childs cries. Good Luck.

Answer 10

Don't let her cry! That's awful thing to do to a baby. If you don't want to get up and rock her back to sleep each time she wakes, take her into bed with you. You'll both sleep better, and she'll be warmer.

Oh, and she'll learn to sleep at night when she is ready. Babies don't need to be 'trained'.