my 10 week old is fighting sleep

I think my baby girl is probably a typical baby sleep-wise, not easy, but somewhat normal as far as the degree of soothing she requires to get to sleep, her ability to sleep, etc. My little boy has the hardest time!! Our nights are still pretty tough. We do the last feed around 7 or 7:30, and usually Charlotte is asleep by 8 or 8:30, whereas James is usually up til 9:30, sometimes later. When I put him down to sleep for the night, unless he is 'out' in my arms, he starts crying, waking his sister, so we pick him up and try to calm him in another room. I've read you should put them down drowsy but awake but unfortunately he always cries, probably because he's over-tired. Last night my husband patted his back, shooshed, and rocked the crib for an hour and he never fell asleep in that time. Anyway, then they wake up at 12:30ish for a feed, and again at 4 and 7. Between 4-7 James wakes a bunch of times moaning and whining but we don't pick him up unless it gets really bad. About half the time they go back to sleep after the nighttime feedings and other times we are soothing them back to sleep for about 30 minutes (average--sometimes 2 hours but luckily not often).

Lately James sleeps only one hour total between noon and 9:30!!! I know that sounds crazy, and I know how important daytime sleep is to help with nighttime sleep, but I can not get him to fall asleep. Sometimes he drifts off in his bouncy seat and that's where he gets his naps. Otherwise, as soon as he starts to look tired I swaddle, shush, bounce, rock, try pacifier, etc, but he fights sleep. He will be so drowsy and droopy eyed but pop back awake a few minutes later. The pacifier often works very well but when it pops out he knows it and starts crying. I don't feel comfortable letting him cry it out yet. Whining I'm okay with, but not full crying.

Right now I'm doing something different (for his nap), I swaddled, comforted for a couple minutes and plopped him in his crib. He has whined for about 20 minutes now off and on but I think he may actually be drifting....please stay asleep!!

He is so cranky all afternoon and evening and I know it's because he's tired. Have any of you had sleep-fighters and what did you do?? Do I need more of a routine?

He's still awake

 

QUOTE(jenanne @ Apr 20 2008, 01:23 PM) [snapback]730288[/snapback]
I think my baby girl is probably a typical baby sleep-wise, not easy, but somewhat normal as far as the degree of soothing she requires to get to sleep, her ability to sleep, etc. My little boy has the hardest time!! Our nights are still pretty tough. We do the last feed around 7 or 7:30, and usually Charlotte is asleep by 8 or 8:30, whereas James is usually up til 9:30, sometimes later. When I put him down to sleep for the night, unless he is 'out' in my arms, he starts crying, waking his sister, so we pick him up and try to calm him in another room. I've read you should put them down drowsy but awake but unfortunately he always cries, probably because he's over-tired. Last night my husband patted his back, shooshed, and rocked the crib for an hour and he never fell asleep in that time. Anyway, then they wake up at 12:30ish for a feed, and again at 4 and 7. Between 4-7 James wakes a bunch of times moaning and whining but we don't pick him up unless it gets really bad. About half the time they go back to sleep after the nighttime feedings and other times we are soothing them back to sleep for about 30 minutes (average--sometimes 2 hours but luckily not often).

Lately James sleeps only one hour total between noon and 9:30!!! I know that sounds crazy, and I know how important daytime sleep is to help with nighttime sleep, but I can not get him to fall asleep. Sometimes he drifts off in his bouncy seat and that's where he gets his naps. Otherwise, as soon as he starts to look tired I swaddle, shush, bounce, rock, try pacifier, etc, but he fights sleep. He will be so drowsy and droopy eyed but pop back awake a few minutes later. The pacifier often works very well but when it pops out he knows it and starts crying. I don't feel comfortable letting him cry it out yet. Whining I'm okay with, but not full crying.

Right now I'm doing something different (for his nap), I swaddled, comforted for a couple minutes and plopped him in his crib. He has whined for about 20 minutes now off and on but I think he may actually be drifting....please stay asleep!!

He is so cranky all afternoon and evening and I know it's because he's tired. Have any of you had sleep-fighters and what did you do?? Do I need more of a routine?

He's still awake


I would let him sleep in his swing or bouncy seat. Keep trying with the crib, but at some point it's more important THAT they sleep than WHERE they sleep. Just my opinion though. It's worked for us when one of them fights sleep, and it doesn't seem to affect their willingness to sleep in their cribs.

 

You are absolutely describing one half of my set TO A T!!

First of all.. I would be treating for reflux. Even if he isn't puking-- he might be in pain when you lay him down which could be causing the lack of lengthy sleep.

Second of all, put the bouncy seat somewhere where you have white noise. I put ours on the kitchen table w/ the microwave exhaust fan going full tilt. This is the ONLY place Nicolas would sleep for 14 weeks!!!! He needed the vibration and the white noise. The white noise; quite frankly, SAVED my life. I am quite sure that w/o it, I may have done something drastic. .. Like jumped out a window.

You want to know how BADLY my 2 fought sleep??? Well.. they were born at 35 weeks and the nurses were MYSTIFIED at the sheer AMOUNT of time my kids spent HANGING OUT completely and totally AWAKE!! Just looking around.

FF a week later and NICU follow up nurse calls the house.. Me, being the first time Mommy tells her that my babies do not nap. They just stay awake all day, which was the absolute truth. They would be up for ten to fifteen hours STRAIGHT. They were pis*y as can be-- but no naps. No falling asleep in cars, in strollers, being rocked, no swaddling here-- no pacifiers..... I cried all nite long because they didn't nap.

The nurse had NEVER HEARD OF THIS........!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, white noise girl... That is all I have to say.

I used the vacuum for naps for one solid month and it was magic. Then I got the vacuum noise cd and still use it!!

Good luck and I've been there. Mine still are TERRIBLE nappers at 6 months old and I've pretty much resigned myself to that fact. When they are as young as yours tho- white noise like mad.

It will get better when they are neurologically capable of settling down and sleeping longer. And do not even worry where they sleep right now. It's too early to worry about sleeping arrangements!! Just get them to sleep for now. .. that's your goal!

 

You are in the thick of it so if he sleeps better upright, let him sleep in the swing or bouncy seat. Basically right now do what works and when he gets older you can put him to sleep awake but drowsy. GL!!!

 

At their VERY FIRST morning waking (I arbitrarily declare anything before 7AM a night waking, your mileage may vary) turn on all the lights, get them both awake, feed them, change their diapers, sing them a song or read them a book, turn off the lights, swaddle if you do so, and lay them back down for a nap. Make sure they are up for no more than an hour.

As the day goes on, any time they wake up, try not to let them be up for more than an hour. My guys, at 14 weeks old, will STILL get cranky if they are up for more than 60-90 minutes at a time.

See if this helps!!

 

Ditto on the reflux suggestion! That was my first thought. My Benny would be awake all the time, and crying most of that time! Since getting him treated for reflux (and adjusting his meds 3 times), things have been getting so much better (most days!). He is still not a great sleeper, but he is soooo much happier when he is awake. Rather than non-stop crying and whining, he is content to just 'chill.'

 

Same here, I'd say if he sometimes falls asleep in his bouncy seat, just put him down in there at nap time. Mine had to spend most of the time in there from around 2-3 weeks-old, because of acid reflux. Plus, at night I didn't want to stay up for one hour after feeding them to keep them upright. If I had laid them down in their crib right away, they would have been uncomfortable and been whining, moaning etc. .. and I would have had to get up anyway... that saved my sanity (I went back to work when they were 6 weeks) and relieved them a lot.

Now they don't really like to sleep in their crib, but I still try from time to time when I'm far enough from the last feeding, to get them to switch more easily the day they outgrow their acid reflux, and also for their back. DH insists that laying them flat is very important for the back but he doesn't really volunteer to get them from the crib at night when they are complaining <_<

 

QUOTE(ivfbound078 @ Apr 20 2008, 08:14 PM) [snapback]730636[/snapback]
Anyway, white noise girl... That is all I have to say.


I totally agree on the white noise. We have a CD player that has it as a function, so it just plays all night, and they do so much better.