HELP - baby does not sleep more than 30 mins during the day | ExpatWoman.com
 

HELP - baby does not sleep more than 30 mins during the day

101
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 08 August 2011 - 00:55

Hello Ladies,

Help please, need your advice. My 2 months and 2 weeks old baby does not sleep more than 30 minutes during the day even I am already carrying her and I think because she gets overtired she cries really loud in the afternoon. If she falls asleep she easily gets awaken when I try lay her to bed. I am breastfeeding her, sometimes I am wondering if she will sleep better if I feed her formula milk.

I am getting crazy now because my mother is going back to our home country soon. If my baby’s day sleeping does not improve I don’t know how I will be able to cook and do other tasks at home. :(
<em>edited by Kie on 08/08/2011</em>

2782
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 08 August 2011 - 13:35
agree with HAK below, and would add whether or nor you choose to follow a "schedule", I think it really helps you to have a pattern to what you do, so your baby knows that when you for example "feed, swaddle, sing a song, turn off the light and pat her in her cot (or whatever you choose to do)", that it is bed time. It got to a point quite early with my guy that as soon as we would walk into his room and lay him down to swaddle him, we would start to close his eyes despite having seemed extremely alert and wanting to play just minutes earlier dowsnstairs. Using his Dummy purely for when he was being put down for a sleep made it a really strong sleep cue too. (BTW I mean sleep cue as in a cue for him to know its bedtime, not as in your baby's tired signs which I think is how HAK means it below)
1861
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 08 August 2011 - 10:58
I answered on your thread on the main board. In short: - learn baby's sleep cues. - be realistic about your tasks for the day (because if baby is accompanying you, this will also stimulate her and since she is clearly overtired, she needs periods of less/ no stimulation) - some babies need routines, others don't... yours *may* benefit from one to help her to sleep. - "formula helps babies to sleep" = biggest myth (and greatest sales ploy) around!
2782
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 08 August 2011 - 09:56
My baby took only 45 minute naps for the longest time. The only thing that worked for me was to make sure I was there the second he started to stir (since he woke at exactly 45 minutes I knew when that would be) and soothe him back to sleep before he woke up properly. If I did this this he seemed to go into a much heavier sleep and have a long nap. For me that involved giving his his dummy and sometimes reswaddling but you could rock or pat instead. If she won't go back to sleep you can get her up for 10-20 minutes, feed her if necessary and then try to put her to sleep again. I also found that when he was a newborn he could sleep anywhere but by around that age he needed a dark quiet room, or room with white noise playing. It is so hard for them to sleep when they are overtired, what worked for me was to feed him when he woke from a nap, and make sure he was put down again around 90 minutes from when he woke up (including feeding tie). Some babies can only be awake for 1 hour before they need to go back to sleep so you will need to watch your own baby very closely to see what works. When they first go to sleep they stay in avery light sleep for the first 20 minutes which is why she is waking up when you move her. You need to either hold her for 20 minute until she is in a heavier sleep or work on getting her to fall asleep out of your arms. She won't sleep better on formula, it is very unlikely she is waking after only 30 minutes out of hunger. You need to get some home help when your mother leaves to get you through this time, it doesn't last forever I promise :)
 
 

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