Help! My 11 week old baby has sleeping problems?
Hey all … my 11 weeks old DS has editions of sleep, as im sure most of the babies ago! He sleeps well in his cot at night, wake up to feed every 2 hours and I can put it back in it with no problems at all. During the day is a different story. Sleep only in my arms, not just put me off, Poof! It is widely awake. Ive tried repeatedly to porrlo down in his manger or crib sleeping and wakes up to try and get used to it every time but on the same thing. I know some people say to let her scream, ive done that but just let that get so far. I'm not concerned to keep it honest but I know that if the problem now is not correct then only get worse later. The funny thing is, right from the time that he was born not fall asleep in the cradle, even in hospitals … was always the same thing! Any suggestions? Im that breast-feeding well, that's why alarm as often at night, some times its every 2 hours and some times its all 4! I'm not concerned of the night but on the day that he worried?
August 26th, 2008 at 1:01 am
Wow, even waking every two hours during the night is unusual for an 11 week old baby, he should be getting more like 4-5 hrs. I’d talk to the Dr about this one!
Just because someone else’s baby does the same thing doesn’t mean that it’s “normal” this baby might not be getting enough to eat which might be the reason for not sleeping. WE (at my hospital) are sending NICU babies home on 4 hr sleep. By 11 weeks (which is almost 3 months), a baby should be sleeping even MORE at night. And even though this baby might be fine (if weight gain is going well) there may be a reason why it’s not sleeping well. So one should always not rely on Yahoo answers and talk to a Dr.
August 26th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Try wrapping him in a T-shirt you have been wearing that smells of you.
August 26th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
I know this might sound crazy but i was at walmart the otherday and i saw a bear for babys and there is a little wind in the back and when you wind it up it is the sound of the womb and helps the baby fall asleep faster and stay asleep for a while.
August 28th, 2008 at 3:30 am
Keep on doing what you are doing. It will correct itself eventually. I believe it is a stage all children go through. Both my girls did this, then moved on to the next aggravating stage.
lol
My opinion is you can never spoil a baby by holding it, and my kids both sleep good now, we had the same issues. Just keep up with it, it will get better.
August 29th, 2008 at 2:44 am
May be he needs more rest as he didnt sleep at the time of his birth.
August 30th, 2008 at 11:35 am
try wrapping him in a t-shirt that smells like you and talk to the dr
September 1st, 2008 at 5:46 pm
I tried the bear that has womb sounds it didn’t work for my baby, but it could work for yours every baby is diff. Sounds like the nurses may have spoiled your baby a bit lol Good luck.
September 4th, 2008 at 3:43 am
Waking up to eat every two hours, day and/or night is perfectly normal (4-5 hour stretches for an 11 week old???? WOW, CRAZY). As is the crazy sleeping pattern. Babies can’t differentiate between day and night. He is only 11 weeks, you do NOT have to “correct the problem now”. It’s not a “problem” first of all, it’s what babies do. And as someone else said, it will correct itself someday….soon.
September 6th, 2008 at 11:19 pm
Sounds like you more or less has answered your own question. I know it is hard not to pick him up and hold him to keep him from crying. On the other hand you need some time for doing other chores. So it makes it hard to hold him 24/7. Like others have told you, as long as it is not a hurting cry, a wet cry, then let him cry. Sometimes they might not be wet from peeing, but sweat, and drool, then they might cry too. I know my daughter inlaw seems not to realize that. He might sleep longer at night if he is awake more during the day, especially the early evening.
September 8th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
My daughter has never slept in a crib she is now 16, she would only sleep in her little rocker seat….when she fell asleep we just picked her up and put her in the play pen at 8 months we got her a big girl bed cause she no longer fit into the chair and she could climb out of the playpen…she to had trouble falling asleep …….you can try white noise , a TV set to the static, radio set to static, a loud fan my daughter like a hair dryer I hung it on the wall with a clip and let it run till she fell asleep …you could also try a tape of a heart beat…..also a warm hot water bottle under a blanket at his back may help do not use a heating pad they can burn him….
you also need to start weaning him of falling asleep in your arms I know that is a difficult thing but if you start by sitting with your arms around him in the bassinet/crib then in a few days put him in and just rub his back or tummy so he knows your there and then again in a few days just touch him , then again in a few days just sit by him and slowly over a few weeks you can just sit in the room and then at the door then out of the room, it take time and a lot of fussing but it can be done
one other thought ….he may sleep well enough at night that in the day he may not need More than a few cat naps here and there…..
hope this helps good luck
September 9th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
it’s a survival thing, used to if babies weren’t under constant supervision of their mothers there was a good chance of them dying and the best way to make sure they were inbeing constantly supervised was to be in constant contact with their mothers. i would try getting a baby slig and just wearing your baby, that way your hands are free to do whatever and your baby is snug and happy. i would go to they have lots of good information on this subject.
September 12th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Put him on his stomach and rub his lower back and give him a full body massage that relaxed my baby and he felt me caress him so he didn’t cry and slept another thing I tried is swaddling him and that always worked ill put down a link on step-by-step how to swaddle baby.
P.S. I you lay baby on his stomach only do it for a little while until he is soothed never leave him alone in that position and never let him sleep like that if he happens to fall asleep while your massaging him just turn him over and rub/caress his belly so he doesn’t wake up.
September 16th, 2008 at 12:05 am
My baby is close in age to yours (12 weeks this Friday) and she did/does the same thing. I invested in a mei tei baby carrier. Actually I made one. I quickly strap her on and go about my day cleaning or shopping or whatever being able to use both hands. She falls asleep after getting comfy and sleeps a good while. Once she is a sleep I can even sit and read/rock/type or anything sitting down.
Another thought is does your son need something to soothe himself with? A paci? My kiddos never really took one and my daughter one barely uses one in the car to calm her down. But my son used my breast as a paci- he was a typical male and wanted breast not rubber/silicone.
I have also learned that during the day it doesn’t really matter where my baby sleeps, just so long as she does. She sleeps in the bouncer with the vibrations on, she’ll sleep in the swing, sometimes she will sleep in my bed ontop of everything covered by her blanket and sometimes she sleeps at the breast for power naps. At bed time she goes to bed, wakes maybe once or twice to nurse and then back to sleep. Nights are from 9:30pm- 8:30/9:30am.
Go with your instincts and follow your heart. Do what works for YOUR family, not what everyone thinks YOUR baby should or should not be doing at X weeks old. Take suggestions, try them and if they work for your family, then great, if not try something else. Its really in the 100 or so years that babies slept in bassinets or cribs away from thier mommy anyway.
September 17th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
i have the same problem with my baby, during the day she cant fall asleep in her crib. I put her down on her bouncer & that seems to be the only thing thats works
September 19th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Hi,
I think the most important thing to start with is to get your baby into a good sleep routine. I had massive problems with getting my 5 month old son to sleep. He would just lie awake and cry for hours, then when he finally went to sleep he would wake every hour or two hours through the night and cry again! Talk about pulling our hair out …. we were absolutely desperate for sleep!
It was a baby sleep audio program recommended by a friend that finally saved us. We followed the advice and began by creating a baby sleep routine which included bathtime, dimming of the lights, putting Josh into his crib, final nappy change and then lullabies. We also made recommended changes to his naps during the day and used some of the other recommended techniques. Within two weeks he was sleeping through the night most nights with just the odd night where he would just wake once!
If you want to take a look, the audio program is at
Definitely start by creating a good baby sleep routine though and you could find that solves most of your baby sleep problems.
Good luck!
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:42 am
There are many factors that affect a baby’s sleeping routine and habits. You can get some good tips at the following site: