Baby Care Advice » Baby Sleep Patterns

BABY SLEEP PROBLEMS?

admin — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:49:27 +0000

Question by me so high rite now:
baby sleep problems?
my 7 month old is usually really good at going to sleep at his bedtime. The last week he has been crying and carrying on and not wanting to go to bed. He sleeps about 11-12 hours atnight and has 2 naps that are 1/2 hour to an hour. Sometimes longer. I give him a bath, rub him with lotion and read him books but its not working.he also still gets up to have a bottle in the middle of the night. help please
he already has 6 teeth so it is probably just another one, thanks

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Answer by Uh huh, go on I am listening
teething… I bet ya! look in his mouth, feel around for bumps on his gums.
Oooooh let the fun begin! lol, he will be miserable on and off for a few months.

Answer by freyalovemoon
teething or gas. more than likely teething but just in case limit him to a bottle of water before bed or move up his feeding time before bed. It could be creating gas. My daughter suffered with both at that age and it was very frustrating.

Answer by tiffany a
Try putting him to bed later.Stick with the routine of bathing and reading books just put him to sleep later. You can also try just making his naps about 45 minutes.

Summertime is here.Make sure it is not too hot or too cold for him to sleep.Pay attention to see if he is waking up sweaty or too cold due to the ac.

I would state he was teething if he cried and had fits on and off
during the day,diahrea.showed a biting down motion or more interest in putting things in his mouth, and lots and lots of drool but this doesn’t seem the case.

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HAVE YOU SEEN THIS ARTICLE ON COSLEEPING?

admin — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:10:15 +0000

Question by jen:
Have you seen this article on cosleeping?
What do you think?

http://neuroanthropology.net/2008/12/21/cosleeping-and-biological-imperatives-why-human-babies-do-not-and-should-not-sleep-alone/

Car riding has proved fatal, as well, so do you walk wherever you go?

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Answer by MT
I think it makes sense on many levels. Babies were designed to want to be near mom. They are absolutely helpless. If they slept apart from mother in the wild, they would easily fall victim to a predator or the cold.

Co-sleeping is very, very safe when done correctly (not impaired by drugs or alcohol, on a bed without other objects, etc.). But, if parents can’t or will not co-sleep safely, or they are just too freaked out to, I am not anti-crib.

Answer by momtosix
Awesome article, and worth sharing. Thanks!

Answer by dmgoldsbo7
I have heard of this and it s something i would love to do with my 6 month old. When he was just born we would nap together in my bed it was great. However when i could not sleep with him during that nap, he wouldn’t’ sleep as long in his bassinet which sparked me to make a change. I started to put him in his own crib for naps. It was sad but he would not sleep unless i was there and that was only going to get worse as time went on. Babies get use to a routine and if u stray for it they get “upset”. I did not like it i loved being Next to him but now he is so simple to put down I just take him in his room kiss him lay him down and he goes out. so i make up for that time by when he falls asleep while i feed him i just hold him or when i rock him i hold him for a while longer. It is slightly hazardous just a few weeks ago here where i live a nany was sleeping with a baby she took care of and in the morning no one could find the baby, it took them about an hour to find out what happened. Well the baby somehow rolled between the bed and the wall and suffocated. Soooooo sad.

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HELP! MY INFANT WONT SLEEP??

admin — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:51:08 +0000

Question by LM222:
Help! My infant wont sleep??
My daughter is 7 weeks old and she sleeps maybe 8-9 hours per day/night including naps. She wont sleep till 11pm and wakes to eat each 3-4 hours and is wide awake at 6am. Naps are 10-15 mins long a few times throughout the day. She is constantly yawning and has large bags under her eyes. Sometimes she falls asleep in my arms when I am rocking her and breastfeeding but the second I put her down the crib she screams. Tonight she cried for hours!! She cried in the crib, the swing, in my arms, everywhere. She would fall asleep and then jerk herself back awake after a few mins. I felt like something else was wrong with her. I tried everything I could think of. I feel like a terrible mother. I just dont know what to do.

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Answer by sweetunderscore
Maybe she has colic? Im not sure. My baby girl is 9 weeks and still wakes each 3 hours to eat but she rarely cries.
I would talk to your Dr. and see what he thinks.

Answer by Crystal D
You are not a terrible mother. I went through the same thing with my 2 kids. It is normal..unfortunately there is usually nothing you can do about it. But if you are worried about it take her to a physician because she could be suffering from colic. Lots of luck!

Answer by xxjan_janxx
Please do not feel like you are a terrible mother. All moms have this problem with newborns. She also might be getting spoiled already by being held. My niece did the same thing when she was a baby, but it did not begin that early. I would talk with the baby’s physician about it. I am sure it’s nothing serious and I promise you are not a terrible mother. If you were you would not be posting on here trying to find an answer. Take care.

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IS MY DAUGHTER TEETHING?

admin — Mon, 14 May 2012 04:45:01 +0000

Question by Sophia Michele’s Mommy:
Is my daughter teething?
She will be four months old on the 16th, constant drooling (I mean crazy drooling lol), red cheeks each once in a while in the past two weeks or so, sucking on hands all the time, and went from being a very content baby to cranky and fussy all the time (this just happened in the last day or so). She has slept through the night since we had her up until last night, which is weird for her. All she did this day was fuss, I had to hold her all day long and normally we are on a schedule of naps and that was all messed up this day too. I mean obviously all these signs point to it, since the teething tablets were recalled what else should I do? I put ice cubes in the net teething things and that helps a tiny and I was giving her Tylenol but that did not seem to be working so I got some infant motrin tonight. Have not had to try it yet, but any other useful tips? This is my first baby and I hate it for her!

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Answer by Greetmir
Infant development experts state that teething usually starts when your baby is around four months old, and continues until he or she is about two years old, at which time you get a reprieve until about five years old when the baby teeth begin being replaced by grown-up teeth. Some babies teeth early—around three months old, and some teeth later, granting fatigued parents a few extra nights of well-earned sleep which they might spend worrying about the fact that the baby has yet to teeth when everyone else at Mommy and Me has already gained the admirable but odd-looking lower central incisors that make baby grins look hilarious to people who do not have children.
Premature babies might teeth later—count it as a blessing. Some babies do not develop their first teeth until 7 months or more, and a few might even be a year old before showing a single tooth. Like many things about babies, you cannot schedule progress on someone else’s age chart: your baby will develop teeth when he or she is ready—and whether you are ready or not.

When babies begin teething, the order of the process generally proceeds along in fairly predictable stages. First come the two lower middle teeth; next, the four upper middle teeth arrive, and after that come incisors, the furthest forward molars and finally the back molars. The first teeth might be the easiest for many babies because the teeth are sharp and thin, so they make it through the gum tissue with less trouble than the broad molars do.

An infant who’s slicing teeth can be one miserable companion, but some babies hardly seem to notice the change. Because the tooth is breaking down and slicing through the gum, it’s normal for babies to experience throbbing pain, swelling and the urge to bite. Biting might be ascribed to crankiness, which is also a symptom associated with teething, but in fact, putting pressure on sore gums from the outside equalizes the pressure exerted by the rising tooth and numbs the pain—until the outside pressure stops.

It’s a well-known fact that, once a baby reaches teething age, everything goes into the mouth. For nursing mothers, it can be a frustration when the child you have been waking yourself each two hours to feed suddenly bites you hard, but try not to take it personally. Do stop your baby and so, “no biting!” in your “I mean it” voice. (If you do not have your “I mean it” voice in place yet, here is where you develop it). Do not worry: you will not traumatize your child and you might be able to get the message across and continue to breastfeed in an atmosphere of mutual respect and (guarded) trust. Some babies will not stop biting when nursing, in which case, mothers usually decide to wean their children. This is one of the first times you will have to decide whether you are going to be an assertive parent who manages to meet the needs of her baby while maintaining her own need not to be injured, or a resentful martyr who bears unnecessary bruises and whose child will go on to bite babysitters, grandparents and even pets in her quest for something firm to chew on.

…. etc etc etc including lots more info and advice about teething here …

http://www.parenttime.com/babyarticles/teethingschedule.html

I hope this helps you … and … congratulations !

Answer by KP
That’s teething! Rub the plaque off her gums with a cold washcloth and give her different toys to chew on. Sometimes nothing will soothe them when they are teething, just hold her; it is instant relief when the teeth finally pop through.

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HOW MUCH DOES YOUR BABY SLEEP DURING THE DAY?

admin — Tue, 01 May 2012 21:50:36 +0000

Question by mrsbratt:
How much does your baby sleep during the day?
My daughter is now 5 months old and she generally takes about 2-3 naps during the day, totalling 3-4 hours in all. I have noticed that sometimes at night she will not want to go to bed if she has slept more than usual during the day. I realize that all babies differ as far as how much sleep they need and whether that interferes with their nighttime sleep but I am just curious how many naps your baby takes and for how long.

My 15 month old takes one 2-3 hour nap per day and has no problem sleeping at night.

Thanks in advance.

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Answer by mhrhashemi
your baby is health and natural. enjoy it

Answer by Honeypai
All babies are different. Mine just started to sleep through the night because we “ferberized” her. Just a nice way of saying I stopped getting her in the middle of the night. She was waking up twice once at 12am then again at 3:30am then up at 7am, this went on for 7 months until just last week. It took three nights of her crying for about 10-15 minutes and she went back to sleep. She naps at 10 am and again around 2 or 3pm both times for an hour. I will wake her up if she sleeps longer than that on her last nap because she will not want to go to bed at 8pm if she sleeps longer than that.

Answer by i can answer that!!
one nap a day for about 2-3 hours is great. mine is just over 7 months old and she wakes up around 6 or 7 and takes her nap around 11:00. that way when she wakes up at about 1:00-1:30 she has time to get worn out by the time she has to go to sleep… which is around 7:00.
i have followed that schedule each day now. it seems to work out great!

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DOES ANYONE HAVE TIPS ON MAKING A BABY SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT?

admin — Tue, 01 May 2012 06:44:28 +0000

Question by :
Does anyone have tips on making a baby sleep through the night?
From the time my baby girl was born until she was about 2 months old, she slept day in and day out. I did not like her sleeping that much because it did not feel like we had a baby yet and it worried me. After those 2 months passed, she was barely taking naps which were once to twice daily for about 10 mins each time but she was only waking up once a night to eat then she’d fall asleep right after her bottle. In the past couple months, she is been napping about an hour around lunch time then another 20 mins or so around supper time. She goes to bed between 8:30pm-9:00pm but doesn’t sleep for very long. This is where it’s starting to be really hard on me because I go to school and I work full time, all these night time wakings have left me exhausted. My boyfriend’s usually the one that takes care of her during the night, so it’s not like I am alone but I cannot go back to bed until I know she is sleeping again so I might as well be the one who takes care of her during the night. My boyfriend could sleep through it all while I am too worried about everything so I wait until she is asleep before I go back to sleep. In the past couple months, she is been waking up more and more each night and doesn’t want to go back to bed. She sleeps from about 9pm until 12am, eats falls back asleep but then wakes up each 1 to 2 hours after that. She is not getting up to eat because she barely has milk when she wakes up, she is just ready to get up and go play I think. She the total opposite of what my son was like. He used to sleep his nights, from 8pm until 8am each single day from the time he turned 2 months old. I guess he must of loved his sleep. Is there any tips you could give us to help my 7 month old baby girl sleep through the night? We as parents are getting to the point of total exhaustion.

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Answer by jingledelz
I feel like telling you you are stupid since thats what you have been putting as your answer for everyone else this morning.

Now i’m wondering if lack of sleep has made you into a cow. Probably.

There is nothing you can do to make her sleep through the night except not get up to her. Let her learn to self settle. You were lucky with your son that he learnt easily on his own. ALL babies wake often during the night but the ones that “sleep through” just know to go back to sleep.
Try not getting up to her as much. Yes, she will probably cry and wake up the whole home for a tiny while but she will eventually learn that she needs to sleep during night time and everyone else will get a superior nights sleep.
I’m not suggesting you leave her to scream her head off for a long time. Try 10 minute intervals or even 20 minute intervals if you are comfortable with that.
My sons slept through the night until he was 4 months old then started waking, I just fed him and he eventually starting sleeping through the night again at around 6-7 months old. If he woke after that during the night I did the CIO method – 15 minute intervals.

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QUESTIONS REGARDING “GETTING READY FOR A NEWBORN”?

admin — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 20:30:48 +0000

Question by Alana 5/20/09 & Caleb 4/18/10:
Questions regarding “getting ready for a newborn”?
I am looking forward to being a mother so much! There are just some things I’d like to know though that don’t come “natural”. Thank you for your help!!

1. How many feeding bottles do you need?
2. Do you recommend getting a manual or automatic breast pump?
3. How many sets of crib sheets do you need to have?
4. Did anyone use a “munchkin” (it gently keeps your baby in the back sleeping position)? Did you find it helpful or did you dislike it?
5. Did anyone have a baby bjorn? Did you like having it or not?

Thanks!!

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Answer by Pippin
1. If you will be breastfeeding, none at all. If you will be supplementing or pumping for when you go back to work, figure on 3-4, depending on your situation.
2. If you will be going back to work, get the ideal pump you can afford. (A double, hands-free electric. If not, you do not really need a pump at all. If you opt to purchase one, I’d purchase an electric. Cheap pumps are often worse than useless.
3. How often do you want to do laundry? You will need at least two, but more would obviously save on laundry. (Babies spit up and soak through their diapers, so you will be changing sheets a lot.
4./5. Cannot help you here.

Answer by Cindy D
1. If you are going to be nursing you do not need very many bottles. Maybe a half dozen for your breast milk when you pump.

2. Definitely automatic.

3. Three. You do not want to have to wash in the middle of the night if the baby is sick.

4. Yes, it helps until they”re huge enough to roll over it.

5. ?

Answer by Christina
1) You should have at least 5 to 6 on hand of the small & larger ones.
2) I had a manual. Ended up not BF though because of medical reasons.
3) Have at least 8 or 9 set to go. OH-and at least 2 mattress covers!! Trust me! Waterproof mattress covers that is.
4) Never used it. Never saw a need for it.
5) We have a Baby Bjorn. It was nice until she got to be 15-16 lbs and then it was not so nice because she was so heavy & it injured to carry her like that so we used our stroller a lot too.

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HOW MUCH SHOULD A TWO WEEK OLD NEWBORN SLEEP?

admin — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:50:06 +0000

Question by Lala Lash:
How much should a two week old newborn sleep?
My son is 2 weeks and 4 days old. He seems to sleep so much which worries me, He is asleep more then he is awake. Im a first time mother and everything makes me nervous and I feel bad for calling the physician over everything so I figured I would ask on here before I call them again lol. But his routine seems to be he will sleep for around 2 to 3 hrs then wake up hungry, he will nurse for about 20 to 30 minuets then need a diaper change then go back to sleep. he doesn’t spend much time alert and awake. do you think this is normal?

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Answer by **KELLEY**
They sleep a lot. 16 hours+ a day Here is a link that might help you.

http://www.babycenter.com/404_how-much-should-my-newborn-be-sleeping_9943.bc

Answer by Steph
YES very normal my daughter is 8 months now she had that same sleep schedule for probably close to two months, and enjoy it because there will come a time when you are begging for this again. lol trust me

Answer by ASHLY HAGGIS
depends on his or her personality and environment , But if YOU are worried speak to a physician or health visitor as it is important at that age .

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CO-SLEEPERS PLEASE ANSWER!?

admin — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 07:10:15 +0000

Question by Vee:
Co-Sleepers please answer!?
I am due in October and am separated from my husband. I want to begin sleeping with my infant right away, but I have a couple of concerns:

1. I have no idea when my husband and I will reunite. Will it be uncomfortable for my child to sleep in bed with me and someone they do not have the same type of bond with?

2. My husband takes Seroquel at night which makes him sleepy. Is it hazardous to have the infant in bed with someone who might not wake up easily?

Should I begin Cosleeping knowing that I might have to end it before my child is ready?

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Answer by cam’sma’
The ideal thing you could do before your husband returns is to put your baby to sleep on the crib, specially because your husband takes a medication, he wont be as conscious as you of the baby being between you two.

Answer by wiXet
We co-sleep and we love it…it’s great if you do it safely.

If your husband takes sleeping meds, do not let the baby lie next to him…always have her/him on your side of the bed.

Answer by parental unit
1. baby will not care if there is another person in the bed, as long as they do not take up the baby’s space!!

2. a parent (or any caregiver) who takes medication for sleep should not co-sleep. If you are your husband reunite and you wish to continue co-sleeping you might want to invest in a bedside co-sleeper, so the baby is safely away from your husband.

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ROUTINE SUDDENLY CHANGED IN 7 MONTH OLD. WHAT COULD BE REASONS?

admin — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 08:43:36 +0000

Question by :
Routine suddenly changed in 7 month old. what could be reasons?
My son is going to be 7 months old on christmas day. and up until about a week ago, he was set in a routing. sleep from 830pm-8am. eat breakfast. play. nap from 11-1. eat lunch, play. nap from 4-530. eat supper. play. bath. bottle before bed at 8:30…everything was WONDERFUl. WELLLL, the past week he has been up between 6:00-6:45 everymorning…his naps are all crazy. his eating habbits are now weird, he doesnt always want to eat lunch,well he doesnt want to eat baby food he just wants his bottle, and snacks or something (like those infant puffs or wafer things)…They state babies normally sleep longer/more when its cold, but he is not. He is not sick, hes healthy as can be. Goes to bed full, wakes up early and plays for an hour or so before eating, so i know hes not up early due to hunger…..i know babies change and go through differnt “cycles” or whatever, but what could have caused this large change? any way i can get my lazy sleeping late baby back?! lol

*Also, ive tried putting him to bed later- thinking he will sleep later –didnt work.

Thanks in advance for all suggestions,tips,ideas awnsers etc.

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Answer by a_hunters_wife
He is teething. Feel in his mouth I can nearly guarantee you will find a tooth coming. My daughter always had trouble sleeping when she was working on another tooth. She usually did this for a week then was back to her normal self. Try teething tablets, and frozen wash rags. This might help!

Answer by JJbham
I know how hard that can be, but sometimes there is no explanation. Maybe a growth spurt? Maybe just a new transition? My twins went through this also, and still have not gotten back to the sleeping late, and no matter how late i put them to bed they just get up the same time ha ha. I know it can be frustrating, but just be happy he slept so well for so long.

A recommendation would be to try and work with the new schedule. Create a solid routine out of the new sleep patterns. It could very well be a growth spurt where he will go back to “normal” in a few days-a few weeks. It could also be teething, so maybe check his mouth and get him some Tylenol if you see any new teeth coming through. Just wait until he is refusing to nap altogether, and getting up at night to ask for water ha ha, now that is sleep deprivation (YIKES)!

(PS: my boys started waking up at 4-5 am again for another bottle around this age….if you give him a bottle in the morning will he fall back asleep?)

Answer by KC
possibly teething, or sometimes babies just up and change their routines… he is getting older and more curious… do not let it worry you… unless he acts like he is not feeling well, he is just growing

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