9 week old baby having a hard time falling asleep

Tabitha - posted on 01/11/2009

well she has been sleeping on her tummy for a few weeks now and that really seems to be helping .. tonight went really well she was in bed fast asleep by 8pm .. its just so speractic which i have a hard time understanding because i follow the same routine every night .. bath, play . feed . bed . ...  ohh well . i guess its just going to take some time.. i think everything is under control though.

Tabitha - posted on 01/11/2009

well she has been sleeping on her tummy for a few weeks now and that really seems to be helping .. tonight went really well she was in bed fast asleep by 8pm .. its just so speractic which i have a hard time understanding because i follow the same routine every night .. bath, play . feed . bed . ...  ohh well . i guess its just going to take some time.. i think everything is under control though.

Carissa - posted on 01/11/2009

Maybe he should read some of these posts...? For some reason, the crying doesn't bother my husband nearly as much as it bothers me!

Tabitha - posted on 01/11/2009

thank you all for all your great suggestions..  ever sence day one i tried to swaddle her.. she kicks her way out of it within just a few minutes... i dont know if this is what some of your babies do... i know im doing it right lol a nurse even tried doing one a little tighter .. she kicked out of that one too.. i guess i will just try letting her scream it out .. the only problem i have there is that i live in an apartment building and i feel terrible for the other tenants .. having to listen to her, she can get very loud.. and also my husband has a hard time letting her cry as well if i dont get her right away he will ... is therre something i can say to him to let him know it is for her own good ?

Carissa - posted on 01/11/2009

I agree. After nursing her, changing her diaper, swaddling her, and making sure she was cozy, we've had to just let her cry so that she would fall asleep. On a few occasions, she has cried on and off for about 45 minutes before falling asleep - and then she has slept for 5-7 hours! Although she has definitely cried, it has never been a terrible, distressed cry. That being said, it's still tough on me as her mom, and I have to admit that I've been in tears myself a few times...!

Jacky - posted on 01/11/2009

i have the same problem. seeking the solution .....

Ching - posted on 01/11/2009

My daughter is 9 weeks old, she will only fall asleep in my arm while feeding or walking around. And I can only laying her on bed when she is really in deep sleep if not I will have to do all over again. Before i lay her down she already start to scream if she is not fall asleep yet. Her screams is terrible...until she almost lost her voice if we didnt carry her up. And the problem is she only sticky to me.  I have tried Kerries method but I really cannot stand her screaming, she looks quite miserable too. :( 

Kerrie - posted on 01/10/2009

When my baby was eight weeks old i ended up in sleep school for 5nights/4days. It was the best thing ever. What i learnt is that letting them fall asleep while feeding is not teacching him to self settle. So when she wakes after 10mins there is no boob and she doesnt know how to sleep. I now always put my boy down awake and walk straight out. If he cries i go back and put my hand on his stomach and give him his dummy back. When he is quite i leave. I spent hours for weeks repeating this scenario. He now goes off to sleep by himself.

Jennifer - posted on 01/10/2009

Swaddling does help a lot of babies. Our son is four months old now and we just lay him down and he goes to sleep. I'm not saying that to brag, I'm saying that to tell you that we figured out that he sleeps best on him tummy, but sometimes he had to cry a little to get to sleep. It's totally normal for some babies to cry at bedtime, and it's certainly not uncommon for them at your baby's age. You just have to decide what you're going to do (back, tummy, wedges, whatever) and when you lay her down- that's it. She will wake up and cry, but if you let her cry for a few minutes (up to 15 or 20) she'll learn to put herself back to sleep. That doesn't last forever, but it takes three days for a baby to form a habit, so it might be rough for those initial days. Babies are capable of so much more than a lot of people give them credit for, so don't give up if you choose to let her cry. It's harder on us than it is on them. I hate hearing Wyatt cry, but when we were in your situation, we knew it was best for him because he was burped, dry and full (full at the 10pm feeding only- we don't put him to bed immediately after any other feeding of the day). He just needed to go to sleep. I still rock him in my arms sometimes or give him a little bounce, but for the most part, I just lay him in his crib and he goes to sleep. The hard work pays off! Good luck!

Carissa - posted on 01/10/2009

My little angel will be nine weeks on Monday, and we've experienced the same kind of thing. Our pediatrician suggested  warming up the crib or bassinet using a hot water bottle or heating pad and then taking it out right before putting her to sleep. We now swaddle our daughter every night. We find making her warm and cozy really seems to help.