Adivce on getting a 1 month old to sleep longer

Sarh - posted on 04/12/2011

I think your pretty lucky that she is sleeping 2.5hrs at a time I know some babies who wake every 1hr at night to feed. How does she sleep during the day? Are her days and night mixed up?

Jenni - posted on 04/12/2011

First... try feeding her more often during the day.

Second... it's best to train your baby to fall asleep on their own. Try to put her to bed sleepy but awake. I know this isn't always easy, especially with NBs who fall asleep at the breast. But do it whenever possible. It teaches them to self soothe. When you lay a sleeping baby in her cot, the weight of her body wakes her up, this typically occurs 10-15 mins after you lay them down. If she fusses try patting her back and shhhing her until she is calm. If you need to pick her up pat her back and shh her until she settles and then lie her down again. Repeat, repeat, repeat. I did this whenever I could with my LOs and if I got too tired or frustrated, I'd co-sleep or nap (please look into co-sleeping safety before attempting it). But I was always actively working on getting them use to sleeping in their cot. With my son it took 6 months, with my daughter it took 2 1/2 months. Afterwards they were both excellent sleepers.
Swaddling is still important until 3 months even if babies wriggle out. Just reswaddle. You could also try warming her blanket in the dryer right before swaddling.

Third... it's possible she's having a growth spurt. They typically occur around 6 weeks. Make sure you feed on demand.

It doesn't sound like your baby has colic. I've had two infants with colic. Most newborns struggle with sleep.
"The medical definition of colic is a condition of a healthy baby in which it shows periods of intense, unexplained fussing/crying lasting more than 3 hours a day, more than 3 days a week for more than 3 weeks.[3] However, many doctors consider that definition"
and when they say intense crying... they mean it. My babies screamed like they were in intense pain and were impossible to soothe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_colic here's some more info

Sarah - posted on 04/12/2011

My LO was a fussy baby too and we had similar problems. Turns out she had acid reflux and medication helped her sleep as well as letting her sleep in the baby swing instead of in her crib. Lying flat was too rough on her belly. Ask your pediatrician, you never know if there's some underlying medical reason that is keeping her from sleeping.

Rebecca - posted on 04/11/2011

I had two fussy/colicky babies but there was no quick fix. The first one ended up sleeping with me. At the time I was not sure that was the right thing but it was the only thing that worked for both of us to get some sleep. Since then I have done a lot of research and am happy with cosleeping with bub (taking safety precautions ie bedding etc) as there is a lot of research that being physically close to you is good for their development. However, if you follow this path keep in mind that some bubs will take time to sleep on their own and this is usually measured in years not months. This is usually done on a gradual basis ie in the cot/toddler bed in your room, then moving bed to own room and lying down with them to go to sleep, then encouraging them to do it on there own. This works with in our family.