How to get a 6 week old to sleep?

Cheryl - posted on 05/16/2009

No baby under 6 months of should have cereal.

Keri - posted on 05/16/2009

Thank you so much for all the advice. I do try to sleep when I can, but with an active 14 month old, it seems that when one is down, the other is up. I also work full time out of my house so even at night when both are down, I have to usually catch up on that. I have tried to hold him off longer then 3 hours to see if that would help, but again with a 14 month old it is hard to devote my time entirely to the little one for an entire hour or so. I have tried using rice based formulas at night - they are thicker and I hoped it would help like putting rice cereal in his bottle, but he still gets up every two to three hours. I have been just letting him cry it out more and giving him the passy. I know that this too shall pass, it would just be nice if it was sooner then later. Thanks again!!!

Cathelijn - posted on 05/16/2009

Once again I am amazed with the advise given on this post: '' crying doesn't hurt'','' dont pick him up and give him cuddles'', ''give him cereal'', what is going on?? I know everyone is giving their advise but this is crazy! The baby is 6 weeks old!! when my daughter was 6 weeks it was like she never slept I had to hold her all the time I could not put her down I carried her around in a sling just to be able to get something done.

Babies this age need to know you are there for them and when they are hungry they need to eat! in time it will get a better I promise.

Tracy - posted on 05/16/2009

When my son was 7weeks old my sister-in-law said to start giving him one or two bites of baby cereal mixed with formula before last bottle at night. After two nights he was sleeping 8 hours. Before that he was also a every 3 hour baby. Good luck.

Lydia - posted on 05/16/2009

If you need to you could make up a bottle of formula or expressed milk and get your partner, parents or friend to take a shift to give you some time for a lovely relaxing bath/shower and some much needed sleep!

Helen - posted on 05/16/2009

cant promise it will work but you could try a hungrier baby milk it worked with mine and a friend used a night time one that got her chikd sleepin thru but he was older wen she did that

Cheryl - posted on 05/16/2009

There is no magic formula to get a child to sleep, especially when they are so young. At this age sleeping 3-4 hours is normal, so when he goes to sleep you go to sleep as well. Have you tried a 6 oz bottle at 4hour intervals?

Bonnie - posted on 05/16/2009

Dummy's are good value if the child will take it. Don't loose heart and gain as much sleep as you can when your child is sleeping. It may mean three nanny naps during the day for you but often your sanity is essential. Sleep depravation is the main cause for psychotic episodes and post natal depression. What I have learned through experience is that 1. sleep when they do. 2. the actual data of sleeping with your child next to you works for about 9998 mothers out of 10,000 and that you sleep when the child is feeding or not. Your child is growing rapidly and that is ok. I had a heffer of a baby that is now a perfectly beautiful young woman within a healthy BMI. Overweight babies does not mean fat kids as they grow out before they grow up during growth spurts. Your child is also going through cognitive (mental) growth and development so what you do now will effect that child in profound ways developmentally within his brain. Boys do tend to have a lot more awake time than girls do due to hormonal infulences. Does you husband have energy abound, or the father if he is not your husband? Welcome to parenthood of a young male. They tend to be plugged into the power grid a lot earlier than young girls ever seem to be. Through his entire awake time he is learning about his environment and all that is within in. Absolute sponges for information and stimulation. He sounds pretty normal to me. If that was only written in the parenting guide book that doesn't exist. You can blame the testosterone floating around in his body of which he currently has an abundance of. He is priceless, unique, valulable and precious and can never be replaced, try to keep reminding yourself of that. Get what sleep you can, when you can and also state out loud how grateful you are for the sleep that you have had rather than all the sleep that you have not had. I and many other mothers have had to learn to do that. More than anything else just love him and know that this too shall pass because it will.

Leeann - posted on 05/16/2009

i had my girl up every hour when she was born until she was 7 months now she sleeps for 9 hours so 4 hours is good for a 6 weeks baby.use a dummy

Lynsey - posted on 05/16/2009

a little crying doesnt hurt babies you know crying comes with the job especially trying to get them to do what you want... persist and remember who is the adult and who is the child. As long as you know what you want is reasonable do it routine routine routine and stick to ur guns because they mite be babies but they know their mummies dont worry about overeating he's a baby but be mindful of his tintake after he is a year old good luck sweetheart xxx

Celine - posted on 05/16/2009

try a bed time routine, nice long hot bath and a massage, the skin to skin contact will help him to relax then give him a bottle to go to sleep, when he stirs try a dummy or just rocking him back to sleep, try not to pick him up so he'll learn to sleep for longer as he won't get cuddles or a feed, my son is 8 week old but from 6 weeks he has been having 5-6, 6-7oz bottles (very hungry baby) but he sleeps 12hours a night. hope this helps x

Kate - posted on 05/16/2009

Hello, we wouldn't still be sane if we didn't use a dummy. Both of my kids have needed a dummy to sooth them off to sleep. One of the midwives in hospital asked if we were going to use a dummy and said that some babies just need that extra sucking time for comfort. I have friends whose babies didn't use them and they seemed to cry all of the time. I know there can be challenges when you want to get rid of them but we took it off my 1st son at about 1 and he cried for maybe 2nights then got used to not having it and just started to cuddle up to his toy girrafe for comfort instead. Good luck. Kate

Kate - posted on 05/16/2009

Hello, we wouldn't still be sane if we didn't use a dummy. Both of my kids have needed a dummy to sooth them off to sleep. One of the midwives in hospital asked if we were going to use a dummy and said that some babies just need that extra sucking time for comfort. I have friends whose babies didn't use them and they seemed to cry all of the time. I know there can be challenges when you want to get rid of them but we took it off my 1st son at about 1 and he cried for maybe 2nights then got used to not having it and just started to cuddle up to his toy girrafe for comfort instead. Good luck. Kate