Hi there,
First post (and first baby...) so please be gentle!
We've got a 2 week old daughter, and have decided to suck it and see what happens. No routines yet, but trying to follow some general principles. Like
a) Make a difference between night (quiet, upstairs, dimmed lights) and day (downstairs, light+noise, the electric chair, outside if poss)
b) Bath and big feed at 7 pm to start off the evening.
c) Coming to her if she cries-we feel 2 weeks is too early for letting them cry (it's still a big scarey world for them!)
She tends to drop off after a feed, but wake up about 1 hour later and is difficult to settle again. We can comfort her-she will go to sleep on us (but perhaps bad habit in future) and dummy (she is very sucky-but she will get fired up again if it falls out). This is particularly the case from 7 pm onwards...
Could this be because of her feeding (breast only)-she is a bit of a snacker who likes 15/20 mins but then dozes off? But then again, she had a monster feed at 4 am this morning and slept until 8.30!!
She's also a real fidgeter and likes bringing her legs up (perhaps becauase she was breech until 36 weeks??), so has anyone tried those kidopotamus (sp?) bags?
Our general philosphy is to do whatever works in the first month-and once we've worked out what she likes, start to settle into a routine.
Is this sensible/realistic-particularly as we don't want to start bad habits? Any hints from mums in this situation gratefully received!! Probably just looking for reassurance that we're doing the right thing??
Jo
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Go with the Flow??
workingitout · 07/05/2006 09:42
That's exactly what i did/am doing with dd2.
It sounds great and just what a baby needs IMO.
Ignore comments like rod for your own back and making her clingy (these come mostly form family and freinds i find). What you are doing is giving her the foundations to be very confident in the knowledge that she's loved and secure. This in time will make her more independant.
My dd2 is 14 months now. She still co-sleeps which is fine by me (though i'm pregnant again so will have to make some moves soon).
I think the little things you are doing, making the difference between night and day and bedtime routines are good too.
Enjoy her, you sound like lovely Parents
We did just the same things too - night and day different, bath and bed routine at 7 and always responded to crying . DD is now 7 months and the most contented, happy baby. She is slowly starting to sleep through, but has really only been waking for 1 feed each night for the past 3 months, which is really not too wearing in the great scheme of things. Am sure some of it is her temperament, but i also feel sure she feels totally secure. The hardest thing was getting to grips with daytime sleep and feeding, but i posted on here and got loads of fab help. Also found the babywhisperer useful when she was about 3 months.
There really is no such thing as 'bad habits' at this age. All the evidence suggests that babies who are picked up and soothed when they cry learn to self sooth quicker and grow into more secure children who deal with anxiety and stress more effectivley. (Please ignore anyone who says otherwise. I was shocked when i heard some of the midwives on the postnantal ward comment on me holding my baby.) Your baby needs you and you need to find your own way as a family. The early days pass so quickly, just enjoy every minute you can. It sounds like you are doing fab.
oh, and ignore the housework, or at leaast badger someone else into doing it. 
Hiya, just read this thread and could have written the same things ourselves. We too have a 21/2 week old and were starting to worry for the same reasons. DD will not be put down in the day and only naps for about 4 hours max but this week I discovered the Babybjorn sling - it is ace because I can make my dinner and eat without having to put her down and leave her crying.
She is sleeping in a spare double bed with me (husband in other room as he is a heavy sleeper and worried about him rolling on her!) and she is swaddled in a hippo thingy robe (fantastic - best thing we bought). She goes to bed with me at about 10 I feed her and she goes to sleep on me then she usually wakes at 2 and 6 which is ok. The last couple of nights though she has not let me put her down at all 
so have had to sit up and dose with her on my tummy - I am very tired! I worry that for such a young baby she is not getting enough sleep - apparently they are supposed to sleep from about 16 - 22 hours a day - she gets nothing like this much sleep!
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