advice needed due to unsettled baby at night

[casore]

I'm a new mum and my baby is 19 days old and we are having real problems settling him at night, during he day he is fine, however as soon as we reach the evening he will not settle no matter what we do, sometimes he will not sleep until the 4am/6am. Every time we think we have got him to sleep after a feed, nappy change, rocking etc he wakes and crys within minutes of being put in his crib.

Is this common with newborns?

Has anyone got any tips for settling a baby at night? I would be very grateful for any advice

[ptmum]

Hi, You have my sympathy - sleep deprivation is horrible. I dont know how common this is, but my DS was similar ( although he would finally drop off sooner than 4am!. In the end, and against all my beliefs, im afraid we gave him the dreaded dummy. It worked a treat, settled him into his cot and he would sleep well.I was dead against dummies, but my sister - in - law reccommended trying it and after a while you try anything. He is now 20months old and doesnt have a dummy at all. He only ever had it for nighttime and naps but gave it up a couple of months ago. He now happily settles himself to sleep. I know dummies arnt for everyone, but it did work.

Good luck

[VeronicaMars]

We did the exact same, gave a dummy. We never looked back. DD slept through the night from quite an early age. 19 days is still so young, don't worry, it doesn't mean your baby won't ever settle. It's such a big change and when you can't sleep it's so frustrating but things will settle. Swaddling (sp?) also helped dd settle but it did take time.

[casore]

Thank for your replies. Is it safe to give dummies overnight at such an early age? He has been sick a few times during the night. Are there any disadvantages from using a dummy?

Thanks again!

[clairemow]

casore, this is really common!

according to some studies, a dummy can actually reduce the risk of cot death.

You could also try warming the mattress of the cot with a hot water bottle while he's out being fed, then it isn't such a shock being placed back on a cold sheet for him. Also try putting an item of your clothing under him (maybe a pj top or t shirt) so that he can still smell you in his cot - that can help settle some babies. Or you could try tilting his cot/basket by putting a book under the legs at the head end - maybe he's a bit windy?

Is he definitely getting enough when you feed him? Our DS1 used to be terrible at settling at night, but we tried all sorts of tricks to keep him awake to feed for a bit longer - tickle his feet, undo his baby gro so his feet get some air etc. so that he took more. Sometimes I think they fall asleep at the breast/bottle, but then realise they need more as their head hits the pillow...

Just some ideas, hope something works for you. Don't let it get you down - it does get better, and when he's a year old, this time will seem like the blink of an eye.