8 wk old - Too much sleep? And also routine question...

[angel1976]

Hi,

My DS is 8 weeks old this Saturday. Been reading all the different types of sleep routine books - baby whisperer, babywise and GF - to determine what to try... He's already in a routine of sorts. I have two questions if BTDT mums can help...

1. Too much sleep? - Is there such a thing as sleeping too much? DS is barely awake! He is wide awake for say maybe 2-3 hours the whole day (if you don't include feeding time). The rest of the time he is sleeping or drifting off to sleep... He hates being waken, gets really grumpy and cries. He fell into a deep sleep at 4pm today. I tried waking him at 5pm and he wouldn't have it, just kept falling asleep on me. I gave him his bottle at 6:15pm and he's been in bed since 7pm and sleeping soundly! Should I worry?

1. Routine - I think GF is too strict as with my DS, I really have difficulty trying to get him to stay awake so there's no chance I can stick to GF routine. HOWEVER, I like her timings and they make sense to me. Has anyone used her 'times' but did everything else kind of differently and have it still work?

Thanks!

Ax

[angel1976]

I should add that I read GF states that at this stage, LO should not be sleeping more than 3.5/4.5 hours during the day. NO CHANCE my LO will every stick to that! LOL...

[VacantlyPretty]

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[VacantlyPretty]

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[talilac]

Honestly?

I reckon theres loads of time for him to be in a routine when he's bigger. For now I'd just roll with what he wants to do.. Much less stressful on everyone, because little babies aren't really routinable imo. They want what they want when they want it and get grumpy at being denied. As they should!

Re sleep - some babies do sleep a lot in the early weeks. Fingers crossed for you that he carries on enjoying his sleep as he gets older!

[HeadFairy]

Lots of these so called baby gurus have what appear to be strict routines which are actually what a lot of babies naturally fall in to anyway, they just work to get them in to those routines earlier. IMO it's better for babies to find their own routines ie sleep when they're tired and eat when they're hungry. Much better for their development to start to understand their own body signals. My ds was almost exactly in the GF routine by 10 weeks without me doing anything. However... I could just be bloody lucky!

[tellyaddict]

My son was very jaundiced until 9 weeks and was awake no more than 2-3 hours until about 3 months. Now he won't nap properly in the day and doesn't sleep through the night - I'd say if your baby is putting on weight then enjoy it whilst you can!

[angel1976]

So if he sleeps at 4pm, I should just let him sleep? I am completely paranoid that he will sleep so much during the day, he won't sleep at night (hasn't happened yet, touch wood!).

I did start giving him his bottle a bit earlier (at around 6pm) yesterday as that meant he would get up at 10/11pm to feed. I was feeding him at 7/7:30pm and he wasn't waking up till 1am and I was shattered doing that feed and then him waking up again to feed at 5am. Last night, he did get up at 10:45pm to feed, then again at 3:30am and then at 6:30am. If he doesn't wake tonight at 10/11pm, should I do a dream feed? I am so tired!

Any advice? Thanks!

BTDT - Been There Done There

[angel1976]

tellyaddict - He is DEFINITELY putting on weight, put on 22oz in 2 weeks!

[VacantlyPretty]

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[VacantlyPretty]

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[angel1976]

Thanks VacantlyPretty. I am reluctant to go to bed early as I am always anticipating the next feed (and yes, I love browsing the net too! :P)! The other night, I made the bottle thinking DS will wake up at 11pm and actually woke up with cold bottle in hand at 1am! LOL. I will try and do the dream feed tonight if he doesn't wake. Fingers crossed he doesn't wake at 4am. Like I said, he's very sleepy. Even when he has woken up at 6am, he tends to drift off to sleep soon after his feed anyway (and occasionally, has actually gone right back to sleep till his next feed at 11am!).

[HeadFairy]

Just out of interest angel1976, do you take your ds outside during the day? I found daylight and fresh air really helped ds adjust his waking/sleeping routine from the sleeping 24hours a day of a new born to the normal daytime/nighttime routine of an older baby. I could be talking out of my arse, but I think the daylight helps their melanin production or summat (even if they're asleep in their pushchair/pram)

[angel1976]

DH has a rather demanding job and doesn't get back till 8pm and is usually off just before 8am so I am reluctant to get him involved as he loves his sleep (like his son!). I should go to bed NOW. Tell me to!

[VacantlyPretty]

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[littlemonstersmum]

i'm sitting here reading this discussion with my 8wk old wide awake on my lap!! i agree with everyone who says let your baby make his own routine- i worried about routine far too much with ds1 because i made the mistake of reading gf before she was born. i reckon once they start to settle in the evening- just make sure you have a strict evening/bedtime routine i.e. bath, bottle, bed and you'll be fine!

i would also recommend the dreamfeed though- i've been doing that if ds2 if ever asleep before 10pm ans she does go longer in the night- normally about 5am-ish

[VacantlyPretty]

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[angel1976]

HeadFairy - I take him out everyday! Today, we went to a nearby village (he slept while I pushed him around , continued sleeping even when I took him out of his pushchair!) and then popped into our neighbours (he stayed awake for about 2 hours then, but the moment we came home, that's when he went into his deep sleep at 4pm!). I take him out in his pram everyday to the park etc.

littlemonstersmom - I have to say I am not very good with the bedtime routine... I really should implement one. The last time we tried to do bath before bottle though, he screamed the house down as he doesn't like baths and also, he wanted his bottle the moment he was wide awake! I did do a bath one evening after his bottle and for once, he didn't cry! Because bath time has been so traumatic for all of us, we only bathe him once every 4 days (or when he starts to stink...).

[angel1976]

VP - DH hates getting up and takes ages to fully wake up... I rather have one grumpy baby than two! LOL! Goodnight and hope you sleep well.

[HeadFairy]

Did you do the dream feed last night angel1976? how did it go? Sorry the fresh air thing isn't working out for you, it always knocks my ds out! mind you he always falls asleep in his pushchair too.

[angel1976]

Hiya,

Thank goodness DS woke up and had a feed at 11pm! So I didn't have to wake him. However, he got up at 2:30am for another feed and then at 4:30am as he had pooed his nappy (didn't have to feed him then and he went down quite easily once his nappy was changed). That's the first time it has happened - him waking up with a poo-ey nappy. Then he slept till just past 7am. If only he didn't wake because of the poo-ey nappy, I would have felt a lot more rested. He was awake till just about 8:50am and now napping. However, I can hear his stirring. He just doesn't seem to nap that well in the morning! I have no idea why...

Thanks for asking HeadFairy!

Ax

[HeadFairy]

In my (very limited) experience there'll always be days like that, esp as your ds gets older... one night brilliant, one night waking loads, random night time poos and so on. If I remember correctly at 8 weeks my ds was having a dream feed at 11pm and then another feed at about 4am and then another one around 9am, but they are all so different, it's hard to say what's normal. That's part of the reason why I take all those baby guru books with a heafty pinch of salt, how can one routine fit all babies?

[angel1976]

If he gets a feed at 10/11pm, he usually wakes at around 3/4am... Last night was early for some strange reason. But then again, he didn't wake again till just gone 7 (usually up at around 6-ish), which is unusual seeing as his night feed was 'early'! I do agree that you can't take the baby books too seriously, I mean if you follow the GF method, you will have no life unless you employ someone (like her) just to look after your baby... He's now sleeping in his cradle swing. Funny how when he was younger, I was dying to put him down (he wanted carrying all the time), now that I can put him down, I miss cuddling him! I do think a routine of sorts is important though, otherwise I will never ever do anything!

He's stopped crying so much these two days as well. And I managed a nap this morning while he was sleeping so I feel semi-human again!