Tips for an over tired 8 week old?

[MilkyBarKidd]

Newborn age 8.5 weeks. Yesterday he suddenly wouldn't sleep at all during the day (after about 11am) and was awake right up until midnight when he finally conked out! All evening was awake and grizzly and we tried literally everything we could think of.

I'm sure this is completely normal for 8 weeks ( think it's a key moment of brain development?) but does anyone have any tips for managing an over tired baby? Or how I could have supported him better to sleep during the afternoon? We did everything you can think of - rocking, bouncer, cuddling, pram, walk, white noise etc etc last night. In the end he was exhausted!

Have you tried just leaving him? Not suggesting cry it out but let him have a grumble in the cot and see if he just wants to be left alone, sometimes they need it. Obviously if it reverts to full on screaming don’t leave him. But dark room, very loud white noise. Mine also liked the very old fashioned and probably frowned upon dummy, but I know there are mixed feelings on those. I would sit behind mine when they got in that state so they couldn’t see me (too stimulating) but I was there to reassure, I had loud white noise and popped the dummy back in as needed. It can all take a while to master but sometimes the rocking, cuddling, walking is to much. Also catch them before they are over tired, at his age it’s a very short awake window, I think maybe even just an hour before they need another kip!

Also a swaddle. Wrap him up nice and snug!

Thank you. Yes we tried that but the grizzle quickly turned to proper cries and not the sort you can just leave.

We have swaddled. He used to love it but now he's a lot bigger and stronger he always does a Houdini act, and finds it frustrating.

Re "catching him" before he gets over tired- this is what I want to do but how do I get him to sleep? Yesterday afternoon I knew he needed a nap, but couldn't get him to actually sleep!

Have you tried a sling? Always used to get mine to sleep. It's a phase, it'll pass and a new issue will appear!

Yep, second the sling. Stretchy wrap kind I find is best this age as it holds them firmly and you can also pop their head against your chest inside one of the shoulder straps to make it dark and cosy. Worked absolutely every time for my otherwise non-sleepy two. Cheap too. Doesn’t need to be anything fancy.

I know it’s easier said then done but before he even seems tired you need to try and get him asleep which is often not long at all from last waking. As the day goes on and if he hasn’t slept much it becomes harder which is why afternoons and evenings end up a mess. Would you consider a dummy? Then you can leave him in the cot and just pop the dummy in for some comfort if you feel he is getting really upset. And the white noise, have it louder then you think. It’s tough and sometimes it’s just a little developmental phase and there is nothing you can do about it but I would keep trying none the less. Do you have the swaddle nice and tight? He might seem frustrated with it but in reality is probably just thrashing around generally, it does help them stay asleep for longer. I used to hate it when mine got like this but some babies are just so easily stimulated and won’t simply switch off and relax

Baby carrier? DH used to hoover with DD in the baby carrier and she would often fall asleep. Sometimes the hairdryer noise worked as well. She often cried for a bit (/a lot!) before sleep unfortunately but she just cried all the time so wasn't much we could do about it. She had a dummy too which helped. Also she often went to sleep laying on our legs, we'd rock her on our legs whilst we sat on the sofa and watched telly or something. Sometimes we could slide her off to sit properly next to her in the sofa but downside is if you're on your own you can't leave them in case they fall off. But I would rather have been stuck on the sofa watching telly with her sleeping than listening to her scream AGAIN.

Have you considered also that there may be pain or something keeping him awake if he doesn't normally stay awake that long? Might be worth trying a dose of paracetamol and see if that makes any difference. If not then you know it's not but if it does help then that suggests he may have had pain keeping him awake.

Do you drive? When my DD is fighting sleep we put her in the car and after 5 minutes she's asleep

Yep got two different slings. Yesterday he was having none of it though.

I had a womb sounds mp3 that worked well for DS. Dummy? Rock him in his buggy?

If you drive, put him in the car. Magic lights out for my non-sleepers.

Also, sounds early but consider teething. My daughter started at 9 weeks, I would swear it, drooling/ trying to shove hand in mouth, red cheeks. No teeth until 16 weeks but the signs were there at 9 weeks....so maybe teething gel maybe worth a try?

My DD hit that at about 6 weeks. Just wouldn't nap at all. I went through 4 weeks of hell (with my mother on the phone going 'She's too old to nap! If she's cranky, it's because you're not trying hard enough to entertain her!'). Eventually DD and I agreed that she would nap if I held her. And that was how every nap happened till she turned 7 months.

Not altogether to be recommended, but if your sanity is at stake, take what you can get!

@UtterlyUnimaginativeUsername it is bizarre how some parents seem to forget what you would think of as basic childcare stuff. I remember my FIL expressing surprise that my one year old still napped and he has had kids in the not too distant past.

Easy to clip in Baby Bjorn baby carrier. We thew our stretchy sling away as it was too difficult to get him in it when crying!

I used to leave the Dyson running next to DS's crib. It was literally like flicking a switch - as long as he was fed and clean, he'd be fast asleep almost instantly.