11 week old, clingy baby, fighting sleep. HELP!

[LadyStitt]

Hi all,

I am going crazy and need some help!! My 11 week old wants to be held all the time, she will at most have 40 mins play on her play mat or swing per day, the rest of the time she is screaming because she is tired but wont let herself sleep.

I can get her off to sleep by holding her and rocking her but it can take up to 40 minutes and as soon as i put her down she is awake and crying again!! If i continue to hold her she will sleep for anything up to 3 hours.

Not even the pushchair will calm her, if i go out i end up pushing an empty pushchair and carrying her in a sling because she just screams unless i am holding her!!

She is only like this during the day she sleeps really well at night. Bed at 8ish, then awake at 3am for a feed, within 1 hour she is back asleep till 6ish.

She will never get herself to sleep, she has to be rocked and cuddled to sleep.

what can i do? is she too young for controlled crying? someone please help!!

Well yes she is too young for CC I am afraid, especially if she is good at night. You are not meant to do CC before 6 months (according to some guidelines I saw somewhere)
My LO would not nap in bed during the day but was quite happy in a chair form where he could see me. I'd rock him when it looked like he was going to fall asleep, he would protest a bit but then eventually give up. I would not let your LO cry too long but a bit of yelping is quite normal IMHO.
I feel for you, sounds like hard work!

Thanks, yeah it can be hard work!!
I can't even put her down on the sofa or her swing or bouncy chair once i have got her off to sleep, she just wakes up instantly!!

it might be a wind problem. My little one at that age had severe wind/reflux problems which were exacerbated when I laid her down flat in her cot. She was much more comfortable lying in my arms. Next time you try putting her down in her cot, raise the cot at one end by placing a couple of books under the legs - this might help you know if she has reflux or not.

At 11 weeks I would have thought she was too young to be clingy, so this might indicate an underlying gas problem.

Just to say welcome to my world. DD is 11 weeks and we have the same problem. I am sure, well as sure as you can be with babies, it's a combination of gas, 12 week growth spurt and discovering more with and about her hands every day.

she is also suddenly reluctant to be held by anyone but me, which is odd for her age.

You have my sympathy. I am currently typing one handed, pushing DD in car seat on pram frame. She is not happy but five mons ago was peacefully asleep in my arms- but I needed to feed myself. She also sleeps okay at night...

Sounds completely normal to me! At 11 weeks, she's still really tiny and just wants to be with the person who makes her feel safe.

Does she settle in the sling? What sort do you have?

A Moby Wrap (and later a woven wrap) saved my sanity in the early months, and still has it's many uses now at 21mo! DD would only nap in the sling until she was 6mo. It was only at that point that she felt secure enough to nap by herself, and that she did.

cosmicmouse yes she settles in her sling and is very happy in there, we use a Wallaboo, i couldn't live without it!!

cocoachannel oh, i am glad its not just me!! i thought i was doing something wrong!! probably gas, i hadn't thought of that. She did have colic between 4weeks - 9 weeks so it may be making a return appearance!!

kateyfer I will try raising the cot, thank you for the advice.

FINGERS CROSSED

I sympathise hugely. My DS preferred to sleep on me and my DH. We ended up being baby wearers. I just looked up your sling on google, it looks lovely but quite free hanging. You could try a sling that holds your DC much tighter to your body (like a babybjorn or a moby wrap) which would allow you to baby wear while getting on with your day. I used to wear my DS while doing the washing up, and i could also nap on the sofa with him in the sling without fear of crushing him as he was securely on my front. I had a baby bjorn which i recommend because it has lumbar support which for me was a god send as it helped protect my back.

i feel your pain - my 12wk old is exactly the same! good at night, nightmare in the day. Better than my now 3 yr old son though - at that age, he never slept at all!! I figure she's just doing what she needs to do and that she'll learn to love her pram and daytime naps, just as DS (eventually) did. Good luck!

have you tried putting her to bed for her day naps? or swaddling?

My daughter was like that til she was about 18month old!!! One word of advice-do not get into the habit of rocking them to sleep-its fine when they little but at 18month old-your arm aches lol. I would maybe ask your health visitor for advice on controlled crying-i would say at 11 weeks old it is a bit young but some people might say start as you mean to go on. Also make sure routines are roughly the same-i.e dinner time, bath time, etc! good luck!

p.s try using infacol!

She's only 11 weeks! Since you ahve a sling just pop her on and that way she gets the cuddles she needs and you aren't stuck on the sofa.