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Clingy 7 Week old Baby

7 replies

Harls123 · 10/11/2019 23:02

Hi,
My baby is 7 week and its very rare she will be put down to sleep. I let her go into a deep sleep on me then soon as i put her down she wriggles and moans. I dont know if it is belly ache whats causing this or shes being clingy.
Do they grow out of this?

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windy2909 · 10/11/2019 23:34

Do you wrap her securely in a blanket, with arms by her side? I’m not a fan of swaddling blankets but from birth until my baby was around 3 months I always did this so he was nice and snug in my arms and then when I put him down he still had the heat in the blanket.

surreygirl1987 · 11/11/2019 12:32

At 7 weeks this is really common... not clingy but needing security and comfort! Have you tried a sleepyhead in a Next to Me crib? A dummy?

happyhealthvisitor · 11/11/2019 12:40

shes very little but you could try a t shirt over the top of the mattress that you have been wearing , plus have a microwaveable heat pad on it ready to remove when she goes down , wait till she is yawning or her eyes are closing put her down on her back and you can pat her or make sshing noises or use a white noise app.Waking is normal but its just trying to get her back to sleep , leave her for a minute or so if you can to see if she can self soothe but dont leave her to cry. A dummy is recommended at this age to help them to remember to breathe when first sleeping x

Harls123 · 11/11/2019 12:57

I have tried with swaddle her, put my top in her basket and she dosnt take to the dummy, we use a hot water bottle aswell.
i percivere for so long and i end up having her co sleeping which i dont want her to get used to. Is it to do with a growth spurt?

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webster144 · 12/11/2019 13:38

Hi, I could have written this myself a few months ago! My daughter is now just under 4 months and I would honestly say it just takes time...

I was tearing my hair out at first because I couldn't put her down without her crying and I tried everything but sometimes it just takes time for them to adjust to their new living environment as you have to remember where they've just spent the last 9 months! Someone told me to read up on the '4th trimester' and it was really interesting, it helped me understand her a little more about why she was so clingy or upset etc at times, everything has changed for them in an instant and it takes a while to get used to it...it's definitely worth googling!

My best advice would be feed her, rock/sway her, make sure the environment is right for sleep (like previous poster - heat pad, tshirt with your smell, white noise, dark room, not too cold/warm etc) and then lay her down. My biggest mistake was not introducing a dummy sooner, she's only just started taking it in the last few weeks after much perseverance so if you can try now I would definitely keep at it, it's really been a lifesaver at times and I cringe at myself as I originally turned my nose up at a dummy but it helps my little one self soothe and fall asleep (bear in mind babies can't really self soothe until about 3 months old though) and I can't believe I hadn't tried with her sooner as it would have probably got me through the first few difficult months.

We had to keep DD upright for half an hour after feeds because of reflux and I used to sit up in bed with her asleep on my chest after feeds and then slowly put her into the bedside cot and normally she would go down okay, id maybe keep my hand on her chest for a minute or so to let her adjust. I think there's a lot of opinions on co sleeping but as long as you're following 'guidelines' on it and it works for you 😊

My best advice is just try ride it out, I found the first two months really hard in terms of getting her to sleep, finding a 'routine' with everything (including myself) and learning what this little one wants. I promise it'll get better but the important thing is to stay calm as they can sense your mood and it's not worth getting upset over as they will eventually sleep and one day you'll find yourself in a good wee routine, it happened naturally with us and she is now sleeping 8pm-11pm, dream feed then 11.30pm-6am xx

Harls123 · 12/11/2019 16:46

Its not just me whats been in this situation then, its causing anxiety! The dummy advice is good to know, ill try amd get my little one to persevere...hopefully we will get there .. wish me luck Hmm

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webster144 · 12/11/2019 16:50

Also forgot to mention best dummy we've found yet which she took to straight away almost, was the BIBS one...not to mention super cute and lots of colours xx

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