Tips for 7wk old that wants to be held all the time?

[choceyes]

My 7wk old DD wants to be held all day. She doesn't want to be put in the buggy, nor the cot, or under a playmat or cot mobile. Toys doesn't interest her (not unusual at this age I know)and I'm putting her in the sling all day now.

My back is aching (sling is a Connecta and is comfy and great, but having her in it ALL DAY is knackering). I have a 22 month DS too, so I'm running around after him with her in the sling. i can't cuddle him, and it's limitting what I can do with him as I can't get close enough to him. Even changing his nappy is a chore with her strapped to my front.

Same problem in the evening too.

My DS as a baby in complete contrast was happy to be put down from day 1, so this is very new to me.

Any tips on anything that worked for anybody with a baby like this? A baby swing maybe?

Hi Choceyes, wanting to be held close to you is normal for most little babies. Your DD has spend 9 months in a cosy, warm, noisy dark place and it sounds as if she's not yet ready to give that up - it's perfectly normal and she will grow out of it in time.

Well done on getting a sling, that's a great first step. I wonder if it is the right one for you though? If you've got the right sling, fitted correctly, you should barely notice a 7 wk old baby. Do you have a local sling meet? They might be able to loan you a few to try and check the fit.

Could you try swaddling her? It will replicate the feeling of being back in the womb.

i found the kiddopotomus SwaddleMe very good for DD. It has velco fastenings so could be made as tight or loose as we needed and would stay in place.

I was also going to suggest swaddling it helped when i had a similar problem with DS, i also put something with my smell on near him which seemed to help too.
Good luck i hope you find something that works for you x

Swaddling is a great idea - as is experimenting with other slings. Although I have a Connecta and have used other slings but find it the comfiest so far!

I have found all of mine have needed slinging and holding a lot for the first 3 months but have gradually been more put-down-able as they start to take more interest in the world. The old 'this too will pass' mantra has helped me through this stage a lot.

Does your DH have her in the sling in the evenings/weekends just to give you a break?

My DS would cry inconsolably if put down during the day for his first six weeks - so I didn't put him down other than to go to the loo. I still remember vividly the day I put him in a bouncy chair so I could go to the loo (facing into the bathroom needless to say) and he didn't cry. It will pass - and your DD will turn into the happiest, sunniest baby because she has had all this closeness with you when she needed it. Soon she will be interested in watching your DS and that will solve the problem.

Am in a veery similar situation! DD is nearly 8 weeks old and DS is 20 months old.

DD wants to be held all the time, and so is spending a lot of time in the sling - I use a calin bleu and most of the time I forget she is in it, but at the end of the day it can start to take its toll.

The other thing is that she always falls asleep in the sling, which is no good as it means less keep at night.

I have tried swaddling - DS took well to it, but DD doesn't really like it. One thing that gives me a bit of a break is to lay a fleece blanket on the bouncer, put her in it and then wrap the fleece fairly tightly around her to make her snug.

She will generally fall asleep if we go out walking in the pram so I try to build that into the afternoon.

I'm just biding my time - they do start to become a little more independent around the 3 month mark. :)

DS was the same for months. I got a Baby Bjorn with the back support which helped.

I could sometimes put him down in one of these too, I think he liked the vibrations.

www.freeads.co.uk/cardiff/household/children/baby_items/6945331/fisher-price-kick-n-play-vibrating--lights--music-baby-bouncer/view

Thanks for the answers!

It's good to know that this is normal for babies. My DS wasn't like this at all, so that's why I was wondering whether it was normal for other babies or not!

The sling I think is fine. It's just that I literally wear her all day apart from feeing and nappy changes. I'm on the go all the time in town taking DS hear and there and carrying shopping sometimes, so towards the end of the day it's taking it's toll on my back - however good the sling is.

My DH does sling her in the evenings sometimes so I can go to sleep, but as he needs to do chores in the evening he can't do a lot so the house is a mess.

I'm not at home during the day to swaddle her (maybe try this in the double buggy), and at night she sleeps on my chest and then a transfer her to my side and shes is fine like that.

I shall try the swaddling in the bouncy chair thing like 5dollarshake said during the evening.

Have you tried a swing? We used to swing the baby car seat from two hooks in the living room ceiling, all 3 babies loved this. (or of course you can buy a proper baby swing but our car seat one worked well for us).

I used to get backache with my (heavy) newborns in slings too, I think my back used to get knackered by pregnancy hormones, cos I found it much easier with ny dniece in a sling at the same stage, when my back wasn't so fragile. it was a bit of a pain, really, I loved slings and used them a lot but I couldn't wear them full time.

Similar situation here - 5 week old dd2 who doesn't like being put down and 29 month old dd1.

Could you sit at home more for a couple of days and have visitors (even better with a toddler in tow)? The visitor can nurse baby while you relax. Or put a bit of telly on while you relax on sofa with dd2 on your knee.

I sit on my arse a lot nursing dd2 tbh and read books, play with puzzles and stickers and toys with dd1, and an hour of telly a day for dd1 keeps me sane. We do get out too obv.

I found the sling got easier as my son got a bit bigger as he could support himself more - and from about 4 months you could put her on your back if you're confident? My ds wouldn't be put down until about 8 months - I didn't even go to the loo without him!

I was going to suggest swaddling your DD, but SugarPlumFairy got there before me. :)