Helping newborns sleep

[Mark29]

I know this is a loaded question as sometimes they just won't but my daughter is 9 days old and wondered if anyone has any tips they have learnt to help soothe baby. Some people rave about the dream sheep etc

I found feeding them usually helped them to settle [smike]

Can you give more details of the issues you have and what you would like to happen?

Honestly at nine days just go with whatever works. They might want to be held constantly for weeks yet.

Ours didn’t sleep for 18m (no more than an hour a go) it nearly killed us. We tried every method under the sun and none worked.

Just keep days light, nights dark and go with the flow at this age. You’ll see loads of changes in the sleep patterns in he first year.

Co-sleeping was my secret, though only if it's safe and you feel comfortable doing it.

I did a lot of rocking and pacing at that stage! I second PP with the day times light and night times minimum lights and talking. Eventually they'll fall into sync

@jilted yes i know feeding helps but as i have no boobs i find it hard i am more looking to ways to help soothe her and get her back to sleep so mummy can have a bit more rest. i can cup feed but she dsnt really like it

In the early days, there’s really no secret thing you can buy or do. Just feed them and sit and hold them. Make sure you have a drink and snacks. A wrap is great if you need to move around during the day doing things (at 9 days though, let someone else do the cooking and cleaning). My dd slept on us day and night for 6 weeks (my dh and I did nights in shifts so one of us slept while the other was awake to hold her) and then she would sleep next to me during the night between feeds. My ds is 6 weeks now and we held him for sleep until probably 4 weeks. Now he sleeps fine next to me - he’s ebf and I got about 9 hours of sleep last night. So just hang in there. There are no magic tricks really but it’s always changing and will likely get easier soon.

White noise and lots of rocking, skin on skin contact.

If you’re a dad, get a wrap. My dh would wear ours in the wrap to sleep (they go to sleep easily in there when drowsy after a feed). I’d give them to him about 8pm after a feed and he’d keep them there to sleep until about midnight/1am, with breaks for a feed. He watched box sets and walked around the lounge if necessary while I slept a bit. Then we switched and he went to bed. It made a world of difference for me in how manageable the nights were.

Basically: hold and walk. Either carry baby in your arms and walk around or get a sling and pop them in that.
What they want is the feeling of closeness and to be able to touch and smell you. There are a billion types of sling out there so try a few on. Basically hold, pace. If it’s night, keep it dark and quiet.
9 weeks is also a common time for colic ( which basically means ‘he baby is screaming and we have no idea why.’) again, it’s a phase, just hold, and pace.

I see a lot of dads out at all hours with the baby in a sling or the pushchair :)

And yeah, if they will sleep in your arms while you sofa and mainline all the series of battlestar galactica you’re winning ;) just set yourself up with drinks and snacks and a sling and you’re good :)

It does make a HUGE difference if someone will hold the baby while you get a few hours sleep.

Yes definitely hold her while your DW sleeps. Other things that might help when yiu can’t hold her are, as others have said, white noise (you can get white noise apps) putting one of your worn shirts in her Moses basket (Mums doesn’t usually work as it will smell of milk) warming up the Moses basket slightly with a hot water bottle before you put her in and some people swear by swaddling.