Baby won't settle during the day

[Rosebud1302]

Hi everyone,

My DS is 4 weeks old. At night he is really good. He will wake up several times for food but he will go back to sleep so easily and quickly which I know is a blessing.

However during the day it is a different story. I make sure to try and put him down for naps before he becomes overtired (which I think has been his main problem) but even then he fights sleep so badly. The only way he will properly fall asleep is if he nurses on the breast. I know everyone will say that's lovely make the most of it etc and of course I love doing this with him. But to be doing it 12 hours a day every day just isn't practical. Plus I would love to have a cuddle with him without him screaming and thrashing to get to the boob :(

We have given in to dummies but this hasn't really helped because he won't hold them in his mouth and as soon as it falls out he wakes up and screams again. So I have to literally sit with him and hold it in which again isn't practical. When he is sucking the dummy he will drift off but a few seconds later jolt himself awake again and be wide awake staring into space.

Any advice please gladly appreciated. At the moment I almost dread the daytimes as it seems to be a constant battle of screaming and not sleeping which isn't enjoyable for me or him :(.

Thanks all.

Hi OP, I found my dd was the same. Do you have a sling? You could pop your ds in there when he's tired and walk around. You're hands free that way. I did that a lot! Would he fall asleep in pram or car? Or once he's fallen asleep wait 20mins or so before moving him into moses basket. Hit and miss but sometimes worked when my dd was that age.

Good luck!

Also, should add - it will get better, he's still so tiny x

I think a sling or a walk in the pushchair or a drive just to get a bit of peace are all good options, but honestly, there's no magic secret. Most people really do just sit and hold them and feed them to sleep. It doesn't last forever and the fact he's sleeping stretches at night without you already is amazing (neither of mine did that at only 4 weeks). Mine was fed to sleep and held day and night for the first 6 weeks (we did nighttime in shifts so one of us slept and the other held him, obviously I did the feeding and passed him off to my dh after). He sleeps great now and did from about 6-8 weeks during the day. But in the beginning you do whatever you need to do.

Place marking. I have the exact same problem OP and my DS is also 4 weeks old. All advice gratefully received.

Mine is 5 weeks and 2nd baby. Neither of mine have ever been able to settle themselves to sleep - took my first til almost a year! I feed to sleep and hold or I put into the sling and go for a walk! Pram/car worked in my son when he got a bit older. It’s not easy! Good luck!

My dd is 6 weeks and is hard work during the day but usually a dream at night. I find the sling really useful as she settles in it pretty quickly (most of the time). When my back is sore or I just want to put her in her crib it seems just to be time and perseverance. I have found background noise or a song on repeat through my phone or Bluetooth speaker helps. We play a lullaby through a the RSNO Astar app and that works well.
It's frustrating at the moment when she just refuses to sleep but she crashes eventually and I'm able to nap or do some chores.

This is a normal baby OP. You can't do more than encourage rest and sleep which I'm afraid does mean holding the dummy in or popping it back in and sitting with your baby on your lap. If he is rooting then put him to the breast as he requests. If you have essential jobs or need a break; sling or pram and a walk . It only lasts a few weeks or months and does get better.

Thanks everyone for your replies. I used the sling yesterday and although he protests like mad to start, it did make him fall asleep and amazingly I was then able to take him out and put him down for a proper nap. So this may be the way forward!

Have you tried an oscillating chair? My dd loved hers and would sleep in it for hours. I also used a sling occasionally but I agree that it is not always practical to be so hands on as you have other things you have to do as well. I am a single mum and my biggest focus when my daughter was small was to make sure she could self soothe as I was the only other person available to her. Also if you are trying dummies I attached a small teddy key ring to my daughters dummy the added weight kept it in her mouth better and when she was a bit older she it was easier for her to find it herself.