Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Parenting

For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

How do you calm an overtired newborn?

40 replies

Cardiffclare88 · 22/12/2018 16:22

Dd is nearly 4 weeks. Last couple days she’s been awake almost the whole day and takes ages to settle at night. Not sure what to do as I’ve tried feeding, rocking, singing, walking. She’ll doze for a few minutes but when I put her in here Moses basket she’s back awake with eyes wide open and starts crying. Poor thing must be exhausted, haven’t the slightest what I should be doing

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

ILoveMaxiBondi · 22/12/2018 16:23

Do you have a sling OP? You could try that.

Thesearmsofmine · 22/12/2018 16:24

Keep her on you while she sleeps or use a sling.

CmdrIvanova · 22/12/2018 16:24

Swaddle and a dummy to sleep? Or one of those self rocking swings, my two always liked a nap in those at that age.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

0-3 months old Babies & sleep Families General parenting

KMoKMo · 22/12/2018 16:26

Also going to suggest a sling. Google the fourth trimester. She just wants to be close to you most likely. My DD slept on me either just cuddled in or in a sling for months. Cots and Moses baskets did not work.
What you should be doing is whatever you need to do to get through the day! As long as you are both warm, fed and relatively clean by the end of the day you’re winning.
Good luck

BertrandRussell · 22/12/2018 16:27

Let her sleep on you. She’s very little- she needs to know you’re so close you couldn’t be closer. HVe you considered safe co sleeping? Also- are you absolutely stuffing her with milk?

Handsoffmysweets · 22/12/2018 16:27

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request

cheekaa · 22/12/2018 16:28

Though I have personally not had any children, observation has thought me the following.
First do a ver gentle all over body massage , I would take 30/40 minutes at least and then put her on your chest over your heart and just lye down on the bed. Make sure you are also calm..

Lindtnotlint · 22/12/2018 16:30

Do try more food. Weirdly babies don’t like to sleep unless they are really really full. Also dark room, walking, keep going and going. (Sling helps). Don’t keep trying lots of new things - bore them out. Good luck!

Girliefriendlikesflowers · 22/12/2018 16:30

Singing, rocking etc maybe over stimulating her she may need to be somewhere dark, quiet with minimal stimulation to nap/sleep. My dd was like this and trying to do all the traditional things to get her to sleep just made her frantic! !

Eventually realised she needed a sleep 2 hours after waking up and this needed to be back up in the bedroom with lights off and minimal interaction.

PotteringAlong · 22/12/2018 16:31

Don’t put her in the Moses basket! Just cuddle her.

Changeymcchangechange · 22/12/2018 16:32

I found sitting in a dark room and breastfeeding was the only way to calm down my overstimulated newborn (not clear from your post if you are bf or not)

CmdrIvanova · 22/12/2018 16:34

My two also needed their first nap within an hour of getting up at that age, so I needed to start filling them with milk no more than 45 minutes max after they got up.

Scubalubs87 · 22/12/2018 16:37

My little boy mostly slept on one of our chests at that point - seemed to be his happy place. I just conceeded and stopped trying to put him down. Failing that a walk in the pram was guaranteed to send him off. Oh and a dummy has worked wonders for us too and he’s a very sucky baby. Also stroking his nose/eyebrows seems to trick him to closing his eyes when he’s really fighting sleep which can be enough to send him off.

ironinglady57 · 22/12/2018 16:38

Lots of cuddles. Let her fall asleep on you. My DD likes her face stroked, white noise and recently have found me talking to her softly helps her drift off.

Marmarmarmite · 22/12/2018 16:39

Feed to sleep if breastfeeding. Its fine, natural and despite what people tell you not a bad habit.

Sit down and cuddle. Enjoy the cuddles while she is so little still and get those around you to help out/bring you drinks.

Use a sling and she can nap while you go for a walk or get on with other things.

Scubalubs87 · 22/12/2018 16:41

As others have said, it gets a bit easier when you suss out how long they can handle being awake. I twigged at about 8 weeks that my little boy could only manage 90 minutes and then he needed to sleep. Working this out meant I could get him to sleep before he got overtired and started losing his shit.

Theweasleytwins · 22/12/2018 16:42

My 4 week old loves snuggling up to my boobs- sends her right to sleep

Mixedupmummy · 22/12/2018 16:42

white noise is awesome for settling newborns

abcriskringle · 22/12/2018 16:52

Yes I'd do lots of skin to skin and let her nap on you.
Also DS hated his moses basket but he would nap in a bounce chair with the vibrate setting on - he loved it!

SoyDora · 22/12/2018 16:57

Mine always woke when I put them down... so the only solution really was to not put them down! Not ideal but pretty common in the early days.
I used a sling with DC2 so that I still had my hands free for DC1.

GoldenBlue · 22/12/2018 17:15

Watch for yawns, by the third yawn they are setting over tired.

The swing worked for me.

Alternatively go for a drive. Pack tea and a book or phone. Park once asleep and quietly enjoy nap time for a bit of you time x

Merename · 22/12/2018 18:33

Agree with all the above, and another option is bouncing with her on your pregnancy ball if you had one. I also find my wee one likes cheek to cheek, in fact any skin to skin calms her.

TimeForWhat · 22/12/2018 18:46

If breastfeeding try to comfort feed. Boobs are magical instruments when it comes to settling a grumpy baby

BucketLid · 22/12/2018 18:47

A dummy.

Dimsumlosesum · 22/12/2018 18:50

My oldest could only be calm for the first few months with arms swaddled, swift, firm, bouncing in the bouncer coupled with a certain piece of classical music, which we only discovered when it came on the radio during his typical screaming fit of being in the car seat and he INSTANTLY QUIETENED. It was like some weird baby magic. No other piece of music would work. As he grew older, the bouncing became unneccesary but the arm swaddling and the music was a must for a long time.

Flip

1 2

Swipe left for the next trending thread