9 week old doesn't sleep at night - help!

[Maria101]

My daughter is 9 weeks old, and her nightime sleeping is still erratic. I read The Baby Whisperer and during the day, she follows it like a dream. She feeds well (6oz per feed, every 3 hours), plays lots, then naps (with little soothing) for anything between 30 minutes to two hours and barely cries. However, at night it all goes wrong. Last night she was up at midnight, 1am, 2am etc. Sometimes she ate, other times she wanted to play, or just fidget and grumble. I keep things boring at night (low lights, little talking etc), and also try swaddling etc. I never let her sleep for more than 3 hours during the day, though she does sleep from 7pm through to 11pm most evenings. I don't expect her to sleep through the night yet, but four hours of unbroken sleep at night (rather than day/evening) would be a dream. She's a big girl(9lb5 at birth, now just under 14lbs)- could that be contributing? Should I wake her from her naps, or will that make her cranky? Can anybody help? I'm exhausted!

I can't help Maria - but I think the problem is that your DD hasn't read the nighttime section of the book

My DD is 21 weeks, and some nights she still wakes up every couple of hours. Certainly the best she usually manages is 4 hour stints, so perhaps 7-11, 11-4, then 4, 5, 6...

I'd let her nap when she wants, not wake her up as that disturbs her natural sleep cycle.

It's not all going wrong my love, unfortunately this is what babies do. I know it's hard, but your DD will soon manage 4 hours of sleep on her own.

In the meantime when she wakes up at night, leave her to it unless she needs feeding, if you get up to her and try to get her back off to sleep and she's just having a fidget, you might actually end up waking her up fully.

I must get her to read the final chapter! I often leave her fidgeting, but it nearly always ends with an all out cry. She'll often take about 2oz, then go back to sleep, only to wake for another 2oz two hours later. Or she'll refuse her bottle and want to play. This morning she was just smiling at me & laughing at 4am. Cute, but knackering!

I agree with Fliss, sorry its just what babies do. Think we are often have unrealistic expectations of what a baby will do.

Sleep when you can and sod te housework. It will get better.

I could have written this post, in fact just have! My 10 week old sounds the same - great in the day, happy content baby, but a bugger on the night. I'm starting to think that, like adults, some babies are just better sleepers than others. DD1 was a doddle, DD2 is a different kettle of fish. It's frustrating though, as I feel really strongly that babies need sleep just as much as they need food. And so do the rest of us! So, the only advice I can offer is do what you;re doing, which is exactly what I'm doing incidentally. Hopefully by being consistent they'll get the message that night time is for sleeping and will become secure enough to self settle when they wake up. I'm not convince myself at the moment though! aaaahhhh.

Out of interest is your baby in her cot yet? We're having a nightmare moving DD2 out of her basket (which is placed in her cot) and into her cot. I think that was half the problem last night. But she's getting seriously too big for it! ahhhhhhhh again!

No, she's still in her basket but we have to move her soon because she's getting too big for it. Out of interest, is it OK to let them nap lots in the day? She has several one or two hour long naps every day... some people say it's good to let them sleep during the day, as it makes them better sleepers at night and waking them makes them cranky. Others say wake them up to ensure better sleep at night. So many contradictions!

I've found, that with both of mine, they sleep miles better if the sleep loads during the day. I always used to get a bit panicy if I had 'let' them sleep loads in the day, but found that they would settle better on the night if they did. I think it's only after about 6-7 months that this changes and you need to be a bit more mindful of daytime sleep, but by that point, they've usually cut right back on napping anyway.

I'm really worrying about the moses basket situation now though - don't know how I'll ever get her moved!!

Ok i havent read all the thread but just a little insight my dd?? is now 3yrs 3 mths and still doesent sleep through in fact i got so fed up this morning i came down to give her breakfast at 5.10 am! Some sleep some dont my ds was like this little one never slept and at 19 he STILL doesnt do sleep my dd1 sream baby text book slept 6.30 till 7.30 from birth dd2 slept 8pm till 6.30 dd3 well im knackered what more can i say! Apart from put the book down they arfe all different some sleep some dont ( i just wish i was allowed to sleep)

Oops lots of typos! I should wear my glasses or get more sleep before I post messages on here