Night and day with a newborn

[sparklekitty]

My dd is almost 5 weeks. We have started to get decent runs of sleep (3/4 hours between feeds) at night. However, she has recently developed a cold and now is waking around 3/4am ish. Shes not unhappy at all, in fact she is currently next to me on the sofa wriggling around making her happy cry! How do I help her understand that this is night time? I know she's little but I want to start trying. I'm not playing with her or stimulating her when we get up, I'm trying to keep the lights dim and not talk to her too much. Any ideas?

you sound like you are doing all the right things

just be glad she is relatively happy and not screaming the place down

she will get the night/day thing eventually - hand in there

What helped me was sitting in the fresh air/sunshine during the day with bubs (weather permitting of course!).

Thanks, I figured it probably was just a case of hanging in and letting her figure it out, she's still so little but so many people have given us advice about CC etc and 'making a rod for our own backs' in regards to various things I kind of forget that she actually is still tiny :)

She will figure it out! I think a lot of babies go through the 'party at 4am' phase. I know mine did!

I just made sure that I refused to turn on lights/talk/play etc. Then at 7am (the wake-up time I wanted!) I would put him in his cot, leave the room for a couple of minutes (go to the bathroom, make a cup of tea), go back into his room, turn the lights on fully, and say in a loud cheery voice 'here comes the sunshine, it's wake up time! I would also try to feed him as little as possible, and not change his nappy unless it really needed it.
Sometimes I would just lie next to him and doze while he kicked about and giggled for 3 hours.
As he got a little older, I refused to feed him after 5am, and then not feed untill after 7am.

He eventually got the idea. I started doing this from about 3 months old, he is now 6 months, and when he wakes in the morning (at 7am!) he lies in his cot and chats until I go and get him.

Sarry, those are great tips thanks. I feel a bit conscious as she sleeps in with us atm and my DH works long random shift so needs his sleep so don't like to leave her in bed kicking around (although I do this when DH is working nights)

She is really funny about nappies, screams as soon as she has a wet one and won't stop till its being changed (ironically not bothered by dirty ones tho)

I'll def give these ideas a go, esp as she gets a bit older.

I would get a bed in another room if possible. I have a bed in the baby's room which I've used a lot during the last 6 months. It means I can take the baby in bed with me, but OH still gets a good nights sleep in our bed.

It does feel odd not sharing your bed with your partner, but it's only for a few months, and you can always start the night off in with him, and then move to the baby's room.

It is very important to make a clear difference between night and day. Generally from 5pm (bedtime wind down time) we don't let LO play with any toys, go in his bouncer etc, just watch the telly quietly, read books, have dinner anddo some baby massage. Keep 7am-5pm as bright and noisy as possible (without overstimulating them, it's a hard balance, but you'll get the hang of it).

My LO's 4am party used to last until about 7am. I hated it, and I think it went on for about 2 months! It WILL get better though. Oh, and nap during the day when possible. Try to get a good two hours around lunchtime, take the baby to bed with you so you both sleep well. Or, if you can't sleep, I used to lie on the couch with LO under a snuggly blanket while I watched two episodes of Lost.