6 week old naps - where and how?

[Binkybix]

Hello

This is my 2nd thread here - don't think will be my last.

My LO has sporadic sleeping habits. I've let him lead on naps up to now, and they've usually been on me after feeding - can sometimes put in bouncy chair once asleep. Some days he'll cat nap, some days he'll have a 4/5 hour nap from about 1ish.

I've not read books etc so have just become aware of people actively trying to get their babies to sleep, and the idea of putting down to sleep.

Stupid Q - how do you encourage sleep besides boob? Should I be putting down in basket (would like option of him not sleeping on me)? I've tried rocking, ssshing but no luck at all.

As context, the most he'll sleep at night is 2 hours in a row about 6 hours in total. I'm shattered, seriously struggling, and confused about what to do. Everything feels like a struggle so not sure I can cope with a complicated system to sort this out, but that feels like we're getting into an increasingly viscous circle.

I'd heard that when your baby is drowsy then put them down to sleep. But like you my dd used to fall asleep in a milk stupor whilst breast feeding.

I didn't want I wake her then put her down as some suggested, seemed a bit wrong.

Swaddling used to work quite well. But to be honest I'd just carry on as you are, enjoy the sleepy snuggles.

My dd is also 6 weeks and very similar. She will sometimes sleep in the crib but spends most nights lying on or beside me in bed. During the day she normally naps on me or in the pram/car seat if we've been out. I too find it difficult to transfer her from my arms once asleep and it can take several attempts in the evening.

However, she is my third and I can say hand on heart that it really doesn't last long (I know it feels like it) and I am genuinely making the most of all these snuggly cuddles. My other two made the transition to cot then bed very easily so I know it will evolve itself.

This isn't very helpful but huge sympathies, I know exactly how you feel!

My ds is 7 weeks and was like this. He doesn't settle himself or fall asleep by himself - he either falls asleep on the breast or in my/DH's arms and we then put him down. He doesn't really have a set schedule yet either - sometimes short naps and sometimes longer ones. He does sleep for longer stretches at night though. We did used to swaddle him in a muslin to get him to sleep and although we wouldn't leave him swaddled when we put him down we would keep the muslin underneath him so he could smell it and wasn't going down on cold sheets. Now he's in a gro-bag and I think that helps too as we don't have to tuck him in at all.

Hey OP, can't help on the on boob-to-sleep issue I am afraid, as I FF my DS.

However, one thing that struck me from your post is you say your LO sometimes has a 4-5 hour nap in the afternoon. That seems quite long to me and I think a lot of people would recommend waking your baby to feed him/her every 3 hours during the day, cos I think the theory goes the more milk they get during the day at this age, the less they'll need at night?

Maybe try for a few days not 'letting' your DS sleep longer than 3 hours during the day....this might help him to learn the difference between day and night (ie daytimes are full of bright lights, noises and people waking me up and offering me a drink, nighttimes are dark and quiet and I can sleep as long as I like!).

However, to counter this I would say that 6 weeks is very young and DS was a terrible night sleeper at that age too (even though he was FF, he still would never sleep for longer than 2 hours at night until he was about 10 weeks old, then he slowly started to stretch his sleepy times a bit). It helped me to know that longer stretches of night sleep are a developmental thing which comes to all babies sooner or later, and this new-born phase won't last for ever.

In the meantime, can you try to get a couple of hours sleep here or there in the day once your LO is asleep? Can you BF him in bed during the day and then both have a nap in the bed once he is asleep and has rolled off the boob? Can you try expressing some milk and asking your OH to give your baby a bottle in the evening so you can at least go to bed for 4 hours from 8-midnight, for example? (that worked well for my friend who BF her baby). Do you have any family or friends locally who could come round and watch the baby for a couple of hours during the day when he's not feeding so you can put some earplugs in and go to bed for a couple of hours in the afternoon.

Oh and on the subject of routines and naps, don't do what I did and get really stressed about this. DS didn't settle into any kind of nap routine until he was about 3 months old, and then it was as simple as 'stay awake for 2 hours then have a 30-40 minute nap'....this continued until he was 7mo, when he suddenly decided to start having a 90 minute nap after lunch every day (bliss!).

Hang in there, this will get better, survive any way that you can for the first 12 weeks xxx

I know what you're going through DD (now 16 weeks) is the same. She napped in her Moses basket maybe twice? Generally she goes down and wakes on being put down - wide awake. She naps on me, in a sling, push chair, in the car, but the best buy we got was her swinging chair - we got the rainforest swing which buys me up to two hours napping at home! We bought it in desparation, put her in it and she went to sleep - I actually cried!

I wouldn't worry too much about feeding to sleep at this age. I found this link from Kellymom very reassuring when I was worrying about it. If you have a baby who is a challenge to get to sleep, use whatever means you can! :) I've found the better she sleeps in the day, the better she sleeps at night.

I slotted in naps around feeds so offered milk every three hours and would wake baby for a feed if need be.