2 month old, doesn't sleep throughout day or night

[Kriii]

Hi everyone,

I'm at a loss about my 2 months old daughter, and would appreciate whatever words of wisdom you can share.

Ever since she's been put on formula on week 3, due to her excessive feeding which my wife couldn't cope with, we've had the following problems:

• She barely naps throughout the day. She is always alert, always wants attention, and if I dare try to lay her on me to sleep she gives me a good talking to.

• She eats very little, very often. She never finishes a bottle, often times eating a single ounce, then keeps asking for more gradually until the bottle grows too cold for her liking. Then it's a new one (about every 2 hours), and the cycle continues.

• She does not go to at night. Last night we've tried putting her to bed at 7pm. She laid in bed next to me staring at the ceiling for 2 hours with a dummy. Only fell asleep after feeding her again, but...

• She does not stay asleep at night. It's 5am and this is the fifth time she's woken up tonight. Often times I can hear her moving in bed when we thought she was sleeping.

I have no doubt these problems only started after putting her on formula. We've tried several, even comfort ones, to no avail. The health visitor, I'm sorry to say, is being less than useless (it's free, but we're still not getting our money's worth!), and although she hasn't been much to the GP, my personal experience of them also does not inspire confidence.

Anyway, she's started crying again, so I'm going to finish up and thank anyone in advance if they can share some tips!

I feel your pain! My 11 week old is much the same. The best chair we have tried is a fisher price vibrating bouncer. We love it - it's saved our sanity on more than a few occasions, especially when he's windy!

She does not stay asleep at night. It's 5am and this is the fifth time she's woken up tonight. Often times I can hear her moving in bed when we thought she was sleeping

Does she really require your attention and feedin every time? Newborn babies wake, wriggle, writhe, grunt and snuffle all the time. Especially at night, I think it's just them getting comfy. Or are there definite cues?

As for day sleep, what have you tried? Sling and walking? Vibrating chair being bounced? Pram and walk? Car?

She sounds overstimulated. Babies don't need or want attention all of the time, it's too much for them, they rely on us to help to " shut them down"' so when they're tired to time to get out of their face, stop singing to them, making them smile or exciting them. It's time to put them in the pram or put on your dream sheep or whatever but you have to find a way to get day naps. She will be tired and hour after getting up. Look for it really closely. She'll change from content to either grumpy and twitchy or slow and glazed. Most babies can and will push through this and continue to stay awake, they're terrors!!

I feel for you. My first wasn't a sleeper until he turned two. Day naps improved when he was about one.

I hope you find some strategies to help.

Sorry, I wrote most of my post while up feeding in the night and only posted it now but I see you've had heaps of good advice already!

Tethersend, I don't think she's tongue tied, as she doesn't display any other symptoms. It's not that she's incapable of eating a full bottle, it's just very rare.

Chips, when she starts crying at night, I wait to see if she quiets down on her own. If she doesn't, I get up. I used to be able to put her to sleep rather easily by simply placing her on my chest lying down, but now she resists it and only wants to be on her back.

Even if it's been posted before, and even if I didn't call you out by name (didn't expect such an amount of supporting replies!), I thank you all for your advice :)

It all sounds pretty normal to me. Get a sling, ds wouldn't be pit down to sleep but at that age I could go about my day with him.sleeping in the sling. I also started Co sleeping as he was waking every 40 minutes over night. Kept him with us until we went to bed.

At 2 months DS2 stayed downstairs with us till we went to bed about 10pm. He would always sleep better during the first part of the night. From 3am he was unsettled. I would bf him then DP would take him downstairs at 5 till he went to work at 7am so I could sleep. We still co sleep now he's 11 months as we all get more sleep that way.

I think it's worth ruling out non ige CMPA (Google it and see if you have any other symptoms, basically a type of cow's milk protein intolerance).

It won't be lactose intolerance as lactose is in breastmilk.

But for a 2 month old it sounds fairly normal tbh. They often have a witching hour late afternoon where they won't nap and often are unsettled around 3am onwards.