20 min napper and dummies!

[Coco291017]

My 6 week baby goes down well at night after bedtime routine waking every 3/4 hours for feed and then up between 6.20 and 7.20am (yes that precise) but during the day he will not nap unless we are out and about or on me. I introduced a dummy this week and he will now lie in his Moses calmly and fall asleep himself (occasionally), however he will always without fail wake up bang on 20 mins! I’m not keen on the dummy as I don’t want him to become dependent on it at night too but he is a very unsettled baby that was suffering from colic and the health visitor and osteopath advised it might help with his pain and to calm him. It’s only day 3 of the dummy and last night I think he was crying for it trying to suckle, eventually he went down but now I’m thinking withdraw the dummy... dose anyone know why he wakes up bang on 20 mins and advice for dummy use? I was trying to implement the EASY routine but the activity and nap part is non-existent as he is tierd all the time and won’t go down!

I wasn’t keen on a dummy at all, but it saved my sanity, and sleep! She only ever has it at sleep times (she is 6 months).- so it’s almost like a sleep cue telling her it’s time to sleep. At 6 weeks sleep is all over the place as they are so new to the world. I was panicking about getting into a routine etc (we are in a great one now at 6 months) - but I realised at 6 weeks just go with the flow. Lots of cuddles, and very very regular naps. My DD never seemed to nap or sleep for long at that age, but I just gave her lots of encouragement (either cuddling or swaddled in Moses basket with dummy).

I just made sure she spent a little bit of time each day in the basket to get her gently used to being put down, but had lots of cuddles the rest of the time. Now she has all naps and sleeps in her own cot with no problem (teething aside!).

Enjoy your little baby, and I would say to keep the dummy - for all sleeps!

Thank you for your response, good to know this is normal and others are experiencing the same. When giving the dummy do you just let her spit it out and leave it out? I don’t want him to keep crying for it at night as currently he sleeps peacefully. Thanks x

yes, it usually falls out in sleep and I leave it. I found when she was tiny she needed me to keep popping it back in until she fell completely asleep. She soon got the hand of it though! If she woke for it in the night I would pop it in and she would go straight back to sleep.

dose anyone know why he wakes up bang on 20 mins and advice for dummy use?

20 minutes would suggest baby isn't getting into a 'proper' deep sleep. Baby will probably be still in the light sleeping phase through all of that - so no restorative sleep.

You need you give baby more help getting to sleep. And also change your mindset on dummy use - dummies are the single best no crying sleep tool. Use it consistently.

For naps:

● ensure baby is well feed.

● limited awake time. At 6 weeks it should be around 30 minutes between naps. Just long enough to feed, check nappy and a little floor time. Then back to getting baby to sleep.

● First try

• a swaddle (tight around shoulders)
• sway while winding swaddled baby know your shoulder
• bend at waist you put in cot
• leave hand on chest as you slowly withdraw
• dummy in, tap on dummy to encourage active sucking
• stay there. Keep popping dummy back in and tapping if not bring ducked. Keep hand on chest. Wait until mouth/body us fully limp. At that point put dummy away and slowly withdraw hand.

● if that isn't working

• probably over tired do reduce awake time. Never more than 1h, ideally 30m.
• instead of swaddle, put into bouncy chair with dummy.
• sit on sofa with bouncer at your feet and with your foot and start rhythmic, constant bouncing. None stop. Don't slow the tempo, keep going.
• reinsert dummy if it comes out, tap if baby is not actively sucking (until baby us gully asleep, then take dummy out)
• just keep going. Do not stop bouncing. All the way through the nap if needed (if over tired, it will be needed)

● if that doesn't work baby is probably not getting enough calories.

Hi so you think I should give him the dummy for bed time and during the night too when he dosent currently require it? Today he went back down after his 7.15am feed as he was sleepy after his bottle for 45 mins in his bed, has now woken and is really grizzly yawning but won’t go back to sleep. I feel like I’m constantly trying to get him to go to sleep as he’s always yawning so he never has any play / activity time. Should I use dummy at any other times during the day? He also hates being swaddled and hates his bouncer...

so you think I should give him the dummy for bed time and during the night too when he dosent currently require it?

Being put in the cot awake with a dummy is better for independent sleep than being fed to sleep and then put down already asleep. But it's up to you. SIDS protection comes with regular and consistent dummy use gorgeous every sleep time. But if baby if going from awake to asleep in the cot without it and without crying, then personally I would go with that.

now woken and is really grizzly yawning but won’t go back to sleep

Bouncy chair is very useful as a way to lull baby back to a deep sleep when stirring, before fully waking. Having said that 45 minute naps are not unusual, just keep then very frequent with short awake times.

I’m constantly trying to get him to go to sleep as he’s always yawning so he never has any play / activity time

There should be very little awake time in which to be grumpy. After a feed and a look at the nappy to see if it needs changing, if you get 15 minutes activity time that would be good going. It might only be 5 minutes. Then back to sleep. That's what life is like with an under 4 month old baby.

He also hates being swaddled and hates his bouncer

Unreasonable (not to mention impossible) you say that at your weeks. Baby doesnt hate anything, he's only just been born. Some things need some getting used to. An over tired baby or hungry is likely to seem like they hate everything. It foes get mean they do though.

As well as that, baby's change and grow very quickly. Often these things just need persistence and time.

With regards to swaddling, fighting against a swaddle is specifically the behaviour of a baby who would benefit mist from the swaddle. It's there to calm and sooth baby by recreating cramped womb conditions. I'd keep trying

I hate that dummies are called dummies.
They are soothers or pacifiers on the US and thats what they are used for!