9 week old not sleeping till 0200!

[Lauren1710]

Can anyone offer any advice please, I’m first time Mum and struggling with getting my boy to go down at a reasonable time at night. He stays awake from 1600/1700 in the day and will go up to 0200 before going down. I’ve tried bathing him and giving last bottle but he just will not drop off, it’s getting to the point where I’m feeding him at gone midnight as he’s hungry again from last feed. Thanks

My DD was like this, sometimes awake til 5am!

She had her day and night confused and would often go big gaps during the day without feeding because she was sleeping.

How much is he sleeping in the day? After about 3 months we got her to sleep by about 10pm but she's still a late sleeper/late riser at 3 years old! Her sister is 12 weeks and although isn't a 7pm-7am baby is totally different in every way! Some babies are just like that. Try and get him to sleep 15 mins earlier each night and make sure he has lots of daylight and noise during the day. He'll get there!

He sleeps about 4-5 hrs in the day with the exception of today he’s been awake since 12. Struggles to settle on his own which is probably my fault for rocking him to sleep from day one. I’ll give that a try and hope for the best. Thanks

probably my fault for rocking him to sleep from day one.

Google the 4th trimester. Rocking a newborn to sleep is absolutely fine. He’s still a tiny baby.

Mine was like this till early 3 months, it took her a while to work out the bedtime "signals". Hang in there, it'll pass soon enough! Her bedtime crept earlier and earlier over time.

Poor you, how frustrating, I've read that babies under 3-4 months can't really self settle and don't form sleep associations, so rocking is unlikely to be causing the issue and such young babies do need help going to sleep. It's only as you get closer to 4 months that you need to start thinking about whether your currently settling methods will work long term or if you want to start encouraging them to be more independent.

Can you get your baby to even nap at all during that time? Have you tried a sling? Bouncing on a yoga ball? Babies of that age only really manage awake windows of 2 hrs absolutely max (1.5 hrs for many) so he must be getting hugely overtired which then makes it even harder for him to go to sleep.

I know it's soooo frustrating trying to get a baby who doesn't want to sleep to go to sleep (I'm having awful day nap issues with my 10 week old and it's driving me potty), but keep trying by any means necessary. Sleep begats sleep. Hopefully if you can encourage a few more naps and work towards shifting his body clock, he'll start to sleep early and you can get to bed at a reasonable hour! Good lucj

What’s wrong with rocking him to sleep? He’s only tiny, I still cuddle my 11 month old to sleep. They’re just babies!

Will he sleep on you?

It's only as you get closer to 4 months that you need to start thinking about whether your currently settling methods will work long term or if you want to start encouraging them to be more independent.

Current advice re sleep training is not before 12 months. A 4 month old doesn’t have the brain development required to be an independent sleeper.

"independent sleeper"

What you on about Tilly?

I assume you are confusing Sarah OS'S ideas on self settling with independant (in, in a cot) sleeping.

Unhelpful.

Lauren1710 - you will need to help you find baby to go to sleep. Some basic things that baby's usually like to help then sleep are:

• a full tummy
• well winded
• a swaddle. This recreates the tight, secure, protected feeling of being know the womb
• confort sucking. Try a dummy if you are bottle feeding and baby cannot comfort suck at the breast
• rhythmic movement. If not rocking in your arms, try bouncing in a bouncy chair or pram pushing (back and forth indoors is fine)
• not too much time awake between naps. 1h max.
• having you physically close, often you touch can help comfort.

What you on about Tilly?

I was responding to what I quoted. Which was not about where baby sleeps but how they get to sleep.

So you were on about self settling then, not independant sleeping as Lemondrop99's post was referring to.