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7 wk old won't sleep unless held after 1am

12 replies

CaBro · 07/04/2025 10:25

I'm 7 weeks in with my second child, and his night sleep is truly disastrous. At the moment he will go down in his next to me from about 8.30pm until 12.30 or 1am (which is a decent stretch!) but after his feed he just won't go down. We can lower him seemingly perfectly asleep into the next to me and he will either wake up 1 min later or sleep for 40 mins before waking up crying. He often seems like he needs to poo or pass wind but we have tried all the usual tricks to sort that out, to no avail, and anyway last night even when he had done a poo he wouldn't settle. I try to make sure he's well burped after his feed, and I don't think he's too hot/cold or anything. At the moment my husband and i are basically just taking it in turns to hold him, and I'm also ending up feeding him loads as it's the only thing that will calm him down. We are obviously knackered and would like some sleep please.

Any suggestions for what we can do, or solidarity to offer?! If you have had similar, when did it end?! My first born also slept terribly as a newborn, but in a different way!

P.s. we have tried to make cosleeping work (with my first as well as my second) and it doesn't work well for us

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Coffeeishot · 07/04/2025 14:27

Do you swaddle him? Also are you breast or bottle feeding

CaBro · 07/04/2025 19:28

Coffeeishot · 07/04/2025 14:27

Do you swaddle him? Also are you breast or bottle feeding

He's in a love to dream swaddle up, which we've found to be the best out of a number of different options. And he's breastfed.

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MerryBeret · 07/04/2025 19:30

Why doesn't co-sleeping work? Is it not better that staying awake holding him?

MissAndrey · 07/04/2025 19:32

If he's feeding a lot to calm down, is it cluster feeding?

Shelby2010 · 07/04/2025 19:35

The only thing that worked for mine was the ‘pick up, put down’. So pick them up when they cry, soothe them, then put them down again. Took about 30 repeats the first night, 15 the next night & then 5, seemed to crack it fairly reliably after that.

CaBro · 08/04/2025 06:53

MerryBeret · 07/04/2025 19:30

Why doesn't co-sleeping work? Is it not better that staying awake holding him?

It's incredibly uncomfortable for me, seems to give me clogged milk ducts, and doesn't even seem to reliably work to settle him, so I don't get any more sleep but do get very uncomfortable.

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CaBro · 08/04/2025 06:54

MissAndrey · 07/04/2025 19:32

If he's feeding a lot to calm down, is it cluster feeding?

I don't think so, it doesn't really seem like that!

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LuluDelulu · 08/04/2025 06:56

Would he cosleep when snuggled up next to you rather than being held?

CaBro · 08/04/2025 07:24

Shelby2010 · 07/04/2025 19:35

The only thing that worked for mine was the ‘pick up, put down’. So pick them up when they cry, soothe them, then put them down again. Took about 30 repeats the first night, 15 the next night & then 5, seemed to crack it fairly reliably after that.

Ah OK, thanks very much for this suggestion! Willing to try anything at this point. Did they not just get really furious though?!

OP posts:
CaBro · 08/04/2025 07:25

LuluDelulu · 08/04/2025 06:56

Would he cosleep when snuggled up next to you rather than being held?

Sadly not! We've tried!

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Shelby2010 · 08/04/2025 08:58

CaBro · 08/04/2025 07:24

Ah OK, thanks very much for this suggestion! Willing to try anything at this point. Did they not just get really furious though?!

No, I don’t think so. Or at least not any more than usual. I gave them a minute to see if they would settle themselves. Too be honest it was a bit of a sleep deprived blur.

CaBro · 08/04/2025 09:02

Shelby2010 · 08/04/2025 08:58

No, I don’t think so. Or at least not any more than usual. I gave them a minute to see if they would settle themselves. Too be honest it was a bit of a sleep deprived blur.

Haha yeah I feel this about the early nights with my first..!

Thanks - we will definitely try that (and pray our 3yo sleeps through it all...)

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