Getting 6 week old baby to sleep

[woolsh]

Hi There

Just wondering if anybody knows if it is too early to let my 6 week old son cry himself to sleep?
Most nights I have to rock him to sleep, this lasts for about 45 mins after his feed. The problem is if I try to put him down after his feed, he immediately cries.
Does he need to learn to sleep on his own?
The one time I have left him to cry, it lasted for about 25 minutes and he fell asleep. He then slept from 8pm to 330am. Which I thought was quite good.

Should I carry on rocking him to sleep or leave him to cry himself to sleep in his moses basket?

Is there an age I should wait for before trying this?
Many thanks

My personal experience (I have a 7 week old) is that he won't settle on his own.

But, I suppose all babies are different.

my DS makes himself ill if not comforted. So, I would say carry on rocking him.

Very, very few people would advocate letting a baby of that age cry themselves to sleep. babies cry because they need something, and at 6 weeks of age when the whole world is new and scary they sometimes just need comfort.

You're having to rock him now, but next week you might not need to. Equally next week he might feed to sleep. Who knows? Babies change all the time.

Mine is now approaching his first birthday and we've always had to help him get off to sleep (I left him a few times for his own good because I was in desperate need of five minutes of headspace but he would cry himself mad and certainly got too upset to be able to drift off to sleep). In the last couple of months he's got so much better at going to sleep that he now pulls away after his bedtime feed, ready to go into his cot!

I know it feels relentless and tiresome just now but I promise you, you aren't making bad habits - just do what it seems your baby wants just now, he's too little to be left alone when he's upset.

Have you tried swaddling,my DD's loved this,and patting their back,if you lay them on their side,and saying SSsshhh.That instantly relaxed DD1,although DD2 didn't respond so well.

You could also try the "pick up, put down routine",whereby you get them ready for sleep,comfort them,and leave them,if they cry,just pick up say a couple of comforting words,such as SSsshhh you are only going to sleep,SSssshhhh.Say the same thing a few times,and then put down.

Repeat each time they cry.Try and increase the time in between each pick up.Eventually they tire out,hopefully.

In time they "recognise" the same routine and they become "cues" that its time to sleep,and respond more quickly and dont need picking up,just a quick pat on the back.HTH