Helping new baby settle to sleep

[AngelDog]

I'm a new mum to DS1, nearly 3 weeks. He is a good sleeper, regularly sleeping for 3 or even 4 hours at a time. I'm exclusively breatfeeding on demand and he wakes himself up when he needs feeding.

At the moment, he wakes up, I feed him till he unlatches himself / falls off the breast, and then I change his nappy and he has some awake / alert / play time. When he starts getting fed up with that, I will feed him again, he will drop off to sleep either at the breast or after he's fallen off and then he'll sleep happily.

However, at night he struggles to fall asleep after the feed. Partly this is because he often fills his nappy then, and although he's happy lying in a dirty nappy, he dislkes the process of filling it. Durng the day this usually happens during his awake time so isn't a problem. I also have to make sure I burp him well or that keep him awake. Despite these, though, it will often take over half an hour between him finishing actively feeding and going to sleep - during which time I pick him up, cuddle him, offer a bit more milk, put him down and repeat ad nauseam. During the day he goes to sleep pretty much straight away most of the time.

I'm not bothered about trying to get him into a timed routine (eg Gina Ford) at this stage and I'm not bothered about trying to persuade him to sleep through the night either. He has developed his own pattern of wakng up for feeds at the beginning of the night (9/10/11pm), the middle (1/2/3am) and the end (5/6/7amish). I'm quite happy with that, and I'm not prepared (at this early stage) to try any approach which involves letting him cry.

Does anyone have any suggestions for helping him settle faster at night so I don't have to be up for so long with him? Or are there any sleeping / feeding methods which might help me get him used to going to sleep but which don't involve me feeding him to sleep?

Thanks a lot.

Hello,

Congrats on your baby!

Sounds like you are doing really well!

The night-time poos are a bugger because obviously yes you have to change them. During this period I took a really dim light into the bathroom and used that, so I kept all the lighting really low. At this time of year I would also keep the heating on so the cold doesn't wake him too much. I was very boring and only talked in a soothing voice and didn't make too much noise. As soon as nappy changed, it was back to bed for warm snuggles only in very very dim light.

Basically my children were bored back to sleep. It seemed to work okay eventually.

Good luck!

You could try feeding him lying down, then at least you can doze while he's feeding. Doesn't get him to sleep any faster though - sorry!

Your ds sounds very similar to mine, who's now 2 mo.

I found nights much easier when I gave in to co-sleeping. I now put him to bed in his cot next to our bed (at midnight, because that's when we go to bed) and he sleeps there till he wakes at about 3.30/4am) I then bring him into bed with us and he feeds and I sleep.

At about 6 wo he stopped doing a poo in the night, so I didn't have to change his nappy then, which really helped.

Also, keeping the light low, talking in a low, boring voice etc all seem to help.

I'm sure he'll get the hang of it, in his own time. In the meantime, you sound like you're doing well.

Thanks for the replies. Since I posted he has turned into Insomniac Baby, taking up to 3 hours to settle to sleep and waking up again after only half n hour to a hour. At least I've learnt what an over-tired cry sounds like.