Hi, I am just after some advice/reassurance on settling at bed time for my 10 week old son.
We have a bedtime routine which usually starts around 7:30pm with bath, massage, swaddled, top up feed, cuddle then put into his bassinet awake. This is where the fun begins. For the next three or so hours we will be rocking, patting, feeding, burping and offering the dummy. He will not sleep for more than 20 mins at a time (if we are lucky). Usually by 10:30pm he will have one last feed half asleep then fall asleep no problems until 4:30am. He did have some reflux issues be he is over it now. I'm just wondering if anyone has the same problem or if anyone can give me some advice it would be much appreciated. It only seems to be at this time of the day he will fall asleep with little fuss during the day. TIA
settling 10 week old.
settling 10 week old.
Posted in:
Baby & Toddler
9 Replies
That doesn't sound fun. With my kids it was just a matter of trying everything until something worked. I can't remember everything, but what did help was moving the bedtime routine an hour earlier as someone suggested she was overtired and that's why she struggled to fall asleep. Maybe worth a try? Other things that may have helped - chiropractor visits, white noise (for us dishwasher in kitchen which was next to the room) or relaxing music in the hallway outside the room. Are you leaving bub once settled or staying in the room? If you are staying that could be making him want to stay awake. Good luck! These things always pass
Have you tried putting him to bed later? Baby's don't have a bed time like we do. I found with my youngest son, he would not sleep well, no matter how hard I tried.. before 8.. until he was over 1. Now he goes down anywhere between 6.30 and 7.00pm easily. But when he was younger. No way. You might be fighting a losing battle! Try it for a few days in a row.. putting him down at 8pm.. or even later and see what happens. You can always move it forward when he's older.
I think if your bedtime routine starts at 730 then by the time everything is done it's probably late for your bub and they are overtired? I don't think there's anything wrong with letting them fall asleep on the breast or bottle either so if that time is the only problem just do what's best for you. It's still such a young age neither of mine really got into a routine until about 5 months so I think your doing a great job!!
I personally believe that you are wasting your time trying to teach a baby so young to self settle. They are so new to this world that all they need are breastfeeds and cuddles. I also think that you should be aiming to have the bedtime routine finished by 6:30.
I am of the opinion that a 10 week old should be having breastfeeds every 3 to 4 hours day and night, if not more frequent as their tummy is so small it can't fit much in at each feed.
I learnt these lessons the hard way and can't recommend highly enough to follow bubs cues and if all else fails get hold of some Pinky McKay books she has some fabulous advice on these topics.
Good luck mumma it can only get better from here! X
I have a 13 week old and have discovered a routine that works with my girl. I put her in the front facing baby carrier and take her for a half hour walk with hubby & the dog around our area. Always at 5:30pm, if she is tired before that I keep her awake by playing & talking etc. it seems the walk wears her out as she is so stimulated by everything going on around her. We get home and I bath her & play in the bath (as much as I can with a 13 week old) then I dress her in her onesie which I think she now knows is her pj's and bed time is happening. It's is only after all of this is done I then breast feed her and I let her drift off too sleep, it's 6:30/7pm by this time. Sometimes after her feed she needs rocking but I don't mind. She doesn't sleep through the night yet generally wakes every 3 hours for a feed but at least I know by 7pm she will be asleep and I can hang out with my other 3 children. Just make a routine and stick with it, it's hard sometimes but you can't be up all night trying to get bub to sleep. Good luck.
Maybe he is sleeping too much during the day, if you have no fuss for those sleeps? I would try cutting down the latest daytime sleep, so that when bedtime routine comes around, hes actually tired. Also I agree with earlier coments remember 10weeks is still very young and if he falls asleep on the breast or bottle, whats the harm?
have you ever read about the 4th trimester? human babies are born premature to all other species and are programmed to be close to their other, try and enjoy this time and not stress about sleep, there will always be issues, just cuddle your litre man, build up a bond and really just enjoy the neediness, it disappears way to soon, they only depend on us for such a short amount of time.
I found it very difficult to teach self settling until my baby was about 3 months. Now he goes to bed at 7 every night, after a walk at 5:30 (sometimes has a doze), bath at 6:20 followed by massage, bottle at 6:35 and book. -- yes, we're on a very rejimented routine!! He gets put down awake and wrapped. Puts himself to sleep and generally wakes between 5 and 6. Teaching self settling really only started progressing around 12 - 15 weeks. Made sure to always pick him up when he was awake and crying, think this helped him know that if he doesn't put himself back to sleep especially during naps, that he'd lost his chance. Poor bugger! But now has 2 90 min naps a day as well. He gets so cranky if he doesn't get enough sleep. And once he's overtired it's so difficult to get him to sleep!
I was told by a midwife at the hospital that you should not bath bub after 7.30pm because that a bit too late for the baby. Perhaps as others have suggested, start the bedtime routine a bit earlier. I know I am struggling with my 7 week old daughter in respect to day time naps and that eventually she gets so overtired, she stays awake longer.