Like everyone else, my husband and I are trying to get a reasonable sleep for ourselves with our new baby. For me (who is not working so is the 1 really responsible for baby esp. at night), that means even "going to sleep around 11", never mind sleeping the night. I'm not counting on the latter yet, but I would love to go to sleep the same time my husband does - we're all in the same room but I'm the 1 still awake 2 hrs after he dozed off!

We've tried giving baby lots of formula milk (which may be backfiring - almost literally; see other thread if I get around to it) the hour or so before to fill him up so he won't be hungry constantly. But it seems he doesn't want to go to sleep - even if he isn't hungry, he's suddenly in the fully awake/alert mode, either "active" or "quiet". Basically, it seems he can be awake a full 5 hrs before he will sleep in the bassinet (another problem - he hates the flat hard surfaces on his back and often wakes up instantly unless dead tired).

I think I notice something of a pattern - he seems to be "fully awake" for hours in the late morning-early afternoon, then sleeps alot for many hours in the afternoon-early evening (all daytime, he doesn't eat much). Then he's awake mid-evening (~9) until average 1:30 in the morning, then finally he can sleep much of the time through the "mid-morning" (~9).

Does anyone know if there is something to remedy this pattern? Should we just try to force waking/sleeping, changing the timing gradually in increments? (I find it almost impossible to force him to wake up or go to sleep if he really wants the opposite.)

(Also, we've had days recently where he won't sleep AT ALL essentially all day, or where he sleeps excessively.)

My DS, around that age, went through a phase were he wouldn't go to sleep before 11 pm. Thankfully, he eventually started to adjust his bedtime to a more reasonable hour. Now, we're trying to keep him up a little bit later so that his Daddy can see him when he gets home from work! I'm not sure if this made a difference or not, or whether it was simply a coincidence, but we started waking him up at the same time every morning, regardless of what time he went to bed at night. Once I started waking him up at 7 am every morning, he started to adjust his bedtime to an earlier hour. Now, at 6 months, he goes down anywhere from 7 - 8 pm and wakes up between 5:30 - 6:30 am.

I think that all babies are different. Fortunately, I didn't have sleep problems with my 3 girls, but my sister to this day (hers are now 16yr and 12yr) go to sleep superlate.

I don't agree with putting them on a strict schedule, waking and sleeping, the babies are usually up for a reason--be it hunger, needing a change or needing comfort. Keep on trying to put the baby down at whatever time you deem appropriate and eventually he will sleep through the night for you.

I know how hard it is when you are the primary caregiver. I have a 4yr, 2yr and 8 month old and my hubby is gone most of the time (military), so I can really feel it when I don't get enough sleep. My only other suggestions about sleep is for you to sleep when the baby sleeps. If he goes down for an hour in the afternoon, you should take a nap also. The laundry and dishes will still be there when you wake up! :jester:

Do you have a crib set up for him yet? I would suggest moving him into his own room now. I wouldn't wait much longer because he's going to "sense that something is off." Right now, he still won't now.
Also, is it possible that you're going to him too often? I'm not judging, just asking. Because he is so close, you will hear every little sound and therefore, want to go to him instinctively. Don't. Give him a few seconds to a minute to see if he'll get settled. Definitely go to him after this if he's still not calmed down.
I know it's frustrating. It'll happen soon. Give him time. Good luck!

HI

A lot of people may yell at me for saying this, but I figured out my son just didn't sleep well on his back and preferred sleeping on his belly. He did for like the first week. He would twitch, wake up easily, etc. he wouldn't sleep for more than 2 hours at a time. By around 6-8 weeks of the constant waking and crying, I put him on his belly one night and he slept like four hours! AT first I was nervous with SIDS and all, but personally I am not a believer in the belly sleeping as a cause of SIDS that is just my opinion I am sure others will disagree. Anyway, he bagan sleeping longer stretches immedietly. I was very careful to not use any blankets or clothes with hoods, or things that bunched up. HE wore stretch suits with feeties that were lightweight. I kept a monitor on at all times if i was not in the room with him and for the first 6 months I put a double bed in his room and we slept in the same room. Once he could roll over both ways I moved back into my own room. When he started daycare at 4.5 months they only allowed back sleeping because of SIDS. My son never slept well there and was often irritable. He often fell asleep in the swing and then they would place him on his back in the crib and he would wake up. Finally when he was able to roll himself on his belly himself at daycare he began to sleep better. I know a few people who said the same that thier babies never slept well on the back. It is funny now that he is 19 months, he hates sleeping on his belly and always falls asleep on his back!

I did the same with all of my kids (sleeping on belly's). They never slept well and through the night on their backs. They also slept in their own rooms. Hearing every noise and stir will keep you awake as well. Try hard to get a sleep schedule going. I wasn't a big believer in schedules until my third when things just started getting out of control. Kids really rely on proper sleep and by getting them used to sleeping at certain times, it will help them get their 14+ hours they need. Plus by knowing what time to expect crankiness, it helps you get things done in a timely manner. My youngest is now 11 months and sleeps at 10 and 3 for 2-3 hours a pop. She can put herself to sleep which is a miracle! My boys never did that! Good luck, just hang in there, things will start to straighten themselves out soon as the baby gets a couple months older.

I am having the same problem. My 1 month old absolutely hates sleeping on her back. I allow her to sleep on her belly during the day in her pack-n-play but at night I am scared to do it. I constantly check on her in the pack-n-play. On her belly, she will sleep 4-5 hours at a time. My pediatrician told us not to let her sleep on her belly at all. I had a big baby and she has been able to pick her head up and turn it side to side on her belly from the time she was born. I have hospital pictures to prove it! I don't really understand what they think causes SIDS but I know that my little one can move her head in any way she wants. But, to be cautious, I am still leery of doing it at night. At night, I can't get her to sleep before 11 or 12, but she wakes up at 3 am like clock work. I am usually up with her for 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours after she eats at 3 am. It's like it's noon to her. I keep the lights down while fixing the bottle and turn them off when she is feeding. I always open the blinds and turn lights on around 8 am. I don't know if any of it helps (or will help). Also she is sleeping in our room in a bassinet too. Hoping to move her soon. It's so much easier to reach over and find her lost pacifier than to go to another room to do it 5 times in a row though!

I will be going back to work in a couple of weeks and I really don't know how I am going to do it. Most days I am lucky to get a shower. What do you guys do? I have taken her in the bathroom with me in her vibrating seat before, but she screamed the whole time. My dh works shift work and goes out of town a lot, so it's not always possible for him to watch her while I wash my hair! Any tips would be appreciated.

Also, we just switched her to soy formula. She was having solid bowel movements.....actually she still is. When taking a bottle she screams and passes gas. I bought Mylicon Drops yesterday and gave them to her in her bottle last night. The doc told us to wait a week to see if her poop becomes more pastey and normal. I feel so bad for her. I hope the gas pains go away soon.

Well she's awake.......better run!

This is great reading from all of you!

I was just going to start a separate thread for "baby hates back-sleeping on hard flat surface", but since the subject has sort of come up, don't know if I should bother! (And it's really THE tie-in with the sleep problems.)

All this safety-NAZI stuff I think is really causing problems. Last night was horrible - at least strictly in terms of sleeping (ours).

I thought we were getting somewhere after I was able to have George sleep from 12 the other night - only problem was he had major REM at 1 and 2 hours into that and woke me because of all the noise he makes. If not for that he would have officially been at 5 hrs sleep.

But last night, I guess things were all screwed up. At my parents' my mom was feeding him (bottle) around dinner time because he was awake and hungry. He ate alot over the next 2 hrs. He still was somewhat hungry in the late "evening" but my husband did not get him a new bottle when he was caring for him late, trying just to soothe him (I need to take stupid sitz baths so he watches George for a bit); I wish he had taken the initiative and fed him!

Well, I got George to bed around 12:30, but by 2 he was awake and hungry again. Unlike other nights, though, he was not satisfied with just about 2 oz/2 breasts worth. He would keep waking up and crying for more food. So I was up for 1.5 hrs when my temper was getting really bad - woke up my husband. He then took the baby and tried to feed/soothe him for a bit, also a bit temperamental (normally I do not bother DH on work nights). Then I tried again. I think we finally got him to sleep steadily again about 4:30 or 5. But then, he woke again by 7!

Again, the big problem here seems to be he hates sleeping on his back on these flat hard "safe" surfaces. He knows it unless he's dead tired; it upsets him and he's wide awake again - often deciding he's again hungry.

AAAaaaaagggh!

HI

boy I remember those early days well you are bringing it all back! LOL
look I think part of it is that your little one is so newborn still that it is just something that comes with the territory with new babies and not sleeping.
Is this your first? no matter how much i had been told from others about the not sleeping, I was still horribly unprepared for exactly how that would feel. theres a few things you can do:
1-just know this sleeping issue is all part of the early stages of having a baby and it does and will get better. I think by 6 months my son was sleeping 9-10 hours straight. IT was like i got my life back again. I know that seems very far off but it does eventually come and soon you will be onto new issues such as starting solids, crawling, etc.
2-keep in mind that doctors HAVE to say that about the belly thing and SIDS since it is the latest accepted research, and if he told you otherwise he could be blamed if something went wrong. In the end you are the parent and you not the doctor is the one up all night. And your baby might be extra irritable, not eating as well, etc if not sleeping properly. Decide what is best for your baby and your family and go with that.
3- introduce a swing and start letting the baby nap in it during the day to get some long naps. I well rested baby during the day sleeps better at night