My LO is very resistant to naps during the day. He will sleep for at most an hour at a time 2-3 times, but pretty fussy when he is awake. He's almost 4 weeks old and a great night sleeper (knock on wood). Should I be trying to get him to sleep most of the day or just go with awake?
I have found that around 4-6 weeks most babies start needing a little help to go down for naps, which for me typically means either swaddle + dark room + white noise, or if I want to be out of the house then a nap in the carrier or stroller. I think the most important thing if your baby is fussy during his awake time is to pay attention to how long baby is awake between naps- most babies at this age can't really tolerate more than an hour of wake time without getting fussy & overtired, and overtired babies are much harder to get down for a nap.
www.preciouslittlesleep.com has great baby sleep guides for each stage of infant sleep.
Has anyone tried the windi? LO has been having really bad gas pain and I've tried simethecone drops, gripe water, bicycling his legs, rubbing his tummy, etc with minimal relief. Poor thing is so uncomfortable and I'm willing to try anything at this point!
Has anyone tried the windi? LO has been having really bad gas pain and I've tried simethecone drops, gripe water, bicycling his legs, rubbing his tummy, etc with minimal relief. Poor thing is so uncomfortable and I'm willing to try anything at this point!
Has anyone tried the windi? LO has been having really bad gas pain and I've tried simethecone drops, gripe water, bicycling his legs, rubbing his tummy, etc with minimal relief. Poor thing is so uncomfortable and I'm willing to try anything at this point!
We have! I'm still on the fence about its level of success though- when we used it, it totally prompted an explosion of gas and poop (it's pretty nasty, make sure you hold a diaper or a rag over the opening) and she calmed right down and fell back asleep on the changing table. So I thought, this is great! But then 20 minutes later she was back to moaning and grunting nonstop, so it makes me think maybe gas isn't the reason she is awake at 5:00 am every day and can't go back to sleep. Ugh who even knows with babies.
Has anyone tried the windi? LO has been having really bad gas pain and I've tried simethecone drops, gripe water, bicycling his legs, rubbing his tummy, etc with minimal relief. Poor thing is so uncomfortable and I'm willing to try anything at this point!
I just had to google what this is. Definitely going to be trying it out!!!
Anyone using a sound machine for their LO at night & if so is it worth it? Debating whether or not we should get one..
Do it. The white noise was the bomb with my son- even now at 2.5 I can basically get him to nap/ sleep anywhere with his noise machine or a white noise app. We bought a 2nd one for our room that we use so I don't go crazy with this baby grunting all night, and it'll go into her room once she stops sleeping in ours.
If you're actually holding the baby, talking to the baby, and/or trying to soothe but the baby is screaming, is that the same effect as crying it out? For example, this morning she woke up crying. I immediately got out of bed, got her, and unswaddled her. I knew she needed to eat, but I also needed to pee and put on some clothes. So I put her on my bed for a second while I went to the bathroom and splashed water on my face. She was still crying. Crying while changing her diaper. Crying while getting set up to feed. The arguments against crying it out about long-term issues when it comes to trust and comfort freak me out when I'm trying to get moving or soothe her, but she's crying. Another example is she gets so tired that she'll cry. I immediately will take her to the rocker and rock her to sleep. She will start screaming then stop. Then wake up and scream again then stop. Then finally, she'll nod off. I know she isn't hungry or has a dirty diaper because it's usually a half hour after I feed her, and I always change her diaper before rocking her for a nap. What really counts as damage from crying?
If you're actually holding the baby, talking to the baby, and/or trying to soothe but the baby is screaming, is that the same effect as crying it out? For example, this morning she woke up crying. I immediately got out of bed, got her, and unswaddled her. I knew she needed to eat, but I also needed to pee and put on some clothes. So I put her on my bed for a second while I went to the bathroom and splashed water on my face. She was still crying. Crying while changing her diaper. Crying while getting set up to feed. The arguments against crying it out about long-term issues when it comes to trust and comfort freak me out when I'm trying to get moving or soothe her, but she's crying. Another example is she gets so tired that she'll cry. I immediately will take her to the rocker and rock her to sleep. She will start screaming then stop. Then wake up and scream again then stop. Then finally, she'll nod off. I know she isn't hungry or has a dirty diaper because it's usually a half hour after I feed her, and I always change her diaper before rocking her for a nap. What really counts as damage from crying?
You're not damaging her, she knows you're trying to help her, you just don't get what she's saying. Crying it out is doing nothing while your baby cries until they pass out (or as advocates call it "soothes themselves"- sorry, I'm very anti cry it out). Sometimes my baby cries while I'm trying to figure him out and I really believe he knows I'm trying. Think about it from your perspective- if you couldn't talk but we're so thirsty you felt like you might die, which would be better, someone talking to you in a soothing way and making sure you were comfortable otherwise and then figuring out you were thirsty or someone ignoring you?
@missnc77 the negative impacts of cio are most associated with extinction which is just leaving them to cry until they stop. If you're soothing, or when they're older teaching them how to self soothe little by little then you're just fine! Don't worry!
@kbrands7 makes an excellent point, as usual! I wouldn't be concerned unless you're deliberately leaving your baby to cry, which given your concern you're definitely not! Also the object permanence milestone hasn't been reached yet which is when the damage would more likely happen.
Confession a day early, I'm seriously dreading the cry it out threads in a few months.
I'm seriously dreading getting this baby to sleep after object permanence sets in- she's a big time boob sleeper and I am already anxious about her needing the boob to fall asleep throughout the night. My son was like a miraculous dream sleeper and he was happy to fall asleep on his own from day 1, so we never had to do any sort of research into sleep training or anything and now I feel like I'll have no clue how to help this baby fall asleep without dying of sleep deprivation. Obvi I need to just chill because that is a long way off and babies can change a lot in a few months time, but still...
@Bellodomani Try not to worry for now, but I sympathize. My first was a difficult nurser initially and a difficult sleeper. I've definitely googled things like, "long term consequences of sustained sleep deprivation." Besides extending cosleeping, a lot of the strategies in The No Cry Sleep Solution really helped us, including breaking the boob sleep crutch without needing to night wean. I highly recommend reading it if you anticipate having a difficult time with sleep! I wished I had read it sooner with DS than 6-7mos.
@kbrands7 Thanks, I'll totally check it out. I think because my son was so easy in that department that I really have it built up in my head as this huge thing, so it's reassuring to know that people survive sleep issues and get to resume normal personhood on the other side
Guys, Ezra is sleeping so much today. He slept from 10pm-12pm and then he woke up and was just a happy camper after eating and getting changed (and a little time in a steamy shower since he had been grunty), then he slept from 12-830am when I fed him and changed him and put him in new pjs and he went back to sleep. At 5am I woke up engorged and fed him and changed him but he didn't really wake up. He's 5 weeks old and I know the pediatrician is already predicting he'll be very tall (she says he's a big person in a baby's body). I know my brothers (both over 6 feet) used to sleep a lot when they were growing- could that be it? FTM freak out
@JoMunson both of my kids have had extreme sleepy periods while growing. Also when they have developmental leaps it can cause extra sleep. Don't worry!!
Guys, Ezra is sleeping so much today. He slept from 10pm-12pm and then he woke up and was just a happy camper after eating and getting changed (and a little time in a steamy shower since he had been grunty), then he slept from 12-830am when I fed him and changed him and put him in new pjs and he went back to sleep. At 5am I woke up engorged and fed him and changed him but he didn't really wake up. He's 5 weeks old and I know the pediatrician is already predicting he'll be very tall (she says he's a big person in a baby's body). I know my brothers (both over 6 feet) used to sleep a lot when they were growing- could that be it? FTM freak out
Harper's been sleeping a ton today too. She's a month today. I think it's totally normal. The last two days she was up a lot more and more active. Probably just tired from the activity
@jomunson remember a couple of nights ago you posted about crying and feeling at your wits end? That was probably the growth spurt - now you get the sleepy part. It's amazing how much they sleep after a spurt like @TXmamatobe mentioned!
Thank you guys! I had completely forgotten his sleepless night a few days ago, plus I just put him in three month jammies and they fit so much better! Can I shed a few years cuz my tiny newborn is growing so much?
Basically unless it's right in front of them babies won't remember it exists. It's called object permanence because the object ceases to be permanent, or exist when it isn't being observed. you take a ball and show it to a baby they'll be happy and engage with it, but if you place it even just at their ear they'll forget it ever existed. The ability to remember things isn't totally solidified until about age three, which is why most people lack memory before then. The exception seems to be that babies do recognize and remember their mothers, but that has more to do with the fact that they don't quite realize we're seperate people now. Thats why you can give a baby a lemon and watch them taste and dislike it over and over. They don't remember that they have already had the experience. So at this point we don't have to be too afraid of messing them up. (disclaimer- true abuse and neglect does have an effect this early since it will affect their brain development and body growth).
Also, object permanence plays a role in sleep because around 4-6 months children start to realize that you exist even when you're not around. So if they fall asleep to nursing, rocking, whatever it takes to fall sleep, they can wake up throughout the night at various points in their sleep cycle expecting to have these conditions replicated in order to get back to sleep- which is why most stuff about baby sleep is all about getting them to fall asleep independently, so they don't need you to come back in the room five times a night to help them fall asleep. Imagine that you went to bed in your room, and then you woke up on your front lawn- you'd be super disturbed and disoriented, and you'd be trying to figure out how to get back to the original conditions of your sleep so that you could fall asleep again. That being said, not every baby that nurses/ is rocked to sleep will have this problem- my son never did- it's just a common baby sleep problem to have.
@Bellodomani yes! This may sound a little too whatever, but I'll sometimes wake up before Ezra and I can watch his thought process- he starts out kindof scared cuz he's not sure what happened, then he realizes he's in the same place he fell asleep and sometimes hell stretch out his hands for my husband and I. Some people we know are already starting to push us to start moving Ezra to his crib or to "start thinking about when you'll move him out of your bed" and, just like breast feeding, I don't have a plan to stop until Ezra can tell me with words or actions that he's ready. (note: 100% not knocking any mom or family who isn't bed sharing. There are a thousand reasons to do it and a thousand reasons why it might not work for your family. I just wanted to get my thoughts off my chest).
I woke up this morning and Julia (2 weeks old) had moved in her bassinet - she was still on her back, but she was facing a different way (she'd moved about 90 degrees) Just wondering if this is an issue since I swaddle her at night. I know they say to stop swaddling when they can roll onto their tummies. Could there be a danger with the way she is moving? Paranoid FTM here...
Something that DH and I were just discussing...LO has been dealing with a heat rash in her diaper area. We took care of it by having lots of naked time in a towel, making sure she stayed dry down there by keeping her in a clean diaper, going up a size, and minimizing the amount of time we are holding her facing forward on our chests (I like to wait until she's calm/asleep, then switch her onto her back).
The rash finally went away, and we were able to see that she now had a diaper rash, so started treating that with cream (I used Desitin). Unfortunately, the cream brought back the heat rash (I thought it might be more of an allergy thing, but nope, it's a heat rash...supposedly it traps sweat/heat etc). So now LO has both a heat rash and a diaper rash.
We are back to doing what we did with the heat rash before, but in the meantime, does anybody have a suggestion for how to treat the diaper rash as well without bringing the heat rash back?
Something that DH and I were just discussing...LO has been dealing with a heat rash in her diaper area. We took care of it by having lots of naked time in a towel, making sure she stayed dry down there by keeping her in a clean diaper, going up a size, and minimizing the amount of time we are holding her facing forward on our chests (I like to wait until she's calm/asleep, then switch her onto her back).
The rash finally went away, and we were able to see that she now had a diaper rash, so started treating that with cream (I used Desitin). Unfortunately, the cream brought back the heat rash (I thought it might be more of an allergy thing, but nope, it's a heat rash...supposedly it traps sweat/heat etc). So now LO has both a heat rash and a diaper rash.
We are back to doing what we did with the heat rash before, but in the meantime, does anybody have a suggestion for how to treat the diaper rash as well without bringing the heat rash back?
Have you tried coconut oil? It'll be absorbed quickly so it won't add an extra layer for heat
@amberraysofdawn I have been using Mustela Physiobebe for baby acne. Within 3 days it's almost completely cleared. It's a no-rinse cleanser and all the reviews say it's incredible for diaper rash. I have used it for a rash on back on baby's neck too and it cleared up within hours. Totally amazing stuff! They sell it at target.
@amberraysofdawn I have been using Mustela Physiobebe for baby acne. Within 3 days it's almost completely cleared. It's a no-rinse cleanser and all the reviews say it's incredible for diaper rash. I have used it for a rash on back on baby's neck too and it cleared up within hours. Totally amazing stuff! They sell it at target.
@amberraysofdawn my older LO gets a diaper rash very easily, so at the first sign I stop using even the sensitive wipes and use soft disposable dry cloths that I wet and blot instead of wiping. Then I use a dry cloth to ensure the skin is dry and then apply coconut oil. Also I make sure to change diapers even more frequently - max time between changes is 2 hours, even if it's not super wet it's still irritating the skin.
LO's forehead (hairline) to his brow has a ton of dead flaky skin. Is this the start of cradle's cap?? We've only ever used water on his face. Should we try something to moisturize it? Also, after baths, is it a good idea to use baby lotion or leave as is? I feel like his skin is really dry
ETA: it looks like he's losing his newborn hair, could that be the cause? Poor boy looks like a dry balding old man right now
LO's forehead (hairline) to his brow has a ton of dead flaky skin. Is this the start of cradle's cap?? We've only ever used water on his face. Should we try something to moisturize it? Also, after baths, is it a good idea to use baby lotion or leave as is? I feel like his skin is really dry
ETA: it looks like he's losing his newborn hair, could that be the cause? Poor boy looks like a dry balding old man right now
Yep. It sounds like cradle cap. I use a soft bristle brush with coconut oil to loosen it from the scalp or brow line, brushing in small circles, then brush it away/rinse it out with water, and follow up with a bit of coconut oil to leave on. DS1 had it really badly and this worked the best to get rid of it. DS2 got it last week and this has gotten rid of it and so far it hasn't returned. I keep up with the gentle exfoliation and coconut oil as part of the bedtime routine now.
So my GP gave me some pills for LOs reflux....finally someone is taking me seriously about it...the pills are the kind filled with little balls. She told me to pop it open and pour them into LOs mouth. That was a disaster. Not only did we end up with half of the balls on the sofa from her coughing but she ended up inhaling some,which was scary. I tried to give her milk to wash them down but only ended up with these things stuck to my boob... How the heck do you give these?
So my GP gave me some pills for LOs reflux....finally someone is taking me seriously about it...the pills are the kind filled with little balls. She told me to pop it open and pour them into LOs mouth. That was a disaster. Not only did we end up with half of the balls on the sofa from her coughing but she ended up inhaling some,which was scary. I tried to give her milk to wash them down but only ended up with these things stuck to my boob... How the heck do you give these?
It seems odd that she didn't just give you liquid medicine? DD1 takes Zantac and its liquid. I couldn't imagine trying to get a young baby to swallow those!
So my GP gave me some pills for LOs reflux....finally someone is taking me seriously about it...the pills are the kind filled with little balls. She told me to pop it open and pour them into LOs mouth. That was a disaster. Not only did we end up with half of the balls on the sofa from her coughing but she ended up inhaling some,which was scary. I tried to give her milk to wash them down but only ended up with these things stuck to my boob... How the heck do you give these?
Well my GP said it was liquid filled pills to open and pour in. The pharmacy gave these stupid balls. Both the pharmacy and my GP are closed today so I can't get this fixed till tomorrow...
Re: Newborn Questions
www.preciouslittlesleep.com has great baby sleep guides for each stage of infant sleep.
Married: Oct 20, 2013
BFP 1: Aug 31, 2015
EDD 1: May 12, 2016
DD1 Emma born May 12, 2016
An Honest Account of New Motherhood (with Postpartum Anxiety, Depression, and OCD)
BFP 2: October 07, 2019
EDD 2: June 20, 2020
Sometimes my baby cries while I'm trying to figure him out and I really believe he knows I'm trying. Think about it from your perspective- if you couldn't talk but we're so thirsty you felt like you might die, which would be better, someone talking to you in a soothing way and making sure you were comfortable otherwise and then figuring out you were thirsty or someone ignoring you?
Confession a day early, I'm seriously dreading the cry it out threads in a few months.
Can I shed a few years cuz my tiny newborn is growing so much?
Thats why you can give a baby a lemon and watch them taste and dislike it over and over. They don't remember that they have already had the experience. So at this point we don't have to be too afraid of messing them up.
(disclaimer- true abuse and neglect does have an effect this early since it will affect their brain development and body growth).
Some people we know are already starting to push us to start moving Ezra to his crib or to "start thinking about when you'll move him out of your bed" and, just like breast feeding, I don't have a plan to stop until Ezra can tell me with words or actions that he's ready.
(note: 100% not knocking any mom or family who isn't bed sharing. There are a thousand reasons to do it and a thousand reasons why it might not work for your family. I just wanted to get my thoughts off my chest).
Just wondering if this is an issue since I swaddle her at night. I know they say to stop swaddling when they can roll onto their tummies. Could there be a danger with the way she is moving? Paranoid FTM here...
The rash finally went away, and we were able to see that she now had a diaper rash, so started treating that with cream (I used Desitin). Unfortunately, the cream brought back the heat rash (I thought it might be more of an allergy thing, but nope, it's a heat rash...supposedly it traps sweat/heat etc). So now LO has both a heat rash and a diaper rash.
We are back to doing what we did with the heat rash before, but in the meantime, does anybody have a suggestion for how to treat the diaper rash as well without bringing the heat rash back?
5.5.16 | 8.14.17 | 1.30.19
ETA: it looks like he's losing his newborn hair, could that be the cause? Poor boy looks like a dry balding old man right now