1 month old will not sleep unless being held

wendyc616

i need advice! My one month old has these days where she will not sleep unless being held. She can be in the deepest of sleeps and the second i go to put her down, she wails. I try to let her "cry it out" like my sister told me to do, but she gets so beside herself she cant breathe!

She has been really great at night, sleeps almost 6 hours before waking up for a bottle, but a few nights now, she will not sleep at all. She wont even nap during the day! I feel horrible for her and i am so stressed out.

Even when she is awake she will not just sit. We have a swing, a boppy chair, etc...she will not sit in anything. She just wants to be held...

Any advice?

ilovemygirls

First of all, it is awesome that your baby will go 6 hrs at this age.  My oldest didn't have a 4 hr stretch of sleep until she was over 6mos old.  Since she has shown she can sleep on her own, she's maybe going through a growth spurt or something.  However, just remember that she is still a tiny infant.  She still needs that comfort and reassurance.  So my recommendation is to hold her if you can- or at least put her in a sling if you need to get things done.  Mine was a horrid sleeper and took no consistent naps or anything until she was close to a year old & I finally had to sleep train her.  However, your babe is tiny & just needs you, so do whatever it is that she needs right now.  I suspect she will go back to her good sleeping before too long.  Good luck!

BlondeBeachBride08

Your baby is WAY too young to cry it out. She needs to be close to you to feel secure. She'll grow out of it but PLEASE do not let your baby just cry. She has no way to calm herself at this age. Up until a month ago she was living Inside you so it stands to reason that she'll be most comfortable snuggled up on you. 

Have you tried swaddling?

My LO is almost 6 weeks and hates to be put down as well. I usually wait for her to fall deeply asleep on my chest and then swaddle her up and put her in the bassinet.

It doesn't always work on the first try but it always works eventually.

Before you know it she won't want to sleep on you at all so try to enjoy the snuggles! 

Angela814

First of all, ignore your sister. A one month old should not be crying it out.

She sounds like a completely normal baby. Both of mine have been like that. Right now it's not every day, but maybe every other day DD2 wants to be held for the majority of the day. That's just how newborns are. I would kill for a 6 hour stretch of sleep. I would actually kill for a 3 hour stretch of sleep.

You could try a wrap or a sling to carry her. Otherwise put her down for a few minutes when you need to (to go to the bathroom, eat something, etc), but don't let her cry it out.

bsktbllqt11

BlondeBeachBride08:

Your baby is WAY too young to cry it out. She needs to be close to you to feel secure. She'll grow out of it but PLEASE do not let your baby just cry. She has no way to calm herself at this age. Up until a month ago she was living Inside you so it stands to reason that she'll be most comfortable snuggled up on you. 

Have you tried swaddling?

My LO is almost 6 weeks and hates to be put down as well. I usually wait for her to fall deeply asleep on my chest and then swaddle her up and put her in the bassinet.

It doesn't always work on the first try but it always works eventually.

Before you know it she won't want to sleep on you at all so try to enjoy the snuggles! 

This. My LO won't fall asleep by herself unless she's swaddled. Good luck!

lisa512

My LO is the same way, but he is 2 months old.  We had lots of visitors since he was born, so I think he might have gotten used to being held a lot.  If your LO will sleep through the night (which is just what mine is doing) at least be thankful for that.  I just decided that I would put him in the infantino carrier to get a few essential things done aroudn the house (like eat and some very basic cleaning).  I put him in the swing or bouncy chair occassionally even if he starts crying.   My pediatrician said even 2-4 months is too young to cry it out, except if it's at night.  And she said 20 mins. max for cry it out at night.  During the day she said to try to console them.  Good luck