How much awake time at 3wks?

mommy510 · October 2012

DS2 is 3 weeks old and he spends a lot of time awake, usually several hours in the morning and afternoon. He isn't fussy and he nurses every 3 or 4 hours. I put him on a blanket on the floor or in his bouncy seat and he just looks around at everything.
He seems pretty content, but I'm wondering if he should be getting more sleep. DS1 had 20 minutes or so after his feedings that he was alert, but he slept way more at this age. Should I lay him down or try to rock him to sleep?

gingerfamily · October 2012

If he's not cranky, it doesn't sound like there is anything to worry about.

Mom2Mack1 · October 2012

If he's happy & content then I wouldn't worry about it. DS is 3 weeks and he's away a few hours in the morning and then later in the afternoon.

bonjourbelle05 · October 2012

mrsh0606:
If he's not cranky, it doesn't sound like there is anything to worry about.

This....if he needs sleep he'll sleep or start getting cranky because he's fighting sleep. Enjoy the awake (non-fussy) time!!!

juliane2004 · October 2012

I disagree with PP: babies don't always just fall asleep when they should (i.e. whenever and wherever they are, like mid-playtime on the floor). You need to give them the opportunity to nap, like in their crib.

At 3 weeks, I would recommend about 40 minutes of awake time from the time they wake up to the time you put them back in bed (including eating, diapering, playing - which there may not be much or any playing depending on how long your LO takes to eat). At 2.5 months old, DD2 has 65 minutes of awake time.

Disclaimer: Do what works for you, this is what we do.

We keep an eye on the clock and keep DD2 up for only a certain amount of awake time. See below for guideline by age. We put her down awake, to fall asleep on her own. No crying necessary. By not letting her get overtired, she is able to fall asleep on her own. Also, by putting DD2 down in her space awake, she does not wake up in a different place than she fell asleep (i.e. she doesnt fall asleep in my arms, then wake in her crib and be scared).

We also swaddle using the escape proof swaddle. I personally swaddle till about 5-6 months old. We thought DD1 hated swaddling, so we stopped at 2 weeks old. Then we found this method at 10 weeks and she fell asleep for 7 hrs that night. It works great for us: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K4VdZxwsu4

We also have a fan for white noise and a fisher price aquarium for music/lights to distract her. And, if necessary, a pacifier. I highly recommend a crib attachment thing, like the aquarium, not a mobile. A mobile needs to be constantly wound up whereas the aquarium plays for 18 minutes and has a wireless remote that can turn it on from the doorway.

Guideline for Awake time for babies
0-4 weeks: 30-45 minutes
4-6 weeks: 40-60 minutes
6-8 weeks: 40-70 minutes
8-12 weeks: 50-80 minutes
3-4 months: 60-90 minutes
4-5 months: 1 hr to 1.5 hrs
5-6 months: 1.5 hours
6-9 months: 2 hours, give or take 15 minutes

mommy510 · October 2012

Thanks for the advice. I'll try laying him down after he has been awake for a while. He's cute to watch, but I don't want to over stimulate him.

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How much awake time at 3wks?

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