Very short sleeping periods

kaitlin&kurth · January 2013

LO is 5 1/2 weeks old, born 6 weeks preemie, and had been sleeping very well until the past few nights. Suddenly, she cannot go more than an hour without waking up and crying, needing to be held and rocked to help her get back to sleep. Any mommies have any suggestions for encouraging better sleeping habits?

juliane2004 · January 2013

How are her naps? How long is she awake between naps?

kaitlin&kurth · January 2013

She wakes up to feed every 2 1/2 to 3 hours and will stay awake about an hour each time, with twice a day staying awake until her next feeding.

Mleasnider · January 2013

Could she be gassy. DS was that way after the first few weeks home. Try gas drops if you think she may be.

pamelamelanie924 · January 2013

Do you or have you tried swaddling her?

kaitlin&kurth · January 2013

Yes, we've swaddled and used a woombie to help her sleep. I think it helps her fall asleep but not stay asleep.

juliane2004 · January 2013

I would put her down awake after 35-40 minutes. My 5 month old is only awake 90 minutes before I put her down.

Here's my recommendation, regarding "putting down awake". This was a post I wrote a couple days ago:

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 (which at that age of 5 weeks was basically enough time to diaper and feed her). 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

ta78 · January 2013

Lurking.. but thought I would add that she may not be eating enough before going down. I know that DS had a growth spurt around that time and it took us awhile to figure out that he just wasn't getting enough to eat anymore.

Depending on if you are breastfeeding or formula.. do you give her a certain amount or let her nurse for a certain amount of time or until she refuses anymore?

PP also gave good advice about awake time.

Good luck.

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