When and how to start sleep training baby

[x3violins]

My daughter is only 3 weeks old, so I don't expect her to be sleeping through the night at this point, nor any point in the very near future, but I'd like to know how do you start sleep training and about what time do you start? I'd like to get a jump on it as soon as possible as I have to go back to work in a few weeks, and I'm not sure how I'm going to function if she's stuck on her current schedule.

My girl was born entirely nocturnal. My husband and I have moved her to the living room and one of us just stays up with her in the living room so at least one of us can get some sleep in the bedroom. If we were both in the same room with her, neither of us would get any sleep at all. It's non-stop fussing all night long and feedings at least every hour. If I turn the lights off she screams bloody murder and won't stop until I turn the lights back on.

It is currently 1am. She's been awake, flailing around and crying since 9pm and has eaten about 15oz of milk. I have changed 4 full, poopy diapers. This charade will continue until about 4am. Then she'll pass out and be hard to wake for feedings all day.

How do I go about turning her schedule around?

 

[Mrsbridge17]

My daughter is only 3 weeks old, so I don't expect her to be sleeping through the night at this point, nor any point in the very near future, but I'd like to know how do you start sleep training and about what time do you start? I'd like to get a jump on it as soon as possible as I have to go back to work in a few weeks, and I'm not sure how I'm going to function if she's stuck on her current schedule.

My girl was born entirely nocturnal. My husband and I have moved her to the living room and one of us just stays up with her in the living room so at least one of us can get some sleep in the bedroom. If we were both in the same room with her, neither of us would get any sleep at all. It's non-stop fussing all night long and feedings at least every hour. If I turn the lights off she screams bloody murder and won't stop until I turn the lights back on.

It is currently 1am. She's been awake, flailing around and crying since 9pm and has eaten about 15oz of milk. I have changed 4 full, poopy diapers. This charade will continue until about 4am. Then she'll pass out and be hard to wake for feedings all day.

How do I go about turning her schedule around?

It sounds like you may have a colicky baby! Does she cry inconsolably for long periods of time? Also 15 oz of milk is a LOT in that space of time.

 

[night owl]

She is only 3 weeks old so it’s just a waiting game really, there isn’t much you can do to influence how and when a newborn baby sleeps, it’s about finding coping strategies for yourself, ‘sleep training’ on tiny babies isn’t really possible, they don’t understand anything at that stage other then their absolute need for their mother to be close to them

Have you read up on the 4th trimester? She will be deep into the fourth trimester at the moment and will just need lots of cuddles, lots of reassurance, lots of skin to skin contact, basically round the clock, when you say she starts crying when you are turning the lights off, have you put her down on her own at this point? As if so that’s probably what she is disagreeing with, newborns just want holding all the time they dont feel safe and secure put down on their own so yes they will kick off, my daughter was a Velcro baby, still is at two years old!

And it sounds like her milk might not be agreeing with her, have you tried a different formula to see if something else is easier on her tummy? That might help her sleep a bit better, is she showing any signs of colic, or cows milk allergy?

I think my little girl starting sleeping more of a night at about 6-8 weeks old, where she started going 4-4-2, (4 hours asleep, wake for feed, another 4 hours asleep, wake for feed, 2 hours asleep) which was bliss - she has never slept that well again since about 5 months old and she’s 2 now, still wakes up allllll night!

I think anything between about 6-16 weeks is when they start to get a daytime/nighttime body clock, hopefully your little girl will start bringing her sleep more into the night time soon, I feel for you having to go back to work so early, do you not get maternity leave?

 

[x3violins]

Yes, I do think she is a bit gassy at least. She cries inconsolably on and off at various points, usually at night. Tummy massages, bicycle legs, and tiger hold offer her some relief. She gets very fussy when she has to poop as well and she often does most of her daily pooping several times in the span of a few hours.

She goes in spurts with the amounts she'll eat as well. My daughter is bottle-fed breast milk. She will eat up to 3oz an hour for a few hours at a time and then back down to only wanting fed once every 3-4 hours and 1.5-2oz at a time. She is the queen of cluster feeding! She tends to eat a lot more at night.

We've brought all of this up to our pediatrician and he says all of this is normal, and as long as she's gaining weight the way she's supposed to, not to worry about it, and she is gaining weight just fine.

I find she doesn't like the lights off if she is in her bassinet awake. She likes to look at the things hanging above her and as soon as she can't see, I think she gets bored. As soon as the lights are back on, she's looking hard at the things around her, and waving her little arms, and kicking her little legs. I think she just wants to play at this time.

I spend more time carrying her around and holding her during the day but I don't do as much of that at night as I'm afraid to fall asleep holding her.

I know newborns can't much distinguish night from day, but at what age can they start to recognize the difference between night and day and how do you go about establishing a bedtime routine?

Unfortunately, I do get 12 weeks FMLA, but I don't get paid for that and can't afford to pay my bills without income, so I need to return to work as soon as the doctor releases me to do so. I'm not 100% sure when that will be yet. It was going to be 6 weeks postpartum but a surgery I needed after the birth pushed it back another 2 weeks or so. My daughter will likely be 2 months old when I return to working full time during the day. If she's not at least sleeping between feedings by this time, I'm not going to survive!

 

[Mrsbridge17]

Yes, I do think she is a bit gassy at least. She cries inconsolably on and off at various points, usually at night. Tummy massages, bicycle legs, and tiger hold offer her some relief. She gets very fussy when she has to poop as well and she often does most of her daily pooping several times in the span of a few hours.

She goes in spurts with the amounts she'll eat as well. My daughter is bottle-fed breast milk. She will eat up to 3oz an hour for a few hours at a time and then back down to only wanting fed once every 3-4 hours and 1.5-2oz at a time. She is the queen of cluster feeding! She tends to eat a lot more at night.

We've brought all of this up to our pediatrician and he says all of this is normal, and as long as she's gaining weight the way she's supposed to, not to worry about it, and she is gaining weight just fine.

I find she doesn't like the lights off if she is in her bassinet awake. She likes to look at the things hanging above her and as soon as she can't see, I think she gets bored. As soon as the lights are back on, she's looking hard at the things around her, and waving her little arms, and kicking her little legs. I think she just wants to play at this time.

I spend more time carrying her around and holding her during the day but I don't do as much of that at night as I'm afraid to fall asleep holding her.

I know newborns can't much distinguish night from day, but at what age can they start to recognize the difference between night and day and how do you go about establishing a bedtime routine?

Unfortunately, I do get 12 weeks FMLA, but I don't get paid for that and can't afford to pay my bills without income, so I need to return to work as soon as the doctor releases me to do so. I'm not 100% sure when that will be yet. It was going to be 6 weeks postpartum but a surgery I needed after the birth pushed it back another 2 weeks or so. My daughter will likely be 2 months old when I return to working full time during the day. If she's not at least sleeping between feedings by this time, I'm not going to survive!

Ah if it’s breast milk that explains it. I was thinking formula and was like whoah that’s way too much milk. I think if it was me I would probably try to start normal sleeping arrangements ASAP so baby gets used to it x