6 week old - unsettled between feeds

[mrsr]

Good luck at the settling class Lynn! I went to one when my first DS was tiny and it was a great help. I'm with you, I don't want to hold my bub all day & night either!

Trish, what did they suggest you do?

[~Trish~]

mrsr - I went to the settling class just over 3 years ago so my memory is a little hazy! They basically spoke about putting your bub in a feed/play/sleep routine so your bub feels settled knowing they will be fed, etc. They then suggested swaddling your bub (using muslin in the hot weather) and putting them to bed awake so they learn to put themselves to sleep. I found with my second bub that he would settle better in his cot if I put him on his side and patted him on his back and went "shhhh" in his ear. The "shhh" sounds a lot like the noises they heard in utero so it tends to calm them down (sometimes I have to do it really loud!).

One other suggestion if you just can't settle your bub in a cot is to try a baby hammock. My first DS eventually would only sleep in my arms - turns out he was in pain, but we found that out later - so we bought an Amby baby hammock and the first time we put DS in it for a day nap he slept for 2 hours! Sometimes I would have to bounce him in it to get him to go back to sleep, but it was much nicer on my back and arms and I could actually get stuff done while he slept. You can hire hammocks from baby hire places so that way you can find out if your bub likes it or not before deciding to buy one. HTH

[mrsr]

Thanks Trish...I'm actually going to see if our GP thinks he may have silent reflux. There are a few similarities to his behaviour.

[Lynn]

I have tried to settle him in his cot by 'shhh' him and holding his hands tight on his chest so that he feels secure - sometimes this works other times it doesn't. We have had a pretty good weekend where he has slept well but today is another story!!! He just won't go down in his cot. I eventually took him for a walk to put him to sleep and have now left him in his pram sleeping. Bring on the settling class tomorrow I say! I will let you all know some of the suggestions - hopefully they work