Sleep for 2 week old - HELP!

[~Belinda~]

my little one now won't stay in basinette without crying! she loves to be held to sleep...then i put her down and she cries! i have tried wheat pack...music...wrapping. nothing works. do they grow out of this? any advice would be helpful to me, thanks!

[Claire]

Yes they do grow out of it. Do you have a sling? Works wonders!

[sneakysparkle]

I'm sure one of the other girls with more experience and more insightful words will write to you, but I just wanted to encourage you - Madeleine is still so young, so used to being close to you (in your belly!) that she just wants her mummy! I know its frustrating when youre sleep deprived etc.. but it DOES get better!
You could try putting something of yours in the bassinette with her (a breast pad, unwashed tshirt) and that might help to calm her.
Hang in there darl!

[mummytotwo]

Bindy - sounds like a problem a few of us are having. Bronte is doing the same thing although hers is due to wind or reflux I am pretty sure. You just have to persevere & not pick her up every time she cries. A little bit of controlled crying is ok as long as you don't let them work themselves up into a frenzy. Ideally you want bub to be able to settle themselves in their cot/ basso rather than in your arms but I know this is easier said than done (which I am fnding out for the second time)....Good luck & I hope she grows out of it quickly for you.

[Mollygirl]

I felt this way too with DD. I remember my husband saying she will need to be less dependant on me when he was due to go back to work, as I had a 2.5yo to look after too. It did get better. My view now is that she needed that time close to me (like what darlissa said) (she was born @ 37wks and a bit small) and now is quite independent with sleeping, she doesn't feed to sleep or cry to sleep very often unless over tired.
Stick with it, and when she is a bit older (around 3months) you can put her in her bassinette and let her have a little cry for a couple of minutes before she goes to sleep, once you know her tired signs. At this age my dd didn't seem to be awake longer than 15-30mins other than to feed and mostly fed to sleep.
The sling is great when you are trying to get things done around the house - I used the hug a bub.
Responding to your baby will make her feel loved and secure...if she is waking up when you put her down, try waiting a bit longer before you put her down, or put her down straight after she has gone to sleep, you might find one timing works better than the other. It really is trial and error with what works, and it doesn't matter how many babies you have they are all different.
Goodluck.

[Charlyfrog]

I agree with mummytotwo about not picking bubby up every time they cry but obvoiusly not letting themselves go nuts! Its a whole new world for both bubby and you so make sure you cut yourself some slack and remember that your little precious is only 2 weeks old. It does get better and easier (again, felt that more the second time round myself) so hang in there and take it one day at a time and just remember to not worry, if that's possible! I did the controlled crying of every 5 to 10 minutes and then would do all the checks, wind, nappy, too hot/cold etc then a soothing cuddle (but not rocked to sleep) and mummy kisses then back down in the bassinet. My take on it was that I was teaching my baby a new pattern after being snug as a bug inside me, now a new season had begun!
The beauty of gently training your little one you to fall asleep unassisted is that more sleep will come to you and bubby becomes less reliant on needing to be rocked to sleep by mummy...............and a mummy who has enough sleep is a much happier mummy! Thinking of you sweets! You're doing such a great job! But like I said, take it one day at a time and don't worry if things aren't how you might think they should be as it all does pan out in the end..............take the time to enjoy the journey on the way!

hth xx

[~Trish~]

Hi Bindy, congrats on your little girl! It is very normal for a baby to cry when put to bed, mummy's arms are so much more snug and comforting. Yes they grow out of it, but they really do need help learning how to settle in a cot/bassinette. Some settling techniques that I have learned (a few from books, a few from a MCHN):

* Look for baby's tired signs (frowning, jerky movements, etc...), if they are overtired they are much harder to settle. As soon as you see a tired sign, take her to bed. Babies of 2 weeks old don't have much wake time.
* Wrap bub (I know you are doing this, well done, keep doing it!).
* Give bub a dummy (if you are for dummies and if she will take one), babies settle well with a dummy. Hold the dummy in her mouth while trying to settle her.
* Pat bub rythmically. With my DS I found lying him on his side and patting him on his back worked. Now he prefers me to pat him on his chest. Just experiment to find out where she likes to be patted.
* Make a "shhhh" noise, this sounds a lot like the noises she heard in your womb. If she is crying really loudly, make the "shhhh" noise loudly right in her ear (I have seen an expert do this) so she can hear you over the crying. This worked with both of my bubs.

It is natural for your bub to cry when you put her in her bassinette. If you try the above settling techniques, persevere while she is still crying. It sometimes can take a minute or two for her to calm down, though when you are doing it, it feels like much longer! Look at your watch and take note of how long it takes to settle her, you will soon work out it doesn't take that long if you keep persevering. It can be stressful at the start, but it will get easier and your bub will pick up on whether you are stressed or relaxed so try not to stress (hard I know!).

I really hope these techniques help, they are techniques you would probably get taught at a sleep school so it is worth a go!

Best of luck, I'm sure your bub will get the hang of it all really soon!

[Emma1979]

awwww cuddle her and a cuddle her and cuddle her some more, before you know it she will be big and running around and sleeping in her cot, enjoy her while she is so helpless and tiny and so completely dependant on you, she wants cuddles and love from her mummy, this phase will pass, enjoy it while you can, they are only like this for such a short time...

[Kar]

It is very intense in the early weeks. Hang in there, it does get easier. And it's not too far down the track either. She is only very young and she probably does need to be cuddled and held a lot at this stage. Can you co-sleep? It was the only way we could get our DD to settle sometimes when she was very small. That and almost constant breastfeeds. I agree about the material that smells of you too. That may help.

[~Belinda~]

Thanks everyone, let's hope some of your suggested strategies work soon! She loves being held I know, she's still so young. Thanks heaps for your advice though, will help me alot!

[KymH]

I know I'm a bit late to add my advice, but just wanted to share something I was told and that I found really useful....

Some people like to think of the 1st 12 weeks as the 4th trimester of pregnancy - she is so little and just getting used to not being with you 24/7 in her little cocoon.

I'm with Emma1979 - cuddle cuddle cuddle some more!!

Congratulations and all the best.

[~Belinda~]

Kym, great advice! I am giving her lots of cuddles indeed....I love being a Mummy!