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My little girl is 7 weeks old she will sleep for up to 9 hours at night with feeds inbetween but will stay awake all day if i let her, it feels like i have a full time job and its getting her to go to sleep. I have heard i shouldn't let her cry for longer than a few minutes but this means i have to nurse her for and hour or more so she can sleep for 10-20 minutes and then shes awake and this cycle goes on all day. Can anyone help me.
"I have heard i shouldn't let her cry for longer than a few minutes "
Again, this is one of those topics where you will get as many different answers as people you ask. I ended up letting my oldest cry herself to sleep out of sheer self-defence, even though I felt rotten doing it. If I cuddled her to sleep, she'd wake the minute I put her down and start crying through overtiredness all over again.
Because a baby is crying does not always mean that anything is wrong with them, sometimes babies just cry! It's one of their primary means of expression. (I'm sure that someone will disagree with me here, and you are welcome to :) My kids are both well-adjusted, emotionally secure individuals.)
Is it an issue if she stays awake all day? A solid 9 hour sleep at night is something to be treasured, if she naps during the day will it interfere with this? Every child's sleep patterns are different.
If you need her to rest during the day, it will not harm your baby if you put her in a room with some soft music playing, maybe looking out the window, and leave her wrapped safely in a cot for some quiet time while you get a sleep or housework out of the way. Babies really don't need to be entertained 24/7, it's just that with the first one we think we have to or we are being negligent Mums!
Work out what suits you, at this age babies CAN be trained into a pattern of naps during the day if you persevere, you just need to decide how you want to do it.
Kerrie
Unfortunately little ones of that age don't know how to put themselves to sleep if they are tired, and they need your help. I know it's not easy.... it's hard work, particularly when they fight it and want to be awake all day!
It sounds as though she is having a lovely sleep overnight. Is she feeding well too? Have you tried different settling techniques with her to try and work out what she responds to? Some babies prefer to be wrapped, whilst others like to have their arms out etc. Some babies like being rocked to sleep (either by you holding them at this early age, or in the cot), some like music etc. Some are soothed by a nice warm bath (I know Jacob used to fall asleep in a nice deep bath!). We have found that certain things work for Jacob, whereas certain other things don't.
Anyway, perhaps try a few of those different things to see if she responds to them and if they help her to have a sleep. Once you find what works, stick with it......I think consistency is the key!