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i am a first time mum to a four week old - have no idea really about what i am doing. help..... my baby was good when putting her down to sleep but the last few days she is very clingy and starts screaming when she is not touching me. is the only option to let her cry herself to sleep??? i cant really do this for more than a few minutes. i am in townsville so it it too hot at the moment to 'wear' her all the time. help....
:hug:
leaving your bub to cry is not your only option. sometimes just being close to her, ie sitting by her side, patting, singing etc there is enough without wearing her. You can still pick her up without having to wear her all the time.
Where does she sleep? Have you thought about getting/hiring a hammock as this will provide a nice gentle movement that many babies find helpful for sleeping/settling.
Maybe she is having a growth spurt?
Hi Georgia! Congrats on your new baby! It would be nice if they came with instructions huh?!
Little babies do love cuddles, IMO they are not clingy at this age and they are not purposely trying to get to you. One of the best pieces of advice I was given when DS was small was do whatever works for you. They at too little to be getting into habits (like needing cuddles to go to sleep etc.) it is not until around 3 months that they start to get into habits. So if you want to cuddle her do it!
Regarding sleep: The thing that worked best for us was a 'routine'. Now I'm not a 'at this time you must do this' kinda mum, you do need to be flexible, I'm talking more of a pattern. For us it looked mostly like this:
-wake up and have a breastfeed/bottle
-have a little play (under some toys or tummy time)
-Have a nappy change and get ready to go back to sleep
for daytime naps I used to wrap him (if it is too hot try a nappy and singlet only with a thin muslin wrap) and tell him it was time for a little sleep. We'd have a little cuddle and then I would put him down and put on the little lullaby thing. He would usually be fine but if he was upset I would go and give him another little cuddle and put the lullaby on again. Sometimes I would have to do this a few times but usually he was ok after the first time.
Watch for the tired signs. Little babies sleep A LOT! She may only play for 15 min to half an hour and then be getting whingey, that is your signal for I need to go back to sleep. (I used to try and placate him with more cuddles and different toys etc, but he was just tired!)
Also do you lie her flat? We found that he slept better if his head was on a slight uphill (I put a small pillow under he mattress but yu can get foam wedges).
I hope this helps a little bit.