6 week change - unsettled in evening

[Belby]

Hi all,
Just wondering if anyone else is experiencing the same thing.

My little boy is 6 weeks old, and up until now has been very settled, good sleeper etc and has settled into approx. 4 hour feeds with a longer gap at night (about 6 hours). This week he has started to become very unsettled from about 6 pm onwards. He is very grizzly and does a 'whingy' cry on and off for a few hours. We try checking everything eg, is he wet/poo, cold/hot, hungry etc but it seems to be none of these. He catnapps during this period, falling aslepp if we are holding him but the second we put him down his eyes pop wide open!

He also seems to be very sucky during this time, trying to suck on my shoulder, face etc even though he may have only had a bottle half an hour before! We are thinking maybe a dummy may help but don't really want to go down that path as he hasn't needed one until now. I have read that this can happen around this time as they are experiencing a huge jump in development - and we have noticed just this week he is much more alert and interested in surroundings, and stares at us very intently for ages - we have also had the first few smiles!

If anyone has any advice or ideas, or just to let me know other people experience the same thing would be much appreciated.

Cheers
Belby

[BJelly]

Hi,

We had a similar thing with our bub, she's always slept well between 12 mn and 12 md, but between lunch and midnight, it was just little cat naps - she was getting overtired, but couldn't relax enough to go to sleep. Our bub started to improve her daytime sleeps around week 8 - 10. She still has the odd bad day, but is mostly much better.

You might have to experiment a bit and try different things. For us, propping bub on a triangle pillow supported by a couple of cushions helped a lot - she liked being propped up and "cuddled" by the pillow, and we'd give her a dummy from time to time too. I'd calm her by walking with her, and when she'd settled a bit, I'd put her onto the pillow, sometimes she'd still have a bit of a grizzle, but would eventually relax enough to have a bit of a sleep. If I tried to put her flat on her back in her bassinet, she'd just cry and cry. I was worried she'd never lie flat to go to sleep during the day, but this hasn't happened - she's found her thumb, and can now calm herself somewhat during the day.

Hope that helps, best of luck :)

[draught]

Both my girls went from being quite settled to having what we call "the witching hour" at about the 6 week mark. Of course the "hour" goes for a lot longer than an hour, but giving it a name made us feel better. Chloe in particular would want to feed every hour (on the breast) and be cuddled. WE experimented with different settling techniques and found a number which worked sometimes. THey included carrying her in a sling, rocking her in a rocker on the floor (lets you eat your dinner), walking her around the block either in our arms or in the pram (quieter and calmer than the house with less lights). I also had the problem that as soon as she was flat on her back she would wake up, so would settle her on her side, then roll her onto her back once she was asleep or close to being asleep.
And, as bjelly said, it does pass within a few more weeks!

[Jimmyjones]

My bubba loves the shower so we put her in there when she is wingy, only at night though not during the day. We try to get it insinc with the nightly feed at 8pm, as she knows shower, bottle then bed and she sleeps from 9pm to 8am. So it's working for us.

They do settle down last night my mum sat there while bubba screamed at 6pm and mum just held her and sung really loud until she got really tried and sick of crying. It's much easier to watch someone else do it, as I can't watch her cry even for 5 minutes.

Thinking of us all

Katie

[wattle]

We had the same problem, and started making a regular bedtime. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't - we didn't stress too much if it didn't though.

We didn't want to use the dummy, but ended up doing so. It's been wonderful, and now he's growing out of it (he's 4 months now). He usually spits it out after a few minutes, or sometimes doesnt want it at all. Now he's teaching himself to settle, it's great.

Just hang in there, in a month or two it will all seem much easier.

[Belby]

Hi,
Thanks for the messages it is good just to know other people experience the same thing. I was thinking about a baby sling - as I like the idea of being able to do things and still have bubs close. Can anyone reccommend a particular brand or style? I have also noticed that my bubs wakes up when lying flat - I might try the u pillow idea, he might find that comfy to look around for a while.
Thanks again and keep smiling

[draught]

I used a baby bjorn pouch when the girls were little, but have since bought a sling from Amanda at www.carryingaway.com.au and wish I had it when Chloe was smaller as well. Amanda stocks ready made slings like the one I got (which you can see at www.hotslings.com) but also tailor makes them to suit you and your baby. The sling is a really simple idea but baby is cocooned and your hands are free. I use mine to carry Chloe on my hip, both around the house and when we are out and about and she loves it, and my hands are free to do other things (like hold her big sisters hand and carry shopping all at the same time). There are some other websites which have patterns for making your own slings, and info on the different types. One which I was directed to was www.mamatoto.com but there are more out there. I love my hotsling and the number of people who stop me to ask where I got it from is an indication of both how groovy it is and how practical! If you decide to go for a conventional pouch like the baby bjorn I recommend buying one second hand on ebay - there are always a large number for sale there - but be aware that baby will grow out of it by 6 months. There are other sorts of carriers, like slings, that will grow with your baby, and which also look good when worn as an accessory by dads too!!!