how often should new borns sleep?

[jennababe]

i was under the impression that new born babies slept all the time and pretty much slept in between all there feeds.. im not sure who told me this.. but its just what i thought.. my son will be 3 weeks old on thursday and the past few days he hardly sleeps at all.. hes pretty good through the night and sleeps for 3 hour periods in between his bottles.. but through the day and evening hes sooooo grizzly and does not seem to want to sleep at all... hes also getting into the habbit of wanting to held all the time. when he cries and i pick him up he stops.. and then i can put him to sleep by rocking him or patting his back.. but as soon as i put him down in pram or bassinett he wakes up and cries and then the whole thing starts all over again..i know that new borns want to be cuddled and need lots of attention but im worried that hes going to get very sooky as ive heared u can have problems later on when the baby is older and always wants to be picked up.. just want him to sleep a little bit more.. i think part of the reason hes so grizzly is cos he gets to the point where he is way to over tired.. so how often does your new born sleep? and whats there sleeping pattern like??

[mim]

Hey sweetie, I know how you feel! :hugs:
Newborns are always sleepy for the first 2 - 3 weeks, then they wake up, I think they do it to lull you into a false sense of security!

At 3 weeks Austin would have a nap of about 1/2 hour to an hour at around 8.30am, then he would sleep after his 10am feed, wake up for a feed at 1pm, then sleep till his 4pm feed, then he'd stay awake for a couple of hours, then go back to sleep (this would be on a good day, when he'd actually sleep!) This is how much sleep he wanted and needed but on a lot of days he'd get a lot less.
My boy is 9 weeks old now, he spends half his sleeps during the day in my arms, and a few hours in his rocker. It's getting better, I can put him down and have him stay asleep for a lot longer!

Personally I don't believe you can spoil a baby by holding them too much, my first two spent most of their babyhoods asleep in my arms, and I never had any problems with them when they got older, they were both sleeping in their cots during the day by 6 months.

Have you thought about getting a sling? At least that way if you have to hold him for him to sleep for some of the day, you can have your hands free. Or get a rocker for day sleeps, the fabric tends to mould a little bit to their body, to make them feel more secure. Or an automatic swing, I love love love mine!

I'm sure someone else will have better ideas, but know that you are not alone :hugs: And it does get better!

mim xxx

[mumof5sarah]

For me a routine works best. I had 2 small babies (both under 6lbs} and was told I had to feed them every 3 hours day and night for the first couple of months, this made it really hard to get them used to sleeping at night. But my others were all normal size, so I made the routine not them!!! No matter what sleep they did or didn't have through the day I made sure I had a night time routine. From about 6 weeks I would try to keep them awake from about 5pm, if they did sleep it was in the lounge where there was noise so they didn't settle too much. Then at 8.30pm I took them to my room where I would feed them and settle them. Sometimes it would take minutes other times hours!!!:thumbsdown: But eventually they get used to it. Then as they get older bedtime gets earlier. My 7 month old now goes to bed at 6.30pm every night and sleeps till about 7am:smiliedance: :smiliedance:

[SassyMummy]

I wouldn't worry about spoiling him by cuddling him too much...I don't think that a newborn can really be "spoilt" at such a young age. Wait until they're a bit more independent...THEN they're at risk of being spoilt!

I don't remember how much DD slept...I think she slept pretty well...but she WAS more awake during the day than at night.

Babies love to be cuddled...if he's crying, chances are there's a reason. Maybe he's hungry or tired or whatever...he could just be uncomfortable (wet/poo nappy, wrapped up too tight/too loose, too cold/hot etc etc).

It's pretty difficult to decipher what it all means...but newborns cry for a reason (unlike my sulky 10.5 month old! EEK!). That's one thing you've got to be thankful for - your bub is crying for a reason...he's not just faking it to get attention. Try to do EVERYTHING you can (check nappy, offer a feed, unwrap/wrap, etc etc).

Actually, I do remember DD having trouble sleeping. Especially if I wanted to put her down after she had fallen asleep. No matter how gently I'd do it, she'd always wake up then scream. Do you have a rocker or anything? Perhaps you can put him in it and let him rock his way to sleep...that way you won't HAVE to put him down when sleep-time comes...

[jennababe]

i have an automatic swing but he doesnt like it!!.. but i was at a friends house the other day and put him in her bouncer/rocker thing lol i dont know what there called.. but he loved it and went to sleep straight away so im going to buy one tommorow!!.. its not that i dont want to hold him.. cos i do hold him alot and just watch him sleeping.. its just i have so much to do..and never find time to do it.. but i guess thats the joys of being a new mum... and it just seems that when hes awake hes alot more happier being held and walked around and being able to look around.. but i can understand that i wouldnt want to lay awake by myself.. staring at nothing.. i have found a few things that help.. even though hes only brand new.. he seems to stare at his pram toy lots.. and i have a tomy night show (the yellow star one) and the music sooths him.. what else is good to stimulate a new born? ive heared that all they see are blurs at the moment..

[mumof5sarah]

I always found it easier to put my babies to bed when they were still awake. That way they get used to going to sleep on their own and you don't need to worry about them stirring if you wait till their asleep first:thumbsup:

[Tam-I-Am]

He's probably starting to get to the age where you could try a very basic feed-play-sleep routine - but definately go off his clues, don't try to make him fit into an adult pattern of waking and sleeping etc.....he's still so little (and believe me, by the time they're DDs age - 11 months - I can't get a cuddle anymore! They grow up just soooo quickly. Enjoy it while you can get unlimited cuddles!)

[delliepooh]

oh jenna, i totally understand.. my dd was Exactly the same, at first i thought i was doing right, and then saw other babies the same age as her putting themselves to sleep and me walking around and nursing.
everyone told me i was getting myself into trouble with a baby that will want to be nursed every minute, she is now 14 weeks and last week i taught her how to start putting herself to sleep, with a comfort pillow ( i know pillows are no-no's but it works for her!) and and a teddy that only comes out for naps.
some days she still needs cuddles and then i lay her down and she cuddles the bear that has 'replaced' me and she eventually falls asleep.

i think that if nursing a baby to sleep works for you then go for it, remember that one day they are going to be too big for those cuddles and you will miss them.