Help 2 Month Old Baby Doesnt Get Much Sleep.

Are you sure you're not describing my son? He's almost 5 years old and he is an amazing sleeper ... now! He sure wasn't as a baby!

I would mention it to your pediatrician. Some moms have mentioned reflux and other concerns. It's always a good idea to mention things to your ped, if for no other reason that to rule them out. He's probably perfectly healthy and just doesn't need as much sleep as other babies.

He is still very young, so most likely it will be at least a couple of months before he will have a consistent sleeping pattern. For now, try to remember that the best place for baby to sleep is wherever baby will sleep! It can be the car seat, the swing the bouncy sleep, your bed. Also, babies change their sleeping habits quite often during the first few months, so again, do what works. Don't worry about nursing him to sleep or rocking him to sleep. You don't need to put him to bed drowsy but awake. Just do whatever works.

I wouldn't worry about the number or hours he's sleeping. Try not to watch the clock and just watch for signs that he's tired and respond to those. Some babies simply do not need as much sleep as other babies.

Many babies slip into patterns sometime before or around 6 months. That's great! But that wasn't my oldest son. He began napping much better around 12 months and really started doing great around 16 months. Now he sleeps 11 hours every night! My younger son was a champion sleeper from the get go. Who knows why, they are who they are.

Good luck! I know it's tough now, really I do. He'll get better. Try to relax and let him tell you when he's tired.

Your kid too?! My daughter, who is almost 4 months old, is currently going through a catnapping phase (you can clock her 30 minute naps with an egg timer!)

But don't fret, she went through the same thing where she didn't go to bed anywhere from 10 p.m. to midnight for awhile. Then right around the time she turned 3 months old, she sort of found her own bedtime at 8 p.m. every night. We slowly pushed it to 7:30 and then 7:00 p.m. and now we have a bedtime routine! She is also breast fed so I don't expect her to sleep through the night until she's weaned off.

I had a similar question when my little one was about the same age and all the mamas here gave me the same advice: Don't try to push your schmoopy into a bedtime schedule just yet. He's still a little too small for a schedule. You can establish a routine based on what you do each night before bed or a nap but not a schedule.

One other tip.......and you can take this or leave it, I won't be offended. My baby *hates* sleeping on her back. Couldn't stand it. So we put her on her tummy or her side. Now, I realize that this is not recommended so I don't want anyone saying what a horrible mother I am. But tummy sleeping is working for us. We have a great video monitor to keep an eye on her and her room is right next to ours. So try changing your little one's position to see if that helps him.

Good luck friend!

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I wonder if you are swaddling your baby when he sleeps. I swaddled both my boys until they were between 6 to 8 months and they slept very well. By swaddling them they slept a longer time, this also keeps their feet and hands confined which most liking is waking him up. I recommend you try swaddling your baby after feeding and then put in crib and have him learn to go to sleep on own. I really think this will help. Good luck.

This sounds like my first son when he was that age. It was so exhausting and I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. He was also up constantly all night. Finally, at 6 months we let him cry himself to sleep (because we fell asleep out of exhaustion with him crying...) and he started sleeping 12 hrs a night 8-8 and taking two good naps a day. I'm not sure that's good advice, but it's what finally "worked" for us. Also, we just had number #2 and I worried myself sick about sleep; I actually really thought about not having another baby because #1 was such a poor sleeper at first. This one sleeps like a "baby." He takes long naps during the day and is exhausted at 6:30 pm...we have to keep him up till 7:15 for bedtime. It made me realize I wasn't doing anything wrong the first time, he just didn't sleep...somehow that makes me feel better :)...For what it's worth my first was a really happy baby too and at 4 he's still a great sleeper!

Your little guy is right at the crest of what Dr. Harvey Karp calls the Fourth Trimester. Many babies this young are still not fully adapted to the outside world, and do well to be given sounds and sensations as similar as possible to what they knew in the womb.

In addition to wearing him while you go about your day (which provides womb-like closeness, warmth and movement), you might check out these short videos by Dr. Karp that show several techniques that bring on a baby's natural "relaxation response."
How-to's: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6KnVPUdEgQ&feature=re...

Enhanced sleep: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tk5MUOMecHI&NR=1

Interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iu0TtxO-ocY&feature=re...

Hi H.,

He might have problems w/ reflux. Talk to his Pedi. Even if he is not spitting up, it could be silent reflux. If that is his problem, a prescription acid reducer will really help a lot. There are different meds though, and some respond better to one over another, so if it doesn't help, be persistant.

Here is some info on silent reflux:
http://www.pollywogbaby.com/refluxandcolic/silent-reflux-...

Here is more reflux info:
http://heartburn.about.com/od/screeningquizzes/a/infantre...

Hang in there! My babies had reflux, and if that is what your DS has, he'll start sleeping much better once he starts feeling better. BTW- my babies slept best in their swing at that age because laying flat just makes the acid come up easier.

Hi Honey--
The sleep thing can be exhausting, I know. A couple suggestions. First, at night make sure the rooms are lowly lit. Try swaddling--A great book on the subject is "The Happiest Baby on the Block" by Harvey Karp ( I think that's his name anyway). Don't stress out about the sleep or lack thereof because baby can feel your stress and that makes it worse. Some babies just don't sleep as much. Neither of my kids ever slept as much as the experts said they should---the pediatrician actually aid it was a sign of high IQ's---and I must say, my 6 year old's science teacher says he is smarter than some of her 5th graders.
Also, lots of mom's may argue, but try holding him while he sleeps or laying down next to him---that's what worked for me.
Finally, my oldest had severe food allergies and the digestive distress that caused made his sleeping habits terrible. If your son is spitting up a lot, has any type of skin rash, is constipated (defined by not going at least once a day), or puffy or dark circles under his eyes then let me know, and I can help walk you through what you would need to do. My oldest got super sick before we figured everything out--if that's the case with yours I can help before he gets as sick as mine did.
Good luck!
J.

Hmmm. That is odd. Newborns usually sleep a lot. Have you spoken to your pediatrician? He/she could do an exam just to make sure there isn't any underlying issues, then you can go from there. Every child is different. Does he seem happy and content otherwise? Is he eating good and having plenty of wet and dirty diapers? Being a mother can be so scary at times just because they cannot tell us what is wrong. You mentioned breastfeeding, do you drink caffeine? My first baby was very sensitive to caffeine, if I drank it, it would mess up her sleep patterns. With my second baby it didn't effect him at all. It sounds like you are doing everything right...bedtime routine, etc. I hope you figure this out quickly! :) Good luck and God bless.

I felt the same way with my daughter. For me, all it took was realizing she needed a dark, quiet environment to take a good long nap. Silly me, followed some stupid advice about that they need to learn to sleep thru whatever is going on, or else they will be really light sleepers. Whatever, by 2 months we were both so sleep deprived that I didn't care. I put her in her crib, closed the blinds, closed the door, and she took wonderful naps.