Night Time Issues - Grass Lake,MI

What kind of formula are you giving her? Maybe try switching her to a soy formula and see how that works.

Hi C.,

Congrats on your new baby girl! When my son was that age he slept best when I would hold him, I held him a lot. We did try the car seat and that worked for a few days, I think he liked the confinement. The crib was too wide open for him and he didn't sleep in it until he was 7 months old.

For the first two months of his life he mostly slept in my arms, then when he was big enough, he moved into bed with me and my husband. He slept there with us until he was seven months old.

I remember the pediatrician telling me it was fine for my son to sleep in the car seat for as long as he would.

Maybe by 9pm your daughter is overtired? Have you tried swaddling her? My son never liked to be swaddled, but loved to be held. At this stage in the game I would say let them sleep however they get to sleep and you get your rest. You won't be starting any bad habits.

Also, I think she is too young to be crying on her own. If she eventually falls asleep it must mean she is crying because she's tired. Have you ever heard of the fourth trimester? They are still so young and remember the warmth and security of the womb, which is why they love to be held so much.

Are you nursing her or bottle feeding or formula or a little of both? Maybe it is the formula? How often are you feeding her? I nursed my son exclusively and he was at the breast constantly, for food and comfort. I actually wore out my side of the couch!

Good luck

Please don't put your daughter in another room to cry it out , she probably has a tummy ache and screaming will not help her or you...

Here is the experience my daughter just went threw....................

She breast feed for the first few weeks and then introduced formula part of the time, her baby girl is now 3-1/2 months old and always has been a very good baby ,but a few weeks ago she stopped breast feeding....She has always kept my grand-daughter on a strict routine,especially at night...soon after only formula the baby started being more fussy and gasy and even began to spitup which she never had a problem with the spitting up ever..

Her Ped put her on soy formula and my daughter was so happy that within the next 24 hours she could see a change....my grand-daughter is back to a very happy baby again...

So PLEASE CALL YOUR PED....never be afraid to call them for any reason , that is what they are there for and if they don't want to help ....find another....

Good Luck , hope this info will help!!!

My youngest son is 7 weeks and he gets fussy from time to time, but I will nurse him to comfort him and that always works. Sometimes I will lay him in his crib and he will cry for about 5-7 min and then be out cold, but then he will sleep all through the night. Nursing exclusively seemed to help all my 4 children sleep through the night. They never had any tummy problems, constipation, and were very alert and content. Try laying down in bed on your side with your baby facing you..head on a folded thin receiving blanket for a little pillow and try nursing this way until she falls asleep. Then you could try to slowly move her into the bassinet or crib. Try to do both sides and eventually she will tire out and from the comfort and food and fall asleep. It works EVERY time I do it!! GOOD LUCK!!! :)

It looks like you're experiencing what my husband and I called "fussy time" for us it was between 6-9pm, but this behavior is VERY COMMON! Babies often don't like the transition to dark from light as evening comes on. Although having her in a room without windows didn't seem to make a huge difference. My daughters both had this, one was bottle fed the other breastfed. With my second I discovered the miracle of swaddling her. She was frantic during this time of day and wouldn't even nurse, just flailing everywhere and ripping at clothes and breast. Swaddling kind of got her attention focused on eating since she couldn't flail anymore. Not that she didn't scream and refuse to settle down anymore, but it made it more tolerable. I'd suggest using this time to sit and rock her, singing, or talking calmly to her. Keep the room dark and have some white noise too - this helps a lot. Just understand she might have this time until she's 3-4 months old, its totally normal - though completely emotionally draining!!! :) But it WILL go away as she ages.

Best wishes - try to tag team it with hubby and then give each other a nice massage once she's finally out and recharge in each other's arms! :)

my daughter is the same age and did the same thing... we found out that the bouncy seat is amazing! we put her in it and go to town bouncing her vigorously... not so hard that you worry about SBS, but so that she is really moving. OR we swaddled her and rocked really fast in the glider until she was mostly asleep... then she would go into the seat (if we were rocking her) with the vibration on until she was completely out... then we would move her into her crib/bassinet (crib at night, bassinet during the day) she falls asleep on her own for the most part, but for those midnight screamfests this worked wonders for us! (it seems to work for other moms too... someone posted the glider as an answer to a question i posted. lol)

My son (now 4.5) was a terror for the first few weeks and REFUSED to sleep in the bassinet portion of his pack and play (we didn't have a crib, just the pack and play); my mom bought a large rectangular laundry basket, a plump pillow and a pillow protector and that's what he slept in until he outgrew it; slept through the night from 3.5 weeks on. My daughter (now 3) nursed for 4.5 months and slept longer during the day (napped 1-2 hours btwn feedings) but at night was up every 20-30 minutes until she was almost two! I would try the laundry basket! Good luck!

sounds familiar! hang in there.
I have to say for the first 6 weeks my daughter was mostly sleeping in my arms and nursing often, but after that....
my experience was to find out what would work for my daughter..... (sometimes nothing) but whatever might work sometimes, work it into a routine....
maybe walking, singing, rocking, nursing, a fan, holding, etc...
we worked this into a consistent routine and then eventually she was falling into sleep with less and less time crying, for quite a while it was a long night time routine and we had to get her into a deep sleep in our arms before transferring her into her bassinet...
after we got really good at this routine, we very very gradually started putting her into her crib in a lighter and lighter sleep and eventually we could put her in her crib in 'sleepy mode' but not asleep...
this was a long process for my daughter and took most of the first year,
But now at 2 -1/2 for the most part.....we read books, sing a few songs, and she sleeps on her own, in her own bed....
good luck !

Hi there. My now 2 3/4 year old was exactly the same. her witching hours were from 6pm to 9pm though. Sounds like colic. Could be an intolerance to formula or something in breast milk. Gripe water works good for excessive hiccups. Not much else. Mylicon never did anything. You could try probiotics or a gentle formula. I could never let my daughter cry it out to sleep, she only would get more worked up. I found swaddling her really helped in the beginning. When she couldn't hold her bottle I would lay her down in the crib and hold and sit next to it and hold it for her for her to fall asleep. Then let her just hold it herself after that. She also did alot of sleeping in her swing. She has no major sleep issues at almost 3 except she likes me to stay in her room with her till she falls asleep. I don't think it is a big deal and I enjoy it. My advice: do what you have to do to calm her and if that means letting her stay in her carseat for most of the night so be it. It probably feels secure to her. Only 5 weeks ago she was in a nice tight womb. Good luck! Been there.

First, since you asked for advice, I'd never, never, never leave a baby alone to cry till they fall asleep. I was a therapist for children and this is very damaging. I had one baby who had colic, and I held her and walked her in her little buggy while I talked or sang to her. This was hours sometimes. Even if she still cried, at least she knew I was there with her, sometimes crying myself! Some parents drive them around - I was without a car in the evenings - until they fall asleep then sneak them back into the house. Holding is your best bet. Do you have a safe sling or front carrier? Due to recent reports, you do need to be sure they can adequately breathe and keep a close eye on them, but the motion and heartbeat they get in babywearing is an ancient remedy for all kinds of baby needs.

Second, you could very likely bring breastmilk in again & gradually get her onto it full-tilt and it may very well help the situation she's having. It is tailored perfectly to her little body. some BF babies have colic, but it's more rare and usually not too severe. It's not too late for this!

Third, I think she should sleep near you however that works out. a crib is too big for most young infants. It won't hurt her to sometimes sleep sitting up if that helps until this issue is resolved with age. Generally, by 12 weeks these things get better. As the saying goes THIS TOO SHALL PASS!

OK in a car seat? No, BUT... there were times that both my boys stayed in it for a time. They say it can reduce their breathing b/c of the way it holds them upright in the seat, so I solved that by placing a blanket under the front of it to help tip them more in a laying position. Don't make a habit of it.
Also, both my boys had times where a drive in the car when they wouldn't sleep w/ a nice soft blanket did the trick within 5 minutes. As parents of newborns, I think we spend a little extra on gas those first few months of life! As long as they know we love them it will all be alright!

try the book Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp. It was a life saver for my and my family. Swaddling worked very well!!

Also try to establish a consistent routine, something that will help her to expect what's to happen next. She sounds overtired to me. Good Luck!!

At the age of 5 weeks it's hard to determine anything. You are all still learning about eachother. I have 3 grown daughters and they were all different. As for the sleeping in the carseat....do whatever works for you. You need your sleep and so do "sweetie" and hubby. Many babies have a specific fussy time every day, maybe 9-12 is hers??? During that fussy time, I always found that there is not alot to do for them but hold them and love on them at least so they know you are there trying to do SOMETHING! I am not a fan of the "cry it out" club. To me, especially in a 5 week old, it only makes baby feel like you don't care. It is hair-raising and frustrating but it WILL pass. If she is not unhappy the rest of the time, it is probably not the change to the bottle. Hang in there!