help needed with 8 week old

[kezzi78]

My eight week old is all over the place and so are we.

he sleeps great at night waking once maybe twice at the most and has done since birth but daytime naps are a nightmare.

He wakes about 7am has his first bottle, then by 8.15am is back in bed, we have to do shh pat and it can take 30mins to settle and get to sleep and then he will wake within 40-45 mins at the longest, as i have a three year old i cannot spend a huge amount of time getting back to sleep after spending 30 mins trying to get him to sleep in the first place.

we are stopping the dummy as he keeps popping it in and out during naps and does not need it during the night. If he gets overtired he can cry solidly for at least an hour regardless of whether we are holding him or not.

any advice as to how to extend his naps and make our little boy happier

[gpmom]

Could you place your routing or whatever it looks like right now.  It might help see a pattern.

[brenda2]

hugs
it's tough this young, they are still learning to self sooth and settle into sleep.

what have you tried to get him to settle?  is he swaddled?  this may help him to settle down more easily.  any props?  rocking to sleep etc?  what is his sleep environment like?  do you think he is overstimulated during A time?

post your routine and we'll see if we can help.

[Mashi]

marking this thread because I could have written it myself and am eager to see any advice!

[kezzi78]

we have just changed his routine slightly and it seems to be working.

wake between 6.30- 7.00am top up bottle maybe 3 oz
sleep 9.00 to 9.45am
bottle 10.30am
sleep 11.30 - 2.30
bottle 2.30pm
nap 4.00pm - 5.00pm
bath 5.30pm
bottle and sleep 7.00pm

[brenda2]

i'm glad you're doing better...
at 8 weeks though his A time is still too long, it should be max 1.5 hours and this includes feeding time and time to go to sleep.  in fact a lot of 8 week olds can't even do 1.5 hours, some do 1 hour A time and longer naps, and especially after a short nap they may even only be awake for 45 min.  also, he should be feeding every 3 hours during the day to get in enough calories.  right now he is feeding every 3.5 to 4.5 hours which is more appropriate for a 4 to 5 month old!

i think if you shorten up his awake time and try to get 4 naps in a day (more if they are short) and feed every3 hours it will work out better for you.

a typical 3 hour EASy for a baby 3 months and under is like this:
7 awake and feed
8:30-10 sleep
10 feed
11:30-1 sleep
1 feed
2:30-4 sleep
 4 feed
5:30-6 sleep
6:45 feed
7 bedtime

you wouldn't go to feeding every 4 hours until closer to 4 mo

[kezzi78]

have changed his routine again going on more of a 3 hour easy, although how much should he be drinking in each feed. at the moment he is taking between 3 and 7oz per feed, any ideas

[brenda2]

3hour EASY is perfect for his age.  i would fill the bottle up and let him have as much as he wants.  7 oz is a lot at his age.  5oz is probably more the norm.  but if he'll take 7 then great.

[em_axo]

This might help with quantities - this is something my doula sent me after my daughter was born.  It's for breastfeeding but I think it would probably apply to bottles as well.

"You can use this calculation for the first three months (Amy Spangler, Breastfeeding, A Parent’s Guide) – “Babies eat about 2 ½ ounces each day for every pound they weigh.  For example, an 8 lb baby would eat 2 ½ oz. x 8 lb or 20 oz. a day.  Divide this amount by the number of feedings and you can estimate the size of a singe feeding.  If this baby breastfeeds 10 times a day, 20 oz. divided by 10 feedings = 2 oz. per feeding.”