LO IS 6 weeks, ideas on setting the stage and sitting still

[Tarawalker]

Hi All!

My LO is 6 weeks and his daytime naps are horrible, only lasting 20-30 minutes. His nighttime sleep (up to this point) has been unaffected. Reading BW i realize my problem is missing the window, not having a sufficient wind-down period, overstimulation, and creating tons of sleep props.

So far I've held my baby for all of his naps, and they are getting worse and worse, shorter and shorter. I've been doing the eat activity sleep routine, but can't get him on a 3 hour routine because his naps are so short.

Can anyone give me an idea of what their nap wind-down routine looks like and how long it lasts? Do they start it at the first yawn?

Also, I have a spirited baby and don't see sitting quietly for five minutes actually working. Are we assuming he is crying for these five minutes? If so, do we wait until he's not crying anymore to put him down? Can this part take a long time?

Also, for the shh pat, do you pick them up as soon as they start crying? When you pick them up, are you supposed to not "rock" or sway, but stand still or can you sway when doing it?

Sorry for all of the questions!! Thanks for all of your help!

[lolsyb1982]

Hi there

Welcome and congratulations to you 

Sounds like you're doing great so far and tuning into what your LO likes and needs.

I will start by saying the book makes it seem very easy to get babies on a routine from a very young age but in reality most babies won't get onto a real schedule for a few more weeks.

At this age I would keep your expectations low and work on a loose EAS. Newborns love to be held to sleep at this age so enjoy the cuddles. If you do want to start setting some good habits you could try for one nap in the crib but don't worry if he doesn't like it and for now rocking is completely fine. Bad habits tend to be formed around 3 months.

Spirited babies are not fans of a long wind down. Both my girls have only ever wanted a short one and literally consisted of swaddle or sleep sack as older, close curtain, cuddle and then into bed.

At this age the typical A time is no more than an hour. I would try putting down around the 50min mark. What A time have you been trying?

Hope some of that helps x