Can't keep 6 week old awake for activity time

[dlfillin]

I can NOT keep my 6 week old awake after feeding.  She dozes after coming off the breast and there is NOTHING i can do to keep her awake.  I try moving her, undressing her, turning on all the lights, etc.  and yet she stays asleep for an hour and then wakes right when she SHOULD be going down for her nap.  Please help!  Am driving myself crazy trying to wake her and then later trying to make her nap when she should be.

[becj86]

Don't drive yourself mad! She's 6 weeks old, her A time will be quite short - pretty much feed and a nappy change, then back into bed. At this age, your milk is still full of sleepy hormones to make her sleep after a feed.

I drove myself mad working on getting DS to sleep because he 'needed to sleep' but he was so awake it was impossible. I'd say if you just change her nappy without trying to keep her asleep, she'll experience that something happens between feeding and sleeping and that's all you really need at this age.

Enjoy her, there's plenty of time for sleep training and honestly, you're far more likely to be successful getting her to follow EAS with an obvious A time around 3 months than you are now as she's still in her sleepy newborn stage.

[creations]

Totally agree with all Becj86 said.

Also the A time counts from the moment she wakes to the moment she sleeps.  I wonder if you are trying to keep her awake for an hour after the E time?  At this age it usually takes a long time to feed, using up most of the A time.  And like bec said just a nappy change is enough to give her the habit of something coming between feed and sleep so that this doesn't become a prop.  If she starts to fall asleep during the feed tickling her feet or stroking her cheek can help to rouse her to continue to feed and just keep awake long enough so she doesn't sleep on the breast (it sounds like she is not sleeping on the breast anyway).

[dlfillin]

Thanks for the help! I feel I am driving myself mad!  She is sleeping when she should be awake and awake when she should be napping.  I did the EASY method with my first daughter and do not remember having this much trouble even at this young age.  Thanks for the encouragement though!

[*Kara*]

Agree with the ladies - enjoy those sleepy newborn days while they last