3 week old cranky

[praisehimau]

i h a 3 week old who seems to be cranky all ! time... it is driving me nuts. he sleeps 9 30 or 45 min blocks unless i breastfeed him. he will sleep in the wrap which is how i can do the cooking etc with the 2 other kids. im just feeling fru/rated. is this a normal baby thing? what can i do to help him?
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[Friday13th]

It sounds really normal, sorry. DS1 didn't nap for more than 45 minutes at a stretch until he was almost 1 and dropped to one nap a day. DS2 is 3 months and still mostly naps for 45 minutes numerous times a day.

[jenfl]

Yup, normal. I just kept repeating -- and even made up a song -- "6 weeks is the peak of fussiness". By 8 weeks, things were so much better.

[TreeRose]

We have a 4 week old who is cranky as well! She sleeps great in the wrap and sometimes we can transfer her to the bouncy chair for a good hour+ and other times she wakes immediately. Seems she's always fussing when she's awake - either to eat or because she's tired (big yawns and long blinks) but she does NOT want to sleep... During the day I'm fine with this and actually have heard that short naps during the day will help her sleep longer stretches at night...? Anyone? (I'm hopeful)

[Knitting Mama]

Totally, totally normal. Remember, just a few weeks ago the baby's norm was cuddled 24 hours a day inside you, snuggled tightly in a warm, dim environment. Now he's outside where it's bright and not being held all the time and not wrapped up all the time. It takes some adjustment! My advice would be to wear him as often as you can, for as long as you can. I basically only took Cecilia out of her froggied position in the wrap for nursing and changing her diaper; otherwise, she was always wrapped up! It really worked well.

[julie80]

Yep, that rings a bell.

I think one problem with my son was that he was always over-tired. And whenever he was over-tired he actually slept less. So for my next one, I plan on wearing him/her pretty much all of the time in hopes that he/she will get more rest and sleep better.

[TreeRose]

I had a question about wearing that wad just triggered by PP. When my DD is in the wrap she sleeps deeply. Will that make her sleep less at night? Will it infringe on her discovering her hands, strengthening her neck muscles, etc? How long did you wear her all day?

[Llyra]

It may help to know that researchers have said that fussy crying peaks at about six weeks, and for non-colicky babies, declines steadily thereafter. So hang in there-- the worst may be yet to come, but it gets better so quickly.

Constant cat-napping and nursing is the biological norm for newborn humans. And no, babywearing for most babies doesn't interfere with night sleep. In fact, at this age, good daytime sleep on your body has an organizing effect on baby's behavior, especially if you can be up and active during some of that time. It means fewer evening meltdowns, and more organized nursing behavior in the evenings, and while baby may still wake often at night (since that's also biologically normal at this age), you'll probably find that baby goes to sleep more easily at night, and settles more quickly after a feed during the night, if baby is kept close and on your body a good part of the day.

Babywearing will not negatively affect baby's motor development. There are plenty of cultures where baby is/was worn all day, all the way until crawling age, and the babies develop just fine. It's not like keeping them on their backs all day in a car seat bucket. My babies didn't seem to appreciate being put down until they were at least a few months old-- old enough to reach for and bat at a toy, for instance.

I think you have to follow baby's cues, and do whatever seems to work.

[praisehimau]

thanks all. I feel better knowing its all normal.
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[chattyprincess]

jsut thought I would add that dd2 is about 10 weeks now and I kept saying 3wks was the fussy time...and it was! once 6 weeks hit there had been a major down turn and now at 10 weeks she rarely fusses....just a little encouragment, it will all be over soon, its just a phase!

[TreeRose]

I know I appreciate the encouragement and reassurance also! And maybe I should post this elsewhere but when it comes to babywearing, does anyone worry about their LO getting too hot? Also, if she's calmed by the wrap all day how do I calm her in the middle of the night? She has not been having an easy time falling back to sleep after feedings lately, since I've been wearing her much much more... thanks.

[chattyprincess]

I thought I would give you my thoughts on your questions treerose...This is my second dd born july10 2010, my first turned 4 on july 26 2010 and so this is the only advice I have based on what we have dealt with!lol

Originally Posted by TreeRose

We have a 4 week old who is cranky as well! She sleeps great in the wrap and sometimes we can transfer her to the bouncy chair for a good hour+ and other times she wakes immediately. Seems she's always fussing when she's awake - either to eat or because she's tired (big yawns and long blinks) but she does NOT want to sleep... During the day I'm fine with this and actually have heard that short naps during the day will help her sleep longer stretches at night...? Anyone? (I'm hopeful)

My big thing when this baby was born is that I woke her every two hours during the day to nurse. I would nurse at say 12pm, 2 pm, 4 pm...etc. and then anytime she wanted in between but never lettting her go more then 2 hours during the day. then around 10:30 or so I would nurse her, put her in her sleeper gown, swaddle blanket and lay her down to sleep. At night I would let her sleep as long as she wanted not waking her (note this advice only applies as long as your doctor has not said they need to be fed every x hours!!). when she would wake I would keep her swaddled, keep the lights dim, nurse, burp, change diapers, reswaddle and put her back to sleep. she started sleeping some good stretches so in the morning hours (starting around 7am) she would want to nurse every hour which is perfectly fine they have to refuel... My first dd was a kid and still is that the more she sleeps the more she sleeps, meaning that if she got good naps during the day she slept well at night. If she went to bed over tierd then she had a really hard time to sleep well...just thoughts.

Originally Posted by TreeRose

I had a question about wearing that wad just triggered by PP. When my DD is in the wrap she sleeps deeply. Will that make her sleep less at night? Will it infringe on her discovering her hands, strengthening her neck muscles, etc? How long did you wear her all day?

I don't have anything but ancedotal advice here, im sure there are all sorts of studies and what not out there but here is my thoughts.
around 4 wks they are awake for stretches and those stretches start to get longer and longer. At that age I started to only wear her when I needed to do something or when she needed it (fussing, sleepy etc) besides that both my girls really enjoyed laying out and stretching thier bodies, interacting with someone etc, generally for about 15ish minutes at first and then they would get over stimulated and need to go back to sleep...but I would wear in the sling, when the woke needing to nurse I would take them out, nurse, change diaper and then interact until they seemed to need to sleep. Sometimes I would swaddle and lie them down or rock them and hold them sometimes I would wear them. It really depeneded on if I needed to do something or not lol.

Originally Posted by TreeRose

I know I appreciate the encouragement and reassurance also! And maybe I should post this elsewhere but when it comes to babywearing, does anyone worry about their LO getting too hot? Also, if she's calmed by the wrap all day how do I calm her in the middle of the night? She has not been having an easy time falling back to sleep after feedings lately, since I've been wearing her much much more... thanks.

I have a linen ring sling and so if I am inside I dress her in a onsie and soft pants and she seems fine. If we are going out (its getting fall like and cooler her) then I put on sock, a hat, and tuck the "tail" of the sling around her and put a large sweater around us...so far so good. Just slip your finger down the back of thier necks under their clothes if they feel overly warm, sweaty etc take them off and take off some clothing and try again. Some people wear baby in diaper only with them skin to skin and say that workreally well.
As for the night time are you swaddling? If not I would try that. I tend to like rocking my babies so I would nurse, change diaper and the reswaddle and rock to sleep....at that age dd was getting one solid chunk of sleep (3-5 hours depending) and then waking up every 1-2 hours to nurse.
hth!!

[TreeRose]

I would keep her swaddled, keep the lights dim, nurse, burp, change diapers, reswaddle and put her back to sleep. she started sleeping some good stretches

Thank you for that - that's what we do too... sometimes the swaddling doesn't work though - she gets really upset about it. I will have her in the wrap in the evening and transfer her to a blanket, swaddle her slightly, and snuggle in with her (we co-sleep). The first stretch (11 p.m. - 2 a.m.) she does well, just waking to nurse, change, and right back to sleep. But from 2-7 a.m. she is a wreck. She nurses, fusses, cries, is super-alert, and needs to be wrapped and walked around the house before she'll go back to sleep. Needless to say this is not easy on my DH or myself. When she was 2 weeks old, we were getting great sleep - she would always go back to sleep after nursing. And now? I don't know what happened at 3 and 4 weeks but she's not doing it anymore and I just wonder what I can do during the day to help her sleep better at night. I'm going to try your every 2 hours thing. I have been waking her if she's sleeping close to 2 hours and nursing her but I'll be more vigilant to try it. And I love what you wrote about the alert times - that's exactly where she is too. After eating (if she doesn't fall asleep), she's really alert and we have great interactions and then she'll get fussy and we'll wrap her to get her to sleep...

Unfortunately the swaddle sack we have makes her sweat a LOT. I've been really worried about how warm she gets. In the wrap, I have her only in a diaper or a t-shirt and we both get so hot. And in the swaddle sack it's the same and I feel so bad, so we have stepped away from swaddling but now that it's getting cooler here, maybe I'll try again!!!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH - your replies have been so helpful, thoughtful, and I'm grateful for them!

[chattyprincess]

tree rose...We have a summer infant brand swaddle pod very similar to a woombie if cosleeping you could always have her in it in a onsie or a diaper....at that age dd started hating having her arms pinned and that was great to assit with her being swaddled and unable to get out but still able to have her arms how she wanted.

[TreeRose]

Chattyprincess - could you tell me the brand / product? I'm definitely interested. She loves being in the wrap so much, I know that swaddling will help with her sleep but if she's awake and fighting sleep already, she gets very upset at the attempt to swaddle. Thanks so much!

[Knitting Mama]

With a little one as young as yours, TreeRose, I would suggest the Summer Infant regular swaddle blanket. At that age, Cecilia had so little control over her flailing limbs that the kind of stretchy pod chattyprincess is talking about just frustrated her more. I like the flannel ones because they're not stretchy.

[chattyprincess]

My first dd was a pin her arms at her side kind of girl she loved the orginal swaddle (with an actual blanket lol)...she was born in 06 right before the blankets got popular. Dd2 I bought a swaddle pod on accident and tried it and she slept a ton better in it then in the normal swaddle type...its so a to each thier own typething..
This is what we have http://www.summerinfant.com/categori...addlePod-.html dd has been able to get her hands to her mouth to chew/suck for a long time in here without them flying out of her mouth from the twitching lol.

[TreeRose]

Ooooh thanks guys for the recommendations...
I tired again last night - we have the Swaddle Sack by HALO from the Giggle store and we put it on before I nursed her down, which didn't work anyway so I spent the next hour with her in the swaddle sack and then in the wrap, walking and bouncing before she went to sleep but around 4 a.m. she started screaming and wouldn't stop til her arms were free and then eventually she went back to sleep... maybe it's not for her? Or should we keep trying?

[chattyprincess]

I know im crazy but insist that dd2 doesn't like her arms at her side swaddled in so tightly. Thats why we love the summer infant swaddle pod (click on the above link and see the pic of the baby, her arms are up under her chin). Dd2 gets her hands tucked up under her chin how she likes and can freely move her arms but she is tucked into it enough that the startle reflex doesn't cause her to go crazy....they sell them at babiesrus for less then $10...not my fav store but great for being able to get what you need insantly!

[TreeRose]

Just might try it! Thank you again... I do want to help her with the night-waking... she's great til about 3 a.m. and then it's really hard to keep her still - she grunts and moves and punches and squirms til she wakes herself up completely!!