Baby Parenting Guide

How will I make my baby sleep during night time?

My baby is 2 months old and they say their sleeping pattern should be better now but i haven't had a good nights sleep because she's awake. She sleeps during the day and when it hits around 12 am she doesnt sleep. She gets sleepy and she does fall asleep but like after 10, 15 minutes, she wakes up. Its really tiring me out. No matter how much I swaddle her she doesnt sleep. How do I make her sleep?

Public Response to How will I make my baby sleep during night time?

1. try to keep her awake as much as possible in the daytime and eventually she'll start sleeping at night and just napping in the daytime. and someone told me a few months ago, not to swaddle in the daytime make "being swaddled" a night time thing only. hope this helps
2. This is why it's good to breastfeed, you can beast feed while your sleep and you don't have to get out the bed...it might help to start some cereal in the bottle so she has something on her stomach, after awhile just the milk is not enough and they wake up to eat all the time, also keeping her up a little more during the day, playing with her, to eliminate some of the short naps.
3. We used the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby", by Marc Weissbluth. It was a godsend! It helped us establish nighttime sleep habits, as well as a nap schedule for the day. Lots of information, but an easy read.
4. DON'T put cereal in her bottle, that person is a moron. Your baby sounds like she has her day and night mixed up. It's important that she still gets daysleep but try not to let her nap any longer than 2-3 hours max at a time during the day. Then gently wake her up and stimulate her, read her a book, play with some toys, give her some tummy time, go for a walk, talk to her, etc., just keep her awake for awhile. Don't try to keep her awake all day, like I said, they still need their naps but at 2 months, she doesn't need a lot of really long naps anymore like she did when she was a newborn.. Keep doing this for a few days and she should start to sleep better at night.
5. I also recommend that sleep book. We used it and it was really helpful. It's very short, and you only have to read the sections that apply to your babies current age. I had twins and really had to get on a schedule to keep my sanity. This helped a lot, and at 16 weeks my twins were sleeping through the night finally. (And we didn't have to do tough love or crying it out either)
6. Try not swaddling. Mine HATED it and wouldn't sleep at all with it. And please do not put cereal in the bottle if you are bottle feeding. It is not necessary. If you feel the need to ever give cereal at such a young age (again, not necessary), please spoon feed it. What worked for us early on is, during the day we were never quiet, shades, curtains, blinds were always open. During the night, we never turned on overhead lights and did not talk to our son (unless he was upset).
7. It's important you try to have something as close to a regular schedule as you can manage (before you decide to not have any more children!). She's very tiny - imagine how small her stomach is when compared with how quickly, and how much, she's grown since you brought her home from hospital. It will get better when she's about 4 to 4-1/2 months old, has doubled her weight, and begins solid food. Midnight is a, very, 'reasonable hour' with a young infant in the home - I wouldn't say she's a Night-Owl Party Girl (yet). Try to keep her awake for an hour by putting her over your shoulder and walking around (or moving from chair to chair), while quietly talking to her ... nothing too stimulating but enough to keep her from going back to sleep. Turn the t.v. on for both of you. If she's hungry, you know what to do but try to wait to feed her until a bit after 12:30 and put her back to bed at 1:00. She should be asleep by 1:10 and will, most likely, sleep until 5:30 so you should be able to sleep straight through for 4 hours. When she wakes up, you need to keep her awake for say, 15 minutes longer than what is 'normal' now and, around 11:00, keep her awake for 30 minutes longer - do this, also, near 7:30 at night. If you can get 4 hours sleep at night plus 4 naps during the day, this is the best you can hope for. Be sure to lay down 15 minutes after putting your daughter to bed and set a timer for 40 minutes to wake yourself - the reason for the 40 minute limit is because, after that time, you begin to go into a deep sleep so, if you were to sleep for an hour, waking up is more difficult and you will feel more tired than on the 40 minutes. This will give you a minimum of 6-1/2 hours sleep and, if you sleep from 9:30 to 11:30pm - you'll be in A-1 'working order'. There, really, is a 'light at the end of the tunnel' and you're halfway there so, keep your chin up and stay on track.