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5 week old very awake at night

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  • 19-11-2012 11:06pm
    #1
    Lisha
    Registered Users Posts: 8,693 ✭✭✭


    Hi a friends 5 wk old baby is so alert by night has 2 very wakeful 2 hr stints by night and us much sleepier by day
    Any tips on how to reverse day and night , any recommended books or methods?
    I tried a quick search but did not see any threads I'm sure there are loads :)
    Any help appreciated


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    #2
    looksee
    Registered Users Posts: 28,570 ✭✭✭✭looksee


    Try not to stress about it, and sleep when you can. Not a lot you can do to affect a 5 week old baby's sleeping preferences, and you will just drive yourself mad trying. The more anxious you get, the more he will pick up on it.

    As he gets bigger he will be able to take more at a feed and will naturally start to sleep longer.

    I'm sure lots of people can tell you horror stories about babies much older than 5 weeks not sleeping. I had two 'perfect' sleepers and one nightmare! I never did find a cure, she eventually grew out of it.


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    #3
    elaney
    Registered Users Posts: 324 ✭✭elaney


    I have an eight week old who was exactly like your friends slept most of the day and awake most of the night. I found from my experience that they get more alert from six weeks she now is awake most of the day and sleeps alot better at night. Babies go through so many different sleep patterns at this stage.


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    #4
    Mink
    Registered Users Posts: 2,260 ✭✭✭Mink


    My little fella was same, he's 15 weeks now and sleeps great at night (finally). But back then before say 8-10 weeks when he'd get up for both night feeds, he'd be up 1.5-2 hrs. I'd had loads of advice to try feed him in the dark, don't change his nappy etc, ie; don't even leave the bedroom, but it didn't work out that way.

    His nightime awake time gradually got shorter and shorter where his night feeds got down to 45 mins from waking to back to sleep and he's been sleeping through 8-11hrs since about 10 weeks. On the odd occasion he does wake for a feed now, I can usually just feed him and put him back down.

    Anyway, what I'm saying is that babies seem to naturally get into a sleep at night/awake during day pattern themselves. It's quite amazing that they do this as there ain't no training babies. I've always just gone with what he demands and I've never woke him during the day to try make him sleep at night.

    At this point I can only recommend patience and for you to nap during the day. It will gradually get better and better each week. I thought I was going to lose it when he was 8 weeks as it felt like everyone elses babies were sleeping loads at night, but then he got into it himself a couple weeks later.

    If you are breastfeeding he'll probably continue the night feeds for a good while but you'll both be able to do it in your sleep and it won't disturb you as much!


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