Putting newborn babies to sleep

[weakwarrior]

Anyone have any tips for putting newborns to sleep. I know of swaddling, shaking, swinging and nursing, but more tricks would be helpful. We've only been out of the hospital for a day, but I don't think there was a single moment where both my wife and I were asleep at the same time. The little tyrant simply won't sleep unless someone is actively engaged with him.

[kandrathe]

Whew! "putting to sleep" has multiple connotations... "The mare broke her leg, and we had to put her to sleep... put her down."

I hear you!

For my first one (my wife and I were both working so we shared duties), we had his bassinet in the room with us, within arms reach. For the second one, two years later, my wife quit her job right before he was born and I spent a year sleeping in a different room. They don't sleep for very long, until their stomachs. and bladders get big enough to last more than an hour of two at a time. The best advice I can give you is to prepare for night time, with 1) a stack of changing supplies, 2) everything set up for night time feedings, and 3) entertainment devices (musical mobiles, etc..) or offset schedules so that one of you can hold the baby, make cooing noises and happy faces for an hour or so. I found that early intervention was best, to prevent the baby from having to get "worked up" in order to get attention. Mine were pretty regular for feeding and then changing, so you might as well set the alarm/timer and just be prepared. I hate to say this, but for us, it actually got worse until about the 2 or 3 month mark. For the second one, we knew what to expect and had a line up of secondary care givers scheduled about every two weeks to give us a break to catch up on sleep. Biologically, this is why the human life span is twice as long as our reproductive years, to allow grandparents to help parents rear their children.

Also, in utero, since they shared a circulatory system, the baby was active when the mother is sedentary, and vice versa. The babies circadian rhythm will eventually switch around to sleeping at night. Babies are also very susceptible to suggestion, that is, often I found if I would slow my breathing, and "play" being sleepy, then they would begin to slow down and fall asleep as well.

One more thing... If she is breast feeding... Whatever mommy eats and drinks will affect the baby... So, caffeine, or tryptophan, melatonins, etc...

[weakwarrior]

Whew! "putting to sleep" has multiple connotations...

We're not there yet, but he certainly does put our patience to the test.

...

Thanks

I hate to say this, but for us, it actually got worse until about the 2 or 3 month mark.

Oh boy.

[LennyLen]

My parents always swore by a wee dram, and it never did me any... hiccup... harm.

[DeeBye]

My wife and I were really lucky with my son. At about 1 week old he started sleeping solidly through the night, and has been that way ever since. Even now that he's a little older (7), he can be bouncing off the walls with activity but when we say "it's bedtime", we get no argument and he trundles happily off to bed and is out like a light 5 minutes later.

In that first week my wife shared the same sleeping patterns as my son. When he slept, so did she. I think it turned into a mutual thing because after awhile he just started sleeping when she did, and not vice versa.

This reply is of no help to you whatsoever

[weakwarrior]

My wife and I were really lucky with my son...
This reply is of no help to you whatsoever

Of course it is. The moral of the story is that I should dump my son off with you guys and pick him up when he's seven. What's your address again?

[kandrathe]

My wife and I were really lucky with my son. At about 1 week old he started sleeping solidly through the night, and has been that way ever since. Even now that he's a little older (7), he can be bouncing off the walls with activity but when we say "it's bedtime", we get no argument and he trundles happily off to bed and is out like a light 5 minutes later.

Lemmesee... Last night, my eldest (now 10) was into bed at 9:30... Finally stopped reading books at 11:30... Listened to book on CD until 1:00, then finally came in at 1:30am complaining that he couldn't fall asleep. It was predictable since we had rain most of the day, and he lounged around, played a couple of hours of PS2, and read. Unless he gets 3-4 hours of serious exercise, my son won't sleep. When I left home this morning at 7:30am, he was still asleep, and he'll probably sleep until 9am, unless his younger brother does something stupid to wake him up. But, all in all, raising boys is pretty easy. When they start arguing and fighting, you feed them, and then send them outside to do something very physical. They will come back exhausted after an hour or so, then you feed them again. Rinse. Repeat.

[Ashock]

Meh, he's a boy. Learn to live with it, cuase it ain't gonna get any better. Next time, I suggest you get a girl.

[weakwarrior]

Meh, he's a boy. Learn to live with it, cuase it ain't gonna get any better. Next time, I suggest you get a girl.

I'm so manly I don't have any X-chromosomes.

[kandrathe]

Meh, he's a boy. Learn to live with it, cuase it ain't gonna get any better. Next time, I suggest you get a girl.

I went to work and left the "mess" for my wife. Karma intrudes. Eventually, I do need to go home, and if he's been a challenge for her today, then she will be stressed requiring aid from me in the form of extensive back rubs and nurturing. In the end, the balance will be restored.

[Ashock]

Meh, he's a boy. Learn to live with it, cuase it ain't gonna get any better. Next time, I suggest you get a girl.

I went to work and left the "mess" for my wife. Karma intrudes. Eventually, I do need to go home, and if he's been a challenge for her today, then she will be stressed requiring aid from me in the form of extensive back rubs and nurturing. In the end, the balance will be restored.

I repeat.... yet.... again.....

You want balance between good an evil, get a girl to balance out Sata.... err... a boy.

[kandrathe]

Meh, he's a boy. Learn to live with it, cuase it ain't gonna get any better. Next time, I suggest you get a girl.

I went to work and left the "mess" for my wife. Karma intrudes. Eventually, I do need to go home, and if he's been a challenge for her today, then she will be stressed requiring aid from me in the form of extensive back rubs and nurturing. In the end, the balance will be restored.

I repeat.... yet.... again.....

You want balance between good an evil, get a girl to balance out Sata.... err... a boy.

Boys aren't evil... They just have more testosterone. I don't know about you, but I enjoy being a male mammal. For every yang, a yin.

[Ashock]

Meh, he's a boy. Learn to live with it, cuase it ain't gonna get any better. Next time, I suggest you get a girl.

I went to work and left the "mess" for my wife. Karma intrudes. Eventually, I do need to go home, and if he's been a challenge for her today, then she will be stressed requiring aid from me in the form of extensive back rubs and nurturing. In the end, the balance will be restored.

I repeat.... yet.... again.....

You want balance between good an evil, get a girl to balance out Sata.... err... a boy.

Boys aren't evil... They just have more testosterone. I don't know about you, but I enjoy being a male mammal. For every yang, a yin.

There is a very significant difference between being one, and raising one.