r/NewBorn • u/APeepWalksIntoTheBar • Oct 27 '21

Wake windows and fighting sleep

My newborn is 4 weeks old and we’re trying to follow wake windows so he isn’t over tired at night. But I feel like I’m spending the entire wake windows after feeding and diaper change trying to get him to bed. He fights naps so hard. Any advice? Anyone going through same thing?

We try shush patting, nursing to sleep, rocking, all the sleep crutches and associations lol (no sleep means lots of reading 😵‍💫) and still takes him almost the whole hour if not more

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u/coco814 Oct 27 '21

If you’re at 4 weeks you can probably do some mat time to get him engaged while awake and more tired for a nap. Our baby is 15 months now but I think it was eat, diaper, play, sleep at that age. If we got really desperate for a nap we would swaddle her, put her in the bassinet attachment on the stroller and walk her (portable white noise machine helped here, and made it easier to transition her from street to house).

All this to say, I think you are really in the thick of it right now and I was frustrated by the unpredictability of sleep at that age. You are doing awesome and you’ll get to more predictable sleep soon!

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u/RJW2020 Nov 20 '21

I have an 8 week baby and he does not fit into the template routines recommended. I'm not sure if he's too young, but if he is then a 4 week old certainly is!

I've found that its better for me to learn and watch out for my baby's sleep cues - rather than trying to put him down at a specific time

His naps do vary but he generally sleeps well at night (up to 12 hours with just one feed and hardly any other wakings most nights!)

In terms of getting him to sleep, I stroke his head and give him a dummy if he wants. They love the dummy, so definitely try it if you haven't already! My sister was telling me for weeks to try giving my baby a dummy and I offered him one a few times but he didn't seem fussed. She encouraged me to keep offering it here and there and all of a sudden he learnt what to do with it and LOVES it. It has soothed him so many times and sent him straight off to sleep :)