My LO is not awake for very long during the day (she is 3 weeks old). I can't really find anything that keeps her awake or alert for more than 30 or 45 minutes. If I put her in her bouncy seat, she sleeps. If I hold her, she sleeps. Do you have any suggestions? I would love to "play" with her during the day so she gets bettering nighttime sleep.
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There isn't much more to do but it will get better! As much as you can start with tummy time even if its just laying across your legs or holding her across your arm on her belly.
Pretty soon they start to really look around (for us this was around 10-12 weeks) and it gets fun!
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I wish I had your problem! LO is really fussy and does not nap much. When she does I'm on edge listening for her cry!
My days are largely spent trying to get her to stop crying so she can nap.
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Enjoy the downtime!!! I also felt pressure (and desire, of course) to "play" in the newborn days but when they're that young, just a tiny bit of stimulation should be enough. Too much made Wagon Jr. super fussy. So I let him sleep as much as he wanted. During play time, a few hanging toys or black and white flash cards were more than enough to keep him entertained.
Soon enough your days will be full of trying to figure out ways to entertain them because they will need the stimulation!
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Early on I mostly laid her down on her activity mat that has toys hanging from it and let her look at those. Then we started tummy time and I would try to distract her with the little toys or brightly colored board books - she hated tummy time. I played a lot of music when she was awake and sometimes just talked to her and let her look out the window. Sometimes I put her in her swing and turned on the mobile.
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I think thats pretty good awake time for a newborn. Thats how our LO was at that age too, but they slowly start to stay awake longer. Our LO had her nights and days mixed up until about 5 weeks, and then night sleep improved a ton! Are you doing a bedtime/morning routine with her? I tried that as a suggestion from other bees and it made a huge difference. As far as entertainment for a newborn, there's not much more you can really do. Do you have a playmat? Or musical toys?
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@jennylynn: We have a playmat, but she kind of just lays there on her stomach and doesn't really focus on anything. And I feel bad because we have all hardwoods and I feel like it's so hard for her to lay on! lol
We don't have a nighttime routine, but I want to start one. What sort of things do you do for a nighttime routine? Do you start it at the same time every night?
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@regberadaisy: Hugs!
@Mrsdaredevil: I remember feeling so lost being home alone with Lala during the day. We figured out that she loved dancing in my arms and loved being read to even at that early age
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I would lay reclined on the couch with my knees bent, prop Sawyer up on my legs, and chat with him. It is his favourite thing to do when he is awake.
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@Mrsdaredevil: we have hardwood too so we lay an old comforter down, and put the playmat on top of that. I'm always right there so I know she's not suffocating or something. I start her bedtime routine based on what time she woke up from her last nap, and when she gets fussy. I like to try to have her asleep for the night anywhere between 7:30 and 8:30. I let her cue me as to when she's tired. I try and have her last nap in and over between 6-7 (no later), and then around 7:30-8 I do her bedtime stuff. I dim the lights, turn down the tv, don't talk to her or stimulate her, change her diaper, put on bedtime lotion and do a little massage, and change into pjs. Then we wrap up in a fluffy blanket, nurse, and rock. Here's the post I started about it awhile back. There's some really good suggestions in there! http://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tips-on-getting-6-week-old-to-sleep-longer-stretches-at-night
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