make the 2½-hour minimum (especially babies over two weeks of age)
because the order of daytime activities is reversed. The order of events
must be feeding time, waketime, then naptime. When a baby goes only
two hours between feedings, it’s usually due to the reversal of the last
two activities. Are you letting baby drift off to sleep immediately after
feeding? Also, check your milk supply. As we stated earlier, if your baby
is hungry, feed him. But investigate why he is not reaching the minimum
mark and start working toward it. Check your healthy baby growth chart
for signs of adequate nutrition.
- My three-week-old baby is waking up after only 30 minutes of
naptime. We’re keeping her up for 1 to 1½ hours of waketime. Should we
try to keep her up longer?
There are two common reasons for this. She either needs to burp or
was overstimulated before going to sleep. If burping is the cause, get her
up and gently work on releasing that uncomfortable bubble. Once you
recognize the need for this and learn to achieve success in burping, this
problem is solved.
However, if overstimulation is the culprit, you must determine how
this is happening. Perhaps your baby is being excessively carried,
bounced, played with, or just kept awake too long in hopes of tiring her
out. These efforts usually backfire because of your baby’s immature
neurological system. Some babies, especially preemies, handle
overstimulation by neurologically shutting down. What appears to be
sleep is not sleep at all but a self-protective neurologic strategy.
Certainly, you must hold, rock, and play with your baby. Just be certain
that your efforts are not excessive in the early weeks. Babies, as well as
children, do not nap well if overly stimulating activities precede naptime. - Sometimes right after I feed my baby, she spits up what looks to be
a good amount of the feeding. Should I feed her again right away?
Your baby may seem to have lost her whole meal and then some. At 3
A.M., it might look even worse. Actually, the amount of partially digested
milk spit up often appears to be greater than its true volume. Normally