My kid doesn't follow awake times

Anonymous
My kid doesn't follow the appropriate awake times every book/person/website says. He is 4 weeks and will be awake for 2-3-4 hours during the day and happy. Then crash for two hours. Be awake some more, crash again for two hours. He's sleeping fine overnight. Should I be stressing to get him to follow more of a schedule? Pushing awake times and naps more?
Anonymous
He's four weeks. There is no awake time and ignore those books/websites and people. Thats normal.
Anonymous
I've been reading a lot how newborns can't stay away more than 45 min and then we should move to a 90 min up 90 min down schedule. I'm over here like my kid is awake for hours!? Is he overstimulated? Overtired? Not getting enough sleep?!
Anonymous
He's 4 weeks. He will be all over eh place. Awake time safe for 12 weeks and up. Both my kids could not be up for more than 90 min until 3+ months without being cranky or crashing.
Go by your kids cues. If he's chill let him be if he's getting cranky then put him to nap. They start rubbing their eyes around 10-12 weeks and then it's easier to tell they want to be sleeping but then it's almost too late.
If he's fine overnight and not overly fussy in general then you're fine.
Enjoy your baby.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:I've been reading a lot how newborns can't stay away more than 45 min and then we should move to a 90 min up 90 min down schedule. I'm over here like my kid is awake for hours!? Is he overstimulated? Overtired? Not getting enough sleep?!


I'm guessing he's sleeping more than you think. I struggle to believe a 4-week old is awake for 3 hours without a minute of sleep. It's likely that he's dozing in small spurts.
Anonymous
My baby was only awake in 15-20 min spurts and seriously slept like 20 hours a day the first NINE weeks. He’d wake briefly to tell us he was hungry but then basically eat in his sleep. A couple times a day he’d look around and be quite alert but it was always brief. I was totally panicked that there was something wrong with him for being so ridiculously sleepy. He’s 12 weeks now and on much more of a normal “by the book” schedule so I wouldn’t be too concerned, OP—there are always outliers to the norm. Our pediatrician said as long as he was eating it didn’t matter how much sleep he needed. So I’d say as long as your baby is eating and growing then you just got one of those weird awake newborns.
Anonymous
This is why I'm so confused. Sounds like other babies are sleeping so much more frequently. He isn't taking little naps. Literally staring at me in the boppy or on play mat or awake and eating. Then will nap for 2 hours.
Anonymous
What books are telling you that a 4 week old should be on a schedule?!? Your baby is completely normal.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:This is why I'm so confused. Sounds like other babies are sleeping so much more frequently. He isn't taking little naps. Literally staring at me in the boppy or on play mat or awake and eating. Then will nap for 2 hours.


That fine then. Mine could nap for more than 40 min at a time at that age. So it was more frequent naps. Just go with what your kid seems to need
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:This is why I'm so confused. Sounds like other babies are sleeping so much more frequently. He isn't taking little naps. Literally staring at me in the boppy or on play mat or awake and eating. Then will nap for 2 hours.


Wait, are you even putting him down in a crib or bassinet? Or are you just moving him from boppy to playmat all day long? Does he ever go for a ride in the car or in a stroller?
Anonymous
Yeah, I drove myself crazy trying to get my first to sleep like the books said he should. Turned out, he was one of those babies who never needed as much sleep as the books said.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Yeah, I drove myself crazy trying to get my first to sleep like the books said he should. Turned out, he was one of those babies who never needed as much sleep as the books said.


NP with same experience. I had a very alert newborn. VERY alert. All my friends had sleepy newborns and couldn't understand why I was so sleep deprived. "Just nap when the baby naps!". LoL at that one! I also drove myself crazy with trying to force sleep. She's 4 now, and she's always been on the low end of the "required" amount of sleep for her age.
Anonymous
Oh, your newborn didn't read the baby books and get in line? Lol But no seriously, my baby didn't follow the baby books either. The baby books are full of sh*t when it comes to infant sleep schedules. Sounds like everything is fine - I wouldn't change anything!
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