Baby won't sleep unless held - normal or problem? | DadHQ

Baby won't sleep unless held - normal or problem?

Jun 241 min read

Our 5 week old will conk out fine during the day if we're holding him but the second we try to put him down he wakes up crying. We've tried letting him cry a bit but I feel terrible and we end up picking him up. Is this just a newborn thing? My parents say we're spoiling him but he's a baby, right? Should we be doing something different? This is our first so honestly we don't know what we're doing.

7 comments217 views

Comments(7)

CChris M.RegularJun 25

Contact napping at that age is totally normal. The fourth trimester is real. White noise helps when you do try to put him down though. Took us a while to figure that out.

NNathanRegularJun 26

This is peak newborn behavior honestly. He wants to feel secure and your arms provide that. By 8 weeks or so you can start working on independent sleep but at 5 weeks just do what works. You need sleep too.

MMatt B.RegularJun 24

Check if he's uncomfortable though. Could be reflux, could be hunger, could be just wanting to be held. Ours had silent reflux and fixing that made a huge difference.

CChris T.RegularJun 24

That's pretty standard newborn behavior honestly. They like the warmth and movement. He'll learn to sleep on his own eventually. In the meantime take shifts holding him if you can so you're not completely destroyed.

MMikeRegularJun 25

Totally normal for 5 weeks. Mine did the same thing. We eventually transitioned him by putting him down drowsy but awake and it took a few weeks of patience. Don't stress, it clicks.

CChris T.RegularJun 25

Totally normal at 5 weeks. Newborns have zero ability to self soothe at that age. You're not creating a bad habit yet so hold him as much as you can. This phase passes faster than you'd think.

NNathanRegularJun 24

Are you getting enough sleep yourself? Sometimes the real problem isn't the baby it's that you're exhausted and holding the baby all night is making it worse. Take shifts with whoever you can.