Sleep Problems: 2 to 3 Months Old

Part - 3

Your baby should sleep and wake in normal patterns now, with a few naps during the day and then a longer period of sleep at night, interrupted by the occasional feeding. A 2-month-old should get a total of 14 to 16 hours a day (eight to 10 at night and four to eight over a few naps), while a 3-month-old should get about nine to 10 hours at night and a few naps a day of one and a half to two hours each.

Sleep Regression

What it looks like: At 3 months old, your formerly sleepy baby may be ready for anything but bedtime — even though you're ready to drop. Welcome to sleep regression — a perfectly normal blip on the sleep radar that many babies experience at this time, then often again at 8 to 10 and 12 months (though it can happen at any time). Why? With all this fascinating new stuff to play with and see and people to encounter, it seems life is just too much fun these days to waste time sleeping.
How to solve it: Stick with (or start) your baby bedtime routine — the bath, the story and the cuddles. Also be sure your baby is getting enough sleep during the day to make up for lost sleep at night (it’s even harder for an overtired baby to settle down at night). Keep in mind, too, that sleep regression is temporary. Once your baby acclimates to her new developmental abilities, sleeping patterns should return to baseline.

Frequent Late Night Feedings

What it looks like: Most 2- to 3-month-old babies, particularly breastfed ones, still need to fill their tummies once or twice during the night. Three or four middle-of-the-night chow-downs, on the other hand, are typically too much of a good thing by this point — and for most babies, not necessary.
What to do about it: You can work on gradually reducing the number of late-night feedings your baby gets by increasing the size of bedtime feedings, making sure baby's getting enough to eat all day long, and slowly stretching the time between night-time feedings.

Teething Pain

What it looks like: If your baby is showing signs of teething during the day — such as drooling, biting, feeding fussiness and irritability — teething pain may also be waking her up at night. Keep in mind that teething-related sleep issues can begin almost any time during the first year: Some babies grow their first tooth as early as 2 to 3 months, while others are toothless until their first birthday.
How to solve it: While you shouldn’t ignore your baby, try to avoid picking her up. Instead, offer a teething ring, some gentle words and pats, or maybe a lullaby. She might settle down on her own (though you might have to leave the room for that to happen). If tender gums seem to pain her night after night, ask your pediatrician about offering some baby acetaminophen at bedtime.

Source by ,whattoexpect.com