when to let baby learn to self soothe?

Question

My baby will be 2 weeks old tomorrow.
I keep telling my fiancé that I'm exhausted because I get up every hour at night with her. At night she likes to cluster feed, and she uses me as a human pacifier to help herself fall asleep.
As exhausting as it is I really don't mind...she's still a newborn and she won't do this forever.

He says that I should just let her cry and only get up every 3 hours to feed her.
I say he doesn't understand what a baby needs. She is far to young to let her cry it out.
Not to mention she co-sleeps with us. Her crying doesn't wake him up; but I wake up every time she makes a sound...i still wouldn't get sleep if I let her lay there and cry.

When do you guys think it's appropriate to start letting her learn to cry and self soothe?

I think she is far too young. At this age when she crys it's because she needs something, and she needs to be tended to

Answer

Babies cannot self soothe before 6 months. That part of the brain doesn't start developing until then.

Answer

No, just no. I agree with the PP. Your fiancé needs a major reality check and needs to do some reading on what newborn babies need. Cry it out is not recommended until 6months. Your baby cries because of a need. Whether that need is to eat, be held, comforted or have a diaper changed, your baby trusts that you will meet that need. 
Also a major point of information for the both of you, your baby needs to eat on demand. This is because your supply is still being established. That's also the reason babies want to eat more when they go through growth spurts. They have to suck more to increase supply. Not feeding your. Hold when they want to eat will make you have to supplement with formula. 
I would also recommend introducing a pacifier to your baby. Being used as a human pacifier will get old really fast!!

Answer

So the thing is newborns cant self sooth. They just can't. My little guy didn't self soothing till 2 months. :( I knows it's really hard! But I promise your body will adapt to the lack of sleep. Also, maybe try learning to breast feed laying down so you can still get rest.

Answer

Your baby is way too young for that. Give her a pacifer and put her in her crib to sleep.

Answer

It's rather early, and I was in a similar situation, my husband wanted me to just leave the baby in the bassinet To cry herself to sleep, that she will eventually get tired and sleep. However like you, I could not sleep with her crying and she is too young to self soothe without guidance and no teaching. Self soothing is taught and it's difficult to tell whether an infant has truly mastered it or is too tired to put up a fight. You might try breastfeeding while laying down, I find that it interrupts the child's sleep lest and if the child is on an incline they are less likely to need burping etc. Breastfeeding while laying down is also another thing to master it did not come easy to me. Soothing her back to sleep is also a pain but I just keep trying

Answer

Tell him to do some reading up. There's absolutely no way you should leave your two week old baby in a crib for three hours unless you're lucky enough that she's fast asleep for that long (and maybe not even then if your on doctor's orders to feed her more frequently) !  Your husband needs a major reality check.

Answer

My son is pretty advanced so he was able to do it around 4 months. It's pretty great. When he's tired he can soothe himself to sleep. But by this age babies sleep patterns change more like ours anyways

Answer

4 months at the earliest

Answer

Close to 5 months

Answer

Usually 2 months is the window when they start learning how to self soothe. But even then they will need help from time to time as they are getting use to being on their own more. My son got to a point where he woke up every hour some nights and he still wakes up 3 times a night sometimes at 6 months. If I am exahsted I will lay down and go back to sleep while he's nursing. I found a comfortable way to feed him eating down. But since he's in his crib I don't do that much. Sometimes I'll take a little nap in the chair while he's eating in his room and wake up and he'll be asleep again lol. Also try to nap whenever you get a chance during the day. It's draining and you're right it won't last forever. You can get through it and go by your instincts. If you think she needs something don't let her cry it out. Sometimes babies cry a lot but that doesn't mean we still can't help

when to let baby learn to self soothe?

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