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I'm afraid babies sleeping is a bit of a myth. My son didn't really settle into a sleep pattern until 3-4 months. I just held him whilst he slept during the day and just persisted with putting him down at night. I know its a bind but remember that its all very scary for him and all he wants is comfort from his mum. As he gets more adventureous it'll change. The first little bit is really hard, do what ever you need to get you both some rest it wont be long before its over and then you will miss those sleepy cuddles.

My son is 4 months and I also had no idea about the lack of sleep problems. It was SO hard in the beginning - I was a walking zombie (I had no help). It truly was awful and kept me from bonding properly with the baby. The only advice I can give you is buy a swing and let him sleep in that. It will buy you a few hours to sleep. You need to sleep when the baby sleeps. You won't spoil him this early so if holding him is the only way then go buy one of those sling things to carry him around in.

My first was also like this (fortunately my 2nd and 3rd were the 20 hour/day sleepers I read about!!). Suazanne has a good idea about the swing. Mine alternately slept in a swing and a carseat (when I got home from somewhere I just let him sleep in it) for about 6 weeks. It gave a LITTLE more sleep. He would still wake up for every little thing, though, it seemed. He was a VERY active baby. When I was pregnant my doctor called him the wild child- he always kicked and squirmed so much they couldn't get the heartbeat. Now he's 6 and still extremely active...

thanks for the responses..........so how long were your babies like this???? my mom said that my brother ws this way when he was a baby. he slept for a half hour every 2 hrs. for MONTHS. she finally told her dr. that something had to be done and he actually gave him something to help him sleep. she gave it to him for a week and he slept fine from there on out. i don't know what it was that he gave, but he said it wasn't harmful or addictive....and heck it worked!!!! i just don't know what to do. my husband just left on a deployment for 6 months, so i have no help. i'm trying to finish up school and i just had no idea that i would NEVER sleep. i knew with a newborn that i'd get very little sleep, but i had no clue i'd deal with this. i mean isn't this bad for the baby?? isn't he way overtired? that would explain why he fusses easily.

I can sympathize!! My baby is a little over 2 weeks now and seems to have odd sleeping patterns as well. He wants to be held all the time, too. The vibrating bouncy works wonders for us. Also, swaddling work sometimes. I have a list of things I go through when he's really fussy, which is always at night!! They are swaddling, laying him on his side, the bouncy, womb sounds bear, laying him over my shoulder, feeding, etc. I run through all of them and then start over again. In the beginning babies are just really fussy and it can take a while to calm them down to sleep. I believe they get overstimulated. Sometimes the only way I can get any rest is to let him sleep on my chest (chest to chest). I heard it all gets easier though! Hang in there!

sahmof3, my youngest child is now 6 mos. old (my others are 24, 21, 19, and 17). When I read your post about how squirmy your 6-year old is, it brought back memories of how much my 6-month old wiggled while I was carrying him and how active he is now. He, too, could shuffle all over the place, when the doctors were listening to his heartbeat. Fortunately, I haven't gone through the same as afwife (although there were similarities with some of my older children). With them, my ex-husband and I typically used a swing, swaddling, or took a ride in the car to soothe them. The vibrating bouncy that's referred to isn't something that was available, nor did I want one for my baby, but I've heard of many parents who swear by them. When he's had (rare) fussy moments, I used a sling (a $1 yard sale goodie), which worked WONDERS. I can see why it works so well, though. Your baby has just come out of a very enveloping, warm environment and now everything's new and scary. He's used to hearing your breathing, your heartbeat, your digestion, your voice...and all of that should still soothe him. As much as you can recreate a womb-like environment should help him. If you don't have a sling, how about a snugli holder? It'll bring your baby up by your chest where he can hear your heartbeat and breathing. Sometimes, too, I've held my baby close in my arms and rocked him gently as I sang very softly. Rocking chairs help, though I haven't used mine yet. Just walking or laying with him, and rocking side to side or back and forth has done fine. Sometimes, too, a rhythmic delicate pat on his dydee helps, which you can do whether you're singing or not. You'd be amazed how all of this can sometimes bring up bubbles you might not have expected.