Baby Only Sleeps While in Motion
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Baby Only Sleeps While in Motion
April 2008
I have an 11 week old son who only sleeps when he is held and
jiggled/rocked - sometimes up to 30 minutes! No matter how
tired he is or where he is, he must be held and jiggled before
he falls asleep or else he cries ( he's had meltdowns in every
store in town if he wants a nap - not one to just fall asleep
in his car seat or stroller.) He also has been waking up from
naps every 5-10 minutes, or waking up early ( after 30 -45
minutes). Sometimes he can be rocked back to sleep, other
times he can't. I've heard it is better to put a baby to sleep
drowsy, but awake so they learn to fall asleep on their own.
However, as my little one cries when he is drowsy unless he is
held, how can we use this method to teach him to fall asleep on
his own?
Ann
I have 2 small children. One has always been a great sleeper, the
other one a terrible sleeper. I bounced and marched all over
town, while it seemed everyone else's baby slept peacefully in
their stroller. By 6 or 8 months old, he didn't need that, but to
this day is a light sleeper and resisted sleep til he was three.
The other one did everything the way all the books say they will!
By then I had thrown away all the books. I tried everything, and
you probably should too, just so you know you have! It's nothing
you did, some babies just need that extra something to sleep.
Parenthood is all about survival and you need your sleep, too! I
was never very good at using a sling hands-free, but you may want
to try one.
keep on jiggling
I have 2 kids 3 1/2 years old & 8 months old. My best suggestion is to just let your
baby cry it out. I know this can be hard for some parents but i had to do it with my
first and it worked. in the beginning he would cry about 30 minutes than it would
taper down over time. But i always put the baby down for a nap awake, so he learns
to fall asleep on his own. My second baby always wanted to nap on his stomach. So
i would keep him in my family room with me and he would nap on the couch for 2
hours on his stomach. if he was on his back he would nap for 30 minutes. Doctor's
don't want babies to sleep on there stomach's- but my baby wanted to . And well
our parents put us on our stomach's and we are alive to tell the tale. I suggest you
let him cry it out..... hope that helps.
anon
Unfortunately, 11 weeks is WAY to young to sleep train (put down
drowsy so he can learn to fall asleep). My daughter hated her
crib/bassinet at that age and we let her sleep in a side to side
swing. Worked like a charm - 2-4 hr naps a few times a day.
You could also try a wrap or sling when you're out instead of a
stroller. Around 12 weeks, babies start to have a little more
consistent nap times so be on the lookout for that. But for
now, just rock/jiggle him if he needs it. He's so young, you've
got a long way to go. Try the 5 S's as well (Happiest Baby on
the Block) to sooth him and don't worry about him falling asleep
on his own yet. My daughter is a year old and still doesn't do
it on her own all the time yet either. I know it's a lot of
work but that's part of the deal. Congrats on your new baby and
be patient.
Rockin' Mama
April 2008
My almost 19 month old (!) ''baby'' still naps in his swing (the
poor, old creaking thing!), and I'm wondering where we can go
from here, other than him soon giving up naps altogether unless
driving. I've tried nursing him to sleep on the bed, but once
he's had his fill he's up and ready to play. And, he has only
been nursing at night for a while now, so I don't really want
to go back to day nursing at this point. Yes, he will fall
asleep in the car sometimes but then wakes back up if I try the
transfer, and I'm so done with 2 hour nap rides in the
afternoon (which were all too regular with his older sib!!).
He doesn't have a crib, we are co-sleeping until he's ready for
a big boy bed, and he has an older sibling who's 3, who gave up
naps by the time he was 2 for the most part, so I can't lay
with the younger one to help keep him coralled for long as the
other will be unattended.. Has anyone else been in this
predicament and found a solution that included an afternoon
nap? (I know all you parents who wrote in about their five
month old still napping in the swing must be cluck-clucking at
this one!!) If they sold bigger swings, believe me, I'd buy
one!!
Need the nap fairy
Just put the swing away. I just did for my 4 month old. I didn't
think he'd nap without the swing, but he does! Get a pack-n-play
(you can get them cheap on craigslist) and set it up near your
bed but not so close that he could climb out. Get a stuffed
animal and tell him that it's only for sleeping and leave it in
the pack-n-play. Put him down ever afternoon at the same time.
Put a blanket over the window so it's dark in the room. Play some
quiet music. Tell him it's nap time. Shut the door and leave him
in there for an hour, even if he just plays or even if he cries
the whole time. You might want to take him to the park or zoo in
the morning so he'll be really worn out by the afternoon the
first few days. Believe me, he will sleep eventually. Driving
around for two hours to get a kid to sleep is too much,
especially with the price of gas these days and the environmental
impact. Naps are important, don't give up on them.
anon
April 2008
I'm curious if anyone else out there has successfully
transfered an infant from sleeping in a swing for night
sleeping to the crib. Or had significant trouble with
transferring from swing to crib sleeping?
We started putting our 4.5 month old in a sideways swing at
about 6 weeks for night sleeping when he had serious acid
reflux and would wriggle in pain if set down. Now, months
later, he is still sleeping in the swing becuase he loves it
and sleeps a good long time (5-7 hours) during his first
stretch at night. I'm trying to figure out how aggressively we
should move to get him into the crib...it seems like there are
two camps -- he'll get addicted to motion and we should stop
ASAP or do whatever it takes to sleep. So, I'm curious what
acutal experiences people have had with this scenario.
We have started weaning him off of of the swing slowly by
turning off the swing for the majority of the evening and also
putting him in the crib for naps. He'll sleep for 30-90
minutes in the crib for naps.
Thanks for any reports from the field!
Swinging For Now..
Our daughter slept in the Amby Baby Hammock (which is suspended
from a giant spring, rocks & bounces gently, similar to swings)
from the time we brought her home from the hospital until just
recently. She is now 8 months old.
We've successfully moved her into her crib in the past several
weeks. I believe a major factor in her transition to the crib
is that she naps in a crib at daycare during the week. Try
moving your baby over to the crib just for naps - use a sleep
positioner to mimic the incline of the swing he's so used to.
There are also vibration devices that hook on to the underside
of cribs that might give the crib the same ''mechanical'' feel
that the swing has.
For us, it took a few days of letting her cry it out in the
crib to really get her adjusted to it. She's now sleeping 100%
in her crib, through the night (7pm to 6am, no night feedings),
wakes up well-rested, and happy as can be.
Whatever method you choose to make this transition, commit to
it. Wavering back and forth will only confuse your baby,
prolonging the inevitable and making it harder in the end.
Good luck!
My now 2 year old sleeps through the night in his big boy bed with no problem,
(ok, no problem until 5:00am, but that's a whole other issue!) had a serious swing
sleeping habit until about 7 months old. He took his entire 3 hour afternoon nap
in
the swing and slept some of each night in it as well. In retrospect I really
think I
spent much too much time worrying and feeling guilty about this, time I should
have
spent sleeping! I would wake up in the middle of the night and try to transfer
him
into his crib etc. Which was pretty much a waste of time. He was so happy in
the
swing we really worried what we would do when he grew out of it. All this angst
was
unnecessary. Right around the 6 month mark is slowly stopped working for him,
and we transitioned to the crib. Happened naturally, just like he grew out of
needing to be swaddled around 4 months or so. I know many babies our done with
being swaddled after a few weeks and done with the swing by 3 months or so, our
little guy happened to need the ''creature comforts'' a little longer.
You're so lucky they have those plug in swings now. We spent a mint on batteries
at Costco!
I say let him sleep where he is most comfortable, you'll all be better rested and
happier during your waking hours.
Jenny
Jenny
Our daughter (now 17 mo) slept in a swing until around 4.5/5
mo. as well. She is our only child and I was very anxious that
she would never transition to her crib, as I didn't know anyone
whose baby slept in a swing. She had her rough patches for
several months, but feel that between now and then much of it
had to do w/all kind of developmental issues (teething,
learning to crawl, then walk, etc.). We tried some crying it
out mixed w/other methods, but her sleeping honestly was never
great until after she turned a year & learned to walk. She now
sleeps pretty good most of the time and enjoy it while it
lasts. Good luck....
anon
Our daughter slept in the sideways/cradle swing from about 6
weeks to 4 months. We then transferred her to a crib for
night-time, but she napped almost exclusively in the crib until
she was about 8 month and so darn big that even on the highest
setting, she barely budged!
I had the same fears or concerns--that she'd never adjust or
other problems would grow from it. Instead, we just put her in
the crib when WE were ready for her to be there, and it ended up
working out fine. And we let her nap in the swing until it just
wouldn't move anymore--milked it! And spent a fortune on D
batteries (we couldn't get the rechargeable ones to really hold
their charge).
I ran it by our pediatrician who didn't have any concerns about
allowing it to continue. Hope our feedback is helpful and that
you choose whatever feels best for parents and baby.
Another Mom of a Swinger
I missed the original post, but my daughter would nap ONLY in
the swing or the car or attached to my body (moving, usually)
until she was clearly too big for the swing (around 2 yrs old).
I spent a lot of time fussing about how I'd ''ruined'' her for
napping, but in retrospect I think I did just fine. Like her
mother, she was truly a lousy napper, very stimulated by
everything around her, and able to stay awake indefinitely if
there were people around or interesting things going on--but she
really needed a nap. It was absolute pure torture for her to nap
in a crib, which she did no more than a dozen times, and never
after 4 months old. But that swing! I could schedule conference
calls, and be confident that she would sleep if I put her in the
swing just before the call. She slept great, she was a fabulous
night sleeper. Bottom line is this: if it works for you and it
works for your kid, it's the right thing. And you'll know when
it doesn't work. I know there are those who swear that they can
train a kid to sleep in a crib, but it really didn't work for
us. And I will add that my non-napping daughter napped at
daycare in a crib or on her nap mat, but she NEVER did this at
home, and she NEVER went back to sleep once she woke up, even
from the car or the swing, and even if it was a 2-minute nap.
And if you can't find anything that works for you, then keep in
mind it's not forever, even though it seems like forever at the
time.
Oct 2007
My 8 month-old has never had a problem sleeping in her crib at
night but she has never once taken a nap in her crib (or her
bassinet before that.) The only way to get her to take naps is
in the stroller or in a baby carrier. (She used to nap in the
swing but now she is just too big!) I don't get a break all day
because I have to hit the pavement for her two nap times. I am
just exhausted. We have let her ''cry it out'' at night but we
just can't do that consistently during the day because grandma
takes care of her in the mornings and just doesn't have the
heart to hear her grandbaby scream. It just isn't fair to ask
grandma to do that. Does anyone out there have any other
suggestions?
desperate for nap breaks
Oh, I could have written your question 6 months ago! We had the
exact same problem with our son - nighttime was fine, but he
would only nap in the stroller or the car, never in his crib. It
was tough, but we finally resolved this by letting him cry it out
for his naps when he was 7 months old. The first day, he cried
for 8 minutes, and then he napped for 2-1/2 hours! so we realized
that he was more than ready to make this change.
The key to making this work is consistency: everyone who took
care of our son knows the system and sticks to it. If the grandma
can't handle crying it out, that's going to make it harder.
Could you start the sleep training on a weekend, so that you'd
get a few days under your belt by the time your daughter stays
with her grandma again? The grandma would probably be happy to
see the end of all those long walks herself.
I also had (and still have) a hard time listening to my son cry
while I'm trying to get him to sleep. This is my technique for
getting through it: when I put him down and he starts to cry, I
set the kitchen timer for 10 minutes. Then I do a chore like
dishes or laundry, so that I'm not hovering outside his room
feeling worse and worse about his crying. If he hasn't started
winding down after 10 minutes, I go get him, and we try the nap
again in an hour. Would your mother be willing to try this?
Anyway, hope this helps, and good luck!
Kristine
Neither of my girls were crib girls for naps until about
9-months. I would lie down with them, take a nap, and then at
some point get up -- the girls would finish naps while I sat
across the room working on the computer, folding laundry, etc.
At some point they just started sleeping in the crib for naps
without fuss. Can't tell you why, but they did. They are two
and four now. The younger still naps wonderfully.
-been there
August 2006
My two-month old son sleeps very well at night (in a co-sleeper or our
bed), but will only sleep during the day while in motion (Ergo,
stroller or, grudgingly, the swing). The moment the motion stops, he
wakes up. Even if I'm holding him, if I sit down, he starts crying.
I'm grateful for the nightly rest, but it's hard to get anything done
during the day. Does anyone have any suggestions for getting a young
child to sleep while still? Is that realistic at this age?
anon
Oh, you are not the only one. Isn't it hard to believe that some babies fall
asleep all
by themselves when set down in their cribs? My son has never done that. He used
to sleep pretty well at night in the co-sleeper, but during the day he would not
stay
asleep if he was set down. So for the first five months during naps we either held
him in our laps or wore him in the sling. Finally I felt like I was ready to make
a
change and I began setting him down in his crib after he had fallen asleep nursing.
At first he woke up almost every time, but gradually he got used to it. It was a
slow
process; it probably took six weeks, until he was seven months old, before I had a
75% success rate. (I wasn't rigid about it; on days when I felt like he really
needed a
nap, I'd keep holding him so he could get the sleep.)
You asked if it's realistic for a two-month-old to sleep without motion, and I
think
the answer is yes -- you can train your child to do anything, but it takes time,
patience, and persistence. I sometimes wished I had started setting my son down
sooner than five months old, but now I do cherish the memory of him napping milk-
drunk in my lap during those early months.
Also Nap Challenged
this is a really tough age - i feel for you as i will be
experiencing it again soon myself! they just aren't in great nap
patterns at this age and it is extremely frustrating. we ended up
letting him nap on his tummy (the only way we could get him to
relax). but he wasn't a big motion sleeper.
one recommendation i have for you, the book ''healthy sleep
habits, happy child.'' i felt like reading even the other parents
stories in it helped me cope with this age. my son is a great
sleeper for following the book and ever since his naps were well
established (7 months) things have been really easy with sleep.
but, it also has hints on how to handle stuff like this by a guy
who really knows his stuff
anon
Two months is so young, itUs totally normal for your baby to
need motion (re-create the womb and all that). My boy was like
that, and IUd just rock/bounce/walk him to sleep then gently lie
him down while still jiggling him. IUd keep my hands on him for
a little pressure. A lot of times heUd still wake back up and
then IUd try again a few times. Even if it worked one-third of
the time, it was worth it! I waited until between four and five
months to sleep-train him because I felt he was ready. He wasnUt
sleeping well because he relied on motion and couldnUt put
himself back to sleep when heUd wake up from a nap and at night.
It took some crying at first, but he got it and now sleeps
REALLY well. Good boy!
anon
my only advise is this, if your baby will only sleep while in
motion then let him sleep while in motion. he/she is only 2
months old it won't last forever. do what works! what ever it
takes really. our now 6 month old would only sleep in his
vibrating chair and now he sleeps fine on the bed. they change so
much and really who cares he/she will be fine sleeping in the
swing. good luck
friend
Have you tried The No Cry Sleep Solution? (author Elizabeth
Pantley) She helps set up a routine for naps as well as
nighttime sleep and after about a month's concerted effort, my
6 month old now takes pretty regular naps. She would not nap
at all during the day before that unless she was in my arms or
on my nipple.
Good luck!
Jenny
Our daughter also had a hard time falling asleep without
motion. What ended up working was playing a white noise CD (she
liked ocean sounds) while she was sleeping. We used that for
naps until about 4months, which was when she started sleeping
easier (this is what the book, ''Healthy Sleep Habbits, Happy
Child,'' said would happen). I recommend this book - it's a good
reference to have around.
I also bought a crib vibrator from OneStepAhead.com, but ended
up returning it since she started sleeping with the CD, and also
because we use the Angel Care monitor that detects movement.
But that might be an option for you
Alex
Use a swing with the highest setting and don't feel guilty
about it. They will grow out of it eventually. Until then,
there's nothing you can do to put them to sleep without the
constant motion. My now 4&1/2 month old still nap in the swing
but now she can do it without the motion (she just like the
cradle seat of the swing).
grateful mom
Nov 2004
Has anyone else been in this situaiton before.... and resolved it?? My daughter is 14
weeks old, but was born 4.5 weeks early. So technically she is only 9.5 weeks old.
She needs LOTS of movement to stay calm. She has been a very colicky baby,
confirmed by my doctor, my doula, as well as my own sanity (or lack of it). The
only way to get her to sleep at all for naps and all through the night is her swing.
As soon as she is deep asleep and we stop it from swinging, she wakes up
screaming. I am aware that she isn't getting the restful sleep she needs because of
the motion, but I don't know what else to do. She is constantly exhausted and
overtired, even though it seems like she is sleeping a ton, she isn't getting the
QUALITY sleep she needs to wake up rested. Any suggestions?
We were fanatics about the book HAPPIEST BABY ON THE BLOCK. We
are the only ones in our circle who followed it to the letter
the only one without a fussy baby. I recommend you buy it and
follow the instructions exactly. We have no way of knowing if
our baby is a ''good'' baby or not, but we do know if we followed
the ''5 Ss'' the longest he ever cried was 30 minutes and he was
sleeping through the night by 3 months. We eventually were able
to not swaddle anymore but on occasion through his sixth month,
we would still swaddle if he seemed to work himself up into a
tizzy.
People are very freaky about the method. My mom felt we were
stifling his freedom. Friends would say ''we tried'' it didn't
work, but when we asked further, they were not following the
method. It stems from ancient parental wisdom. It completely
makes sense.
In a nutshell, if baby sleeps while swinging, baby is getting
good sleep. You need to keep her moving. I think eventually
she'll be ok, but keep her moving or get a vibrating seat.
Also, first and foremost, swaddle, swaddle swaddle. We even had
blankets especially made because the ones on the market were
too small.
I think this method is especially effective with premies. You
can't do enough to swaddle, ssssh, swing, ah, hell, i forgot
the other two. Just do it.
Also, buy the cd called ''FOR CRYING OUT LOUD.'' Our baby really
loved, as we called it, ''the dishwasher song'' and
the ''hairdryer song.'' We also would swaddle and jiggle under
the hood of our stove and he'd go to sleep. At one point, we
just kept it on all the time.
And, start a routine asap. Even if it isn't successful at
first, we pretty much do the same routine every night and our 8
month old goes right to sleep.
Good luck. Sleep is important.
A Sympathetic Mom
We haven't had your problem with our baby, but Dr. Sears
promotes swinging/motion as a good way to help colicky babies
sleep. Perhaps a bed designed specifically for this purpose
would help? Dr. Sears recommends the Amby Baby Motion Bed.
Check it out at:
https://www.askdrsears.com/amby.asp
If you can shell out the dough (or get one on ebay....) try the
Amby Baby Motion Bed. Your situation is exactly what it's for.
It really works.
well-rested mom
My daughter was also about a month early and had bad colic as
well -- I think it goes with having an underdeveloped digestive
system -- for the first couple of months she could only nap on
me, though luckily she slept in the bassinet at night. At about
9 weeks she had one of the screaming colic attacks at the
doctors and was prescribed colic medicine. (Previously I kept
saying that the baby was crying a lot and seemed to be in pain,
but until the doctor actually saw her in the middle of the
attack, I don't think she trusted my judgement.) In any case --
your baby because of the prematurity is more like 10 weeks (or
maybe even 7-8 weeks). The good side is that it does get
better. THe colic medicine allowed her to sleep better. By the
time my daughter was 6 or 7 months she caught up
developmentally (i.e. eating, sleeping, etc. -- she caught up
cognitively around 3 or 4 months, but digestion took a long
time.) By the time she was a year she had caught up in size and
was indistinguishable from kids who were full term.
So good luck & have a lot of patience for yourself and the
baby -- the solutions for full term infants don't always work
for premies.
Carol
No worries. Our child slept exclusively in a swing for several months. It was the
only way we could get her to sleep for more than 1-2 hours. We just invested in
rechargeable batteries and a recharger and changed the batteries every other day.
Eventually she grew out of it and started sleeping in the crib. Honestly though, the
swing was worth its weight in gold for us.
fisher price aquarium wonder fans
Both of my sons slept in their baby swings from the age of 6mo
until they were around a year old. (Our swing was bigger and
rated for a higher weight limit than a lot of the currenct ones
on the market.) They slept really well in the swing... much
better than in their beds at that point. I think it was the
combination of the rocking motion and the ticking of the swing.
They were/are good car sleepers and I think the swing was a lot
like that. With my first I felt guilty the nights we let him
sleep in the swing. It seemed like cheating to put the baby to
sleep that way since it was so easy, but it was the only way we
both could get a good long stretch of sleep in at night. By the
second time I decided that if we both were sleeping well, then
the location/position didn't matter... giving up the guilt and
getting more sleep made me a better parent. Sure, they
eventually had to learn to sleep in beds. Sure that was a little
hard, but those changes would have happened anyway because crib
or swing, eventually they had to move out... at least we were
all able to sleep longer during the teething months.
I love the swing
oh- I was in your shoes once... my daughter slept in a swing
for naps until about 4 or 5 months, then we started putting her
in her crib to sleep, with very little drama.
your baby is so young- really my advice is to do what works for
you & your baby. you are not engraining habots that will never
be broken. we were told by many many people that letting our
baby sleep in the swing for naps would set us up for a childhood
of rocking her to sleep, lots of waking up, etc. but found that
to be totally untrue.
also, it sounds like you read happy sleep habits, healthy child
with your comment re: ''movement = not restful sleep'' please
remember to take what weissbluth says with a grain of salt-
these are his IDEAS, not the gospel. if your child seems
overtired, maybe try putting her to sleep earlier, more often,
etc. or it could just be a byproduct of the colic.
once the colic clears you will have a new lease on life, which
might be a better time to try some new techniques.
hang in there mama!
virginia
Two messages in one week about babies only sleeping in a swing!
Music to my ears, actually. My second daughter, now eight months
old, was eleven weeks premature. When we brought her home from
the hospital, she was colicky and still had some trouble
breathing and only slept comfortably and for longer periods in a
swing. That went on for some time and I was assured by the
doctor and nurse practitioner that it was okay to continue to
use the swing. Then at some point I discovered that she slept
even longer and more peacefully in her car seat!! So there she
sleeps to this day ,much to my guilt and embarassment. Every
time I have attempted to get her to sleep on her back in her
cosleeper, she fusses and frets until about three a.m. when I
finally give in to exhaustion and put her back into her carseat
where she happily falls soundly asleep. I think I would have
probably bitten the bullet by now and endured a week's worth of
sleeplessness to cure the problem except I also have a three
year old who wakes twice a night and keeps me pretty ragged even
with a full night's sleep! All four health care professionals
I've confessed my guilty secret to have shrugged their shoulders
and seemed pretty unconcerned about the long term effects on my
daughter. One said to be sure she got plenty of time on her back
and stomach during the day, which I try to do. Another
said, ''Eventually she'll outgrow the car seat and then you'll
have to deal with it.' I empathize with your concern and your
dilemma. I guess I'm either waiting for her to outgrow the car
seat to face the music or I'm waiting for that mythical low
maintenance week when I can afford to go without sleep until she
finally learns how to sleep all night on her back. Best of luck.
I am eager to read other responses.
anon
Nov 2004
My now 4-month old baby had problems since birth with gas and
spitting up when laying on his back. He would spit up and
choke and writhe and get milk up his nose, no matter how long I
held him upright after breastfeeding nor how successful I was
at burping him. At 6 weeks, it got so bad that he could only
sleep 20 to 40 minutes at a time AND he couldn't even play
comfortably on his back for more than about 5 minutes (e.g.,
while enjoying his mobile, etc). At that point, desperate for
sleep, I put him to sleep in a bouncy seat, and kept his play
time on tummy and back limited to 5 to 10 minutes at a time
(although he was clearly uncomfortable with this play time,
really). Elevated, he could sleep for 1.5 to 2 hour intervals
in the bouncy seat at night. Two weeks later, we discovered
that he would sleep 6 to 8 hours straight in a swing (which
held him in an even more comfortable position semi-reclining
position, and the swinging was probably soothing, too). So,
for 8 weeks now (half his life!), he has slept beautifully in a
swing. For the last 3 weeks, it doesn't even swing any more
(he cries if he is trying to sleep and it is swinging!), so it
is not the swinging that is keeping him asleep and enabling him
to get back to sleep through his sleep cycles for 6 to 8
hours. At 4 months old now, he is all of a sudden clearly much
more comfortable laying down when awake, so that difficult part
of reflux/choking seems to have passed finally, and it seems it
would be wise to transition him to sleeping laying down. Also,
I think he is probably getting too big to sleep long hours in
the swing safely [The swing is about 1 foot from my head and my
bed so I have felt it is safe enough, as I hear every peep from
him through the night and I know when he is starting to wake up
and stir; but he is getting bigger and stronger and I worry
about him getting strong enough to catapult himself out of the
swing, even though he is of course belted in with the 3-point
harness.] So, now we have the problem of getting him used to
sleeping laying down. Any one with any experience making such
a transition? Any suggestions to help? Just this week we have
been able to get him to take a 1/2 hour to 1.5 hour nap in the
crib during the day, and he has slept up to an hour at night
for two nights this week. However, after that, he is quite
inconsolable, and I find myself just putting him back in his
comfy swing. Some nights this week I have not been able to get
him down at all in the crib. For several nights, I have also
tried getting him used to sleeping laying down in our bed (so I
could pat him back to sleep, etc.), but all he wants to do is
nurse and he doesn't settle down into a deep sleep (I have
experience co-sleeping with our first son, who didn't have
these reflux problems, but I really don't like nursing all
night long -- I can't sleep well that way at night even though
it makes for a great daytime nap). So, am I up for a big
struggle? Am I putting my baby in danger still having him in a
swing? Will this transition go more smoothly than I am worried
about? Words of encouragement one way or another would help, in
addition to any specific advice, as it's difficult to
anticipate starting to lose a lot of sleep again as I ponder
this transition!
a worried mom
I don't know if this will help, but our baby couldn't sleep on
her back either. She had a floppy larynx and when she lay on her
back it flopped over her airway and made breathing difficult. So
the doctors said, you know what? Forget the back sleeping. Put
her on her side or her tummy. I was so freaked out about putting
her on her tummy I couldn't do it, so we put her on her side,
helping her stay in place with rolled towels or one of those
store bought holder gizmos. She slept fine.
A four month old may get up every hour or two anyway, though.
And whenver they transition to a crib or new sleeping
arrangement they have to adjust, so it may not have anything to
do with the former issues (even once she was sleeping okay it
took awhile to get her into a crib at 4 months). Just do the
transition slowly. Start with naps or with the part of the night
where the baby sleeps the most deeply and gradually work your
way towards full-time cribbing. If you can find a cradle that
rocks it might help too (or jiggling the crib).
Good luck. It will happen.
a mom
try buying one of the foam sleeping blocks and having him sleep
on his left side on an elevated (head end) mattress. this helps
reflux problems quite a bit as there's pressure on the
sphincter. also, lying down may be exacerbating the reflux so
you may need to try medication--we did, and then my son slept
fine.
Our daughter started sleeping in a swinging swing all night. Then we weaned her to
a still swing. And I was convinced she would be in that swing well past the
recommended weight limit of 25 lbs. She was six months and 20 lbs. and still
couldn't sleep in a crib for more than an hour.
What we did and learned: she transitioned when she was ready. About once or
twice a week we put her down to sleep in the crib (already asleep in our arms) rather
than the swing. And usually she was up crying inconsolably after an hour or two.
Finally, one night she slept for four hours. Then we just started putting her in the
crib more and more often until she was a regular crib sleeper who woke up only 2x
night. Now she sleeps in teh crib (she's 17 months) and wakes up 1x night.
You can't force it, but need to just keep trying to provide the opportunity to learn to
sleep in the crib.
no longer a swing state
I know no pediatrician would ever tell you officially that you
could do this...but what about putting your son to sleep on his
tummy? We started to do this around 10 weeks with our son...we
just made sure he had a warm enough sleeper and put *nothing*
else in the crib with him. He *immediately* started to sleep
for much longer and also he slept more soundly.
Jennifer
[Editor] see also:
Baby sleeping on stomach
this page was last updated: May 25, 2009
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