Hi!
My 5 week old son has been in a crib in his own room since we got home from the hospital. Over the last week or so we've been having a hard time getting him to stay asleep in his crib. He falls asleep just fine if he is being held or is in his car seat and even in his bouncy seat or a front carrier, but once we set him down in his crib he wakes and starts crying in about 20 minutes. I know that because of his age he needs to nurse every 2-3 hours (I breastfeed), and he usually falls asleep as he's nursing. I'm concerned because I am so tired that I fall asleep too, and I know that isn't the safest place for him to sleep (not to mention the crick in my neck!) How can I get him to stay asleep in his crib, even for a couple of hours, for his safety and my sanity? Thanks!
make sure you swaddle him, it sounds like he likes things close to him. that might help
Check out the Baby Whisperer.
She outlines a feeding/sleeping routine that would really help you. It's something liek this:
Eat, awake, sleep
As soon as yur baby wakes up in the morning, feed him, then let him be awake for a few minutes, and then lay him down for a nap. let him go to sleep on his own- with a pcifier, blankie, swaddled, whatever. Just not nursing. Then when he wakes up he will be hungry, feed him and play until he is ready for sleep again. As he gets older he may drop some of the sleep times in between, and you will be able to adjust the time between feedings. But you won't be training him to fall asleep while nursing.
J.- First of all, congratulations on the new baby boy. So exciting. I have 2 boys myself. You know, I always did just what works, but they can smell you and need to be close to all they know, which is you. What I would do, is breastfeed them, once they fell asleep, just move far enough away in the bed that we were still close and I felt comfotable enough that I had some room myself. Have you ever tried the co sleeper?? It attaches to the side of your bed, that way everyone has their own space, yet they are close to you and can smell you and feel safe. Try to get some sleep, I feel your pain, it can be a very trying time, but hang in there, and before you know it, you will be looking back and thinking, where did the time go?? I don't remember that aweful, couple months where I didn't sleep, but a couple hours every night. I also let my son sleep where he was comfy. Whether that be in the swing, bouncy seat. As long as he was safe and couldn't fall out. Hope some of that helps..
Have you tried the forhead trick? Sometimes talking with them softly, reassuring them and touching their forhead lightly gets them back to sleep.
Someone mentioned the car seat, my girlfriend did this also and she was able to get some sleep and no neck pain. :)
Good luck
N.
We swaddled my son tightly until he was 4 months old and it made such a difference! I've heard that babies don't figure out night and day until 5-6 weeks, so hopefully you are getting over the hump.
GOOD LUCK!
Here is what i ended up doing with my DD and it's going to be something you have to decided is right for you as it was a hard decision for me to make. My DD was a horrible sleeper until we would hold her with us laying down and her laying on top of our chest on her belly. my mom and a bunch of friends all recommended trying letting her sleep on her belly. I know you are so programed by the hospital and medical community to only put a baby on it's back to sleep. However I did lots of research on it and I felt it was worth a try. once we did that she slept just fine she is on 27 months old. We did swaddler her from day one and she slept that way until about 7 months. My mom always said she looked like a little burrito. But that's what my DD like as if she started to come unwrapped some she'd wake up and cry till she was wrapped tighter again. Good Luck.
HI Jen... Congratulations! We had our babies wrapped in a Swaddle until about 3 months. We also put them in the vibrating seat and set the seat in the crib. That seemed to work well. I know it seems hard now, but he will sleep in his crib eventually.
Hi J.,
I used to roll a couple of shirts or receiving blankets and then put one on each side of him. That way he felt snug in his crib. My first son didn't like his crib at first but after I propped him up he slept well. Plus I read awile ago that babies don't get into a schedule until 4 months. So they can sleep anywhere until then and they won't get in the habit. My second son slept in the swing sometimes and sometimes in bed with us. Before I had kids I never would have thought I would do that but when I was breastfeeding and sleep deprived I didn't care where he slept. Anyway, good luck and know that this stage will pass and you'll be on to another one.
Chris
Hi!
I have a 7 week old who is sleeping 4-5 hours in his crib. I believe it is because we swaddle him. We use the "Swaddle Me" blanket. It costs $9.99 annd comes in cotton or micro fleece
The crib is very big compared to the space he used to live inside you. Being swaddled recreates the environment he is used to from the womb. It makes the crib smaller and babies sleep better.
Also, we use a nature sounds machine --Homedics (Bed Bath and Beyond) $19.99. Babies like loud constant noise like they are used to from the sounds of being inside your body.
Both items are a small investment compared to the huge cost of your lost sleep.
Best Wishes!
When our daughter was first born she cried and cried when we put her in her crib. We came to the conclusion that she was scared. The crib is so much bigger than what they are used too. So we put her in a small basket. We layed a few blankets over the bottom so it was soft. We placed her in the basket and the basket it in the crib. It was honestly the best idea we came up with!!!!
The bond you have with your sweet baby is a beautiful thing. It's working and he is sold on how wonderful it is to be with his mama. You don't want him not to want or need you! Some studies show that babies need to be attached physically to their moms as much as possible for 9 months - the same amount of time they were growing inside you. A lot of babies refuse the crib, at least until they're older. My granddaughter would only sleep in her swing, carseat, or mama's arms or bed with her until she was much older than your son. No problem - sounds like you're a very loving mom. Be thankful! Babies need to nurse very frequently and they know when it's time far better than you do. Also, they need lots and lots of touching and cuddling. It's all good, if not always convenient! Hang in there! If you go to a La Leche League meeting, you'll make friends with other moms who are in the same boat and get some great support! You can go to www.llli.org and click thru to find a meeting near you.
My daughter, now 22 months old, slept in her car seat for all naps and at night from the ages of 2-4 months. There was just something very cozy to her about being in the car seat and we went with it. It was actually quite convenient for us too. At 4 months we tried the crib again and she has been an awesome crib sleeper ever since. I honestly believe that at this point in their lives you can't "mess them up". Try swaddling too as others suggested. Good luck!!!
Good Morning J.!
When babies are inside they are exposed to lots of noise. They hear our heartbeat, blood and body fluids moving around.. and even voices and sounds coming from outside at various times. Then when they get on the outside we put them in a quiet place on a hard flat surface to sleep. So that's the theory why...
So to help fix that maybe try a small fan to provide some white noise (also I read somewhere that having a fan has been shone to reduce SIDS because it keeps the air moving and carbon dioxide doesn't build up around the baby's face), CD with ocean sounds or other nature sounds. These are the 2 "sounds" that I used with my kids and it seemed to really help. There are also more elaberate stuffed toys that are supposed to have a sound similar to a mom's heartbeat that helps infants to sleep.. but I don't have any personal experience with those to give you a thumbs up or down.
I also agree with swaddling. I think the other moms have given you some great advice, so that's all I have to say about that!!
Happy Sleeping!
Peace,
B.
Ah yes, we had that problem with our oldest, who is now five. We didn't have this resource, but we did have family. The best way to explain it, is that when they are in our arms, in a car seat or other smaller baby items, they feel like they are in the womb again. Nice cozy and can feel stuff on all sides. Put her in the crib and it's all open and nothing on any sides. You could try and burritto wrap your little one. Our oldest didn't like to be wrapped tightly in blankets though. We ended up taking some receiving blankets, rolling them up and then securing them with duct tape(so they couldn't unroll and smother her) and then put them a couple inches above her head and below her feet. For her sides we put her in a baby wedge and then put blanekts on the outside of the wedge. The wedge kept her from getting to close to the blankets. The blankets provided a feeling that there was something close. We slowly moved the blankets out further and further until we were able to remove them. Good luck!!!
My youngest slept in his car seat until he was 5 months old because that was the only place I could get him to sleep. Probably not the best idea, but once he started to grow out of it I started putting him in his crib, and he fought it for a day or two but then was fine. At least he slept on his own and in his own room. I was criticized for it but sometimes you do what you have to do to get some sleep!
We did a variety of things...one being co-sleeping, two I found that hitting the cold sheets in the crib would wake my daughter #3 up. I put a heating pad under the sheet, turned it on while nursing her to sleep, TURNED IT OFF and then put her in her crib....she liked her crib. Worked great!
We did like the co-sleeping with daughter #2. She had a thing about being all snuggled in and touching a live body while sleeping. I never worried about what alot of people worry about now-a-days...babies have slept with mamas for centuries. I went to Le Leche League meetings and alot of the moms would say " you are aware of the edge of the bed, you don't fall out, you will be aware of your baby" We never had any issues. At one point we had three little sweeties in our bed...off and on. When the youngest was big enough, we put them in a double bed...the other direction and they slept like snuggly kittens. They are 30, 27 and 25 now...what wonderful cozy memories. Do whatever works for your sanity and sleep. I always thought though, adults don't sleep alone...why would we put our precious babies in a cold bed all alone? Congrats on your little one...snuggle-on! :)
Our son started waking up about 10-20 minutes after putting him in his crib until we put towels under his mattress so he can sleep at an angle. You could also put books under the legs on one side of the crib to form an angle. Our doc thinks our son has gastric reflux problems, and laying slightly upright helps. It also could be gas, don't know, but for whatever reason, the angled sleeping really helps him. Your son seems to want to sleep at an angle (bouncy seat, car seat, etc...) maybe this would help. We also always swaddle our son, use the wedges by his side, and use the white noise machine already mentioned. Hope this helps!
Try taking a warm fuzzy shirt of yours (That you have worn and not washed. Even a wash cloth that you put in your shirt and walk around with it for a day would work.) Put it in the crib with him. Either under the sheet or on the side. That way he can smell you and feel some warmth to cuddle with.
Do you still swaddle him? He could be what we refer to as a "tight" sleeper. All of the other places he sleeps in has him feeling cuddled and safe. Try swaddling him like you would when he was first born.
And try nursing while laying down... its a true neck saver. :-)
Hi J.,
I hope you have some success, and are able to get some rest. I would suggest swaddling him, and making sure he is warm. I know at that young age, they are tempting to play with all the time, but maybe putting him down right after a feeding, when he is content but alert would get him used to not being held. I wish you the best. God Bless You.
Our son really loved to be swaddled when he was tiny. We would wrap him up tight with his arms inside the blanket too, then even put a little cotton hat on his head. He would sleep about 2 hours that way (I breastfed as well) - he never slept for long, but 2 hours is pretty decent when they are so young! We were happy to get whatever sleep we could!! LOL! Hang in there - my boy is 6 now, it goes WAY too fast!!
Could he be too cold or too hot maybe? Also, make sure you put him in the middle of the crib, that we he doesn't hit the sides of the crib with hands which would also wake him up.
