HELP 6 Week Old Only Sleeps in Swing

Hi. i am am mother to six week old twins who, for the most part, will only sleep in their papasan's too. my advice? let him sleep there. soon enough, he will be making the transition. but for now, it is important for you to get sleep as well and if this is what you have to do, go for it. i asked my pediatrician when we went for one month appt and he said it was ok. good luck!

C.,
My daughter would only sleep in her stroller! It was very frustrating, I know. But one thing I finally did that I think worked was I took the comforter that came with her crib set and folded it over a few times and laid it UNDER her, so that she had a nice cushy place to lay, and not just on that hard crib mattress, and it worked wonders. Come to find out, my dad did basically the same thing for me when I was a baby! Only he had bought one of those egg crate bed pad things and cut it down to fit the crib. At this point, it's worth a try! I hope this helps you!
A.

My son did the same thing. God bless the person who developed the swing. I started with him in the swing and once he was asleep, I would turn it off, that way he'd be in the swing but it wouldn't be moving. Eventually after a few days, I had in just sleeping in the swing with no movement at all. Finally, I went and purchased one of those things that kind of wedges him in place for the crib. Kind of hard to describe, but it keeps him in place as he sleeps. I found that he liked to have it snuggled against him and then he slept better.
Good luck,
A.

Hi, I did the same thing with my daughter. I would put her in the swing and let her take her naps. HUGE mistake! At about 5 1/2 months I had to let her cry it out in her crib. It was the hardest thing that my husband and I have ever done but worth it. She is now three years old and loves to sleep in her bed and she still naps everyday without a fight. With my son I put him in his crib to begin with and we never had that problem. Your baby is still very young I would put him in his bed and stand there for a little while until he calms down and then walk away. Go back every couple of minutes to let him know that you are still there. It takes a few days but soon he will learn to self soothe. My son cried at first also I would stand next to craddle for a 1 1/2 hours. If he cried hard I would pick him up sooth him until he stopped crying and put him back down. It worked! Good luck.

Hello C.. I have a 5 1/2 month old and he slept in a swing for the first 4 months. We have gone thru two swings because the first one the motor blew out. We bought a second that has an AC adaptor and it's been a god-send. I wouldn't really worry about it too much. I asked our pediatrician and he said, "if it works, why change it!" Is your son sleeping thru the night? If he is, why would you change or do anything? I was very active during my pregnancy and I strongly believe that he liked the motion and it helped him sleep better and is a very, very happy little boy. Right now, he sleeps in a crib and we didn't have to fight with him like other parents did. Are you swaddling your little guy? Try that....we swaddled him in the swing (buckled him in too) and now we do it when he goes in his crib. He still breaks free but it calms them down so they CAN fall asleep.
We still have to do that and my son isn't little by any means. (5 1/2 months and weighs 20 lbs). Babies calm when they are in motion and esp. when they are nice, tight and warm. I really wouldn't worry about him sleeping in a swing. Stick with what works and it isnt doing your guy any warm! Good luck!

I have the perfect book for you to read. My sister-in-law gave it to me when I was pregnant with my boy twins. It is called, "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child." I tell everyone I can about it. It tells you EXACTLY how to get your child on the proper sleep routine and place. Better yet, it has tips for each age bracket on how to do it. It also explains why we need sleep (like we as moms need to be told why-ha!), but it is very informative. Perfect thing to read while baby is sleeping. Good luck and hope this helps. It did for me. My twins were sleeping thru the night at 4 months old and they were even born 2 months early!

GOOD LUCK! I'm still trying to get my 19 month old to sleep in a bed!!!! She's too big for the swing, which is where she slept in the beginning, she slept in her crib for 2.3 nights and now, she sleeps w/ a bunch of blankets and pillows on the family room floor - try to put a mat down for her - nope - try to put cushions down - nope - just her 2 favorite blankets and her pillow - she'll sleep for hours!!!

Have you tried swadling?? My son would sleep through the night if he was wrapped up tight

I had the same problem. If he only sleeps in his swing then just let him sleep there. It isnt going to hurt him and it will allow you to get some sleep yourself. I got my daughter used to her crib by laying her in it when she was awake for about 15 minutes through out the day. Eventually she was able to sleep in her crib. I know how frusterating it can be, but you have to pick your battles. Hope this helps.

Sorry, but I don't agree with many of the advice here. Anything cushiony under your baby in the crib puts him at high risk for SIDS and suffocating, so I hope you don't try that one. I don't believe you should continue this unless you are willing to accept that your son may have sleeping issues for months or possibly years. I have a friend with a 3rd grader-- she never solved sleep issues with her daughter and she still comes to her parents' bed in the middle of the night because she has trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. I HIGHLY, HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend following the advice from Secrets of the Baby Whisperer. I started reading it at 6 weeks old and thanks to following the advice in that book, baby #3 is the most well rested, happy baby I have ever seen (I wish I knew about the book for my first 2 kids!!! My first born was an awful sleeper for a couple of years because I held him until he fell asleep)-- everyone tells me what a happy baby he is and I know some is the personality he was born with, but I attribute a lot of it to the things I did starting at 6 weeks old to pick up on his cues to when he is tired and following the techniques to teach him to fall asleep in his crib. I also swaddled him in a Miracle Blanket (much better that the swaddle blankets you can get from Babies R Us because instead of velcro it has loads of material to wrap around the baby like a burrito- I actually swaddled him at bed time and nap time until he was around 4 months old!). I do recommend that you read the book (check the library for it), but I can tell you the technique you need to start using right away if you want to hear it.

Hi C.,

I had this same problem with my daughter. She slept in her bouncy seat until she was 2 months old. Everytime I would put her in the crib she would wake up and start crying. I felt like I was doing something wrong by letting her sleep in the chair all night long but that's the only way she would sleep. I began putting her in the crib during the day for naps. She would wake up and start fussing but I would leave her in there for a while so she could get used to it. Most of the time she would end up falling asleep. After she was taking naps regularly during the day in the crib I started putting her in it at night. They like to feel cradled and the crib is like this big open scary place for them. Hang in there. Your son will be sleeping in his crib before you know it! Good Luck! M.

My daughter hated sleeping in her crib too and it turned out she had acid reflux.

I nursed and co-slept with my second daughter and waited until she was older to sleep in the crib. She adjusted to the crib wonderfully when she was ready for it. (at about 4 months old) If he will sleep with you, do it. Your not going to roll over on him. You know where your boundaries are when you sleep, that's why you don't fall off the bed! Hope this helps.

D.

Hi, my daughter was the same way. My ped said it was fine at that age. Small babies are used to your movement and when they leave the womb it's a hard adjustment not to have that movement. There is a bed that sways called an Ambi bed which is also great for babies with reflux. One thing we did was swaddle our daughter when she was in the crib. It worked. Don't worry, your baby will outgrow this phase. I think it's more important that your baby is sleeping well.

C.,

My middle girl did the same thing, I was either holding her or she was sleeping in her vibrating papasan chair. I finaly got a vibrating back massager & put it in the crib with her until she fell asleep. After about 1 month, she no longer needed the vibration, she was use to the crib. Also the tighter you wrap such a tiny baby the better & safer they feel. However just remember they grow up fast, so do not stress out & enjoy your little bundle of joy. You are his Mother, you will instinctivly know how to help your child & you, I am sure will always be doing what is right for your child (Even If You Do Not Always Feel Assured of Your Choices).

God Bless

Don't stress yourself out over this...my son was the same way! He'll outgrow it soon enough! At 6 weeks you kinda just have to go with the flow...By about 12-16 weeks is when I started to get him on a "strict" routine, by that time he had adjusted more to being outside the womb :)

C.,

My son was the same way. We carried our swing every where we went, visiting family, vacations, etc. I want to say he grew out of this as he grew older (my son is 5 years now). I know that is not a solution, but I wanted to let you know you were not alone. Just keep your baby propped or leaned back so he doesn't fall over.

A.