When to Put Baby in Her Crib????

I see you have a ton of responses but I just thought I would say my son slept in his crib from 4 weeks on and did great!

I would say to do it now. Yesterday even. Getting a child in to their regular sleep environment is ideally done by 3 months. My boys where less then a month when they started sleeping in their own rooms in their own beds, and they have always done great!

She's ready to be in a crib now. She's getting bigger and for safety, she needs to be in her crib now.
JMHO.....Mom of 3
D.

no real age on this one. but if they can do these things take them out now because its not safe anymore
1) roll over
2) sit up or push upper body up with arms
3) less than 3" of extra space
4) weigh more than what is reccoended by company (usually 10-15 pounds)

You don't want to wait much longer than four months to do it - by the time they get to be 5-6 months old they begin to recognize their room and their crib and they will become very attached to those things. If she attaches to the bassinet she will probably not want to sleep in her crib anymore. My first son transitioned seamlessly at four months into his crib, but I had no choice but keep my second son in a bassinet until 6 months (because of several issues) and he napped fine in his crib at 4 months, but when I put him down in it at 6 months he screamed in anger that he wasn't in the "right" bed. He got used to it but it's better if you don't wait that long! Good luck!

Hi Tracy,

I remember many years ago when I had the same delema until my girlfriend sat me down and asked me if was I who was resistant and not the baby. I had so many questions and was scared to have the baby that far away. He took naps in the crib so I had to ask myself why was I not putting him in the crib. I went out and bought a baby monitor and put it next to the crib. Had my husband go in the babies room and test it several times and then agreed that we could try.My son did just fine but I on the other hand was up several times a night checking. Your daughter is a very precious gift and it sounds like you are a wonderful loving Mom. Be brave and give it a try. If it does not work you can change back. You are doing it right by having her nap in the crib during the day but at 4 months it is time for her and for you too.

Enjoy your precious little girl as there will be many more questions. Just follow your heart and your head and you will be fine.

N.

It makes me really sad to see so many moms putting their babies in cribs. Your baby is only 4 mos old! Just imagine... all she wants is you & security. Almost all other cultures co-sleep with their babies except us. And it just seems alot safer. She's so young & this is an important time to begin fostering her sense of security, a crib is not the answer. A crib is mostly for the convenience of the parents, not the baby. Sorry to be so harsh, but it just makes me upset to see so many moms think this is okay & natural.

I would say do it now! The sooner, the less likely they are to complain! I moved my son at 4 months and my daughter at 6 months. They have never tried to sleep with mom and dad because they dont know anything but their own beds. That wasnt smarts with my first, he just outgrew the bassinet but lucky me!

Well that is a tough call! We went to the one year old mark and she just went to the bottom of her pack and play. We tried for two weeks to make the transittion and crying happened. After two weeks no problem she got it and has always spelt through the night. I say better safe than sorry with sids our ped. recommended this way. good luck!

Hi Tracy,
Every child is different, every mom is different. My baby is 6 months old and for a while she was sleeping well in her crib (transitioned at 7 weeks or so) but then at 4 months, teething, colds and ear infections has brought her back to my bed. There's no right way. The best thing you can do is listen to your daughter. If she is sleeping well on her own, by all means, encourage her to sleep in the crib. If she is having difficulty sleeping alone, I would encourage you to be open enough to welcome her back to your room.
A great book I've read is the Dr. Sears Sleep Book. A second great book I'm reading now is the No Cry Sleep Solution. There's no need for cry-it-out, and it is most likely quite damaging to your child.
Congrats on having a good sleeper and I hope it continues!
A.
p.s.my b-day is Jan 2 as well!

Yeah for a good sleeper! What worked for us was to move our son's bassinet to his own room while he was still sleeping in it (moved him at around 2 months, slept in it till after 4 months), then eventually transitioned him to his crib (swaddled, with sleep positioner also). This worked well for us and we never had any issues. Maybe it will work for you! We still swaddle him, waiting for the day he outgrows that, could be another story then, lol! Hope this helps :)

Hi - I put our son in his own room and crib at 2 months old. He was still waking up for feedings and all of that, but I wanted him to get used to being in a room by himself early. I did the same with my first son. It was about 2 months and then it was in the crib. I would start now..that is my suggestion. Now, we chose to do the Cry it out with both of them at about 5 months of age or so because they were waking and were not hungry anymore. It think it becomes a habit, the waking at certain times, and they need to realize that they are not hungry anymore and can go back to sleep. Like I said, we chose to do the cry it out method and it worked after not many nights at all. I know that some books say that they "dont trust you" if you let them cry but I FEEL they are too young to have feelings of not trusting you! It was really really really hard and I sat and cried the first couple of nights doing it, but after a few nights, it was all done...
Anyway, those are my thoughts!
It sounds like your baby is doing good already!

Hey T.! It's really just a choice you have to make. You have to just jump right in. It will become normal for her the more often and consistently you do it. If she is already sleeping in her crib for naps, I'd say it shouldn't be too hard to start transitioning her at night time too.

Dont know what to say, my 4 month old is still sleeping with me! Good luck!!

Good Morning! My "advice" would be to put little Brooklynn in her own bed when you feel comfortable being in seperate bedrooms. Our little girl was in her own bed (crib) when she was 2 months old. About the same time she started sleeping through the night. She is now almost 2 and has been sleeping in a toddler bed since she was 18 months old. So...maybe try it for one night and see how things go.

Hi T.! My name is T. too, and I had to check to make sure I didn't write this post! You just described my 7m old daughter PERFECTLY! She slept in our room until she was about 3.5m old when she started sleeping through the night. She slept from 10pm-5am diaper change-8am (close enough I consider it STTN). My husband decided it was time we had our room back so I started putting her down for naps in her crib in the nursery. I did naps for 2 weeks, then on a Friday night I put her in there for bedtime. She STTN the first night and we've never looked back. I was all afraid she would wake up several times but nope, she slept straight through like usual. It sounds to me like you are at that point where you can put her down for bedtime without a problem. Just take a deep breath and go for it!

Both of my children transitioned to the crib quite well, but the first one was a little more difficult, but it is a learning process, and with the second, she went just fine.

First, be sure to put her to bed in her crib with the same bedding that you have been using in her bassinet, and tuck them in the same way too. My daughter loves to be swaddled (my son hated it) so as long as she is swaddled she can sleep pretty much anywhere. She is almost 8 months now. Also be sure to wash all the crib bedding so it smells like your laundry and a scent she is used to. With our first my Mom tried to help me with this but she uses Downy and I don't, so that is something to consider.

Second,be prepared to have some white noise in her room. During the day there are the sounds of the house, but they become accustomed to hearing you breath and stuff at night. We use a stereo and have soft music playing all night, such a Enya, piano solos, stuff like that. Other things people use are a humidifier or fan.

As for the age to move them, my son we did at 6 months (who was way too big for his cradle by then) but my husband didn't finish making the crib until then. My husband hand-made our crib. And our daughter we moved when she was 5 months, and we only waited that long because I didn't want her to leave yet. But if she is sleeping all night and you are ready, then go for it.

Also, we moved our daughter into the same room as our son. He is 2 1/2 and in a toddler bed and she is in the crib and they do fine together. Just something to think about for when you have the next one!

Good Luck!

I'd say you're doing everthing perfectly. Having her takes naps in the crib is getting her ready for all night in there. If she's doing well during naps then I'd say go for all night. The only reason I'd say now is because if you wait too long then you may have a difficult time transitioning. All 3 of my kids were in the bassinet for 3 months. Then they moved to their crib, whether they were sleeping through the night or not. I just figured if they got too old they'd get so used to sleeping in my room that it would be hard to move them. And 3 months worked very well for all of mine. No problems at all.

Good luck and just go with what seems right for you guys.

I would say, start now...If you wait too much longer, she may be more aware of the different surroundings. You are truly blessed that she sleeps through the night so well, so I would do it now. My son was a great sleeper too and I put him in his crib at 3 months, mostly because he was too big for the old fashioned bassinet that I used.

Hope it goes well.

From the beginning, each of our two children slept in a bassinet but we put the bassinet itself in the crib at night. This way, they got used to the crib environment. At first, the crib was in our room, then we moved it into the child's room when he/she started only waking up for feedings once a night.

With each, we moved them directly to the crib when they seemed to be growing out of the bassinet. I forget what age this was! But I know they we were no longer swaddling. 3 mo? 4 mo? something like that. Anyway the transition went without a hitch.

So I suggest you start putting the bassinet in the crib and then go from there.

I would say go for it. Put somthing in the crib (like a night gown u normaly wear) so she can still smell u. Also she probably is used to hearign u breath. A fan for white noice may help. We beleave in a family bed, but my 5 year old never slept well with al of us. He likes his own space. This workd with him and he was 5 months.

Just go for it! If she's doing fine in there for naps, the transition to night time should be easy. I really didn't have any trouble transferring my kiddos to the crib around 3 or 4 months... by that time they are really getting too big for the bassinet anyway. If she likes to be swaddled, just tuck that blanket around her fairly tight and if she's a pacifier girl you might have to wander in during the night and pop it back in before she fully wakes up. If you're all business when she does wake up (change diaper, feed if necessary, burp and lay her back down) then she shouldn't develop the habit of waking up just for your attention... She'll sleep through unless she needs something, and will go back to sleep on her own. Good luck!

Sounds like it's time to me. If your baby is sleeping all night and tales naps in her crib why can't she use her crib at night too? I don't think you'll have any problems. I kept my son in his bassinet until he was too long for it, which didn't take long. Just remember to let your baby be comfortable in her sleeping suroundings and you shouldn't have any trouble. Remember, babys do cry naturally from time to time, and I'm sure you can tell your babys different crys. Always use your own good judgement when things like this happen. And of corse if you ever feel like you need a break, let someone know. The people who love you will be happy to help. Take care and God bless.

If she's napping in her crib, i would say give night times a try. If it goes well, great. If not put her back in the bassinet. If you're going to let her cry it out a little, don't do it until she is at least 6 months.

Does it feel right? It sounds like she is not so bad at it already with naps, and that can be a big insight to their night time sleeping personally.
It can't hurt to try it a couple nights and see if it feels right.
We have our son in our room in his crib and he transitioned from a bassinet to crib very well. He had more room. :) heh. We realized he doesn't sleep through the night for other reasons, so its never too early to implement good sleeping habits that you are comfortable with. I sort of wish we had done that w/ our little guy. It is so much harder to get them used to something when they are older.

Hi T.,

In my opininon, the sooner the better. I would try the crib all night tonight if I were you. I found with both of my boys that it was such an easy transition when they moved to their cribs at around 2 months. I have girlfriends who waited until 6-8 months and then it was very difficult.

I highly recommend using one of those sleep sacks and then you do not have to worry about any blankets covering up the babies face. I used the Halo sleep sacks that zip up over their pajamas and I could always rest easy that the baby was safe.

Good Luck! It sounds like it will be an easy transition especially if she is napping in the crib already.

Best wishes!
J.
Mom to 2 boys, ages 2 and 4

If she is starting to roll over, switch to the crib.

Please check out loveandlogic.com it is wonderful and will be helpful through your children's lives.

It may not be easy going through the steps of parenthood, but you can get through it.

Dr. James Dobson from focus on the family also has a lot of good advice.

Kids need to know you will be there for them and that you will be the parent.

They will test you over and over, age 2 for independence and of course when they start in to the teen age years.

K. mother of 6 and also foster children too.

Good luck

Our daughter's been sleeping in her crib since day one! She's done fantastic and has been sleeping thru the night since 6 weeks (She's now 13 weeks). We still swaddle her, which lets her know that it's bedtime.

Now is as good a time as ever. My thought is this: Have her start sleeping in her crib when you feel comfortable puting her there.

T.,

When you feel it's time to move her it's time. We moved my daughter when 1) she was too big for her bassinet (about 6 months old) and 2) we were waking each other up with general night time movements.

Hope this helps,
Melissa

Hi T.,

We started the transition after co-sleeping for 4 months but my daughter wouldn't have it - she just cried and cried and I couldn't take it, and so we gave up after a few days. But by 5 1/2 months we were all ready to try again, and had more success. I tried various sleep training methods and in the end did resort to cry it out with frequent checks for reassurance - but we were lucky, my daughter never cried for a very long time, and after about a week would go down for bedtime and naps without a fuss most of the time, and the rest of the time could be counted on to cry for up to 14 minutes and then fall asleep. I kept up a ritual of taking her back into bed with me after her last night feeding (usually around 4 a.m.) and then we could still co-sleep together for a few hours. (I just stopped that as part of her weaning process at 16 months). It was painful at times, but she seems well adjusted and we've all had pretty good sleep for about a year now (She's 19 1/2 months old now). Good luck!

I think you can do it now. The sooner the better, then everyone gets a good night sleep. Especially since she is sleeping through the night. Both of my children hated the bassinet, and would only sleep in their cribs, so I had them there right away. I am due in a few months with my third and I am just putting it in the crib to start with. I think you are doing the right thing by letting her sleep in her crib for naps, so she is used to it. Nice to know I am not the only one who has big babies. My first was 9lbs 7 oz. and now she is a perfectly healthy VERY tall 8 yr. old. Enjoy her, and good luck.

I don't remember the exact age when we moved my daughter to her crib in her room. I do remember we did it gradually over several weeks. She was sleeping in the bassinet right next to the head of our bed. When we decided it was time to move her, we moved the bassinet a little further away from us every couple of nights. She would sleep there during the night and in her crib for naps during the day. It seemed to work well for us. She had no problems adjusting to her crib for use at night. Hope this helps and good luck!

we put our son in his crib the day he came home from the hospital - when he was 2 days old...

Hi T.,
I switched my babies to their cribs when they were around two months old. It sounds like your baby is a really good sleeper so I think she won't have a problem. BUt if you are really worried I would put the bassinet in her room and start from there. But it next to her crib for a few days then switch to the crib. But if you are already putting her in her crib for nap time and haven't had a problem I think you won't have a problem at all. Good luck!

now's a great time. Bassinets have weight and height limits, so if she's exceeded those, as a safety precaution, you need to move her to the crib.
Having her nap in the crib was a great thing to do (I did the same thing with my kids and it helped a lot, I think). It sounds like you have a wonderful sleeper on your hands, and I bet she'll transition just beautifully to sleeping in her crib all night. I found it was harder on me, than my kids, to move to their own rooms! haha
Oh, and the not sleeping through the night thing? It can happen at any time, and isn't hinged on how well they initially transition to their crib. My daughter slept through the night at 9 weeks, transitioned to her crib beautifully, never cried when we put her down....and now that she's teething (at 10 months!), she's having a heck of a time going to sleep by herself, wakes in the middle of the night, etc. But it's a phase, and as you'll find, phases come and go -- thank goodness they go! haha!
One of the many great things about babies and kids is that they never cease to keep things interesting! Day to day is a new adventure!
Good luck with the transition to the crib -- you'll need it more than Brooklynn. You and your husband should take a bet on how many times you get up in the night to check on her, in the beginning. We laughed at ourselves with both kids....it's comedy!

Why not move her right now? Our twins slept in their carseats in our room (I know, but it was the only place they would reliably sleep) until they were 4 weeks. At 4 weeks, I decided it was time to move, and they slept in their separate cribs every night since then (they are 3 yrs old now- obviously not still in cribs:). The transition was painful for the first few nights- a lot of crying from them and my husband and I going in to comfort them every 10 minutes or so, but they got used to it. I'm sure your daughter will sleep well whenever you decide to make the transition:)

Hi T.-
I say now is the time! I transferred my daughter at 3 months, my son at 4 months. Much longer and I believe it makes it harder to transition. I know opinions vary on this as some co sleep and have other arrangements but it wasn't for my husband and I and it sounds like you are wanting your daughter in her own crib, own room as well. I did the same thing, naps in the crib to get them used to it. My daughter was sleeping through the night when I did it, but my son was still getting up a couple of times a night. He was a little tougher but it still worked out for me. When he woke up, I would just go get him from his crib, nurse him in my room and then put him back in his crib. It sounds like you already have a great head start since your daughter has already been sleeping through the night! Good luck!

I put all three of my children into their cribs at six months. At that age, they are old enough to sleep through the night but they are small enough so they aren't mobile yet. Two of my boys had to cry it out. (The hardest thing I've ever had to do, but after two nights bedtime became an absolute dream. I'd just tuck 'em into their cribs, read 'em a story, and they'd go to sleep like little angels!) And one of them just rolled over and went to sleep without any trouble or fuss.

Only one of my three boys was an honest-to-God all night sleeper. (Twelve hours every night.) The other two always needed a diaper change and a snack in the middle of the night through their first year.

Hi T.,

Why not try tonight, or tomorrrow night, or whatever night falls before your next day(s) off? That way, if she wakes up, you can either try and get her to go back to sleep then put her back in her crib, or take her back to the bassinette. Then, if you're tired you don't have to be dragging tushy at work? ;o)

Just leave the bassinette up until you're sure it's not needed any longer.

Me, I kept my kids in their bassinette/cradle until they grew too big for it, and in Hill's case, I found her turned over and trying to get on her knees(!GASP)--can't remember how old, but it wasn't as old as the older two, and she was the one in the cradle, and it was swaying back and forth. Talk about scary! I think she was around 4 months old, and the other two were around 5 mos. old.

Good luck! :o)

K. W

I have a three month old baby (and three year old twins)and our kids slept in moses baskets in our room for the first two months. We then moved the moses basket into the crib for a transition. If your baby is already sleeping through the night so well you may just want to move her into the crib one night and make sure she is swaddled or positioned however she was in the bassinet. She may wake a few times during the night but you can soothe her and get her back to sleep. This may be the time to give her a transitional object (little blankie or animal). We use white noise to help our baby stay asleep. The earlier you move her, the easier the transition. Before four or five months old babies are pretty easy to transition. Good luck!

You can put her in her crib I am sure she will do just fine. I have a feeling however that you are the one who is having a hard time with it. Relax, mom, it will be okay and you can always bring her back to your room if you are uncomfortable. You are okay. :)