2.5 Month Old Will ONLY Sleep in Sling or Occasionally in My Bed. Ideas?

I swaddled my youngest and put her in the bouncer for the first 6 months. It's the only thing she liked other than sleeping in the sling. So I literally did that till she got too big then I put her in the bouncer in the crib, then took the bouncer away.

Baby sleep changes around 8 months, and then at 12 again. Now is the time to start putting her down awake but tired. Look for yawns. You need to start putting him to bed awake now.

I don't know how anyone does anything other than co-sleep. I tried for about a week to get my first to sleep in a crib- we both cried a lot. Co-sleeping was just so much easier! No getting up in the night, getting the baby, soothing the baby, putting the baby back down... Just roll over, put the baby on the boob, back to sleep! It was the only way I survived having a baby in graduate school. I had to be coherent.

Totally normal! Most babies love being close to Mommy. The wrap holds him up against you, and sleeping on or next to you give that same level of comfort and security. He will grow out of it! But during the first 6 months, do what works. Baby doesn't have to sleep in the crib. But you really need baby to sleep - so that you can sleep.

My oldest often slept in the swing or in bed with us. My youngest slept in his carseat and later with us. Both are great sleepers and do sleep in their own beds at night.

Try not to worry about the crib or about setting a bad habit. For now, just find something that works.

My youngest mostly slept in her car seat for like three or four months. Something about being semi upright and tucked in tight worked for her, you could try that?

Do you swaddle?
I found the transition easier if I swaddled and then made the transfer in the swaddle so arms and legs don't flop around during the transfer.

Also, I put a pre-warmed blanket into the crib under the baby just as I was putting him down so that he didn't feel the cold crib sheet when I transferred. (of course, now the ped would say no extra blanket in the crib because of the suffocation hazard (sigh), but it worked for me at the time).

These things worked for my non-reflux baby.

If your baby really has reflux, then it's a whole different story. My baby with reflux only slept well in the moby wrap because he was upright. Unfortunately, he did not sleep well in any other position until he outgrew the reflux.

My daughter was only able to sleep in her bouncy seat or with me for the first 6 months-ish due to reflux.

If you suspect gas/reflux, try elevating one end of the crib. Reflux is painful when sleeping flat, so babies with it need to sleep on a slope.

Honestly though, it's quite the adjustment. For his entire existence he has been inside your body... Safe and warm, soothed by the sounds and motion of your body. Then suddenly was forcefully removed into this big, cold, overwhelming world. 2.5 months really isn't that great of an adjustment period. If you are able to do so safely, I would just go ahead and co-sleep. I was against the idea at first, and wanted my daughter sleeping in the crib from the beginning. Then reality snuck up and slapped me hard in the sleep-deprived face and I decided that it was more important to do whatever worked for our family instead of what other people told us. For what it's worth, it was pretty easy to transition her to the crib when she started weaning herself from needing night feedings.

Good suggestions below. What about swaddling? Sometimes it's not just the closeness but the feeling of being securely squished, as they had in the womb. We also had a teddy bear that made a heartbeat sound - calmed our fussy boy. It had a volume control so we could adjust it - I'm not sure how much benefit came from the heartbeat itself (best in newborns I think) and how much came from the fact that it drowned out surrounding noises and stimuli. When you put him down, try rubbing his back very very slowly and gently - not like a massage, just like "I"m here and you're fine." Eventually kids have to learn to self-soothe but it's tough in newborns. That said, you need some sleep.

Once our child could raise and turn her head while on her tummy, we were given the ok to let her sleep on her tummy, she slept through the night!

The other thing I did was to roll up a towel and place it up against the bumper of the crib and then lay her with her head up against that towel. That seemed to make her feel even more cozy while swaddled.

I also know moms will sleep or "wear" the crib sheet in her shirt before placing it on the crib mattress. This leaves her scent. This then seems to also calm infants.

All of my newborns were like this. They slept while being held, in car seats, in the swing but never, ever in a crib!!!!

With my youngest I discovered the Fisher Price Rock N Play Sleeper. It was gold!!!' Positions the baby upright, like being held, rocks a litlle when the baby moves. And unlike the Boppy seat or other vibrating infant seats, it's higher off the floor - fantastic if you have a dog or curious toddler. I highly recommend!
Here's the link on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Newborn-Rock-Sleeper-Y...

Best,
T. Y
SAHM of 5
14, 12, 6, 4 & 2

Put the crib right by your side of the bed. Put him in it then put your hand through the sides. He will feel you but also get used to the feel of the mattress.

So totally normal. Let him sleep on you or try putting him on his belly in the crib. Thats the only way 3 of my 4 would sleep.

If you are worried about SIDS, I don't believe it is from belly sleeping, but more from babies breathing in toxic flame retardant chemicals in the mattress. Google mattress wrapping if you are worried about it.

Just another idea. Is the crib sheet cold? If so, then use a heated towel or a heating pad to warm up the area you will lay him down in his crib so he isn't jolted awake by suddenly leaving the warmth of your body to cold sheets.

Also, give him a few minutes to settle. You may find that he settles and goes back to sleep. We all wake and return to sleep. I wish I had done that with my 8 year old - took me years to get him to sleep.

My second slept a lot of nights in his swing. It was Fisher Price with an aquarium theme - looks like today's version looks like this:
http://www.fisher-price.com/en_US/brands/babygear/product...
He liked motion - so he slept better this way until about 4 months or so.
Do the best you can, you can't sleep train now anyhow.

I had 2 of these, but they wouldn't be worn either, so you are lucky in a way! Try letting him sleep in his swing, or carseat even if you need to. If it is reflux then when you lay him down flat on his crib, it can make the reflux worse and wake him up.

Also, there is the fear of falling when you go to bend over to lay him in his bed. I hope some of these ideas help. They do outgrow the reflux and then it gets easier.

We threw out the crib when my oldest was that age since he hated it so much, and never looked back. We went on to have three more children who co-slept with us until 3yo and they are all good sleepers now and I don't remember any horrible nights of screaming to get them to sleep away from us. They did, however, learn to sleep at our parents' houses as early as 1yo, as they also co-slept with our kids when they stayed the night.

That was our experience. Our kids wanted to be near us when they slept, and we didn't have the typical American "problem" with this, so we simply didn't think a crib was necessary. We did use a bassinet when they were less than 6mo for daytime naps.

Do you use a swaddle? That was the best for both my kids. It prevented them from moving around and waking themselves up and kept them close and tight and they also learned that when the swaddle went on, it was time fore bed-in their crib. Believe me, all you want is for your baby to sleep so you can get some too, I absolutely get that! But maybe try the swaddle and leave your child in the crib and you may have one or 2 days of minor crying or whining but that will pass. Good Luck!

I have a 2.5 month old, too. He's currently sleeping from about 9:30pm-8am in his crib. I don't co-sleep (had a friend who's husband suffocated their newborn, it was horrible), but kept the baby in our room until he was sleeping through the night. At first, he hated the crib, he'd wake up almost instantly and be upset. He would sleep either on me for naps, and would only sleep in a infant chair (fisher price's infant to toddler rocker). So that's where he slept. I'd start out each night putting him in his crib swaddled, and if he woke up unhappy I'd get him back to sleep and let him sleep a few hours in the rocker. After the next feeding, he'd go back in the crib, and then to the rocker if he woke up. After about a week he started sleeping in the crib. I think swaddling definitely helps the transition, we aren't swaddling anymore, but did when he was getting used to the crib. Good luck with whatever you choose, I hope you all get some sleep!

Updated

I have a 2.5 month old, too. He's currently sleeping from about 9:30pm-8am in his crib. I don't co-sleep (had a friend who's husband suffocated their newborn, it was horrible), but kept the baby in our room until he was sleeping through the night. At first, he hated the crib, he'd wake up almost instantly and be upset. He would sleep either on me for naps, and would only sleep in a infant chair (fisher price's infant to toddler rocker). So that's where he slept. I'd start out each night putting him in his crib swaddled, and if he woke up unhappy I'd get him back to sleep and let him sleep a few hours in the rocker. After the next feeding, he'd go back in the crib, and then to the rocker if he woke up. After about a week he started sleeping in the crib. I think swaddling definitely helps the transition, we aren't swaddling anymore, but did when he was getting used to the crib. Good luck with whatever you choose, I hope you all get some sleep!