8 Week Old Will Only Fall Asleep in Bouncy Seat

Hi J.!
All three of mine slept in their bouncy chair until maybe 3 months. In fact it was the only spot they would sleep for 4-6 hours at night! Eventually they grew too big/heavy and wanted more 'privacy' to sleep. So then I moved them to the crib.

As long as her head isn't getting too flat. She will be fine. I know this isn't proven, but I always wondered if sleeping upright was so comfortable b/c it supported the digestive tract more than sleeping flat.

Hi J.,
My son slept in his bouncy seat until he was close to 6 months old. I did it more for the acid reflux issue he had and I too was concerned but after talking to some other moms I was surprised to learn how many did this as well. don't focus on it too much. When your daughter starts to get bigger and doesn't look as comfy in the seat, then transition her. We used that wedge pillow that goes on top of the mattress but under the sheet once we transitioned and it helped...I think the first night or too was a little rough but nothing unbearable. Don't worry too much about this...it's really no biggie...getting sleep is the key!
L.

Some children will go through phases where they only sleep for short periods of time. Honestly at eight weeks a 1 to 2 hour nap is great. The older she gets the shorter her naps. My son wouldn't sleep but for about 30 minutes a few times a day at first. At about six to eight months he started taking two to three 1 to 2 hours naps. On occasion he will sleep three hours, but that's not often.

He sleeps from 8pm until morning, but wants to eat two or three times. I've had to just rock him back to sleep and skip the feeding for a few weeks now. He's now down to one feeding at 5am. I still have to rock him for a few minutes at midnight, but that's better than he was.

Some kids sleep well and some don't. My middle child slept pretty much all night from 3 weeks on. Maybe got up at 11pm when I got home from my part=time job and then again around 5am for a quick snack and back to sleep until 8am or so. She was probably three months old and she was down to one feeding and then sleeping all night before she was a year old.

I agree with your husband. If she is comfortable in the bouncy chair by all means let her sleep. My daughter also did the same when she was a newborn. I transitioned her to a crib when she was about 7 weeks. I was lucky that she took to it right away. Oherwise i would have used the bassinet and bouncy chair until she was ready. You could also try placing the bouncy chair in the crib while she sleeps. That could help her transistion in the future.
Do whatever it takes to make sure your both happy!:)
THere will be plenty of "crying it out" nights in your future!!So take your time:)
Good Luck

I agree with your husband, do whatever it takes to help her sleep. The only way your going to get sleep is if she is sleeping. At eight weeks I do not feel it is necessary to worry about sleep training. My 6 month ds still has nights he will only sleep if he is in his bouncy chair. I strap him in and put the chair into his crib. He and I get a much better night sleep then if I tried to fight it. The next day he sleep in his crib just fine. I have a hard time letting my kids cry it out and I do not think it is always necessary. So I say let the baby sleep in her chair if that is where she feels most comfortable and secure and just be thankful she is sleeping. Good luck! A.

Trust your instincts. I did it and she slept like that for a good 3 months, in the chair, inside my crib-side crib. She learned to transition once we laid her on her tummy (again, inside the crib, next to my bed) and on her side (with a towel rolled up along her back to support it) She'll be fine and don't let people tell you that she'll never learn to sleep without it. For now, she needs it. Some babies have a harder time adjusting to their new environment. Good Luck and Congrats. m

Are you swaddling? That may help her sleep better in the crib. But don't worry too much about the bouncy seat. My son slept the first two weeks in his crib like an old pro and then would only sleep in the bouncy until almost 3 months and still was taking naps in it at 4 months. If you're really concerned you could look into www.napnanny.com . I haven't heard any reviews on it but it sure looks comfy!

Jennifery, No worries. The bouncy seat won't hurt her. She will outgrow it before it is an issue. My oldest child slept in a swing for the first few months. it was the only way I could get her to sleep. my mom said he first word was Wheeeee.....

If she has good neck control, I would put her to sleep on her tummy. My daughter slept on our chests for the first two months and we didn't get any sleep this way. My mom kept telling me to put her on her tummy and it worked immediately! I was scared to do it but it is more detrimental to have no sleep than to sleep on their tummys. She is now almost 6months old and is still a tummy sleeper.

I'm the mother of 3 small children: 6,3,2. I can tell you that you're always wanting to do "everything right" or "by the book" with that first child... it's just natural & the only way we know to do things. With three kids under my belt (and done...) I can say - that whatever works for your baby - do it. Don't worry about what everyone says it "right" or the "way to do it". Sleep is hard to come by & when you find something that works - just do it. They go through so many stages that you can make adjustments as they work thru their stages. What works today will more than likely not work in a month... Don't underestimate the power of your own gut! :>)

Yes do what ever it takes, let her sleep in the bouncy chair till 4 months and then put the bouncy chair in the crib to slowly transition her and then by 5 months ease her out of the bouncy and jus tto the crib. please you cannot spoil a baby and she might need the upright for reflux issues durin gthe day.
good luck
J.

We also had our son sleep on our chests a lot when he was newborn. We couldn't get him to sleep in his crib or co-sleeper. He would only sleep in his car seat or on our chests. When he was about 4 months old, we moved him into the bassinet on the pack-n-play. From there we moved him into his crib.

My daughter (now 8 weeks) sleeps in either her swing or co-sleeper. I haven't tried the crib because of the experience with my son and I haven't bothered setting it up yet!

I would let her sleep where she feels comfortable. She will eventually sleep in the crib, it probably just feels too big for her at this point.

we used the car seat... then put it in the crib. and then finally the child in the crib. perhaps play the same music while she's in the bouncey seat.... and then eventually try the crib and play the same music and maybe she's associate the music instead of the bouncey seat?

Hi J. and Congratulations. We went throught the same thing with our first daughter and being a mom to new baby brings a lot of questions. Here is what worked for us. Our daughter would not sleep in the bassinet/pack and play. It seemed as if it were too big for her because she could fall asleep in the car seat, bouncy, swing or on us. Our fear was shed never sleep in her bed. we wanted her to get used to sleeping in her crib so that eventually we didnt have a big transition when it was the only place she could sleep. On the advice of our ped. we put her in the car seat to sleep but put the car seat in her crib so she became familiar with the surroundings in her room. It worked like a charm and as she got bigger and the crib didnt seem so big and the car seat was not as cozy she transitioned out of it with no issues. The dr. said many newborns need closer quarters than a bassinet/crib provides as they are used to being so close in the womb and that sleeping on the incline of the bouncy,swing or car seat helps them digest their food better which is another reason they are more comfy in that position. Good luck. Sleep is so important for all of you!

Our son slept in his swing or vibrating bouncy for months. It was the only place he would sleep! After a few months we were able to get him to sleep in his crib at night, but nap time was still in the swing or bouncy. At 6 months it seemed like a switch went off and he just decided he liked the crib best. My daughter did the same thing with nap time until she was 6 months old.
We did let him cry it out by 4 months at bed time. He caught on pretty quickly. So, I have to disagree with the person that said 4 months is too early to cry it out.

My son Cooper just turned 3 moths yesterday and we have the same issue. The doctor tells us its ok for him to sleep in it. When we do transition him to the crib for naps during the day he wakes within 15 minutes. We feel your frustration! I just hope he outgrows the bouncer and eventually goes into the crib.

Hi J.,
I am a mother of 4 (15,12,8 & 5) My second child was a big baby (10lbs-5oz) and the first month he was fine in his crib, but then came month 2. I had put him on formula to help supplement me and he was miserable and fussy when we would lay him down. I would put him in his vibrating seat and he would sleep so well in it I hated to bother him. So for his naps and bedtime he slept in his bouncey/vibrating seat. I did, however, keep it in his crib with the side of the crib up just in case he could somehow slither out. He never did and by 4 months he was sleeping in his crib without the seat in it, but I did have the mattress on an angle just up one click from the foot side. He stayed like that until he was about 6 months old. By then he was such a mover a level bed was, I felt, less dangerous. He was the only one who had a fussy spirt like that. Good Luck!!!

P.S. I also had all of my children in a side sleeping position with a wedge I bought at Babies R Us. You would put the baby on their side and a long wedge was at the back and a smaller wedge was in the front from the hips up to the chest.

We put our son on his back for the first 6 weeks, but then he had such a gas issue that we start putting him on his tummy for naps so I could watch him. and because he could look up and move pretty well. I put him on his tummy in the crib and he slept all night from 10pm -6 am and has been on his tummy ever since. If he is on his back he wakes up, because the gas bubbles moving in his tummy. This is the only way he will sleep.

But you can only do this if you feel comfortable.

You got a lot of advice already! Both my kids were better sleepers in the bouncy seat when they were so small. I think the elevation makes it much more comfortable. Our son's occupational therapist said that all babies have a certain amount of acid reflux so it makes sense. I would maybe try not to rely on the vibration, though, since that's not something you can reproduce everywhere.

As for sleeping on her tummy, we would have the hardest time getting our daughter to settle down and sleep for stretches when we'd put her on her back, but we noticed that if she napped (supervised) on her tummy, she was much more comfortable. So I asked the doctor and he said as long as she had good neck control, then I could let her tummy-sleep at 8 weeks. The day she turned 8 weeks, I flipped her and she slept for 10 hours!!! She slept the night at a very, very young age and is still a good sleeper at 10 1/2 months. And to this day, I have never ever seen her sleeping on her back. She's just so much more comfortable that way. As long as a baby can clear her mouth and nose from a blanket, it's safe to be on her tummy. Give it a try, congratulations and good luck!

I agree with your husband and yes about 4-6 months is a good time for CIO as babies don't have enough memory before that. Little ones are often quite averse to a crib as it is so vast and so different from the womb. The book "healthy sleep habits, happy baby" is great. I know that at 8 weeks I wasn't letting my baby sleep enough - never let baby be awake for more than 2 hrs at a time. after 1 hour of being awake, look for signs of tiredness and get baby to sleep. 8 weeks is the height for what we call colic ie unexplained crying. This can frequently happen at the end of the day due to built up stress and is exacerbated by too few naps. Do whatever works to get baby to sleep - rock, put in car seat, swaddle - the amby bed at www.amby.com works great. Whatever it is, try it as sleep is very important - just as important as food. Good luck

4 months old is NOT old enough to let them cry it out...I would do more research on that before you go that route. But I would also pannick at that age about my daughters sleep and thought what she did would be that way forever...and it wont. Do what you can do (safely) to get her to sleep and st some point you will get her out of he bouncy seat. My daughter used to put herself to sleep at 2 months of age (VERY rare) and when she stating crawling that ended and had to fight her to sleep. When they atart their milestones everything changes...teething too. Your child will sleep someday!!!

As long as she is sleeping you are good to go! Anything that works as long as it is safe is fine for baby. My kids slept in the bouncy chair for hours, like the others said she will grow out of it before it's an issue. You're doing great.

Hi J.,
No worries. I have an 8 year old daughter who spent the first 5 months of her life in a bouncy seat. She was colicky and would only feel comfortable in her bouncy seat. Eventually we transitioned her. We would put her to sleep in her bouncy seat in her crib. This got her used to her crib. She just was not ready to lie flat. Eventually we took the bouncy seat out of the crib but it took awhile and the pediatrician assured us it would be okay. She is now a thriving 8 year old without issue. Good luck!