I have a 7 wk old who only likes to sleep in his swing. I have 2 positioners one that is slightly elevated and one that he can lay on his side but he has never cared for either of those. Whenever I put him down in one of those(in his pack and play) he would always wake up.
I am going back to work in less than 3 wks and he will have to sleep in a crib at daycare. How do I even begin? Do I start during the day with naps so I don't keep my husband up in the middle of the night? Or is it best to start at night? What do I put him to sleep in at night in the crib when I can't use a blanket? Now he wears a onsie(usually long sleeves) and I put a very light blankie on his bottom half.
He might have some sort of acid reflux thing going on and laying down is uncomfortable. I'm no doc, so it was just a thought. You know, I never worried about the blanket. I always used one with no problem, but they make footed, long sleeve pjs that I like (blankets never stay in place anyway).
I wish we didn't have to go back to work. Being a mommy should be enough.
B
Babies need to have one more layer of clothing on than you are comfortable with... so if you are sleeping with a sheet or comforter, you need to make sure baby has at least that many layers. You can find sleep sacks at Babies R Us or other retailers that give that extra layer of warmth for baby (especially if your house has AC!) My son was always very cold (he was born in June, so this was during the hot summer months of Albuquerque) and I always had a hat and gloves (socks) on him.
Getting your baby to sleep in any kind of routine is very difficult before they are 8 weeks old (and people can be very emotional about the way you do it). My son slept about 3 days in a pack in play in our room and then we moved him to his crib, for his sake as well as ours! My husband snores, and any time we'd move around my son would hear us and wake up. We have a video monitor so I could always look to see how he was doing. We used the Babywise method, and my son has always been a good sleeper, both for naps and at night. He does NOT like sleeping in a pack in play. It is not as comfortable as his crib, and the mattress really is not as supportive as a good, firm crib mattress. I have a friend whose 2 year old son still sleeps in a pack in play and I don't know how they do it!
Babies also are usually very gassy until after 8 weeks, so that may be part of why your son likes the swing. Just keep trying the crib and good luck!
My advice is if he is okay sleeping somewhere, let him do it. My baby loves her bouncy seat, and we even had one brought into her room when we stayed the night in the hospital last week. I am hard pressed to believe the day care does not have even one baby swing. I would strongly request that that is where they put him down for his naps. I would assume they would accomodate him if you explain, and if they won't I'd be concerned about the day care. There shouldn't be any reason they cannot let him sleep in a swing there.
Keep trying the crib at nap time and try not to worry too much. He will adjust to the change of sleeping places in child care. Some infants adjust to sleeping in a crib at child care when they sleep with parents or in a swing at home with no problems, for others it takes a little time. If the child care center knows that you have tried to "prepare" him as best you could, they will (or should) be grateful for that. If it were me on the teacher end, I would take that as a sign that this is a parent that I will be able to work with to provide the best possible care and education for her child.
I'd stick to naps for now since he'll be in child care during the day and so whatever you need to do at night so everyone gets the sleep they need - or as much sleep as possible. Good luck and enjoy your little one. :)
Hi M.,
This sounds like the perfect opportunity!
Daycare will be a whole new environment: new toys, new play areas, new people, etc.
A "new" sleeping place will be just as easy (or difficult) for your little one to adjust to.
I wouldn't bother "preparing" him: just go for it :))
T
Pick up a copy of The Baby Whisperer. She has a lot of good suggestions on compassionate ways to help infants at varying stages get used to going to sleep in their cribs.
I'm a home daycare provider and a mom to a 3 month old, so I have a few suggestions. It really depends on which is more important to you at this age: teaching good, consisten sleep habits or where the baby sleeps.
With the daycare kids, I let them nap in a swing or a bouncy chair when they're that little. Everyone takes their afternoon nap at the same time, so it's easier to train them to nap when I want them to in a swing/chair and I'm able to keep the little babies near me so I can get to them quickly without waking the other kids. Swings/chairs are a place of comfort for them and they can sleep and wake and sleep again without feeling alone or getting too fussy. Besides, I'm just not comfortable letting the tiny ones out of my sight, even with a monitor. My daughter takes her morning nap in her bouncy during the week and her afternoon naps are always in her swing for consistency. At night, we've always put our daughter in her bassinet to sleep. She naps in there on weekend and Daddy mornings.
If your daycare provider has a swing (which they should if they care for infants), let him nap in the swing, since that's what he's comfortable with. He'll have enough to adjust to (no Mommy/Daddy, new people/sounds/smells, schedule changes) that there's no reason to upset another aspect of his life right now.
If you want to get him out of the swing at night, you might want to go back to swaddling him. He might like the swing for the incline, but he might also like it for the snug feeling. Swaddling will give him the comfort of snugness and keep him from feeling uncomfortable in the open bassinet. Also, try putting him in his bassinet before he's totally asleep. Let him fall asleep on his own in the bassinet and he'll get used to sleeping there quickly. I'm not suggesting you put him down wide awake and let him scream for hours, but hold him until he gets drowsy and put him down before he's fully asleep. Play music for him after you lay him down and start a routine that he can learn means sleep, just as he's learned that the swing means sleep. If you start now, he'll quickly learn that getting his diaper changed, jammies on, being held/rocked for a bit means sleepy time and will soon be able to sleep where ever you put him when that routine is followed. It's how I've taught the daycare kids, ranging in age from infants to preschoolers, to nap all together and at the same time everyday and it's how I've taught my daughter to nap/sleep under any circumstances.
As for your last question about what to cover him with, a company called Halo makes a SleepSack that is endorsed by First Candle/SIDS Alliance. Basically, it's a vest-like sack that is a wearable blanket. It zips top to bottom for easier diaper changes, comes in many sizes and colors and is available in a SwaddleSack version with a detachable, velcro swaddle.
Good luck!
the crib may be too big for him. I had the same trouble with mine. when they are that little they still want to feel snugglie and secure. you can buy little foam nests (not sure what they are called) to go in crib to make him feel surrounded, or what I did is make a nest out of blankets but put it under the crib sheet so no risk of suffocation and that worked well until they started moving around! Also the blanket issue...you can get a sleeper sack is like a little blanket with arm and neck holes that they zip into to keep them warm at night! good luck!
I am not sure how to tell you to transition your son into a crib for daycare... my son refused to sleep anywhere but in a swing until he was a year. Then he would sleep in a play pen.
If need be I am a mom of 4 and I would be willing to watch your son. I lost my job at an elementary school due to the economic cuts.
