Is It Too Early to Transition My 6 Week Old into His Crib?

Updated on February 20, 2009
C.B. asks from Monson, MA
15 answers

Hello Ladies! Here is my situation....My 6 week old and I are co sleeping and have been since birth. The problem is that he isn't really sleeping soundly and he whines and grunts and makes a whole lot of noise, therefore since he is also keeping me awake...I sleep while holding him so he sleeps as well. I do not want to do this anymore,neither one of us are getting any sleep and I am going to be returning to work next week. He does the whole noise thing during the day as well so I think that he is just a noisy little man. Is it too early to put him in his crib with the monitor? I think both of us would sleep better but I get nervous. I have one of those sleep positioners that keeps him in place and raises his head a bit...any advice would be appreciated. I kept my daughter in my room till 4 months and put her in her crib..Please help!

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J.F.

answers from Boston on

This is the perfect time to do it. When babies are this young they don't even know the difference. I put my daughter into her crib in her own room at about 7 weeks. She took to it fine and has always been a great sleeper. I have heard the co sleeping thing is a hard habit to break so I would definately suggest moving him NOW.

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N.R.

answers from Boston on

Hi C..
I have 3 boys. The 2 younger ones came home and went right into a crib. I think think he will be fine. As long as you have the thing that keeps him from rolling and the crib is empty (no pillows or blankets) I wouldn't be concerned.
You need your sleep too.
Good luck

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J.B.

answers from Hartford on

Hi C.. I had my newborn in the bassinet every night for the first 6 weeks, then when I had to return to work, I transitioned her to the crib and I have the screen monitor. My little girl was very noisy too!! I was laughing when I read your post b/c she is now 3.5 months and sleeps very soundly but I forgot about noisy she used to be!! I was reading your post to my MIL and she reminded me that I need to write these things down! Anyhow, I wanted to start her in the crib early so that she (and I!) was used to it. I check her often and of course will always be nervous.

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L.M.

answers from Boston on

C.,

It's not to early. I found that my daughter was desturbed by my husband and I rolling over in bed while she slept in the bassinet in our room. I transitioned her at 3 weeks to her own room and used the monitor. Honestly she didn't know the difference and it worked better for us as well.

L. M

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S.J.

answers from Boston on

I don't think it's too early at all. We moved our daughter to her crib at around 4 weeks, and she slept longer than she ever did when she was in the bassinet in our room--7 hours straight the first night in the crib! (And this was a breastfed child who was growing like crazy.) We all slept better in our own rooms. Sleep is so important for babies' development and for your ability to function. Whatever allows you all to sleep better is the right thing to do.

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R.K.

answers from Springfield on

I would say if you must put him in a crib keep him in your room. Babies that sleep close to their moms are at a lower risk for SIDS.

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H.R.

answers from Hartford on

It's not too early at all. My second child went right to his crib at three days old when we came home from the hospital. We all slept better. When he woke and cried, I would go in and nurse in his room and then put him back to bed. With my first child we did this at about two or three weeks. Both are fine...actually, I think they're great sleepers...and they are 2 1/2 and 5 now!

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G.B.

answers from Boston on

I don't think it is too early. I transitioned my son between 8-10 weeks. He was waking up three times so I started with him in our room and at first moved him into his crib after his 5am wake up. Waited a bit then moved him after his 2am wake up and then his 11pm wake up. At ten weeks I put him in his crib at 8pm and he has been there ever since. He started sleeping through the night 2 weeks later. Good luck.

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L.E.

answers from Hartford on

no it's not too early. some babies go right into their own crib as soon as they come home. do whatever is best for you and your child.

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J.S.

answers from Boston on

Hi Congrats on your new little one!! When we got home from the hospital ( my daughter was 5 days old as we had a c section), she slept in a moses basket on a dresser in our room for the first couple nights but we had similar issues with the noises plus it was summer and we had our A/C in our room too cold for a baby. ANyway, we moved her to her crib at about 10 days old. It actually made it easier for my husband to get some sleep when I would go in to nurse her - I have a nice glider/rocker in her room for nursing. She did absolutely fine, started sleeping through the night at about 8 weeks. She's 18 months old now and sometimes asks for her crib when she's tired. Good luck! Whatever you decide will be the right thing for you.

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C.C.

answers from Springfield on

Hi C.,

Both of my brothers' families have "family beds" that my husband and I always agreed was a bad idea for us. When we brought our daughter home, though, we wanted her close. We started her with us in a basinette so that she could be right next to me in bed. We kept her in there until just over three months, after she began sleeping through the night. Even though the crib was right in the next room, I think we all began to sleep better. I could still hear her and respond if she needed me, but she also didn't have to listen to us and she started sleeping much more consistently. We also put her in there for her naps starting about a week before we moved her there for the night. I would recommend the basinette to anyone... it is a manageable size and can be right next to you, which gives you the peace of mind that you're going to need to make the change. Now that she is 19 months old, she sleeps in her own room and we have no problems with sleep in our house.

Good luck!

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C.B.

answers from Boston on

both my boys were in their cribs from day one - so i never had that 'transition' problem with either of them. i say go for it!

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M.D.

answers from Boston on

This is really a matter of personal opinion, depending on which parenting style you subscribe to. If you are bed-sharing, I wonder, are you an attachment parenting family? If so, I would say that if bed-sharing is no longer working for everyone, try a bassinet beside the bed. If this doesnt work, I guess go to a crib in another room, but I would try everything else first. 6 weeks is rather young for a baby to be all by himself. Night-time is scary for babies, and if hes all alone, he will get scared. He may very well sleep better in his own space, but close at hand, so try the bassinet. My son was in a bassinet, then a crib, in our room until he was 9 months old, and hes a happy boy and a great sleeper, in his own room, now at 12 months.

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R.T.

answers from Boston on

I don't think it's too early. My daughter always slept in her crib, even though it was only a few feet away from us in the next room. I still used the monitor. I always went to her when she cried, and consoled her as needed. You could try having the crib in your room as a transition.
But I think this helped my daughter sleep through the night, and she is indeed a really good, independent sleeper, able to comfort herself to sleep.

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K.M.

answers from Boston on

Hi,
I had my son in my room with me ONE night and could not take his noises along with holding him as well just so he would sleep. The next day I put him in his crib for a nap and then to sleep and he did fine. He has been in the crib ever since. I did put him in a positioner and we also have a video monitor, and he did just fine. And I got some sleep as well:) It is so much better to do it now than wait until later when they are dependent on sleeping with you.

Good Luck!

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