Will Not Sleep in Crib!!!

I had the same problem with my first child, We tried everything!! She suffered from severe reflux so whenever she laid flat she was in pain. She slept in her swing until she was 6 mths old. Then one night we put her in her crib and she slept!!! I couldn't believe she transitioned in one night! I know it's frustrating because you think they will NEVER sleep in their bed but they will!!

Neither of my children slept in their crib until 6 months old. This is totally normal for me. We got a really nice swing for them and just let it go all night long. After a while they just start to prefer the crib. It's not permanent and it won't spoil them. Whatever it takes to help them get the rest they need (without drugs). If the swing along doesn't work we just crank up the white noise maker and sometimes that runs all night too. Don't forget to swaddle and use a pacifier. When the kids out grew their receiving blankets I got some 2 yards of microfiber fleese to wrap them up in.

My second baby would not sleep in a crib, or bassinet either once she was about 4 weeks old. I just let her sleep in the bouncy seat or swing and eventually she outgrew it. She is now 5 months old an has been sleeping in her crib for almost 2 months. I know several other Moms who went through the same thing and as the babies got a little older they tranistioned to a crib. I would not worry about it for now and just do whatever you can to get as much sleep as possible, good luck!

With both of my kids, they didn't like the bassinet or crib for a couple of months. When they were brought home from the hospital they would either sleep in the vibrating chair or carseat for the longest time. Probably when they were 3 months old, they would finally sleep in the crib. You will do anything to have them sleep so you can get some sleep as well. I hope this helps.

I had the same problem with my son when he was born. He would never sleep in his crib. The only place he would sleep was in his carseat carrier, so I swaddled him really tight and let him sleep in his carrier for the first six months and he eventually grew out of it. I say, do whatever works best for you and your child. The most important thing is that you actually get a good night's sleep and that your son is in a safe place when he is sleeping. My son is 3 years old and doesn't have any sleep issues now. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't have him sleep in your room or in a bouncy seat or whatever you deem best for him. He will not grow up with sleep issues unless he doesn't get a good night sleep. One question, when you put him down, do you have him swaddled really tight? Babies under 4 months love being swaddled and feel more secure being tightly rolled in a blanket. I think this is why my baby loved his carseat, because he really couldn't move around and it didn't allow for him to wake up.

This is totally normal. Most babies don't want to sleep alone, or laying flat, because they have spent nine months snuggled up inside your body. That's what makes them feel warm and safe! He likes the swing because it mimics your body and your arms. Have you considered just letting your son sleep with you? That's what he needs, the constant touch and attention even while sleeping. I wore my daughter in a carrier for months on end during naps, and at night she went to bed with us and slept in the crook of my arm. My husband didn't like the idea of co-sleeping until we tried it. It was great never having to leave the bed with a newborn--we were so well rested and still are! Now he says his favorite thing is waking up in the morning to our daughter giggling and kissing him. Around ten months old I could snuggle my daughter to sleep in bed, and then sneak away. She'll sleep in there by herself until we come to bed, or for several hours at nap time. It's a little extra work to keep your baby in arms, but it's what your baby needs and worth it in the long run. They are only tiny for such a short amount of time. Why buy a million other devices to do what your arms are meant to do? That seems silly to me.

my son slept in his carseat till he was 2 ( i know this is horrible.) but we could not get him out. we seen dr and everything. he ending up have sensory issues. he likes being rapped really tight. he is four now. we tried everything. it did not work. i read books and everything so we ended up giveing up and until he got in his big boy bed he finally sleeps in it but with a tv and we have to shut his door at night. he ends up sleeping on the floor by the door alot of nights. or snuggles so close to me in bed i cannot move. and there is no letting go of him.

I know this goes agaist much of what is said you should do, but you might want to try putting him down on his tummy or side. The current SIDS research is suggesting there is nothing to do about sleep position, and some babies just can not sleep on their backs. Do this of course only if you are comfortable with it. Maybe try it a bit for naps or while you sleep in his room with him.

Don't fret it! My son had the same issue--he only could sleep when he was elevated a bit--I just put his bouncy seat in his crib. He slept all night that way. Eventually, I just elevated one side of his crib and tried that. It actually wasn't too bad of a transition. He now sleeps in his crib all night! Good luck!

Brittnay,

Our son had reflux at that age but it was pretty evident as he would spit up more than normal and then, while we were waiting for the results to come back he actually started doubling over in pain. Our doctor prescribed pepcid which he was on until about 9 months. He was a different baby within 3-4 days. We also gave him cereal (per our doctor) in his bottle. We primarily did this with a bottle at night as I was still breast feeding. That was around 3 months (right before I went back to work) and he started sleeping through the night. My other thought is that our son liked to be swaddled for a long time. I don't remember when I switched from the receiving blanket to a baby blanket but I would still swaddle him in the baby blanket and then put him in the bassinette.

Good Luck!

C.

Our child slept overnight in his vibrating bouncy chair for the first 8-12 weeks. I'd rather he get good sleep than sleep in his crib and be awake. One day, we just cold turkey gave it up and he was fine.

First of all Congrats on the new one! My son had the same thing when he was that small...It will take a few nights and a little patients...prop up the head on his mattess with a blanket (from underneath). This will keep him elevated enough that he feel propped up. Snuggle him in to so he feels like someone is holding him. He will probably cry for a while, but be patient - and let him cry, it will not hurt him. I promise! Hang in there and he will learn to soothe himself to sleep. Happy new year!

Hi, Brittany --

Our daughter would NOT sleep in anything that made her lie flat. She had terrible reflux... still does when she gets worked up, and she's now three. The only thing that gave her comfort and us peace was the amby baby hammock. Check it out... at http://www.ambybaby.com/ (ambybaby dot com, in case they strip out the URL from my post). It was LIFESAVER!! She went from sleeping, at most, 2 hours at a stint, and waking herself and us up because of spitting up to sleeping 8-10 hours solid, the first night!

It is a WONDERFUL device that lets babies sleep on their backs with their heads slightly elevated. It's extremely well ventillated, and in conformance with the latest research on SIDS. Our daughter used it 'til she was 9 months old, and then, reluctantly, we had to transition her to a crib because she was able to climb out of the Amby. We'd like to have never had to use a crib because her sleep was so terrific in the Amby. Once she was in the crib, it took about 4 months for her to adjust to flat sleeping. The Amby was worth its weight in gold to us, and I tell everyone I can about it.

Good luck!
H.

hi,

we had a similar problem with our kiddo - who got a cold 2 weeks after being born.. If you are like we were - we kept him close and slept with him in our bed so that we could hear him breathing and of course, the little tyke thought that was the way to be! Some thoughts on the reluctance to sleep in crib/bassinet - 1) it may be scary now or unfamiliar especially if you don't let him nap in it during the day. 2) He may be super sensitive like our tyke was (at times) and notice things like the change in temperature that would happen when we moved him from our arms into (cold) baby crib. One thing that the swinging vibrating is probably mimicing very well is the swish and swing of what it was like to be in the womb. You might think about a) swaddling him in a blanket prior to sleep so that when you move him from arms to crib he is still in the same position with a warm barrier to the cold b) investing in one of those white noise things (or making that shh shh shh close to his ear while you lay him down c) taking care to really notice if you are shifting his position (from laying on side to back etc.)or, worst comes to worst, looking into one of those old fashioned crib/bassinets that rock... and trading the one you have in for it. :) just some thoughts. I never had a swing thing that our baby liked for very long. I don't know what the reccomendations are for keeping them in them for long periods of time. I guess the main considerations are - how safe do you think he is there? Is tehre any chance he could roll/ get tangled up in rope? Every baby is different. Good luck!

Hi all... just wanted to caution against letting a child sleep in a bouncy chair, car seat, etc... there was an article out last year particularly pertaining to car seats of children's airways getting cut off (mainly those that cannot raise their own head) with the outcome not good! I let mine sleep in car seat many times and when I read that, I immediately stopped it. Sometimes in the car it is unavoidable but at least you are there to watch. Sleeping is a different story. Just wanted people to know for I sure didn't until I read that.

I think more people expereince this then own up to it. My twins slept in the same pack and play in our room for the first two months. Then one decided not to and was followed by his brother a couple weeks later. We tried the wedges, the contraption to allow them to sleep on their sides but not roll, and stacking books under the matress to elevate it (one had reflux). Finally, I just let them sleep in their swing and bouncy chair (although neither was ever on). We all needed our sleep. At around 5 months I put the one twin in his bouncy chair in his crib to get him used to the surroundings. We did that for a while and then we took him out of the chair and into the crib, doing the cry it out (three nights) and he's been there ever since. Did the same with his brother a few weeks later. Now, at 17 months they sleep wonderfully and I wondered why I was so worried about it!

Best of luck!

hello hope this helps-my babies slept in me and my husbands room for the first 6 mos. and we cannot sleep without a fan running-my kids never had any trouble going to sleep-im pretty sure the sound itself puts them to sleep to this day they cant sleep without afan- try it and see

Ok I had this same problem but I have twins so mine is alittle harder but my problem started when the twins were 4 weeks old
I would give then a bottle and they would be up a couple of hours later then I started them on cereal and then they were full and they would sleep after I started them on the cereal I could put them in there crib with out a problem
and so it might help you get him to sleep in his crib
Also try to put him in a bigger diaper at night to if he wears a size 1 put him in size 2
My twins are now in size 3 bc they are in a size 2 diaper during the day
They have changed alot since I started them on cereal and changed their diaper size at night
I promise it will work and then may be he will also start sleeping through the night
Please let me know If it works for you
and yes if you ask your doctor about puting him on cereal they will say no but most people do it any way I promise it will work

My First son would not sleep in anything but his car seat or swing for the first 6 months of his life. We tried everything until we were exhausted, so we decided to just go with what worked for us and him. Trying to deal with a baby and deal with little or no sleep was too much and our patience quickly dissapeared. In the end we were better parents. Hang in there it gets better.

What you described is exactly what out situation was with our son... turned out that he was allergic to cow's milk and soy (I was breastfeeding and had to eliminate these from my own diet so he didn't get it through nursing, BUT formulas are based on the same 2 things - cow's milk and soy! - so a change of formula to a hypoallergenic one might help).

Some links for you to check out (and if it references breastfeeding and you are formula feeding, don't worry about it - the allergens are the same regardless of whether breastfeeding or formula feeding):
http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/food-sensitivity.html
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/t041800.asp
http://www.aaaai.org/patients/publicedmat/tips/prevention...

Best of luck!

if the swing or bouncy is the only place he will sleep i would talk to your doctor about him having a bit of reflux my daughter did this and we found out she didnt like being flat b/c it made her heart burn worse.... now she will sleep in her bed by the way so if thats the only place he will sleep let him do it and dont worry about it yet!!

Ok, so you have probably read all these requests but I just have to say that my son slept in his bouncy seat until he was almost 3 months old. I say wherever he feels comfortable, let him do it!! At least, for now so you all can get some rest!! My daughter had a hard time staying asleep and would sleep through the night only on me!! I just would wean them gradually. I got my son to sleep in his crib by putting him in there for naps and not rushing in right away if he started to cry. I pretty much did that with my daughter too and eventually they got the picture!! I let them both cry it out to a certain extent too. I always felt bad but when it is bed time, it is bed time!! As long as they were fed and changed then that was it! Good luck and it will get better eventually.

Yes; we've been there done that. Our daughter had acid reflux and when we discovered that as the reason for her screaming all night long, she started sleeping in her bouncy seat. It helped some, but it was a hard switch and not fun! I don't have real advice, but know that you're not alone! You may try to do some slow transitions, such as, moving the basinet into the same room as his crib (if not already) and other little things that may get him closer to his final destination. Both of our kids have had the same music CD since they came home from the hospital. This way, whereever they are, they have the comfort of music as they go to sleep (our 1 year old, who was the bouncy sleeper, still has hers going all night long on repeat.) That's another trick to try.
Wish you the best, and better sleep!! It will all come together eventually, don't give up on the crib!

I read through most of the responses, and also wanted to reassure you that both of my sons slept in a semi-upright position for the first few months of life. I used a seat called a Fisher Price Cradle Rocker Seat, that even worked with a bassinet fitted sheet, so I could regularly launder it and change it easily. For the first month or so, I placed it on the floor next to the couch where I spent long nights sleeping, then, once the sleep pattern was more established, moved it into the actual crib, but NEVER once my sons were starting to show signs of rolling over independently. Also, I would strongly suggest speaking to your child's pediatrician, just to make sure there isn't any type of medical condition that is impacting his sleep. For both of my sons, their doctor said she'd much rather they slept in the semi-upright position, than on their stomachs. She said there are infant sleep studies that show that semi-upright allows for longer periods of deep sleep for infants. Anyway, good luck, and hopefully...goodnight :-)

My baby was like that too. She will not sleep for more than ten minutes in her crib, but will sleep for hours in her car seat and swing. When I found out what works for her, I went with it!Do not be scared just make sure you check on him once in a while and also cover him up well with a blanket. Mine will sleep from 9pm to 8am without waking up except to nurse and she will go back to sleep immediately after nursing.

My son, who is now 10, slept in his swing throughout the third month of his life. We just made sure he was bundled up so his little extremities wouldn't take a chill from the "breeze" generated by the motion of the swing. After a few weeks he was too heavy for the swing's mechanism, so that was the end of that. If he ever fell asleep in the carseat, we would bring it in the house and let him sleep there until he awoke. I don't think there's anything wrong with letting a baby sleep wherever he wants, so long as it is safe and temperature-appropriate. Enjoy your little one, and don't feel guilty about doing something that works for both of you.
Peace,
J.

Brittany I had the same problem with my 1st baby.She is now 6. As the mother of a 4 month old I vowed to do whatever it takes to not have the same issues with my second as my first. You are on the right track with the wedge. Here is what works for my 4 month old and has worked since the day we got home.
-YOU MUST PUT THE BABY TO BED IN THE SAME LOCATION EVERY NIGHT!!! PREFERABLY THEIR CRIB BECAUSE THEIR HABITS START NOW AND THATS WHERE HE WILL BE UNTIL ABOUT 3 YEARS OLD.
-ROLL TWO BLANKETS INTO TUBES AND COVER THEM WITH AN OPEN BLANKET OVER YOUR WEDGE. MAKE IT COZY LIKE HE IS SNUGGLED IN. lIKE YOUR AMS ARE STILL HOLD HIM WHEN HE IS IN THE CRIB.
-MOST IMPORTANTLY WRAP YOUR BABY IN A WARM COZY BLANKET. I LAY MY DAUGHTER IN THE MIDDLE AND FOLD THREE CORNERS IN. THEN HOLD YOUR BABY UNTIL HE IS ASLEEP. THE WARMTH FROM YOUR BODY WILL SAY WITH HIM AS YOU LAY HIM DOWN BECAUSE OF THE BLANKET YOU WRAPPED HIM IN. THEN LAY HIM IN THE COZY NEST SO THAT YOU HAVE CREARED IN HIS CRIB.

Good luck, T.
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