Amby

I have a homemade hammock for my little guy, & I ended up putting a folded receiving blanket under the head end of the "mattress" (actually a folded quilt). The reason is simple: the hammock starts out level, and the baby's head end is heavier than the feet end, so the hammock balances somewhat head-down, as it is suspended from its center.

Hi,
I second the blanket suggestion. We added a blanket under the baby in our Amby for additional comfort and warmth. We folded it to be thicker under our baby's head.
Good Luck.

I loved the amby we had for our second child. we borrowed it and now i recommend it for every pregnant friend. Once we got it adjusted, it seemed like i needed to exaggerate the angle to make it work, it was terrific. I didn't generally put my son in it asleep, but rather after nursing or playing and awake. I totally believe he learned how to go to sleep in it and still is pretty good at it today.
S.

He would probably wake up no matter where you put him at his young age. He is only a week old! He has been inside you - attached to you for 9 months. He doesn't know that he is a separate being from you and wants to sleep with you. I recommend wearing him in a sling around the house for a while. A snugglenest works well placed on the bed with you. Swaddling recreates the womb and can make them more comfortable too. Please read about bed sharing and co-sleeping first to make sure you fit the requirements for safe co-sleeping. James McKenna is the expert on the subject. My baby like the Amby when he was about 4 months old.

Hi E.,

We loved our Amby bed - our 22 month is too big for it now - but he slept beautifully in it for 13 months.

The first thing I would suggest is not to put your baby to bed asleep. It's not terribly surprising that he wakes up when he leaves the warmth of his mommy's arms and hits the cold sheets. Put him in bed awake but sleepy and let the rocking of the bed lull him to sleep. He may cry a bit at first and he may need you to bounce the bed a bit to get it going, but this will not only help him get used to his environment, it will also help in the long run because if he learns to fall asleep on his own then when he wakes in the night he will know how to put himself back to sleep without you.

As far as the head being lower, I don't think it's unusual for it to be a tiny bit lower. If it's too low then try putting his head at the other end of the bed and see if it makes a difference. Also, try moving him up higher in the bed. That may help.

Good luck. I am sure you will find the right balance. All the best, D.

Hi E.,
I used the Amby from the time my daughter was 3 months old, actually, because she started having a reflux problem. The first week she had to adjust to it, so she didn't sleep great, but after that it was wonderful. It was a blessing for a long time, but she became very uncomfortable after the 7th month in it because she seemed to need to stretch out. I do think it is a little touchy-one little thing can be adjusted wrong and it isn't comfortable. I found that I had to adjust the velcro until her head was higher than her feet for it to help her reflux. Also, it may be that your baby (you said he is small) does not feel secure in it-too much room in it? Are you swaddling him in there? I put her in there in a swaddle so that she could not flop around at all.
Don't give up on the Amby yet, it is a great product-at least it was for me.
Also, do you have the Happiest Baby on the Block? That CD works! I used to swaddle her, put her in the Amby, put on that CD, and that would get her to sleep pretty well. I guess the trick is achieving that womblike sensation.
Good luck to you!

A couple of other things to try are using a heating pad (remove before putting baby in) to make sure his bed is warm and putting something that smells like you (breast pads, shirt) in next to him.

If you can get him to fall asleep in the Amby, that would be great (or beyond great, maybe fantabuloustastic).

Out of desperation for sleep, I gave up on the Amby and co-slept for the first months with my first born then didn't even really try it with my second baby. I set it up and hoped he'd sleep in it, but when he resisted I just put him in bed next to me. The Amby is not a magic sleep solution for all babies, so it could be that you aren't doing anything wrong. Good luck getting some sleep!

I tried a couple of different things with my daughter (now 7 mos old). She was colicky so we tried co-sleeping, which didn't work. She hated it. We tried the next to the bed co-sleeper, but I hated it. So finally we just put the bassinet attachment on the pack-n-play. We kept the pack-n-play at the end of the bed with the rocker next to it. We'd put the boppy pillow in the pack-n-play and set her in the boppy. Once midnight hit, she'd fall right to sleep. Then about half an hour later one of us would take the boppy out from under her. She'd usually stay asleep.

We used and just loved our Amby as well!! What worked for us was a heating pad warming up the 'bed' then pulled out and the baby placed in...but having the baby PROPERLY swaddled and putting him in it slightly awake. We would then swing or bounce the hammock a bit to replicate the feelings of movement in mommy tummy...warm, snuggly and movement. Worked like a charm for us - most of the time that is. This is a new beginning and a huge change for a seven day old though so give it some time. Some naps will be better than others but overall it gets better and easier as you both find your comfort zones.

...congratulations!