Any Suggestions on Getting 3 1/2 Week Old Baby to Sleep in Bassinet or Crib?

Babies are smart. They learn to get what they want fast. And despite the fact that you don't want her to get dependent on needing a swing to fall asleep, she has already grown dependent on needing you to fall asleep. She has developed a sleep association to you holding her or you laying right next to her. A sleep association is what people, and babies, need to feel comfortable in order to fall asleep. A typical one for adults is a pillow. If you woke up in the middle of the night without your pillow you wouldn't be able to go back to sleep unless you found it, found something to substitute for it or just waited and waited until you fell asleep. Same for babies. She needs to be held or be in the same bed as you to fall asleep. I've answered mom's responses many times about this subject and many moms have good advice. Not everyone likes to hear a baby cry though. I'm a NICU nurse so I know that crying is a perfectly normal thing. It's a baby's only way of communicating - it doesn't always mean they are in pain - means I'm hungry, I'm tired, I don't like this, etc. As a mom, Ferber saved my sanity. His method worked for me and it only took 3 days. Yes I had to deal with crying but my baby was not scarred from it. He lived through it just like all babies do. If you're willing to hear some crying, I strongly recommend his method but it only works if you make it work. You can't be a softie and give into them. For all the info, check out this thread: Leslie R's "Seeking Advise for Sleep Issues" dated Mon, Dec 4, 2006. Has method in there. Good luck.

It is going to be one of the hardest things that you will ever do, but you will just have to make yourself do this. You are just going to have to put her down and walk out of the room, find something that will occupy your time for maybe 45 to 50 minutes.(if you like to read, bake ect...) I remember the first time that I had to leave my little boy in his room because we had the same problem with Ethan not sleeping on his own. My husband took him and put him in his crib and I went into our bedroom and sat on the bed and cried for about 45 mins as Ethan lie in his room crying. I felt like the worst mom in the world, but thank heaven for my husband just making me do this, not only for myself, but also for Ethan. Ethan cried like never before, and it lasted for at least 45 mins, but he finally fell asleep and from that moment on I had to make myself do this everytime I put him down. I would put him down, and go into the next room and get on the computer, or call my mom or a friend and they would have to convince me that it was ok that he was in the other room screaming like crazy. It took about a month for him to realize that it was ok to fall asleep with out me or his dad holding him and we never had a problem from there on out.
When my little girl came along, we had it down pat, and she did wonderful sleeping own her own. Like I said before, it is going to be the hardest thing that you will do, but you have to do it for you and your husband sake (you both need your rest to be great parents, and also it teaches your child a good sleep pattern.

Another good trick is to start her on room temp. H2O asap. Not every place has something to warm up H20 when you need it. I would try to start on room temp H20 for sure around 3 months. It will be one of the best little tricks that you will ever do and save you A LOT of headaches...

(IF you are concerned about 45 mins sounding to long for her crying, check with her doctor, and she will tell you the same, she will be OK)! I promise!!

Good luck

Hi - we did the same thing. My son is swaddled even for naps so keep that in mind. I made the transition at the 3:am feeding to the bassinet and it worked great. I did the crib move the same way (always tightly swaddled). His bedroom is next to ours so we can hear everything but I do have a monitor. I turn it on just to see what he is doing. Often in the beginning he might wake up and fuss but fell right back asleep. We did not let him cry to sleep either. Just put him to bed/nap while yawning not already asleep/he now will even wake up in the morning and be content until we get in there to get him up for the day. I think the transition to crib, etc. was harder on me. He is 5 months now...

First if you let your baby sleep with in your bed to much longer the older she gets the harder it will be to get her into her own bed. When it is bedtime, which should about the same time every night, dont let her fall asleep while you are rocking her. She needs to put down while still awake. A lot people do that let them cry it out thing but I dont like that, you could stay in there while she falls asleep and rub her back, put some mellow music on, but dont pick her up.
good luck

My son slept in his swing on many nights. I would put him in his bassinet for daytime naps. Don't get to worried, babies adjust and she will go into her crib. I know it hurts to hear her cry but don't put her to bed completely asleep and let her do some crying. Sometimes it is them comforting themselves and as well, babies need their own space. You can do it. We got our son in his crib at 3 months and he went in just fine even though he slept in a swing.

My suggestion would be not to jump the fence so fast when she starts to cry, once you hear her cry let her cry and see how long it last, it may be that she stops and goes back to sleep, but if you go get her everytime she cries, you are letting her know that she is in control of the show. The more you put her in the bassinet the more she will get used it to. The crib/bassinet is a new enviroment for her, it will take some time to get used to for both of you! Unless she is screaming at the top of her lungs, I'm sure all is well! I was like that with my lil ones, I had twins 5 years ago, and I'm 20 weeks preg with one... New mommy jitters! Nothing to be concerned about

We had a hard time moving our kid out of our room; but we got him used to the crib before we moved him out. Sometimes they cry because they want to feel you close, but as they grow up, they need to learn how to sleep on their own. We didn't want our baby to cry, but we also wanted to sleep. We combined a little bit of both. We would put him on his crib to sleep and we would console him when he started crying; but the key factor here is: not to pick him up. The first two nights were the hardest, but you'll get through it. Pay attention to her crying so you can learn when she is hungry or when she just wants to be held, and try to talk to her as little as possible so she learns that waking up is not entretaining. I hope this helps. Remember it is only temporary. Once she learns to go to sleep on her own, you've won one battle.

I had the same problem with my son. It took us forever to get him to sleep in his own crib and he never did sleep in his bassinet. With my daughter she started out the same way until we went to Babies R Us and got what's called the Deluxe Sleep System. We'd lay her in it, lay a receiving blanket or a little bit thicker blanket on her (depending on how cold it was) and tuck the sides in on each side of her so she was nice and bundled with the Sleep system. Then we'd lay a heavier baby blanket on top of her to keep her warmer but mostly for the weight of it (kind of like having mommy or daddy's arm over her). It worked great for me and a friend of mine tried it, it worked for her too. The Deluxe Sleep System also comes with a recorded heart beat to play while they're sleeping. My daughter didn't really like it but it probably just depends on the baby. So we just didn't use that part of it. Otherwise it was definantley worth the money to get a good nights rest.

Hi, I just wanted to offer my sympathy because I am going through the exact same thing! My daughter is 3 weeks old, born on October 2nd :-) I am trying hard NOT to cosleep with her, because I did that with my now two year old boy and we ended up with him in our bed for six months! The snuggles were nice but the sleep quality wasn't the best. Good luck to you and congratulations!

Try warming her spot in the crib or bassinet that way there is not temp drop from mamma's arms to the crib.

I am guessing you will get advice about just letting her cry, but PLEASE don't do this! A baby that young is not capable of self-soothing (not until at least 4-5 months). Basically, eventually she will stop crying and sleep in her crib, but this is why. Babies a this age are learning trust. They are learning that someone is there for them to meet their needs. When no one comes, they stop crying, but only because they think no one is there for them and no one will come if they cry. The just give up. This is such a bad thing to do wen they are trying to learn that the world is a safe, trusting place. It's so sad to me. That's my personal rant :).

I would just keep trying, every night. Rock her, or whatever you do to get her to sleep. Put her in there, and when she wakes up, do it again. I'd put a shirt of yours in there too, so that she smells you and feels secure.

Honestly, we co-sleep. I LOVE co-sleeping with my son. I love snuggling with him, hearing him breathe, and having him close. At first, I thought he had to sleep in his crib, because that's what everyone told me. My hubby and I used to get stressed out about it and feel bad. Now we both love it and let everyone know! Now I see that sleeping in our bed works even better. He's always happy and content. I know it's not for everyone, though.

Here are some books/websites that may help:
- The Sleep Book by Dr. Sears
- The No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantly
- www.askdrsears.com (click on his info. about sleep)

Dear B., I would suggest you continue to hold her or put her to sleep in your bed. Some babies need their mommmy nearby to feel safe and believe it or not, you will sleep better too if you choose to co-sleep. Maybe you and your husband haven't given this much thought, but it works. For two months I would sleep in the rocking chair holding my baby until I figured out how to breastfeed in bed and from that point on, we all slept so much better. And please, do not try the crying-it-out method. It's not good for babies. Respond to your baby's cry right away adn you will get less crying. It works. I would also suggest you give breastfeeding another try, though. Breastfeeding also meets babies emotional needs. I started nursing almost 2 weeks after I gave birth and it's been the greatest experience even though it was painful for 6 weeks from cracked nipples, clogged ducts and mastitis. It's truly worth it. Contact La Leche League and you'll never look back. Good luck to you.

Hello
You should swaddle her every time she goes down for sleep. It keeps them from moving and jerking around which always wakes them up. At 4 weeks my daughter was sleeping 7 hours a night and taking nice naps in the day. I swaddled her very tightly so she never broke loose. (Don't be afraid to get her too tight....she was cramped in your belly for a long time and liked it there alot more than out here in the big world. So the tighter the better to make her feel safe) and I did this for about 3 solid months. The swing is a bad habit as far as I am concerned. I think it should be used when the baby is fully awake and can look around at things in the room or mommy doing chores but not as a sleep aid. I never used the swing myself........actually my baby didn't care for it....weird huh. Swaddle swaddle swaddle. My daughter slept in a co-sleeper which I put right next to our bed so I could easily roll over and hold her hand if I wanted and look at her all through the night. It is the same height as your bed without them actually being in bed with you. Just don't get into the habit of letting her sleep with you. That will just be a nightmare for a long time to come.

My baby girl went through this too....you'll find that she goes through many stages as she gets older. I would get so frustrated because I would finally get her laid down and go "aaww, finally, some sleep" and then BAM, she wakes up again. I can't say its going to be easy, but it sounds normal to me. The important thing is to be consistent. When she wakes up, rock her until she falls asleep again and then put her right back in her basinet. Your consistency will eventually pay off, just try and be patient. Also, make sure she is warm, my little girl always woke up because she was cold or hungry. Pre warning though....not all babies can fall asleep through the night. Mine just turned one last weekend and still wakes up 2 to 3 times a night, its hard.

Your baby is still very little and needs you right now, so its such a difficult time. So, right now, holding her to sleep and rocking her is important, then when she gets older (maybe 3 months), then you can start putting her down in her crib and letting her cry it out a little until she falls asleep. It is SOOO hard, I am still battling that. Your motherly instinct wants to pick them up, but its so much easier for them and for you to break that habit. Unfortunately, other then keeping them warm, fed and change their diaper, there isn't much you can do at this stage but wait it out.

I don't know if I helped, hopefully I did. I hope it gets better for you! Just hang in there, this time will pass and you will be able to get more sleep!

You will probably have to try half a dozen different things before you find something that works. You've already gotten all the advice in the book! I am not a fan of crying it out but I know people who swear by it, you just have to figure out what works for you.

One other thing to consider--my daughter has GERD and she had an awful time sleeping flat. She also hated sitting in the car seat. We didn't figure this out until she was 7 weeks old and it was only because I mentioned it at her six week checkup. So if you can't find anything that helps Riley sleep, and she has any other symptoms of GERD (check here: http://www.infantrefluxdisease.com/infant-reflux-symptoms...) have it checked out.

Hi! I would try wrapping her in your t-shirt or jammie top that you have worn...place her in the bassinet, and when she fusses and starts to wake up, just pat her little bottom, causing her to rock a bit. It takes a while, but she will like it and go back to sleep eventually. If this does not work and she continues to cry for longer than 5-10 minutes, pick her up and rock her back to sleep, while patting her bottom in your arms. This is really the best method we found with our five children. They are almost all grown now, and are doing this with their children. It is a calming thing! But remember, you can't spoil a baby, they need to be held, so don't rush her! She will be just fine and so will you...don't sweat the small stuff. You are much smarter than you think you are.

Remember that your daughter just arrived in this world, and for a newborn all of the noises and lights can be very startling to her emerging senses. For her whole life, she has felt warm, secure and has constantly heard your heartbeat, that is why she sleeps best when held. As she gets older, and more used to the world around her, it will be easier to transition her to the bassinet and crib. For now, remember that she can't set any real habits for a few more months and if she will sleep in the swing, just make sure she is secured and let her. The more she sleeps, the better you will sleep and therefore the better, and more relaxed Mommy you will be. And remember to enjoy this time; before you know it she will be sleeping on her own and you will miss this cuddle time with your precious newborn!

My daughter was the same way. The only way she would sleep was either in her swing or on me or my husband. Her doctor told me that it was fine and would not harm her.
When she was about 2 months old I put her into her crib with one of those sleep wedges (sorry I forgot the name) but it is made to keep the babies from turning on their stomachs. You could get one at Target or Babies R Us.
She was fine with that, she never had a problem adjusting and if she does have some rough nights the swing will not hurt especially if you are able to get some sleep.

My daughter was similar. I noticed she didn't seem to like being flat on her back, so i got her a wedge so she could sleep at a slight slant. It also helped her breathe when she was stuffy. I also got her one of those things that keeps her in place. (i can't remember the name, but you could roll up two towels beside her to do the same thing) My daughter slept a lot in her swing too. Sometimes, we would just move the swing into the room with us. She did much better in her own crib when she was 3 or 4 months old.

Hello. I have a 3 month old, and for the first couple of weeks the same thing happened to me. Just give it some time but eventually she will learn to sleep in the bassinet. I would keep my hand on his body and so it looked like we were sleeping next to eachother. I did this for the first 2 months and finally he was sleeping in his crib. I did put him in his crib earlier, but when they're so young you will have to keep getting up anyway to feed her. Try feeding her and sing to her to make her fall asleep, but still keep your hand on her body. Eventually they will learn to sleep by themselves and then you'll be able to put her in the crib. I heard that teddy bear works too, but it didn't in my case. Good luck....trust me it gets easier.

Hi B.,
I was told to put a stuffed animal in with my daughter, at the end of the crib so she would feel as though she had company. Also, I purchased one of the night wonders lights, the type with the fish and music. Both worked for us.
Best wishes for a smooth transition. L..

Hi,
We used the Amby Baby Motion Bed for both our babies and they slept a lot better.
Here is a link if you want to check it out. http://www.askdrsears.com/amby.asp

You must try the Miracle Blanket!!!

www.miracleblanket.com

I am a doula, and all of my clients use and swear by this product. I also used it with my last two babies, and it is the best invention on the planet. It's GUARANTEED to work, so you've got nothing to lose....except more sleep ;)

Best of luck!

Hi B., I had the same problems with my kids. They just wanted to sleep with me. You might want to try the side cart attached to the bed. It's like a bassinet with one side open. That way, you won't have to worry about her falling out of bed, getting an elbow, or getting too many of your blankets. She'll also get that feeling that your there, but have her own space to sleep. And when she wakes, you can just roll over to touch her, instead of get out of bed. I went from that to just a side rail-I should have transitioned to a crib early, but lessons learned! Good luck with your new baby, and remember, it's gone in a blink.

You may have heard of this trick already, some hospitals will tell you...mine didn't. Take 2 receiving blankets and roll them up tight, like you are rolling up an exercise mat or rolling up lunch meat with cheese. Once she falls asleep, lay her down between the two blankets-snuggle them up to her body-but don't have them any higher than her shoulders. When you put her down, keep her as close to your chest as you can and don't lay her flat to her back. Infants have an instict that makes them feel like they are falling if layed on their back. Two good books are The Baby Whisperer and The Happiest Baby On The Block. Anyhow, kinda lay her to her side then roll her to her back once she lands.
Another thing, per our pediatrician-until 4 months, there is no worry about the baby sleeping in a bouncer, swing or even the carseat. Let the baby sleep wherever the baby falls asleep, just preferably not your bed-it's not safe and can cause a lot of problems later. My daughter would take 2-3 hour naps in her swing and bouncer during the day. I didn't start forcing the crib for naps till she was 4-5 months old.

wow! I Feel your pain, well, my daughter in law does. I care for my 4 month old grandson. he was a premis so he was in the hospital for a month before he came home. and he didnt leanr tosleep in thehospital. I started wrapping him up and he would sleep for about 20 min. babies startle themselves and get scared if left unwrapped. she put him on a 2 hr feeding schedule so of course the baby didnt know if it was day ornight. she sould only feed him 1 ounce at a time becasue she said he would fall asleep. so we dicovered that he ate 2-3 ounces at a time during the day and slept for 1-2 hrs at a time. he started incresing his intake and he slept longer. so we figured he was just hungrey. i guess he would get tired and fall alsep while eating now i feed him on demand, no schedule and he takes regular naps. the only problem is that when he goes home... acording to Mom, he sleeps until midnight then back til 3 AM and thenhe is up for the rest of the night. i dont know what she is doing at home but she si so frustrated that i keep him ovenight 2 or 3 nights a week and he sleeps through the night here. so she has him in a crib in the other room and uses a monitor. id keep him in the living room during the day with the tv on. at night i move the bassinet next to my bed and ifhe wakes up i just pat him or give him his pacifier and he goes back to sleep. she has tried controlled crying where she lets him cry for 5 minutes while she talks softly to him and he is supposed to go back to sleep. i hope she isnt doing that all the time because it wouldbreak my heart . but i just think that notletting the baby go to sleep in your arms or swing starting ow before she get too used to ti is the answer. develp a routine and stick to it. i usually feed him and then play for about 20 minutes. then i put im inthe buncer and turn the tv to soft music and he usually gets sleepy. also make sure she is completly done burping. then i put him in his bed and leave sohe doesnt see me. i tuck him in and he goes right to sleep. good luck. my CJ is now 4 months and weighs 11 lbs, got his shots yesterday and is teething but otherwise he is the perfect baby

Have you tried letting her sleep on her stomache? My daughter was the same way and I started letting her sleep on her stomache and it worked. She slept a lot better and a lot longer.

I had the same problem with my daughter and here is what worked best for us. I rolled up 2 baby blankets or you can use towels too and put one on either side rounding at the bottom so that they touched her feet. It gives them that comforting feeling that someone is there with them. I still swaddled her along with the rolled up blankets... if you have trouble keeping them in place trying using 4 blankets 2 on each side. There is this bear that makes womb sounds maybe placing one at the end of the bassinet/ crib near her head will help. Then she would have the comfort of touch and the familiar sound of "your" heart beat. Hope this is of some help to you... Good luck!

BTW Please do not listen to the cry it out advice (if you receive any)... It can cause anxiety.

My daughter is almost 3 months old and we had a hard time getting her to sleep in her bassinet too. She would sleep for the first part of the night but then after about 3 she would lie awake and grunt and keep me awake. We finally got our boppy pillow and laid it on our bed and propped her up in it and she sleeps better than ever. Our pediatrician said that this is ok and is helps her breathe better since she has been stuffed up. You can try this either on your bed or in her crib (since the pillow is too big to fit in the bassinet). I think it helps her fill like she is still being held and the pillow is still warm from being wrapped around me while I fed her.

Hi B.,
My husband and I made the mistake of letting our first born sleep in our bed for the first year of her life. I loved it because she was always with me, but intimately, it wasn't working. And it was VERY hard to transition her into her crib, I HAD to let her cry and it broke my heart. So with our second daughter, I said NO WAY to sleeping with me and after the first two weeks with the co sleeper, I put her in her crib. She cried maybe the first two days, but not for very long. Just get a routine down and once she's used to it, she'll be fine. We bathe before bed, read and then rock in the chair for a couple of minutes and she's down by herself. The same for nap time, well, the reading and rocking. So try that or something similar. I'm sure you'll be fine, you just have to do it before it's too late! =) Good luck!

At 3½ weeks it is not to difficult to transfer from your bed to basinette. Lay her down in the bassinett, swaddled, or not, however you feel comfortably. When she statrt to cry, let her. She should fall asleep in 9 to 12 minutes if not sooner. That is what we had to do with our little one, and she sleeps like a champ thru the night. You will have to repeat this several times to get it to work, and also when you transition her to the crib. Good Luck, it should work.

What if you got the mommy bear it has the sound of a heart beat and that seems to soothe them

B.,

My son never slept in his bassinet, for some reason he just didn't like it. He did much better in one of those bouncy seats for the first couple months. He did okay in his crib as well with the mattress propped up on one end so his head was higher than his feet.

The other thing I did at night was to allow my son to fall asleep on me for a while and once he was really sleeping, I put him in his crib. The good thing about this was that I generally fell asleep with him, which enabled me to get some much needed rest as well. My son will be one this week and I really miss the days of him sleeping on my chest. It lasts for such a short time, so enjoy it.

Also, if you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend reading Dr. Marc Weissbluth's book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Heathy Child". Around 3 months it made such a huge difference for me and my son, who has slept like a dream ever since (knock on wood!)

Good luck!