How Do I Get My 5 Month Old to Sleep in His Crib?

Aww, why not provide him with the comfort he is seeking, and save the hassle by having him just sleep with you in bed from the start? He's obviously wanting/needing the comfort of you next to him...I've learned it's much easier to adapt to sleeping with a baby in the bed, rather than fight with a baby to sleep alone.

And good grief...to whoever said this:

Stop breastfeeding in bed!!! Do it on a comfortable chair and keep him from falling asleep untill he has eaten enough!!! (Tickle the bottom of his feet)and then put him in the crib afterwards...If this does not work the you must supplement with bottle!!!It is very hard to suck out of the breast why don't you pump it out and give it to him in the bottle!!!( Or half and half) Or else he will be to tired to finish a whole meal!!! Love, Gabby. :0)

Yes, let's deny the baby comfort, warmth, and peace by shoving a bottle down his throat. Geez! I feel sorry for babies that are treated this way from very young...then we wonder why we have such detached parents/children. :-/ Yes, it's *harder* to suck out of the breast...it's designed that way. Breastfeeding helps to mature the jaw system in newborns, and creates a healthy bone structure. It's not torture, it's the way we're meant to do things. There's nothing wrong with a baby sleeping in bed with parents. They go from being in the womb, which provides warmth, comfort, peace, and the sound of mom's breathing and heart beating. And then some parents stick them in another room, or away from them, and expect them to sleep well. It's sad.

Christy

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Is there really a problem with him sleeping with you? I ask this because many people think there's a problem just because "society" or "experts" might say there is. But reality is that babies have been sleeping with their families and also nursing even well into toddlerhood for millennia. And around the world this is still normal. Babies don't know that western society considers this taboo! They just know that their minds and bodies do best when they feel safe with mommy and/or the other safe person, daddy! And many in western society are even going back to these age-old practices. Just because something is old doesn't mean we should "progress" away from it! :)

That said, you could also try (if you haven't already) switching to a pacifier after he has nursed a good while, and slipping it in his mouth while he is still laying next to you. This is good if your body gets a little irritated at the extended nursing sessions. It has always worked with my three kids, but sometimes it takes several sessions of trying, and some kids just know breast is best and won't take a pacifier because they know what they really want!

I recommend a website www.askdrsears.com for good advice and information on sleeping, nursing, feeding, health, etc. Basically all baby and child-related stuff. There's a bunch of great books, including my favorite The Baby Book, available. I also recommend a book called Good Nights, too.

Oh, and one more thing. Extended crying causes elevated levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, to be released into the bloodstream of your baby. This can actually impede sleep and other problems. I wouldn't recommend letting babies cry too long. Especially when they get to the frantic, panic alarm stage!

I know everyone has different opinions and experts don't even agree. I say mamas know in their gut what is ok for your family and you do what you need to do!

Bless you and good luck,
J. H

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Hi B.!
Anyone who says crying for a full half-hour straight isn't "that long," not to mention tramatic and unnecessarily cruel, ought to try it!
My son is 7 months and I've found co-sleeping is the only way we both get enough sleep. He doesn't have to scream to get my attention when he's hungry- he doesn't even fully wake up anymore- and all I do is roll over, latch him on, and we both go back to sleep. He gets just a tiny bit fussy, I barely wake up myself, and just hook him up. He's to the point now that this only happens two to three times a night, and like I said, I barely even remember it. I wake much more rested then when I tried the crib. I've been assured by my pediatrician he will grow out of his desire for night feedings in time, and probably fairly soon. I don't understand "tough-love" with an infant. I can't let my baby cry-it-out, especially since this method has been connected to ongoing anxiety, insecurity and trust issues in children. Let's face it, he's only five months old, and this time to be close with your son won't last forever. Soon he'll want his independance and you'll be missing your baby. Giving these boys a loving, secure foundation is the most important duty we have.
Good Luck!
-H.

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You could start practicing AP (attachment parenting) and co-sleeping (family bed). there are yahoogroup support groups online you can join in on the topics. My son was like that so I finally let him sleep with me and both of us got a lot more rest. Now he's 13 years old and we are very close like best friends. I think kicking kids to their own beds makes them insecure and sets up a foundation for distance in the future, like when they become adolesents. I wish I had practiced this with my oldest 3 boys, we'd have a better closer relationship today. (they are now 27-35)

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Hi B.,
The best advice I can give you is to buy the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr. Marc Weissbluth. This book has a lot of great ideas on getting your child to sleep better. It sounds like he is using your breast as a way to help him fall back to sleep instead of learn to do it by himself. We all wake up during the night but usually go right back to sleep. This isn't something that just happens though. It is something we need to teach children. My mom always responded whenever I woke up as an infant and now I have a difficult time sleeping though the night. I started out co-sleeping with my daughter but noticed that my husband was the only one getting a decent nights sleep, so I moved my daughter into her own bed in her room at 2 1/2 months and she slept better. I also use chamois sheets from Pottery Barn with a mattress pad to keep her bed warm and soft. I also dress her in blanket sleepers and diaper doublers from Safeway because she wakes up if she gets cold or wet. Hope this helps.
Good luck,
L.

1 mom found this helpful

Hello, I don't really understand why you don't want your son sleeping in your bed? He is still very young, only been out of the womb for 5 months. Co-sleeping has been working very well for me and my son. When he wakes up and wants to feed and needs his diaper changed I just do it right there, roll over and start nursing then we both fall right back asleep, it's great, I hardly even wake up, I feel super rested!

Also co-sleeping and attatchment parenting fosters more security and independance in later years. I can't imagine letting my son cry himself to sleep, it seems so cruel to not respond to his needs. They are babies, you can't spoil an infant, spoiling is something that happens when you leave something alone, not care for it.

I highly support you co-sleeping, you can even get those baby beds that attatch to the side of yours. Try not expect so much out of such a brand new life, he needs you, he wants to feel you near him, doesn't that feel good to you? These years don't last forever and you will never have them back, why rush it? Sleep with your baby and be rested... for heavens sake please don't let your baby cry himself to sleep, how traumatic that must be....I know that there is a philosophy here in America that we need to train our babies by not responding too them but that really seems to go against instinct, plus it makes them insecure. If your worried about what other people say, know that most of the world co-sleeps.

Get rest, and build stronger bonds by sleeping with your baby

1 mom found this helpful

Is there really a reason he has to sleep in his crib? Every baby is different..I have a happy 5 year old who slept with me (nursing) for a over year and eventually ended up in her own bed, and a 16 month old who never wanted to fall asleep with me and has been in his crib since day one.
My advice to new moms is: go with the flow, get as much sleep as possible (no matter how you do it) and don't worry about what the books and society tells us...its all up to YOU how you raise your kids.
Co-sleeping should not be a controversial issue...if it makes mom and baby HAPPY, so be it.

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