How to Change a Bad Sleeping Habit Before It Gets Worse.

Hi Kristi. Both of my kids slept in their car seats until almost 5 months old. They both had severe GERD reflux (my daughter had Sandifer's Syndrome the "slient reflux" bad!) For the first few weeks they would sleep in their seats on the floor while i slept on the couch or bed so i could nurse... then after that i moved their seats into the crib and they both were about 5 months old when i transitioned them into their cribs w/o the seats... first i started with the naps during the day to get them used to sleeping on their backs with no seat... i had to use stuffed animals and a down feather pillow with them though b/c they were so used to the comfort of the car seat!... then eventually we started laying down in the crib at nights and it took a few days but they did great. now we have no problems at all (my daughter is currently 10months). both actually outgrew their infant seats around 6 months old (big babies!!). but the car seats saved my insanity for both sleep and knowing they weren't "choking" on their reflux. i thank my mom for that (she suggested it!)

when my daughter was just born (for about 2 months) i couldnt go up the stairs often b/c of csection and my 2 yr is LOUD so for her (short) naps i would put her (in her car seat) in our bathroom on the floor (our downstairs bathroom) and turn the exhaust (sp??) fan on (ours is super loud!!) and she slept soundly!! when someone would come to visit they'd ask where the baby was and when i'd tell them everyone thoutht it was funny but it WORKED! Yay for trying anything!

as for your 3 year old... just be consistent with him. sometimes you tell them a million times and it doesn't matter! but he's only 3 and like i said just be consistent. And i agree with the other moms about getting a crib tent. Never had one but i know some who did b/c their kids climbed out of the crib! good luck!

With him being so little I would try to keep something in your room for now, the crib if possible. I would be afraid that your older son would end up asleep on top of him.

Hi K. - my son did the same thing with his car seat at that age...believe me you'll know if he's not sleeping! I think they feel really secure in it because there's no room to move around...kinda like why they like to be swaddled.

Would definitely be careful with the older brother who likes to get in the crib...that could be very dangerous. I would recommend a bassinet for your room until the baby is old enough to roll over & lift himself up. Believe me...when the time is right he'll get use to his crib. It may take a few nights, but he'll get use to it. Hope this helps.

My son had trouble sleeping at all unless I swaddled him. I also always had to let him "cry it out" for about 5-10 min and then he would go to sleep.
Have you thought of getting a crib tent? I got one because my son learned to climb out of his crib at too young of an age and wouldn't stay in and I would find him sleeping on the floor. Also sometimes the cat would get in there and I had a 5 year old step daughter as well that slept over occasionally in the same room.
Oh, another thing, he would NEVER sleep on his stomach, always would roll on his back. He is almost 4 now and still does to this day.
The crib tent was very useful though.

Have you read "The Happiest Baby on the Block?" It gives great advice on sleep for newborns. Have you been swaddling your baby before he goes to sleep? Sounds like to me that he likes the closeness of the car seat. I bet swaddling him would help!

I'm not sure now even how it started - maybe a cold? - but my son slept well in the car seat. Since I also had a 17 month old and needed to be functional during the day so we let him sleep in the car seat. Actually we put the car seat in the bassinet and the car seat sat reclined enough that his head never fell forward or sideways. He seemed warm and cozy and happy in the car seat for a few months. When he started to move around a bit more when on the floor, we found he was more comfortable laying in his crib - he was too big for his bassinet...maybe 3-4 months. The bassinet was in our bedroom so we didn't move him from our room until that point. He still nursed a time or two at night and it was just easier having him close. Plus I wasn't ready to have him far from me. Since he was able to wiggle and roll, he could get himself into a position that made him feel comfortable for sleeping in his crib which he wasn't able to do earlier when he slept best in the car seat. For my son it was an easy transition. Ocassionally when he has a cold, we still put him in the car seat to sleep better at night. He's 20 months now so we use a reclining convertible car seat now instead of the infant seat. And we put it in our bedroom with the buckles attached loosely just to keep him safe. Good Luck finding something that works for you.

I would love to help but my son slept in the bed with me until he was 10 months because he had RSV and asthma and i was afraid if he was alone he would stop breathing again ( ti happened at 6 months old) and i wouldn't know, But when i went to put him in the crib at 10 months i started by letting him fall asleep witth me or in your case in the carseat and then switched him to the crib after he was asleep. Then after a week i put him in the crib and let him cry himself to sleep it took some getting used to on my part because listening to him cry and not do anything is my weakness and i can't bare to do it unless its nessecary but i think the carseat is fine for now keep the baby in your room so his brother won't "play" with him while he is sleeping and when you think he is old enough to let him cry for a bit then switch him is the best that i can say i hope it works out for you.

Hi K.!
I think it's OK for your baby to sleep in a carseat (for now). My youngest did. Honestly, I felt better with him in that because he would vomit frequently. I'm sorry but I don't believe in placing a sleeping baby on their back. When they vomit, the only place for it to go is back in their throat. My first two were belly sleepers and my last two were side sleepers. Each day, try making the transition to the bassinette or crib. Maybe let him cry a bit...he'll eventually exhaust himself and fall asleep. My babies slept in the same room as me till about three or four months old (when they can firmly lift and keep their head up).
Another suggestion...for day-time naps, put them in the living room or kitchen with you with a little noise. Night-time, along with night-time feedings, were in the bedroom with lights off and no sound. By two months my babies were sleeping all night!
As for your 3-yr old climbing into the crib?...I don't know. I never had that problem. At 3, you'd think he would understand when you tell him that is not allowed and it would wake the baby up by doing that. Hopefully another mom might have some good advice on that.
I hope I have helped you. Have a great day!

Hi K....My daughter only wanted to sleep in her car seat as well. I was told by the doctor when she developed a sever cold at 4 weeks to place her in her car seat to sleep.BIG MISTAKE. After the cold disipated, I tried to place her in her crib, and she screamed. She was comfortable in her car seat only. I would place him in his crib awake, and let him there for a while to see if he falls asleep. I dont feel a carseat is safe for a child to sleep. It took me 3 weeks to transition my lil one back into the crib. If I knew then what I know now, I would have never done the carseat sleeping thing, even with the cold. I hope this helps. Also, try and put your 3 yr old to bed first, then your little one. Before you put your 3 yr old to bed, tell him if the baby cries, come get you. He may come get you before he climbs in the crib. Just continue to explain to him over and over again that the crib is for baby brother only. he will eventually get it.

If you are physically up for it, can you wear him in a sling? A good fitting sling allows the baby to sleep and you to go about your business. I slung all of mine at one point or another and it saved my sanity. OK< that's for during the day.
My only advice for nighttime seeping is to bring him in bed with you. It's not everyone's solution, though.

As another mom suggested, I would try a crib tent. I used one to keep my daughter in, the cat out. Your 3 year old probably isn't dextrous enough to climb up there, hang on and undo the zipper at the same time. If you swaddle the baby as he makes the transition, it will likely go easier.

Best of luck,
K.

Hi K.,
I gave my cousin the following suggestions and they said they REALLY worked. First is to be sure your baby is swaddled tightly in a blanket. IT makes the baby feel safe and cozy, womb like. That is why he likes the car seat it is surrounding him. Another thing in the crib to help him feel surrounded is to put him up in the corner with his side touching the side of the crib and his head touching the top of the crib. Even a rolled up blanket around his head can help too. The most helpful idea is to have you, Mom, sleep with the blanket you plan on wrapping the baby in. Or if you wear a certain perfume spray it lightly on the blanket.If the baby smells Mom he is more comfortable.
As for big brother, getting in the crib. You cannot guarantee he will not visit his brother unless you move the crib into your bedroom, or invest in a crib tent. You can do a search on the internet to find one.

Good luck!
D.

Well, I have a couple of suggestions. I know other have already told you to try to swaddle the baby. When my little cousin was a baby, she refused to sleep on her back and cried because no one was holding her. They make a device made of foam that allows you to put a baby to sleep slightly on their side. One foam piece goes behind their back and one by their belly. It keeps them from rollowing over. It also gives them a feeling of security as if someone is holding them. That would be one option to try. Also, depending on how the basinett is made you could try a pillow under the mattress to elevate it slightly. You can do the same thing with the crib mattress. The slight elevation may mimick the carseat a little more and may make the transition easier. Good luck to you!

I believe the product that Heather is talking about is something like this:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=226701...
I am not sure where you live, but if you do not want to go out and buy one, I have one you are more than welcome to. I am really big on giving away my baby stuff (even though I will probably have more kids) because I know how expensive kids are, and the less money the parents spend on clothes, etc the more money they have to spend on the babies well-being. It's not brand new, but it can be washed (we had to do this multiple times because our sons spit up a lot because of being preemies). It's similar to the one on the link above, but it doesn't incline like this one. We used them for our twin sons until they were about 2 months, then we started swaddeling them in receiving blankets. The doctor suggested this and it worked great. They have been sleeping through the night since! I also agree with the one mom who said that you have to let them "cry it out" sometimes. That's what we did when we broke the boys of swaddeling. It was so terrible, I've never heard them cry that hard and for that long, but honestly it wasn't so bad and it lasted 1 night. Cameron cried for about half an hour and Christian was so tired that he cried for about 15 mins and passed out (Cameron's screams didn't even wake him!). I suggest giving him some time in his car seat (he could be getting indigestion/acid reflux after eating and it might make it more comfortable for him to be sitting up a little), but once he starts moving more, take him out because it is unsafe. I hope my suggestions helped some and if you are interested in that sleep wedge thing, just send me a message, I live in Etters.

my baby was like this and the best thing we ever did was buy a close and secure sleeper (made by the first years): http://www.thefirstyears.com/products/product.asp?pValue=... It fits right between me and the hubs pillows and our baby loved to sleep between us. We then gradually moved him to sleeping part of the night in the sleeper in his cradle, and now he spends all but 2 hours asleep in his cradle, the other two he spends sleeping between us.