Motionless Naps?

I have read where sleeping in the swing or car seat isn't very good. I would say rocking and patting her, until she's in solid sleep would be good (that's what I did) and then hold her for a while. Put her in her bassinet and pat her back or bottom until she seems to be comfortable. It is said not to put them on their tummys, to prop them on there sides or backs. Maybe put her back to the side of the bassinet. Babies may fuss, but if you continue the actual touching for a while, this should help.

I would try having your daughter nap in her swing but keep it stationary. If she naps that way it's probably not the motion but the position that she likes. My daughter only slept in her bouncy, swing, or carseat until she was diagnosed with reflux. When we treated her for that, she finally slept in her crib. Even if your daughter does not have reflux, most babies at that age like motion (after all, they were rocked to sleep in your tummy). I wouldn't stress too much about it this early on. As long as she's happy and napping, that's all that matters.

Hi L.
Maybe it not the motion your baby likes maybe its the incline and the feeling secure.I would try to put her in her carseat on the floor and see if she will sleep there. if that works you may want to put a pillow under the materress and swaddel her. Good Luck :) T.

Dr Harvey Karp (Happiest baby on the Block) would say it's just fine to let your baby sleep in the swing. he advocates the 5 S's: Swing/jiggle, Shush/white noise, Suck (paci or thumb), Swaddle... sheesh I can't think of the 5th one, sorry.

My son slept in his swing or vibrating bouncy seat (or on one of us) until he literally outgrew them. He's 2 now and just learning to sleep w/o motion.

I'm not saying we did the "right" thing by doing the motion thing constantly, but it's what we HAD to do. He would NOT sleep alone unless he had the motion.

You do what you have to do to keep yourself sane and your baby safe.

If she sleeps better in an upright position than laying down, she might be having a little trouble with reflux. In that case, a bouncy seat might help, even if you don't use the vibration setting. That did help w our son sometimes.

oohhhh do I feel for you- I didn't sleep for over a year. Turned out ours was having problems related to milk/dairy. If your baby is excessively gassy and having trouble sleeping because of THAT, try eliminating dairy for three weeks and see if it helps. (From your diet if you're breastfeeding, and from her formula if you're not or if you're supplementing. Try a soy formula - w a doctor's ok, of course). This solved a huge portion of our night wakings w/in a month.

Another thing you can try is to wear your baby in a sling during the day and/or before bedtime.

Get Harvey Karp's book or DVD it is worth it!

I'm confused...aren't motionless and stationary the same thing?

Perhaps you could try putting her in the swing without it moving? That might help you determine if it's truly the motion she likes (as opposed to falling asleep *despite* the motion), or simply the incline or comfort she feels being nestled in a seat as opposed to being all "out there" in an empty crib. If it is the motion, maybe you could rock her yourself for a while until she gets really drowsy, then put her in the crib while she's *just* about asleep...as a transition.

Hi L.,
First of all, all babies are different, so you have to go on what works for you and your baby. Remember that as long as your baby is happy, what you're doing is okay. How long is she napping? If she's napping for a long time then the motion isn't disturbing her quality of sleep. She is only 13 weeks old, and it typically takes 3-4 months for a baby to fall into a regular sleep pattern. It could be that the swing has become her sleeping pattern, and breaking that can be difficult. I would try putting her in the bassinet for about ten minutes before each nap letting her cry if she has to, and then put her in the swing after 10 minutes. Try propping her up with a pillow in the bassinet. Sometimes it's not the motion but the position that soothes the baby especially if she has problems with gas. In the meantime, keep trying, but don't let it tire you or stress you out. She'll eventually stop sleeping in the swing when she's ready. Good luck, you're doing fine!

u could try one of those built in viabration bassinets, my mom bought me one for my son who is now 3, some babies just like the motion.

also u could try taking an old wind up clock and putting it next to her sometimes the sound of the clicking is soothing to babies. they think it sounds like the mothers heart beat in the womb.

also she could have a gasritic problem thats causeing acid reflex very common in babies, maybe thats y she perfers to sleep sitting up in the swing.

it could be as easy as a trip to the doctor and changing her formula.

good luck, it will get better.
J.

Not to scare you, but I have seen new studies show that sleeping (constantly) in a car seat or swing plays a bigger role in SIDS. I would suggest to rock her to sleep and make sure she is sound asleep and then move her to her bed )or bassinet in your case. Lay her on her side, rub her belly or back (my kids liked there butts patted) and they would go right back to sleep if they were to open there eyes. They were sound asleep so they really didn't wake up even if there eyes did open so a pat on the back/belly/ butt for a minute or two did the trick. Good luck to you.

Hi L.! Your baby sounds very much like my son was. I spent most nights sleeping on the couch while he slept in his swing or carseat. For him it was both the incline and the motion. But we soon found out that he had "reflux". You may want to ask the doctor about that. When I would lay him in his crib or bassinet, he would squirm and fuss and I couldn't figure out why. I soon realized what the symptoms were after reading about it more. Babies with reflux are much more comfortable in an inclined position. We ended up switching his formula to a more gentle brand and he did great. He began sleeping better from that point on!
I know it can be frustrating being a first-time mom. But hang in there and keep up the good work!

Hi L. :)

My 5 month old baby girl just switched from sleeping in her swing to sleeping in her crib 2 weeks ago! When she was 1 month old, I tried and tried to get her to sleep in her bassinet and failed every time. One day while doing research online about the issue I came across many parents with the same problem and they ALL said that their baby eventually didn't want to sleep in the swing anymore. One mother said that your baby will let you know when they are ready to move to their crib/bassinet and to just let them sleep in the swing in the meantime. So that's what I decided to do. As long as she was safe, sleeping and happy, why try to force her to sleep somewhere else? So I just watched for signs that she was ready to transition and they finally came a few weeks ago. She started arching her back when I put her down in her swing to sleep and she was restless for a few minutes before falling asleep. So I knew it was time to try the crib. One night I gave it a shot and she loved it! The transition was perfectly smooth and peaceful. There was no fussing, no crying, nothing negative at all. Just a happy baby sleeping comfortably in her crib. So if you feel comfortable just waiting for her to be ready to transition then that's what I recommend. It saved both me and my baby girl alot of trouble! :)