Sleep Advice for My 10Wk Old PLEASE!!

I had the same problem and I insisted that we not get into bad habits by letting her sleep through the night in the swing. Looking back, I wish I had just let her sleep in the swing during the night. It's not worth the fight. My advice is to let the baby tell you what she needs, and then just go with it! Good luck!

Hi K.,

I would recommend getting your daughter into a sling or wrap carrier during they day. The movement that you do with her in it will eventually help her differenciate busy times to quite times (night). Even if she sleeps in the carrier with you wearing her she will still in her subconcious know everything going on ..sounds....movement...etc. Then at night when she is not in it ...this is quite time.
It is completely normal for a 10 week old to be up often at night, especially if she is breastfed.
Don't feel every minute during the day you have to wear her but do feel that you should do it often than not. Vacuum with her on...take a walk..etc.

Good luck!

It's terrific that you're attempting to address the sleep issue now. As you know the longer you wait the harder it is to change!! I have 3 kids, ages 4, almost 2, and 9weeks and all of them have been horrible with sleep, so with my last child we actually consulted a sleep expert. The best method I found was the book by Kim West "Good Night Sleep Tight" which breaks it down age by age of how to approach sleep "training" in a gentle but successful way. And the chapter on 8-12 week olds that I"m currently tackling as well, is working on doing away with "motion sleep" and transfering all sleep to the crib/bassinett. Using a short routine, patting, trying to get them to put themselves to sleep and only picking up when absolutely necessary to calm. You too have a little one around so it's not always easy to sit by a crib and dedicate the day to getting the baby to sleep, so the "Sleep Lady" suggests starting with night time, and tackling naps later. And yes, she should be able to sleep longer than 3 hours at a stretch at night. That said, my 9 week old will sometimes go 5-6 hours at night, but other times, like last night only went 3 hours... moral of the story, you try your best to do what's best for them, but you also need to do what works for you. For me, I need my sleep or I can't function so I try to soothe with the pacifier, check for a burp quick, but if it's not working, I will just feed him so we can both get back to sleep. I hope the book helps, it's my Sleep Bible :) and if anything know you've got moral support here, and if there's anything more I can help with, feel free to contact me!!

Hi,

My oldest daughter was the same way. Our pediatrician suggested putting her to sleep (even at night) in her car seat. She said the seat was closer to a womb feeling. It worked for us.

Good Luck!
C.

VERY normal! A 10 week old should be fed every 3-4 hours anyways, so perhaps she is waking from hunger?
My DD would NOT sleep anywhere but her crib, so sleeping in the swing is a blessing in disguise. You can put it anywhere and get a travel one so she can travel with you.
Seems like she needs the motion to sleep.
Let her sleep in the swing, and try lessening the motion bit by bit over the next couple of weeks and then you can try a bassinet or crib. Try swaddling her too - it will be a BIG help.

NUMBER ONE: GET BACK-UP
Number two: let her sleep in the swing.
Number three: see number one. lol
I am the mom of two boy's who are two years apart. Both being colic the GET BACK-UP was the only advice we were given from pediatricians and the emergency room where we brought our oldest son because we thought there was something wrong with him and we were afraid of "loosing our cool" with him.
it passes, but only your daughter knows when.
God Bless and good luck!

My third child had reflux and couldn't lie down, he would cry whenever I put him horizontal. He didn't really spit up, so i wouldn't have guessed it. A friend mentioned it when I told her how fussy he was.

Once we figured it out we got him a seat that reclined, and we put anything he was in on an angle so his head was elevated. He was always in the baby bjorn.

Also talk to your pediatrician if this is something that you think the baby may have. There are medications that neutralize the acid so it doesn't burn the babies esophogus.

swaddling should help for sure. My third loves to be swaddled - still does at 4 months! but if she has any acid reflux issues, she could be crying due to pain. being semi upright helps. if this is the case meds help. all 3 of my babes have/had it & they are worlds different when on meds. once on medication my 4 mon old was sleeping through the night at 8 weeks!
good luck!

My 3-month old still does most of her sleep in her swing too. We are usually able to transfer her for night-time sleep after about 1 hour or 1 1/2 hours in the swing. Then she will sleep until her 2:30 feeding in her crib. After that I put her back in the swing until morning b/c she is wide awake and won't go into the crib that way. She does her daytime naps in the swing. I sometimes struggle with whether or not to let her sleep in the swing b/c I know she can't sleep there forever but she really isn't able to fall asleep on her own yet and I'm not the type that can let her cry it out in her crib. I think it's important for all of us to have sleep at night so if that's what it takes for now than that's what we'll do. I have heard from other parents who have older children not to worry or stress too much about it and that she'll eventually get to the crib. In books you'll read to stop the swing and motion by now but I can't take that cold-turkey approach either. I guess I don't have advice on how to change this sleep behavior but just wanted to let you know that you are not alone. I'm not going to stress or let my daughter get stressed about it. I'm just going to follow her lead. She spends time in the crib during the day and likes looking at her mobile so hoping that helps her get used to it.

That happened with my children. My oldest would sleep the night away and the next baby I would have to bring in the car at 2, 3 AM just to get to sleep! My daughter ended up with colic and once her pediatrician changed her formula...NEW BABY! Good luck

My son was the same way until about 3-4 months...then magically he slept in his crib. When they are so small, a crib/bassinet seems huge to them and they don't feel safe. The time will come though when she will want to roll around and she will want the open space. Until then, I would not worry about it too much! It will pass!

Hi K.! My youngest is 3 months but just recently went to cradle. She would only sleep in the swing or her carseat, so we just put the swing in our room and if she was in the carseat we put it beside our bed. Our pedi said it is no big deal, just keep trying and eventually they'll sleep flat and she did! I always give her a bottle of breast milk at night not directly on me so I know she gets alot, and also put just one scoop of the mildest formula I could find into it to keep her more full. Hope it gets better!

Hi K.,
I had that same problem with my son when he was that age. Have you talked to your pediatrician about it? What we used to do is buckle our son into his car seat and put the car seat in his crib. (we lowered the mattress too just in case) My son needed the buckle in feeling of the car seat and but more importantly he needed the elevation of it because he had refulx. We found that if we kept in the crib then he would at least get used to the surroundings of his room/crib. But I would definitely check with your pediatrician too.
I hope this is helpful, I am happy to help if you need to talk! I have been there, my oldest (son) was 2 1/2 when my youngest son was born!
A.

My first was the same way. Don't worry. It will pass. Just keep trying to get her used to the crib but don't stress about her sleeping in the swing.

SWADDLE, SWADDLE, SWADDLE! A tight swaddle may be what she needs to feel snuggled and safe (the way swings make them feel). Our biggest survival guide for our daughter was "Happiest Baby On the Block" DVD. Order/Buy it now!! It has 5 tips to soothe a sleeping baby, but better yet, it explains why they are crying, and shows the methods on real babies and how they work. It was a life lesson for us (and your 2 year old will love seeing the real babies on tv, too!) Our baby started sleeping through the night and was swaddled even when she could break out of it by morning. I also played a repeated CD of rain in her room to soothe her. She has been sleeping 12 hours a night for basically most of her life. It really works!

It's ok, my daughter slept in her swing all the time for months. She would also only sleep in her infant carseat which was put in her crib till she basically outgrew it. I wouldn't worry about it.

Hi K.

....I wish that my kids had slept as well as yours does:) While all babies are different and some do sleep well, as it sounds like your first one did, this is more typical of a newborn. I found that I had to think outside the box when it came to sleeping. Both my kids had reflux and sleeping flat in a bassinet or crib was not an option. My son slept in a bouncy seat until he was 4 months old, nothing worked with my daughter until I tried the swing! That was the only way to get her to sleep (and then only for 2-3hrs).

Yes 3-4 hour stretches of sleep are typical for this age, they also still like swaddling, movement, and feeling closed in. It sounds like your daughter especially responds to this environment...crib and even bassinett are too "open" for a lot of babies.

I say sleep is the priority for everyone, so if the swing works go for it! You might try transitioning her to a bouncy seat or papison type seat during the day to help her get used to other places to sleep but at night go with what works.

Sleep issues can be so stressful, especially when you have another little one-best of luck!

Hi K.,
If your baby is happy and sleeping in the swing, then I think you should let her! It is more important that she sleeps so you can sleep- It's not important where. If it's the swing then just go with the flow. You could move the swing or get one for her room (or wherever the crib is). Then she can start associating the location for sleeping too- even if it is still in the swing for a while. Good luck!

get her out of that habit of the swing right away. Maybe you could rock her? She still is young and as you know babies are unperdictable. See if she responds to soothing classical music from the Baby Einstien collection. I rocked each of my 3 and they did great, it was rock them with the music and keep the room dark and I would just lightly rub between the eye brows, almost like a cat.

In my experience, some kids are just more difficult to deal with..... Like my second child! She was the same way. It's almost time to set up your bedtime routine.... whatever it is (bath, book, bed, whatever...) and try to stick with it! Good luck!

try putting her in a sling during the day and doing your normal activities. This is an age-old art that not only helps with attachment to your child, it actually helps her sleep better at night because she is essentially doing the chores with you during the day. I have a almost four week old daughter and just started using a sling at the advice of other experienced moms, it took some adjusting (at first you have to learn how to use it and it seems akward) but now that I have the hand of it I cant ive without it!. Sleeping in the same bed with me, is the most helpful for waking up at night. She is a completely normal baby! Every baby is different AND she will tell you what she needs. My favorite slings are Over the Shoulder Baby holder and the Moby Wrap. Also check out the nighttime sleeping book by Dr. Sears, a excellent book!.
Good Luck

hi!
I have four babes 7 and under. out of four, I have had two that have needed to sleep in their bucket carseat for three months, and for 6 (!!!!!) months. I just put the bucket on my bed, or in the crib, or next to the bed, or wherever. they grew out of it, and it is the position that is the thing. your babe will be fine, maybe she has a hard time with sinuses, maybe she just feels more secure in a smaller bed. don't make yourself crazy. just wherever she sleeps best, let her sleep. you might try the bucket (infant) carseat, though, that'd probably be a bit safer and lots more portable.
good luck!

Hi K.,

My daughter was the same way! If we tried to put her down anywhere else she would just cry, cry, cry! What we did to break her of the swing was to swaddle her (arms in) really tight. We would let her fall asleep in the swing and then transition her into the crib. Some nights it took more than one try but usually no more than 2. I wanted to get her used to sleeping without swinging. She would not sleep in the carseat either so I believed it was the motion she needed. I would still let her nap in the swing while we were doing this. We also elevated the crib mattress by putting a couple of pillows under the mattress. I had a sleepsack with the swaddle feature that worked great for swaddling. Anyway, by about 2 1/2 months we were able to just put her down in her crib (asleep) without the swing. Then at about 4 months we had to start some sleep training. But, that is a totally different story! Good luck and if you need any more advice just let me know. I've been through it and I was stressed about it too. My son had been a great sleeper so when my daughter came along and was so much the opposite I felt so lost.

Sounds like she likes the security of the swing (that swaddled feeling). Some babies need that close/cozy feeling of swaddling, a car seat or a swing. You didn't mention if you have the swing in movement as sometimes babies like the vibration/movement that a swing can give (or sleeping in a driving in a car). If its not the movement she's needing, you can try putting your baby in a car seat and then placing her in the crib (lower the mattress since she'll be higher than usual). That might help ease the transition to a "sleeping place" (she'll get used to being in the crib) then your can try taking the seat away after a while and see if she'll sleep in just the crib. As long as she's sleeping, it really doesn't matter where. It can become a habit in a swing since its soooo different than a crib, so I would give the car seat in the crib a try to wean her into the idea of at least being in the crib, LOL!! Plus, car seats are a little better-reclined as well, and baby's head won't slump as far forward as they tend to do in the swing. The number of hours she's sleeping at night is normal for a lot of babies (some nap all day and all night...no real set night-time power sleep). She'll outgrow that once she becomes more active. Try to get as much sleep as you can while she's sleeping and keep your chin up :-)

I just slept with my daughter, and she did fine. I put her in the crib at 3 months, and she was fine. I plan on doing the same thing when I have this one, but I think that it made my daughter feel secure knowing that someone was there if she needed one of us. And they have co-sleeping bassinets now that you aren't actually sleeping with the baby right next to you but rather on the side of your bed. Then again, I could just have gotten really lucky and this on that I am pregnant with now could be my pay-back!!! Good luck to you, and if nothing else works, maybe try a tv, or a radio, so that she doesn't think that she is by herself in the room...

My daughter was like that too. I put her in her infant car seat and put it in her bassinett when I put her to bed. I did that for a month, and then she slept without it after that. Not sure if that will help, I have 5 children and they were all different. That only worked with one of my children.