11 answers

Swing Addiction!!

Help! My 3 month old is totally addicted to his swing for daytime AND nighttime sleep. When he is put down in his crib he will fall asleep fine (with noise machine and pacifier), but upon his first light awakening (about 30 minutes into the nap) he will not fall back asleep. He cries and is inconsolable no matter what I do. I think this is because he wants to be swinging. Anyone out there dealt with this problem? We are ready to get him out of his swing, but I am terrified he will never sleep! R.

What can I do next?

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My daughter also loved the swing... I guess I just did what was going to keep her comfortable. Although it was pretty much in the daytime.. at night I kept her close by my bed that way if she woke I could calm her before she really woke up. I loved the swing though .. and used it until she outgrew it.

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Do you happen to have an incline mat in the crib? I had one thing that my daughter couldn't sleep in it was a fold and go bassinet I don't know why but couldn't stay asleep in it. But her bed had an incline mat. I don't know if this has anything to do with it or even if it would help you but you never know what one little thing might help. You may already have one. If you don't they are good to have in case they are congested. Good Luck

My daughter also loved the swing... I guess I just did what was going to keep her comfortable. Although it was pretty much in the daytime.. at night I kept her close by my bed that way if she woke I could calm her before she really woke up. I loved the swing though .. and used it until she outgrew it.

Let him swing!!!!!! If not you will have one cranky baby.
If he is happy what difference does it make where he
sleeps as long as he sleeps.

Hi R. ... Had the same problem here! Finally, I gave in and let him take naps in the swing! But, there's hope ... once my son started becoming more mobile, he wanted nothing (NOTHING) to do with the swing--it was too confining, I guess! Around 5 or 6 months, he gave it up completely. My advice is to hang in there with the swing. If he enjoys it, I say, let him at it. He'll soon be sick of it, I'm sure! As for nighttime sleep, your best bet is to let him cry it out a bit in his crib. He'll soon realize that he needs to get back to sleep without the swing--that it's only for daytime. Your son is getting to that age now where he'll start making leaps and bounds in his development, and the things that he once enjoyed as a newborn will soon become obsolete--like the bouncy too!
Hope this helps! Hang in there!
-T.

our older one was like that (now 14 yrs old), and our younger (9 yrs old now) didn't like the swing at all.
my elder liked it because she had reflus and it kept her in an upright position. she was also one for rocking and that's kinda what the swinging motion is. it was our sacing grace. she eventually ourgrew and anad all was fined. good luck

That was my 2nd baby, she slept that way until she was 6 months old. She had reflux issues and was colicky. The Dr. (and most of the moms on here) assured me that that was ok. As long as the baby is getting sleep it doesn't much matter how, and that they will grow out of it. (which she did) Hang in there!

Hi R., my son is 2 months old and we were having the same trouble with this glider thing. He would only sleep for long stretches in the glider at night and not his crib. I just decided one night to stop using it and rocked him to sleep myself and then would put him down in his crib. If he woke up again, I would pick him up and rock him again and then put him back down. I pretended that it didn't exist. Now I am so scared to use the thing, I don't even use it during the day, I don't want him to get used to it again. I am new at this all, but someone told me that if you want to change any sleep behavior, it takes 3 nights. Worth a try... On a separate note, my sister is a mother of seven and when I was stressed that he wouldn't sleep at night in his crib and only in the glider, she kept telling me not to worry and that several of her kids would only sleep in the swing for the first few months and eventually they just grow out of it. She said not to worry and that it would happen on its own. So if it is giving you some rest, I guess embrace it!

Have you tried swaddling, shhhing, swinging him? My daughter would not fall asleep if I put her down, I wore her in a sling for months 2-4 and she would sleep for hours in it. Swaddling her legs and body tightly worked well when I finally did lay her down. Just make sure his hands are free. Good luck!

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