Ever since my 8 week old son come home he has been a swing sleeper. No matter how hard I have tried he just won't go to sleep unless he is in his swing or unless I sit and rock him. I have tried waiting until he is asleep to move him to his bassinett or crib but about 10 minutes later he is wide awake and UNHAPPY! Sometimes I can get him to take his naps in his crib, but those times are few and far and between. Luckily he started sleeping through the night when he was a month old, and I'm scared that if I try and make him start sleeping in his crib it will screw with his sleeping schedule. What do I do? Is this something he will grow out of, or will I have to move the swing into his bedroom? I don't think it is necessarially bad that he sleeps in his swing, but I would like him to sleep in his bed.
Have you looked at an Amby Bed? That is what they use in Australia in the newborn nurseries. I have one and it was great with my little ones. Much safer than a swing but great for babies.
Blessings,
L.
ETA:Looks like I should have read ahead. Someone already mentioned it.<LOL>
My son was like that for the first year or so of his life. we actually wore out 2 swings. he was diaganosed with acid relux and would vomit or scream when we laid him down flat. he is 4 and still sleeps somewhat up right. he was on prevacid then and still is. you may want to have him checked for that. other wise, let him cry. go in and rub his back and make him feel secure but go in after a few minutes longer than the last time. as long as they hear your voice they will calm down. i thought it was cruel when i was told to try it but it worked. it took a couple of months but i could tell it was starting to work. good luck!!
My son was a swing sleeper too it was crazy--2 hours he would nap in the swing while he would only sleep 20 minutes in his crib, we tried swaddling, etc but noting seemed better than the swing--but we wanted him to learn how to sleep on his own in a bed. What I finally ended up doing is getting a baby hammock. OK--it sounds crazy, and honestly, I'm a pretty "normal" by-the-book mom, but this thing was the perfect answer. It gave him a safe bed where he could actually rock himself to sleep (and we could rock him when necessary--but w/o having to pick him up).
We started him in it around 8 weeks and he immediately started sleeping better/longer--it free-motion so though you can rock them to sleep, then eventually learn to rock themselves to sleep--and at 6 months when he started turning over it it--he easily transitioned to the crib.
The actual one we got was the Amby baby hammock--not the cheapest in word, but I'm sure you can find a second-hand one on ebay if that is an issue--and honestly it was so worth the money to us--one of the most useful things we got him as a baby--and I've loaned it to many friends and plan on using it immediately with any other children we have.
here's a link the their website if you want to read more about it:
http://www.ambybaby.com/
btw it's also very good for babies with colic or reflux disease (it keeps the head above the heart and mimics the womb)
PS we did a sleeping "routine" too (baby whisperer to be exact) and this went perfect with it--he was sleeping 8 hours a night by 10 weeks and 11 hours by 14 weeks...
my sister was a swing sleeper to my mom thinks that she liked the cozy corners around her she just had to much room in her crib so my mom started putting my sister to bed in her infant car seat rock her a little then she would lift the infant seat into crib by 15 months she was sleeping her crib no problem
Hi A.! My oldest son was in a swing until he was 4 months old. What I started doing when he was around 8 weeks is I would turn the swing on and let him fall into a deep sleep (about 15 min) and then I would turn the swing off and just let him sleep in it staying still. It still gives them enough rocking that they feel comfortable but not enough for them to get too used to being rocked. Our transition from a swing to his crib wasn't horrible just a few nights of adjustment. Also, to ease your mind.. they say babies cannot be taught bad habits until they are 3 months old so go ahead and spoil away.. Give the baby what he/she wants to be happy. :)
my youngest was a swing sleeper acually she prefered her swing to all else had to fight her to go into her bouncy to work those legs at a slightly older age, she preferred the movement and she hated to be wrapped up tight, but once asleep i generally let her sleep for 20 minutes then put her in her bed. only time she ever slept all night in her swing was when she was sick because being elevated helped and the motion soothed her. she had alot of bronchitis as an infant until after 1 yr old
My son did this too. He was a preemie and needed that close comfort. I would roll up blankets and place right beside him in his crib so he would sleep in his crib too. That is what I had observed while he was in the NICU for 20 days. The bumper wasn't enough of a comfort for him. He finally grew out of sleeping in the swing exect when I couldn't get him to sleep any other way. I have always play music for him to sleep too as well. As for the being rocked, well they do finally grow out of that with a little work.
Now I will admit that after he was okay with taking the blankets away I still had to place stuffed animals along the crib edges so he would still sleep well.
It's all about that being comfortable surrounded just like in the hospital.
Hi A., I too had a swing sleeper. They do out grow it for sure. One thing though I never let my daughter sleep all night in a swing at the advice of my ped. It's really not good for posture issues and sleep habits. What really helped us get our daughter to sleep in a crib (or not swinging) was to swaddle her. I think it's fine to start swaddling him at 8 weeks if you don't already. He may just need to mimic the womb either by swinging or by being swaddled. The other thing is he may have colic or digestive issues that get better when he's swinging. There is a bed called Amby Bed that you can find on-line that swings and since the baby is lying down there isn't an issue with his back and neck. You can adjust the way the bed swings and the angle of the bed. It's pricey but people swear by it. Especially if has a physical issue to deal with. Believe me though, he will grow out of it!
Hi A.! I personally don't think it is a bad thing that he likes to sleep in his swing. Swings are cozy and I think the babies feel comfortable. My son is 6 1/2 months old and still likes to nap occasionally in his swing. Eventually he will out grow it and will have to sleep in his crib :) If it really concerns you then I would ask his pediatrician for peace of mind . In the mean time...enjoy your new addition and his unique sleeping habits :)
A.
A.,
Congrats on your newest addition. I think a swing sleeper isn't all that bad. Whatever works, right? I once heard a medical doctor say "You do what you can the first 4 months to ease your baby to sleep" He'll eventually grow out of this - for sure. My son only wanted to sleep in my bed next to me (not in the crib/bassinet) pretty much since he was a month old. No shame here, I love my little boy snuggling up with me! My daughter prefers to be rocked to sleep and then placed in her crib. So you're doing just fine. If you don't want him to sleep in the swing anymore, you will have to rock him to sleep, let him get into a deep sleep before putting him in his crib. Don't forget to wrap him snug-I think that might be why he likes the swing!
My daughter, now two, was the same way. There were several nights I just put her in her swing and said "forget it! I need sleep too!" and then there are nights I put her in her crib and ended up moving her to the swing in the middle of the night.
Life gets better, I promise. These times are hard, especially the lack of sleep, but wait it out, know it's okay and work with him as best you can. Also know, it's important for you to get your sleep too and every now and again if you just have to leave him there for the night, then do so.
I broke every cardinal rule: Co-cleeping, toddler bed at 1 year, and holding my babies when they cried.. they turned out pretty okay. There's not a whole lot you can do wrong when you just love them.
~J.
A.,
My now 23 month old used to sleep in his swing all the time. It was our saving grace when he was a newborn and would cry in the night. I just wanted to tell you that there is hope. We had to transition him to his crib. We began by putting him in his crib for his daytime naps. We would also set ourself a limit for how long we would let him cry. Once it got past 20 minutes, we would come "rescue" him. He eventually would fall asleep in his crib and we began putting him in there at night. He would cry but it usually wouldn't last longer than 20 minutes. I also followed a book called Babywise, which helped me establish a sleep routine for him. He began to sleep through the night, in his crib, by 9 weeks old. I highly recommend this book. Let me know if I can help in any other way. Good luck!
If he doesn't grow out of it you'll have to buy a bigger swing! I'm sure he will though ;-)
My son was like that. Then I found out he was a belly sleeper. He hated being on his back for the longest time. Until he was able to prop his head up I let him sleep on his belly next to me or on me. He transitioned to the crib without problems. Of course I had to rock him.
