3 Month Old Won't Take a Bottle

I would try a sound machine in the room or her sisters room. I couldn't live without them. It's white noise that keeps my kids from waking each other up. You can also use a humidifier for the noise too. We have one in each of their rooms right now and nothing wakes them up and I can still hear everything on the monitor. My babies slept on my chest forever when they were little. It's not a great idea, but I needed sleep. When I moved them to their beds, I started it at nap time and then transitioned to bed time. Good luck!

M., i would hold on to dear life and plan on a week of hel* and just make it happen. the longer you wait the harder it's going to be. put in the crib something that smells of you so she thinks you're near to comfort her. the older she gets...the harder it is, and then you'll have a toddler who gets out of her bed to sleep with you every night. start a bedtime routine (i used to rub my babies' shoulders and back when it was time to sleep, it not only relaxed them but they learned that it meant...time for night-night). she's getting too old to sleep on a papasan chair. one of these days she could fall, why risk it?

My little one was that way at that age. I would take his papason chair and strap him in it and put it right by our bed. One day he decided he needed to sleep in his bassinett. Good Luck!

Uh oh M.. We did this with our boy and the doctor asked us about it. I told him of course our boy slept with us and he scolded us for it. It is so bad for the children and becomes annoying for the parents. We created the problem by allowing our son to nap on our chest or sleep in our arms and we did it because we thought it was so precious but then that is the only way they can sleep.

Swing and papasan seat time should be play/stimulating time not sleep time so you need to teach her how to sleep on her own and help her establish some independence. My doctor's recommendation was let him cry it out! It was so hard but it only took 1 night really. the first night he cried and cried for a few hours and eventually fell asleep. THe next night he whimpered for a little bit then fell right to sleep and SLEPT in his own bed! He then started to establish a routine from there and slept in his bed and played when he wasn't in his bed. of course if he was really tired he would fall asleep out of his crib but then we would put him right in his crib.

I just wanted to give you some personal experience so you could go from there. I went through the same problem and I found out it was because I created it in the first place. It is a bummer that you have other children that will wake if you use this techinique... maybe you could try doing this at one of her nap times during the day?

Sorry and I hope things work out!
T.

Getting her in the habit is crucial now if you want her to do it eventually, maybe try with baby steps like during the naptime. Make sure she is swaddled and give her a music box or something, make sure the room is dark enough. My daughter loved her crib however my son was a tad more hesitant. First maybe try a bassinett close to your bed, then gradually move her into her own room. Or, my son loved those noise activated music boxes, if he fussed it would kick on and go off in five minutes. That was a life saver as we could take it with us even on trips...
Hang in there....but you are smart to break the habit now if you want it broken otherwise it will just get harder.

One thing we never did was let our baby sleep in our bed. Thank God, because he never wants to sleep in it. I have friends who still let their child sleep in their bed and she's over 2 yrs old. She won't sleep anywhere else now. Have you tried putting her down in her crib during the day, everyday? That's what I did and he got used to being in his crib, in his room. It might take some time for her to get used to it, but it should pay off. Look, everyone has their own opinion, but what it comes down to is what is right for you and your baby.

I have a 15 month old that hates the site of her crib and now sleeps with us too. My friend suggested putting a queen mattress on the floor of her room and laying down with her in her room until she falls asleep. Then if she wakes up during the night you can go back into her room to help her fall back to sleep. Don't forget to put a baby gate up so she can't wander through the house. I haven't tried it yet but will be soon. I will keep you posted.

If you don't like it, find a way to change it. We still co-sleep, and plan to do it until about 2 years. Do what you feel is right, but your not doing anything wrong.

The No Cry Sleep Solution By Elizabeth Pantly may help.

Until the age of 6 mos, a child does not have the ability to self soothe. We had the same problem with our daughter. She slept on my chest for the first 3 months, but when Daddy came home from Iraq, this became a problem. I felt responsible for her not being an independent sleeper. I contacted an organization and asked all my questions. Basically, until 6 months, there wasn't much we could do. We had to rock her to sleep and then put her down, or I'd have to let her fall asleep on my chest before she went into her crib. I'm not going to lie, it wasn't the "ideal" situation, but I was finally able to share my bed with only my husband. And at 6 months, it was easier to get her to put herself to sleep. Try to avoid late naps in the day so she is tired at bed time. Do the same routine EVERY night (bath, bottle/nursing, book, bed). This REALLY gives baby cues that bed time is approaching and will help your little one ease into the night. Also, dim the lights as you near bed time.

I've got another baby on the way, and I'm already reading up on how I can not start the habit of baby sleeping with us. Hang in there!

You don't mention where the crib is and I am assuming it is in your room. I learned with my second child that if we moved the crib completely to another room it was easier to break the sleeping with mom link. They didn't hear my sleep noises (snoring) and I didn't hear theirs. You could use a monitor for your sanity. It only took a couple of nights to get them used to it. We didn't do this with the first and she slept in and out of our bed until past two. The second-fourth children have all started sleeping through the night at two months (as soon as their beds were moved out of our room) and never come into our bed unless they are scared or sick. It might take a few nights of crying but she is young enough to learn quickly. Babies adapt really well. Good Luck!

M.,

My son, now 6, slept in his swing (on HIGH) for the first five months because he wouldn't sleep in his crib either. He was our third child. Since day one we have always had music playing for him at night. So, between the swing, and classical music, he slept all night. We figured we didn't hear of any 16 year olds who still slept in swings, so how bad could it be for him to do that? Now, he sleeps great, but he MUST have jazz going every single night when he goes to bed (which is just fine with us!)

I realize the swing every night is a little odd, but it did work. Hope this helps!