Crib Sleeping - Omaha,NE

As hard as it is, invest in a set of earplugs and let her cry it out. The earplugs will take the edge off it. Start doing it at night, when she's ready for a long sleep. Every night it will get shorter as she remembers how to sleep on her own. Hang in there, and remember she won't hold a grudge.

Maybe being in a diffrent enviorment she will sleep just fine and by the time you get back home she will forget all about that swing!

Otherwise... could she have an ear infection?

Also are you able to adjust her bed matress so that one end is higher than the other? Maybe that would help her sleep... or atleast next time she has a cold, you could adjust her bed instead of using the swing.

GOOD LUCK! and Happy Thanksgiving.

Travel swings are car seats are great suggestions for a baby as young as yours. She'll likely have a tough time learning to sleep flat on her back in the crib for the next 6 months or so (at least). Whatever you do, please don't let her cry at this age. Even the biggest proponents of cry it out don't recommend letting a baby cry for any length of time until well after 4 months. Do whatever makes her comfortable and gets you all the most sleep!

oh man, thats a tough one.
one thing to know, infants that age dont even know they are separate from mom. so be very sensitive to that. dont make her scream (like you did, go to her right away) so that she learns that when shes upset or scared or whatever, she can rely on you to respond to her. babies left to cry just cry harder, and then they learn that in order to get attention they have to cry harder - so they learn to cry harder FIRST instead of the lesser cry... you know ? the harder cry though also has a reaction in mom of avoidance. it actually starts making you feel like you dont want anything to do with baby, instead of the instinct that you must do something.
you already have the instinct that you must do something for your baby when shes crying. thats good. dont stop listening to that!! infants as a rule dont sleep well, and even if you had 2 great sleepers before, that doesnt mean that this child will be a good sleeper at all. babies wake up for several life preserving reasons: 1. they wake up often to eat because their tummies are only the size of their fist, and they need to eat often. 2. they wake often to the prevention of sleep issues such as suffocation and SIDS. it is being proven that babies who are often wakers dont die of SIDS. its the babies that sleep all the time that cause more concern for scientists and doctors, and WHY they sleep so hard, so it is a good thing.

so, just be sensitive to whatever sleep habits this child has. you will raise a more confident sleeper if you do. and only you truly have the answers that will help your child. you are "born" with each child with new instincts and new knowledge of what your baby needs. dont listen to family, friends, or random people on advice blogs, listen to your heart. even if it goes against everything you know thus far about babies, even if it goes against everyone you know... just trust that you know what is best.
www.askdrsears.com is a great resource, and has alot of info about sleep.

I'm not sure it's totally due to the cold - my youngest did the same thing (slept pretty well in the crib for 2 weeks or so, and then it got worse and worse). He slept in the bouncer for a little over a month, and then we moved him to a small bassinet, before finally making the transition to the crib. I don't think you'll be able to get your daughter used to the crib by Thanksgiving (you maybe could if this was your only child, but not with 2 older kids that you have to be awake for :-)), so I would try to find a smaller substitute for the swing that she'll sleep in and you can bring along. You could also try swaddling, if you haven't already - my oldest slept great in the crib from day 1, because he loved being swaddled (whereas my youngest did NOT want to be swaddled). I think at 1-2 (or 3) months it's really hard for most babies to sleep flat on their back in a crib, since they keep startling themselves awake.

Travel swings(Called "Take along swings") fold up pretty small compared to a big one? I use them in daycare because I can't store the bigger variety ones in between having small infants in care and the short time I actually use them. The ones I have are the "papasan" type seat, all fabric, so the frame and the bar across the top (if there is one for music and lights) are the solid portions to support the soft parts. You could put into a garbage bag to make sure it doesn't get dirty by yout duffle bags, etc in the back of the MiniVAn...

New they go from about $50-$70 (Target, Walmart, babies R us, etc...) but you could likely find a used one if there are second hand places near you? Maybe you know someone who has one like this you could borrow for a week?? I have borrowed items like this to daycare families for trips (pack N plays, swings, etc).

Might be worth an option for a trip, then work on the crib thing when you return home???

Does she sleep well in her car seat? Take her for a ride, or even just put her in the car seat and swing it back and forth till she gets sleepy, then put her in the seat inside the crib. That will get her used to the room/location again, then after a few days/weeks of that, try her in the actual crib again. Try nursing/bottle feeding her to sleep and laying her down, are you still swaddling her - that should help with the "transfer", so she still feels snuggled up.

Good Luck!

Jessie

Hi M.,
You may want to bring her back to the doctor just to check for an ear infection. They're really common especially after colds, and sometimes little ones are fine if they're upright but laying down can be really painful as it puts more pressure on their little ears. Otherwise I think the car seat and/or travel swing are good ideas, too!
Sara

Our son lived in the swing for his first 6 months for health issues but when we didn't have a swing we snuggled him up in the car seat and if needed rocked him to sleep or swung the car seat until he fell asleep. I am not sure if by getting use to the swing you mean that she swung all night that can be a hard one to wean off of but if it is just the sitting up comfort I would put her into the car seat.

Also if you put her in the car seat in her crib it helps them get use to the location while still being comfortable and makes it easier to wean back into the crib. We notice our son was having a hard time with the unfamiliarity of the room since he spent his time in the swing in a different room then his crib. Best of luck the holidays are so hard when you have the kids and get no sleep. Hope you find something that works for you.

I have 3 kids too and sometimes you're just in survival mode. My second slept in her carseat for the first 4 months. As for the swing...I recently purchased a travel swing from Target- small and you can bring it places. It is a Fisher Price and it is blue with a big orange lion in the middle. Anyway, I think it's great and we'll be bringing it to the inlaws for Thanksgiving. Good luck!

Sounds familiar....is it possible that she has an ear infection (common after a cold) and the pressure in her ears is waking her up as you try to lay her flat (my daughter had frequent ear infections and this was always "a sign" for us--she hating laying flat whenever she had an ear infection)...Good luck to you as you search for just the right thing to calm your precious one.

Jenn

Have her sleep in her car seat during vacation. Both my reflux babies did it for months per their Dr.s recommendation so I know its okay. Once you are home try a small crib wedge, maybe she likes being propped a bit. Don't forget to swaddle...maybe she likes the closeness of the swing. Good luck!

My daughter wouldn't sleep in anything but her swing till she was almost 1. We found out later that it was sensory related but it doesn't seem that's your case. Anyways, because of this I learned a lot about how to get her to sleep when we weren't at home. I say use her car seat. It will be close enough to feeling she'll do just fine. Wish I could give you tips on getting her into a crib but for my daughter it was like a light went off and she slept in the crib. My son has been a great sleeper from day one. Good luck with your trip!

Is it something about her sinuses? Is she comfortable in a lying-down position if she's not in her crib? If it's not that, maybe she's remembering that it was painful in her crib when she had the cold. Let her fall asleep somewhere else (your bed, the floor) and then put her in her crib. As she gets used to being there when she wakes up, maybe she'll get over it. Your trip might be a perfect time for her to be sleeping here and there--not in her crib, and not in the swing. This is all guesses, but I hope it helps.

If it is just the upright position of the swing, could she sleep in her carseat? We went camping when my son was 3 mos old and had no room for a pack and play in our tent and he slept in his infant carseat. We just swaddled him up and set him in. No need to buckle hime. He wasn't going anywhere. It worked great! Good luck!

We had a similar problem with colds when both my girls were infants and we used their car seats. We put it right next to our bed and they were fine. The doctor had suggested it, so I didn't feel too guilty. It was a little weird to explain to the in laws when we had problems transitioning back to the crib like you are, but you do what you've got to do! It took at least a month for one of my girls, but she got used to the crib again before she outgrew the infant car seat. Good luck!