Getting My Daughter to Sleep in Her Crib

Have you tried elevating the head of the mattress in her crib. Maybe she just doesn't like to sleep flat. Put a 2x4 under the head of her mattress. I'd put it so that the mattress is up higher, the 2 side down and the 4 side on for height. She may just like the incline. Then once she's comfortable in there you can slowly decrease the incline.

Maybe you can level up one side of the crib by placing a blanket or pillow under the matress. If you think the bed can be too flat.

I know there's no one magic formula.

When my daugther was three months we gave her a companion, the mouse. It worked pretty well and today she is 13 months and it is her best friend.
Then later we realize that the little light in the room was a distraction so we cut the ligth and put some music. So far the formula has been working.

Good luck
S. mom to Margaux 13months

Hi L.,
I had a similiar problem with one of my daughters..I have triplets, so sleep was very important to us!!! LOL
My doctor (who was also a good friend) told us to put her in her car seat and put the whole car seat in the crib untill she got used to being in her crib, then try putting her right in the crib..it worked for us!! So I would say why not try the same thing? Try putting the bouncy seat in her crib, but make sure the crib is lowered so she cant fall out...Good luck!!
D.

My daughter has acid reflux too. She slept in her bouncy seat too for months and in her swing (not activated of course). We did not put her in her crib for sleeping over nights for several months. We started out with naps in her crib. This was fairly easy transition. We put a nice warm fuzzy blanket down first. As she became accustom to the crib she wanted to sleep in it all night. We still slept on the couches all night outside her room waiting. But we didnt' have to for very long. I just make sure she gets her burps out before we lay her down. My doc had us go on the enfamil AR (added rice starch, less in calories) which has been a life saver!! I hated to see my girl in pain! If she was crying in her crib it was usually because of a burp. You can always try to pat her back and walk which seems to bring up the bubbles. Good Luck!

I am a 29 year old mother of two daughters,ages 8 and 3.My youngest has acid reflux and I still to this day have issues at bed time and naps.When she was afew months old her doctor told me to put alittle rice into each bottle,however by doing this she was gasy and had more belly pain,so I went to the local Tops and purchased gas drops to add to her bottle,this helped out alot and made my nights easier,along with making sure to burp her four-five times before laying her down in the crib.I also rolled afew blankets and placed them under her crib mattress so she felt that she was in the bouncychair still as well as wraping a blanket around her so she felt safe.I have to say this helped me out alot and I hope it can do the same for you,I understand what you are going through and I always felt I was alone,please know you are not alone.

Sorry to hear your baby is on Prevacid at 5 months old. Getting her down for naps or bed times is probably related.

With adults, usually drinking boiled water during or right after meals deals with acid reflux for most people. Some add lemon to it for flavor. They call it "White Tea" although no tea at all is used. I have also learned not to drink cold drinks during or after meals.

If you are careful of the water temp maybe this will help your baby with both the acid problem and in getting her to to settle down to sleep.

What works for one might not work for all...so talk to the babies doctor first....

I went thourgh the same thing with my son he has out grown his reflex now, but what i use to do is let him fall asleep on my shoulder then transfer him to his crib if he woke up i would comfort him in till he stop crying and drowsy then sneak out of the room, if he woke up again i would wait 5 minutes then go back in comfort him in till he was quit and drowsy not sleeping and sneak out, i would add 5 minutes each time, its repetive and tiring but it works.Within a half hour he was asleep.I also use to elevate the mattress using a board and a pillow i layed the board on the bottom of the crib so the pillow would not fall out.

You should probably take her to the dr. if you feel that it might be acid reflux, They may have some feeding suggestions, or may perscribe her something for it. Some pediatricians recommend that you put something like a towel or blanket under the mattress so that the mattress slopes an inch or two so that her head is elevated, and that helps. I would not use home remedies for a child that young. If that is all that is bothering her, she may start sleeping through the night. Teething could also be a culprit, but trust your instincts. You probably know if the cry is out of frustration or pain.

have you tried the wedge? my son had acid reflux and i bought a wedge from the 'one step ahead' catalog. he slept on an incline which helped him very much. they also have a wedge with bolsters on the sides to prevent your baby from rolling or turning over. i think it's sold at buy buy baby. good luck!

We did the swing and the bouncy seat. I transitioned him into the crib by putting the bouncy seat right in the crib. And naps were in the crib also without the bouncy seat. Eventually he got used to it and he was able to sleep in the crib laying flat. His reflux went away at 10 months. Good luck.
A.

I had the same problem. My daughter slept in the swing (it was the pompason swing, so she was on slant). Everyone kep telling me to put her in the crib, but i couldn't listen to her cry! I let her sleep in the swing until she basically out grew it (around 7 months). When i put her in the crib at7 months, she was fine - did not cry at all. I still have to rock her to sleep and all. She is now 12.5 months and no longer on prevacid (thank god) and sleeps through the night in the crib.

Perhaps you could try putting her into her crib in the bouncy seat for a while to get her use to the crib. You do have to get her out of your bedroom and into her own room if possible. Children are creatures of habit and the crib is foreign to her right now. She will get use to it with time. Remember that YOU are in charge and not the other way around. Even babies are smart creatures who will rule the roost if the adults allow them to, but with your job I am sure you already know that!

Hi L., Your daughter may still be suffering from the reflux. This is very painful, and would wake her for sure due to the extreme burning pain. Try elevating her mattress with a bed pillow placed underneath it. She may slide down a bit, but I found this to help a great deal for my son who suffers from the same disorder. You can fold a blanket at the end of the bed to try to keep her from sliding down too much. Hope this is helpful to you. Ginnie

If she sleeps well in the bouncy seat and the doctor says it's OK, why rush the crib? Sleeping from 12:30 to 8:30 is great for a 5 month old. They are only babies once and she will soon outgrow the reflux and be able to sleep in her crib. But for now if she sleeps well in the seat, why change it? If you really need her to be in another room, then I would try what others suggested and also the wedge under the sheet to elevate her. Have you tried putting her to sleep on her side? My son also is 5 months and prefers sleeping upright, but at night I find he does OK on his side. Good luck!

Maybe you can try putting a crib wedge underneath her mattress so that her head is elevated and she is not laying flat in the crib. If she does not roll around much yet, this technique may work. Good Luck!

Have you tried the wedges that you put in the crib, the help the baby stay upright?
It may help, if she's crying because she hurts. If that doesn't help, then I guess let her cry for as long as you feel comfotable. I personaly never let my daughter cry for more than a few minutes (fuss yes but cry no.) If you know its not from her reflux then I suggest reading up on letting your baby cry it out, it has good points and bad points.
I've also heard that its ok to let your baby cry 1 minute per month old they are (5 months=5mins.)

I agree with another post that talked about putting the whole car seat in the crib for a while, i did this with my daughter and it got her used to the surroundings of her crib, then when we finally made the transition to her crib we used a crib wedge to elevate her head just a bit and also brought the head supporters out of her car seat and into her crib, and also got the rolls that don't allow you child to roll over to put on both sides of her, swaddled her up, and she was together enough in their that she still felt as though she were in her infant seat. After a while we were able to start taking stuff out of the crib and she has slept great ever since! Good Luck!

We had gone thru the same thing. It may be the formula you are feeding her. We ended up on a lactose free formula (Neutromigen) and also medication prescribed by her doctor. It was within 24 hours she was sleeping thru the night with no discomfort. She is 1.5 years now and great. No problems with milk or any acid. Please consult your pediatrician if you have not already.