Needing some sleep help with my 5 month old

lmj8284

I spent the last 6 weeks trying to get my son to sleep in his crib.  He's been in his own room since day 1, in a rock n play.  He will only stay asleep in his crib for 2-3 hours and then he wakes up.  He moves around ALOT so I think that's why he wakes.  

If I put him in the rock n play, he will sleep all night long.  8:30pm-7am.

He's a big boy...about 17lbs.  He's too big for a swaddle.  Plus he's rolling over every which way and I don't feel comfortable pinning his arms down.  

I've tried letting him cry but after 15-20 minutes he's so pissed off and worked up that I can't handle it and go to comfort him.

We do a bedtime routine of bath, bottle, bed.  We have white noise. We have the crib wedge so he's on an incline.

I feel like I do everything the Dr.'s and books say to do but he will not stay alseep in his crib.  

I"m a working mom so getting up 4+ times a night to put him back to sleep is getting to be exhausting and I've resorted back to the rock n play b/c I'm desperate!

Do any of you have babies like this?  If you have some advice for me to try please share, or just let me know that I'm not alone and that he will eventually learn to stay asleep in his crib.

Pattycakes3

You're not alone & he WILL get used to this. Once I first put my son is his crib, he was also up every 3-4 hours to eat (just like during the day). It took a while, but he eventually got used to sleeping through the night around 4 months. I also found that feeding him between 9:30 & 11 depending, he's sleeping more soundly. You're doing everything just fine, so don't give up! 

*On a side note- our family has been using "furs" for babies to sleep on, and these things have worked WONDERS to keep a child happy during sleep-time/in the crib. You can get one at IKEA for about $25 and the baby sleeps on it. If they roll over, they can still breathe into and through it. They seem to find the material comforting as they grip and pull on the soft fur. My brothers and I all slept on them when we were kids, and now all of our babies sleep on them too. I swear this is the best item I own for getting a baby to sleep anywhere! Just lay it in the crib, take it in the car, etc...my children have never had issues sleeping! It's worth a try... seriously!  -working mom here too. Good luck!

lizrn1975

We had great success with the Magic Merlin Sleepsuit which we used once LO kept breaking out of his swaddle. We've been using it since May and he loves it. Sleeps 10-12 hours a night. https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=merlin+magic+sleepsuit&tag=hydsma-20&index=baby&hvadid=28569509034&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10154140078713986734&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=m&ref=pd_sl_64vpnihzpv_b
Good Luck!

empenny

My 5 month old is still in his Rock & Play too!  He sleeps there almost 12 hours every single night since he was 5 weeks old, so I've been terrified to rock the boat.  Why fix what ain't broke, right?  We tried to transition to the crib in mid-June when he had just started rolling over, and he would roll himself into the back side of the crib bars and wake up pissed. 

We're going to try the crib again after we get back from vacation in 2 weeks.  My advice - keep him in the Rock & Play for now, get some sleep, and ask your ped what he/she thinks at the 6 month visit. 

We stopped swaddling at 4 months too, have you tried a sleep sack that lets your LO's arms be free?  Sometimes a little bit of wrapping/snuggling is enough to make them feel more secure in the big crib.  I think they like the way the Rock & Play cradles them on each side.

karamorgan82

Pattycakes3, can you post a link to the "furs" that you're talking about??  I'm very interested!  My DS likes to fall asleep on his blanket because it's soft vs. the sheet in the crib, but I've always thought that it could pose a safety hazard...

Thanks!!

hmsnbl103

Thank you so much for posting this question!  I was just getting on here to post pretty much the exact same thing.  We are dealing with the same issue and we have decided to start unswaddling him while in the rnp, so he can still have a little bit of the snug feeling.  After a couple days and nights of being out of the swaddle, we are going to attempt the crib.  I think we are planning on having to power through a few rough nights, but hopefully we will see pay off!  Good luck to you too!  The furs sound like a great idea.  My DS loves to hold onto something (usually ends up being his paci, that he yanks out!)..so the furs would be perfect for us.  I think I will have to look into those!  Thanks again!

JenW1029

I would try the Magic Merlin Sleepsuit. We used it to transition out of swaddle and rock n play to crib. Got it on Amazon, so desperate I paid for overnight shipping. Looks warm but we turned down the air and I have a fan circulating in his room. You can also leave the zipper down an inch or two. My LO runs hot and he's never sweat in it.

JenW1029

My LO is about the same size 17 - 18 pounds you would want to get the large size.

shaunessa

haha, just googled the magic merlin sleepsuit...that thing is hilarious!  Looks comfy though...I think I need one!

Pattycakes3

Regarding the furs that I was talking about earlier (sorry I didn't responded sooner)- you have to actually buy them at the IKEA store. They don't sell them on their website, nor have we been able to find them elsewhere for a low cost. But they're worth the shopping trip, I promise! 

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70026822/ 

It's actually a sheepskin rug and sold in the bedroom/bathroom section. My 19mo old has been known to throw every item out of her crib before bed, but the fur always stays. Our 5 month old sleeps peacefully wherever we lay him, as long as he nuzzles into his fur too! He's now a tummy sleeper, and I have no fear that he does with this in our crib.  

(edited- just found other reviews on Amazon for a similar baby-fur- check out the reviews! https://www.amazon.com/Bowron-Sheepskin-UnShorn-Baby-Comforteer/dp/B000GV5RVK/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1406651168&sr=8-4&keywords=baby+lambskin+fur )