Schedule & crib- advice needed

phawkes9

hi all! My LO is 5 weeks and she is my second, however my first is almost 14 years old so I forget a lot from when she was a baby!

I am trying so hard to have a schedule for my baby but it is not going as planned. If you talked to my friends and family they would tell you I am a planner and like my structure but I am thinking I need to surrender to this mindset with my LO. For the most part she takes a good AM nap and a good afternoon nap. She eats every 3 hours and over night had been going 4-5 hour stretches. It's not exact right now (ie. She falls asleep at noon every day, etc) but we have some consistency. Where I am struggling is that she seems to hate her crib. I have been trying to introduce her crib to her for the AM nap so she gets used to it. Today she screamed the entire time.... No AM nap. I just fed her lunch and will attempt to put her down in the crib again. If she does the same (scream and not take a nap) do I surrender and put her in the bassinet she sleeps in at night so she will at least nap?

Thanks for your help!

AshK1027

If LO likes the bassinet, put her in there to nap for the time being. Having said that, do you swaddle her when putting her in the crib? In the bassinet and pack & play DS hated being swaddled but in the crib it helps him sleep better.

Lalala2326

She's only 5 weeks old. I say put her in the bassinet if she'll sleep there. My 7 week old is a magical dream sleeper compared to my first baby and she is asleep right now in a vibrating bouncer because that is where she falls asleep the easiest. I don't plan on trying to force crib naps till some sort of consistent napping pattern emerges or it becomes impossible to have her nap in the living room with my 2 year old around - I'm figuring around 3 months old or so.

phawkes9

Thanks! I have tried swaddling and not swaddling in the crib but neither seem to work.

ElleMF728

She is so little, I definitely wouldn't let her scream she is much too young and she needs her sleep.  Just keep trying put her down in her crib and try to soothe her to sleep, if it doesn't seem to work within a few minutes then put her somewhere she is more comfortable and try again next time.  If you push her too hard you run the risk of her becoming overtired and that can make soothing her and getting her to nap even more difficult.  

Honestly, I never even worry about "bad habits" until LO is 3 months old and out of his fourth trimester.  

jlsweets

I wouldn't focus so much on having a set sleeping schedule at this age. I started to notice a natural napping pattern with my first around 3 months. At that point it was easier to establish a napping routine and in certain places.

KateDerek

I don't typically worry about a schedule at this age. So many cat naps! It's hard to know if this time she will be out for a good few hours or if she will be up in 15 minutes so I don't even try.

And we also don't introduce the crib until she is sleeping through the night at least. I have never had any babies that liked the flat so when they are still younger we put them in whatever will make them sleep.

phawkes9

Thank you all so much! You're making me feel like Inam not crazy. I read so many different posts and I think I need to have her on a schedule and in her crib and doing all these other things. I spent most of today crying and feeling like a failure and wasted a perfectly good day with my LO. Thank you all!

KateDerek

You are doing great! And exactly what we are all doing! Don't doubt yourself, the guilt will eat you alive and you aren't even doing a single thing wrong.

marieva

Hello! So we have had ours on a schedule since day one. We did a schedule based on him though. He seemed to be eating every 3-4 hours so we stuck with that and tweaked it to fit our schedule. Meaning if he was happy we would slowly push a feeding 20 mins here or there. The only time he kinda goes off schedule is during a growth spurt but I feed him extra milk when he eats so that doesn't throw it off too much. As far as him being in his crib hubby and I transitioned him through naps and then finally one night (a sleepless night) we had him sleep in his crib. Yes he cried but we would go in and check on him, feed him if he was hungry but the major point is that we put him back in his crib after everything we did that night. Don't fold and put them back in your room or bed it will only draw out the process longer. They are going to cry. Just be there for them when they do it. With my son I knew he just didn't want to be in his crib but we stuck it out and now he falls asleep in his crib with no problem. .
Oh and as far as naps he doesn't really take as many as he used to but we still keep his feedings pretty consistent and just keep him well entertained or I am wearing him during those no nap times. Hope this helps!