Baby won't sleep alone...

missdaccortezz

My baby boy is 7 weeks old & will not sleep alone (in his co sleeper bed). I've only been successful in keeping him asleep if he's in my arms. As much as I love it, I need s break & to get stuff done. He slept great in his co sleeper for 4-5 weeks, but now as soon as I set him down (already asleep) he squirms & grunts & eventually wakes up crying. What is going on??!

SmrBrd2012

Honestly, that's pretty normal behavior. Infants want to be close to their moms and feel secure. He probably slept great in the beginning because he was still so young and tired all of the time but now he's becoming more alert to his surroundings. It's often difficult to get baby to sleep on his own. Do you swaddle? That helps tremendously as it makes them feel secure and lessens their startle reflex when you put them down.

Bigboobsmcgee

SmrBrd2012 said:

Honestly, that's pretty normal behavior. Infants want to be close to their moms and feel secure. He probably slept great in the beginning because he was still so young and tired all of the time but now he's becoming more alert to his surroundings. It's often difficult to get baby to sleep on his own. Do you swaddle? That helps tremendously as it makes them feel secure and lessens their startle reflex when you put them down.

This. Sleep will change week by week so don't be surprised by that. Most babies hate sleeping alone and they really hate sleeping flat. Can you put him in something with a slight incline like a RnP? And I agree with PP about the swaddle. My kids could not sleep unswaddled for the first couple months.

DustyMelons

OP, you might also want to consider babywearing if you haven't already. It can really help with getting things done around the house and many babies will fall asleep easily in a carrier, the motion is similar to being in the womb. A swing was also really helpful for us.

Kayciejoe56

Ditto all the previous posts...
My little guy is 7 weeks, and sleep habits definitely changes every week! For the time being, I do a lot of baby wearing during the day because LO sleeps great in the ergo and I can do housework. At night we use a rock n play... he sleeps pretty well but we are still at 3 hour stretches (4 occasionally). I do use a heating pad to warm the rock n play while I'm feeding him in the motn. (Take it out before laying lo back down of course). Finally, after DH leaves for work in the morning, I put lo in bed and we usually get a few more good stretches of sleep.

Just remember... at this age, and for at least several more weeks, things are constantly changing. They are growing so fast, it must be scary for them. Just trial and error and do whatever works for you each day. Sometimes that means a day of snuggles on the couch, and sometimes it means wearing baby and doing housework.

tpete12

I went through this with my daughter as well. I found putting a warm water bottle in her bassinet with her has help greatly. She was given a bear that goes over the water bottle snd it stays warm for most of the night.

tpete12

I went through this with my daughter as well. I found putting a warm water bottle in her bassinet with her has help greatly. She was given a bear that goes over the water bottle and it stays warm for most of the night.

valerie1132

Yes I went through this too. I got a swaddle me swaddle (vs a blanket) and that helped tremendously. At first it feels like a baby straight jacket and it freaked me out (there's Velcro!!) but she did great in it. And bassinet worked better than crib. And baby wearing. A lot...