Transitioning RnP to Crib

VitaLuna

Anyone have tips?? Our RnP reclines, so she's been laying in it reclined in her room for several weeks, but I need to get her to her crib for safety reasons (she's kicking herself up and trying to roll in the RnP). LO will be 5 months (when did that happen??) on the 27th. 

ETA: I nurse her to sleep and then lay her down, if that matters. I tried just laying her in there last week and she woke up after 2hrs, then slept like crud the rest of the night in her RnP. 

mwmiller4

We transitioned at nap time first. I tried propping the mattress up with towels but she kept rolling off and into the side of the crib (she was 3 months so I doubt that would happen now). So she napped terribly for a week and figured it out. We transitioned her to the crib at night (and not the PnP by our bed) when she was already sleep regressed and it worked out nicely. 

If you're looking to prop, there are foam wedges you can put under the sheet. I had a friend who propped one end of the crib up with something under one set of feet and slowly lowering the incline and that worked nicely! 

Transistioning is the worst!! I hope it goes quickly!!!

g0lightly8706

I actually have found that starting out at night time works for us because she's more tired and doesn't wake up. Also we had the same problem where she was so used to the incline of the RnP that flat on her back doesn't work so instead of spending money on a wedge I just rolled up a couple towels and put them under the mattress, does the trick!
She still has issues napping in her crib but has since gotten used to sleeping at night in it. Good luck!

meg+on+the+DL

I just transitioned almost 2 weeks ago. I did what @g0lightly8706 did and put her in there at night. She did great. LO slept for 7 hours. I was totally dreading it because all she knows in the RnP. And now she's a champ. She has had a couple rough nights, but overall does pretty well. 

It'll be better than you think. Just give it a go! 

middy411

I just transitioned from RnP to PnP. I tried a few weeks ago and she screamed bloody murder when I put her in PnP. Then I tried again last week when I knew she was reeeeeally sleepy and got her to nap in it. After that I was determined not to put her back in the RnP so I removed it from our room and rearranged things so the PnP was in the spot the RnP was in. For the first couple of days, she was waking up 2-3 times at night upset, but she happened to start sprouting teeth at the same time. The last two nights she's been back to sleeping through the night. I initially tried to swaddle her lower half so she still felt cuddled like she did in the RnP and she must've been uncomfortable bc she would toss and turn until she woke up (and was UPSET to be awake). Now I just put her in footie pjs and lay one of these very light, soft nursing ponchos over her:

https://covermeponchos.com/#_l_4j

DH keeps the house frigid so I feel like she needs some kind of cover. We always used a blanket over her lower half in the RnP too. So thankful she sleeps in the PnP now and I'll transition her to her own room in her crib at 6 months.

VitaLuna

Thanks for the replies! I just need to bite the bullet and do it, I think. It's just hard because I get up at 4:30am for work, so I'm always using the excuse of "I'm too tired to get up all night, maybe I'll try another night"... Which obviously doesn't work, because when are moms ever NOT tired?? 

Naps are a whole different story. She was a reliable car seat napper, which has since gone by the wayside. I reluctantly started using the swing (was trying to avoid it), and she'd nap there occasionally, but my toddler climbed in it and now it won't swing anymore! Back to the drawing board.. 

VitaLuna

@middy411 have you tried the Halo sleepsacks? We use a cotton one and love it. I used Halo and A&A muslin sleepsacks with DD1, too. 

middy411

@VitaLuna I haven't. But since I removed the swaddle she's been sleeping great again. I think swaddles just aren't her thing. A light cover is all she wants. I heard from a pediatrician that swaddling is really just meant for immediately after birth since they just came out of the womb. But obviously it works for some people far beyond that. My little girl just prefers to stretch out when she sleeps lol. And hey, one less thing I have to buy!

VitaLuna

@middy411 they're not a swaddle, basically just a zip-up blanket (although Halo also makes swaddle styles, but neither of my girls have ever been fans of the swaddle, even as newborns).  They are nice so that you don't have to worry about baby becoming uncovered or tangled up in her blanket and getting mad, especially since they're all starting to get more mobile! 

https://www.halosleep.com/sleepsack/

rainbowminion

Just another plug for the sleep sack here. James has been over swaddling for a while now but he loves his Halo sleep sack! We use it for naps and at night. It keeps him warm, but it's also nice that putting it on signals that sleep time is coming. 

mrsc12414

Zoey loves her sleep sack !! We started with the swaddle type but just went up to a size medium as she's getting long!! It's a part of our routine and she will not sleep without it now . It's nice as its not too thick and it gives me piece of mind that she isn't wrapping herself up in it 

middy411

Ohhhhh @VitaLuna I looked it up and it looks like the same thing I was using (mine were just off-brands). I guess I incorrectly called it a swaddle. It wraps around her waist and then her legs are in the sack part where she can wiggle them a little. I guess my girl wants total free range because she was not sleeping well in it. The poncho is working great right now but I do worry slightly about the suffocation risk. When she's in her own room I won't use it but it's warmer upstairs in her room anyways so hopefully that won't be an issue. I keep reading that 68-72° is ideal for the baby but we keep our house at 70-71° and she feels cold everytime she wakes up. She is close to one of the air vents but idk maybe our unit doesn't accurately measure the temperature? How warm are your babies when they wake? She typically had ice cold hands (which I've heard is normal) and a cool-skin body. I put her in a thick, velvet-ish onesie and she's not waking at night so she must be comfortable, right?

ETA:

mwmiller4

@middy411 we have our LO in a zipadeezip. She rolls all over the place and kicks like a wild woman in it because it's like second set of pjs. Plus she looks like an adorable starfish. It eases my paranoia, though logically, I know the odds of suffocation from a blanket are really, really low. 

@VitaLuna Ellie just stopped napping well in her car seat!! We took a 5 hour (each way) car trip and she took maybe 30 minute naps. She was ok for about an hour after waking and then was super bored and angry about being in the car seat so we'd stop, nurse, she'd fall asleep for another 20-30 minutes and we'd repeat. So frustrating!!! Does the car napping return or are we all done? 

middy411

@mwmiller4 oh my gosh that's adorable!!! It does look like it would work. I notice that she hates her hands covered (even if I drape a blanket on her she quickly pulls her hands out from under it)... Wonder if she would tolerate the zipadeezip. 

mwmiller4

@middy411 I honestly don't know what we'd do without it. I try to keep up with her nails but she already finds away to scratch herself. Especially when she rubs her face when she gets tired!

VitaLuna

@mwmiller4 DD1 never did go back to being a good car seat sleeper. I would absolutely DREAD taking her on long rides. It got better when she was old enough to eat puffs, because I could give them to her one at a time and that would keep her content. 

@middy411 we keep our house between 71 and 74. I dress LO in cotton PJs with a cotton sleep sack and I think it's a good setup/warmth for her.