WWYD? baby sleeping in swing

Summer20 · January 2012

DS has been sleeping horribly for the past month or so. Up every 1.5-2.5 hours all night long. Occasionally we'll start the night with a longer stretch but by 12 or 1:00 we're up constantly. We've tried the crib and the swing (not moving) and it's a crap shoot either way. We have a sound machine, swaddle, dark room, etc.

He naps in his moving swing great during the day. I know it's not the greatest habit, but it's the only way I can put him down awake and he's out in minutes. With DD around I don't have endless time to spend rocking him to sleep.

Anyway, last night was exceptionally bad and around 4am we finally turned on the swing. He slept 4 hours and woke up happy. Is there any reason (other than that we'll have to buy stock in Duracell) why he shouldn't sleep in the moving swing all night long? I know he's going to outgrow it and eventually we'll have to deal with the transition, but maybe it'll go better when he's older(?)

WWYD oh wise ones?

Mom2Mack1 · January 2012

I would have done the same thing. When DD was an infant on those few nights she didn't feel the need to sleep I remember trying everything. She would sleep great in the bouncy seat with the vibration on, so that is how she slept some nights.

Ardmhs83 · January 2012

ashleysyn2:

I believe that it has something to do with their back, or that they're not supposed to sleep in a somewhat upright position. I believe that's the reason having them sleep in their carseat overnight is a no-no, too.

I just found this:

in his swing, by all means let him swing to his little heart's content! Keep in mind, you should never leave your baby unattended or let him sleep in the swing through the night. ?The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) warns that some infants might curl over in a seat and obstruct breathing,? explains Dr. Sadler. ?In practice, I think if parents are awake and watching, and the child isn't small or premature, the swing is OK,?

from here:

https://parenting.kaboose.com/age-and-stage/toddler/new-mom-baby-care.html

My son was the same way and we put the swing in our bedroom and kept it on all night long for about a week and he slept great! I had this really funny feeling the whole time and never slept well myself while he was swinging away. I finally called my pedi to get his opinion and he said, "if you are awake and watching the infant...it is fine they sleep in the swing, if you are also sleeping don't allow child to sleep in the swing" due to the reason above. We stopped right away and went back to him not sleeping.

Eventually things will get better or you may have to do some sleep training when your LO is older. We did Ferber at 4 1/2 months and it worked wonders and we've had a baby STTN since then. Good luck!

TBLilyRose · January 2012

At first I thought you were talking about your toddler.

But I think at that age you do what you have to do. Swing sleeping at night would make me nervous. I've heard of babies falling forward and getting stuck. But if it was the only thing that worked for my LO, I'd probably put him in there and just sleep next to him.

Do you have a Rock and Play? That was the only place DS would sleep at night (besides on me) the first 4 months.

insertclevername · January 2012

Do you and your DH have the option of sharing night duty? LO woke up at least 10x/night from 3.5 months to about 6 months old. It was really rough and the only way we survived was by working together. DH would take a night and I would wear earplugs, then I would take a night and sleep in the nursery so DH could get a full nights sleep. Eventually LO outgrew his sleep issues without intervention and started STTN.

JillianGoe · January 2012

My DD was the SAME way as your DS and -- other than sleeping on top of me -- she would only sleep in her swing. So I did an obscene amount of research to determine the safety of her sleeping overnight in the swing and then went with it, with NO regrets. I did read that the child potentially bending over could obstruct his/her airway, so to avoid this scenario, we put soft, rolled-up blankets between the seat of the swing and the cover to create a seat that allowed her to lay more horizontally. She was basically more reclined, so the seat mimicked a moving cradle more than a swing. The straps still fit around her safely and we felt more comfortable with her sleeping through the night in it since there wasn't the risk of her tipping her head forward.

We started out with the swing in our room, then we put it in hers (at around 5 months) then moved the swing seat INTO her crib to make the transition to the crib easier.

If the next kid is a horrible sleeper like P was, we'll do the same exact thing.

ETA: I HIGHLY recommend investing in rechargable batteries!!! Our swing too 4 D batteries and purchasing good-quality rechargable ones was well worth the one-time cost.

ANJ410 · January 2012

My DS slept in the swing at night for the first 3 months of his life, and took every nap in there until he was 6 months old.. Our swing fully reclined, so he was laying flat, not at any kind of angle.

melody921 · January 2012

Mom2Mack1:
I would have done the same thing. When DD was an infant on those few nights she didn't feel the need to sleep I remember trying everything. She would sleep great in the bouncy seat with the vibration on, so that is how she slept some nights.

The bouncy seat was a lifesaver for us a few nights too. I think it's fine to use if you're desperate. Long-term, you'll need a solution to get him to sleep in the crib, but for short-term sanity, I say go for it.

Summer20 · January 2012

Thanks everyone! We have the FP little lamb swing which is very reclined. I think it would be about impossible for him to fall forwards in it.

And I'm LOLing at the thought of my almost two year old DD in the swing still! Now that would be nuts.

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