He won't sleep in his bassinet or crib!

skalnajs · September 2014

I feel like I post a new Q everyday... LO is almost 1.5 weeks old and will only sleep in his reclined bouncer, in someone's arms, or laying tummy down on mine or H's chest. As soon as I lay him in his bassinet he freaks out. Same with crib. Maaaaaybe he'll last like 4 minutes before he realizes where he is.

How do I ease him into either the bassinet or crib? He just won't sleep flat on his back.

skalnajs · September 2014

theteno said:
Is he swaddled? He may feel more secure wrapped in your arms or surrounded by aides of the bouncer. Swaddling could give the same feeling

He hates being swaddled with his arms in. Makes him cry and squirm

boymomstrong · September 2014

Try tummy sleeping... My first would not sleep any other way! And at 7 weeks started to roll him self over to sleep on his belly...
Also maybe try bef sharing? If he wants you close maybe stay that way... He is so new still he is not used to being still to sleep, in your belly still is play time, moving is sleep time...
Good luck...

lynds002 · September 2014

I would try swaddling. My LO cries while being swaddled, but then sleeps twice as long!

SoSayWeAll · September 2014

My LO won't sleep flat on his back either. I put him in a rock and play at night and he sleeps great. I think you could also get a wedge for his crib if you wanted so there is a slight incline.

jenniferurs · September 2014

Queenb0912 said:

I'm of the opinion that for the first 3 months, you should let them sleep wherever they will sleep. LO is 7 weeks old and will only sleep in our bed, RNP, or sometimes the swing, so that's where she sleeps. We will worry about moving her to the crib later. It's so hard to get any sleep when they're this little, I don't borrow trouble if I don't have to.

100% this.

But beyond that, even if you THINK your little one doesn't like being swaddled with their arms in, they still might. I made the same mistake at first. She always had her hands up by her face in the womb and then she'd cry and squirm whenever I'd try to swaddle her with her arms in, so I just assumed she was happier with them out. Big mistake. She screamed bloody murder every night from 3-6 am for about a week straight and nothing would console her. Finally one day we decided to try swaddling again, and while she still cries and squirms every time we do it, within a few minutes she's calm and will sleep for hours. She's even had 2 naps in her crib now that she would never sleep in before (we usually have her sleeping in the mamaroo or RnP).

If you haven't swaddled him and then waited it out a little bit, I'd recommend that. Most babies resist it at first, but do better with it over time.

mdarmetko · September 2014

jenniferurs said:

Queenb0912 said:

I'm of the opinion that for the first 3 months, you should let them sleep wherever they will sleep. LO is 7 weeks old and will only sleep in our bed, RNP, or sometimes the swing, so that's where she sleeps. We will worry about moving her to the crib later. It's so hard to get any sleep when they're this little, I don't borrow trouble if I don't have to.

100% this.

But beyond that, even if you THINK your little one doesn't like being swaddled with their arms in, they still might. I made the same mistake at first. She always had her hands up by her face in the womb and then she'd cry and squirm whenever I'd try to swaddle her with her arms in, so I just assumed she was happier with them out. Big mistake. She screamed bloody murder every night from 3-6 am for about a week straight and nothing would console her. Finally one day we decided to try swaddling again, and while she still cries and squirms every time we do it, within a few minutes she's calm and will sleep for hours. She's even had 2 naps in her crib now that she would never sleep in before (we usually have her sleeping in the mamaroo or RnP).

If you haven't swaddled him and then waited it out a little bit, I'd recommend that. Most babies resist it at first, but do better with it over time.

This. Also, after watching Happiest Baby on the Block, we learned that we need to implement some of the other 5 S's along with swaddling. We thought she hated swaddling too, but then we did it, held her on her side and the screaming stopped instantly. We put her down in her vibrating bouncer swaddled on her side sucking a pacifier and she is OUT!

Allison7 · September 2014

Mine did the same thing the first night in the bassinet part of the pack n play. She fussed until I put my hand on her or let her suck my finger. I spent a night with my hand on her until she was asleep, but now that she knows I am going to be right there she is okay. I have also heard that some people will wear a t shirt and the put it close to baby when they go to sleep so LO can smell you.

FrodaBaggins · September 2014

I absolutely believe in letting them sleep where they will sleep. My LO very rarely sleeps in his bassinet, and only when he's already totally in deep sleep that he fell in either on the breast or in his snugabunny vibrating cradle chair. However my mom worked some sort of magic when she was visiting me during his second week. She would swaddle him (not super tightly), put the paci in his mouth, lay him on his side in the crib (with a rolled up blanket braced against his back), twist the mobile so that the music was playing and rub his back gently. He started falling asleep there and staying asleep! I was pretty amazed. I've had varying measures of success in duplicating this, though. Sometimes it takes 7-8 times of going back into the room, twisting the mobile, putting the paci back in, and rubbing his back before he'll genuinely get to sleep. He also is a wriggly little guy who works hard to get his arms out of the swaddle and that can complicate things. But it might be worth a try to use those cues (music, back rubbing) as a repetitive routine?

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