FTM need advice on sleeping situation

jerseygirl227 · July 2015

Hi ladies,

I am a FTM to our beautiful daughter, Chloe. She is having a hard time sleeping at night. (Who isn't, right?) Specifically, she will not sleep in the bassinet. She does fine in the bassinet during daytime naps, but just can't seem to relax and sleep in it at nighttime. She cried every time I put her down. Unfortunately, I have resorted to having her sleep in bed with me, which I know is not safe. But it is the only way she will calm down.

I have tried swaddling her, which she doesn't like because she loves having her arms free. I have tried rocking her til she falls asleep and then transitioning her to the bassinet. I have tried using the stand alone bassinet we have as well as the bassinet that is part of our pack and play. The pediatrician gave us the go ahead to use a pacifier, but that has only helped delay her crying episodes.

I just don't know what to do. She is 2.5 weeks old. Any advice? Thanks.

Bigboobsmcgee · July 2015

You are not alone and you will find there are multiple posts exactly like this.

Most babies do NOT like bassinets because they are flat. I fully expected my first baby to come home and sleep like an angel in the bassinet but that didn't happen. He slept in bed with me a lot.

With my second child, I got a Rock 'n' Play instead, which is angled and she slept fabulously.

As far as the swaddle goes, I truly believe there isn't a single baby that DOESN'T like being swaddled but instead, parents don't know how to properly swaddle. You have to do it super tight. You will have a really hard time getting your 2.5 week old baby to sleep for a decent stretch of time on her back and unswaddled. It just won't happen.

Try something angled, try a different swaddle or read up on safe bed sharing. It gets better, just hang in there!

erin79 · July 2015

Bigboobsmcgee said:

You are not alone and you will find there are multiple posts exactly like this.
Most babies do NOT like bassinets because they are flat. I fully expected my first baby to come home and sleep like an angel in the bassinet but that didn't happen. He slept in bed with me a lot.
With my second child, I got a Rock 'n' Play instead, which is angled and she slept fabulously.
As far as the swaddle goes, I truly believe there isn't a single baby that DOESN'T like being swaddled but instead, parents don't know how to properly swaddle. You have to do it super tight. You will have a really hard time getting your 2.5 week old baby to sleep for a decent stretch of time on her back and unswaddled. It just won't happen.
Try something angled, try a different swaddle or read up on safe bed sharing. It gets better, just hang in there!

Yes, to all of this. Babies NEED the swaddle, regardless of whether you think they like it or not. They don't really have control of their arms at this age, so their reflexes force their arms to flail up and they end up waking themselves up in the process. Swaddle tightly and you will have no regrets The SwaddleMe blanket is great because it's pretty fool proof. Just remember: tight tight tight.

jerseygirl227 · July 2015

Thank you, ladies. I will watch some swaddling videos and see how I can improve my technique. I actually just found a Swaddleme that a woman gave me. (I bought a bassinet from her and she gave me a few other things, including the Swaddleme.) Just tried it on Chloe. She is sleeping right now, so I am hopeful that it will work tonight. If it works well, I'll pick up a couple more.

Thanks again!

firsttimer86 · July 2015

. Oops wrong thread sorry lol

emuangel · July 2015

FTM here too. My LO is 1w 1d and is the same way. He will sleep in bassinet/pack n play during the day but not at night. Will only sleep in our arms or rock n play (didn't want to try in bed with us). He also hates his hands covered (he will nonstop cry if fully swaddled or if he has mittens on his hands), so we swaddle him with his arms out and he does just fine (Pediatrician said it was fine that some babies can't handle hands covered.. He likes to sleep with his arms over his head or flailed out. We're thinking of weaning him off the rock n play at night in the next week or so. Starting with his first night sleep and working our way to all of them.

jerseygirl227 · July 2015

@emuangel ... my LO is the same way. Sleeps with her hands up over her head, lol. Been swaddling her and leaving her arms out since she, too, cries if they are swaddled.

She did much better last night. Slept in the bassinet for about 30 minutes each time after I fed her in the evening.

sunnyday016 · July 2015

None of my kids appreciated laying flat.

chloepepper · July 2015

The other thing you could try are sleepy wings if the swaddling doesn't work out, it contains their arms but allows them to have their arms up

https://www.amazon.com/Sleepy-Swaddling-Jacket-Organic-13-20lbs/dp/B00D9EJM6W

jenniferaudrey0116 · July 2015

I am reading this, and I would use the Velcro swaddles, he would not be able to break free. Instead, he screamed and screamed until I would free his arms. He would be relaxed and fall asleep. I would swaddle him chest down and he would be able to sleep up to 8 hours starting at 6 weeks old. I don't believe every baby needs their arms in a straight jacket as my mom called it. But I do believe swaddling partially helped him feel held.

jerseygirl227 · July 2015

Just want to thank everyone who recommended the Rock n Play. We bought it last night and used it for the first time. Chloe slept from 11:30 to 3:30 when she woke up to eat and be changed. Then she slept again until 6:30. It was amazing.

I really can't thank you ladies enough. I am so grateful for your advice!

alanna3622 · August 2015

@jerseygirl227 I found an interesting article on Rock n Plays. You may find it useful to talk to your doctor about sleep challenges.

https://pediatricinsider.wordpress.com/2013/04/29/the-fisher-price-rock-n-play-sleeper-is-not-for-sleeping/

auburnmamma · August 2015

Our pedi ok'd the rock n play for sleeping during the early days. He did admit it wasn't the best but the most important thing was mom and baby slept. I will note, my son had to be at an incline due to his severe reflux.

Bigboobsmcgee · August 2015

alanna3622 said:

@jerseygirl227 I found an interesting article on Rock n Plays. You may find it useful to talk to your doctor about sleep challenges. https://pediatricinsider.wordpress.com/2013/04/29/the-fisher-price-rock-n-play-sleeper-is-not-for-sleeping/

You can find something wrong with everything made for a baby if you look hard enough. You might be lucky enough to have a baby that can sleep flat, in a big empty crib but you are the minority then.

OP do what you feel most comfortable with and don't let an article like this scare you.

jerseygirl227 · August 2015

Bigboobsmcgee said:

alanna3622 said:

@jerseygirl227 I found an interesting article on Rock n Plays. You may find it useful to talk to your doctor about sleep challenges. https://pediatricinsider.wordpress.com/2013/04/29/the-fisher-price-rock-n-play-sleeper-is-not-for-sleeping/

You can find something wrong with everything made for a baby if you look hard enough. You might be lucky enough to have a baby that can sleep flat, in a big empty crib but you are the minority then.
OP do what you feel most comfortable with and don't let an article like this scare you.

Oh, I did let it scare me, lol. I googled stuff about the RnP for about an hour last night. Got myself worked up and cried. (I am loving this postpartum stuff, lol.) Fiance calmed me down and pretty much said the same thing as you, Bigboobsmcgee.

I appreciate that the pp shared the article because I think it is good to be informed; but, we are still using the RnP and will continue to do so unless our pediatrician says otherwise.

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