Sleeping in bouncer

Carrmenn · November 2015

My LO is a week old and absolutely refuses to sleep in the co sleeper attached to our bed. I've found that putting him in the bouncer , which is very snug & reclined calms him and allows him to sleep up to 3-4 hours at night which is great so DH & I can get some sleep. Have any other moms out their baby to sleep in a vibrating bouncer ? I also use the white noise feature and he sleeps for hours . Is this dangerous ? There's only one buckle on the bottom and there's nothing close to his face or any loose blankets or material to suffocate him. Have any other moms used this way to put LO to sleep ? Or is this a no no ..?

rue:D · November 2015

It's not recommended as it can increase the risk of SIDS. Babies are supposed to be flat on their backs and bouncers, rock n plays, and swings all have an incline. That said, you aren't the first mom to do it and you won't be the last either!

Have you tried swaddling baby before putting him in the bassinet? Some babies don't like to sleep in wide open spaces like a bassinet or even a crib, but swaddling can help them feel like they are in a smaller space even though they aren't.

countrybride-2 · November 2015

My baby will sleep in the rock n play,swing, or bouncer,but not the bassinet.

Kitta+1 · November 2015

My baby won't sleep on her back - if you put her on hr back, she just scoots and half-rolls and then screams about it. She won't sleep in the swing or bouncer, but will sit in them awake. I would be careful letting the baby sleep in anything of the sort - they can cause positional asphyxiation. There was recently a daycare that was tagged for letting babies sleep in their car seats and then later shut down because a baby died from it. It's rare, and like a PP said, you aren't the first and won't be the last to do it - but if you can find a way to not have to take that risk then that would be best. I agree with Rue - a good swaddling may help you. Also, there are little wedges you can buy to put on a crib mattress that are pretty cheap and may provide enough change in position to be comfortable for your baby.

kfry22 · November 2015

Can you put her in the bouncer for a while and then transfer her to somewhere else to sleep? I had to do that at first. I noticed it helped if i laid him down and then kept my hand on his chest for a few minutes and then slowly moved away

mom4liak · November 2015

Our daughter has to sleep on an incline and on her side. She has a wedge under Her mattress and a bolster for her side. Both of these items were prescribed by her dr before she came home from the NICU. We were also instructed to never let her sleep in anything other than her crib (or bassinet) and even when we are out and about going to appointments and what not, we should try to keep her awake in her car seat and remove her and carry her when we get to our destination. She wears a monitor pretty much all day and her O2 levels and heart rate drop after about 20-30 minutes in her swing or bouncy chair (both recline). When I asked her dr about it she said that was actually pretty normal for most babies and most will move or adjust to bring their levels back to normal but with newborns and especially preemies, they often lack the strength and coordination to help themselves and can eventually die from positional asphyxiation.
I say it is do not worth the risk to let your baby sleep in a swing or bouncy chair.

Edited: words are hard, especially with minimal sleep.

MrsN092714 · November 2015

My boy has been sleeping in his bouncer as well as he doesn't seem to stay asleep for long in his bassinet. I was concerned about his breathing as even though it is fairly reclined, his head does still sag a bit, so we jack the front up at night so it is a lot more reclined. We are working on napping on a flat surface so that we can swap out to the bassinet, and later the crib without it being a problem. Think we will be trying the wedge under the mattress as well if he doesn't adapt to the flat surface

bellie1223 · November 2015

We also had this problem, baby would only sleep in the bouncer or in our arms, but because sleeping in the bouncer does increase the risk of SIDS, I'm personally not OK with letting her do that. I found that swaddling her with those Velcro swaddlers has worked wonders (she's only a week, so I could be celebrating too soon). I feed her, swaddle her then lay her down while she's drowsy and put on some white noise and will get 2-4 hours at a stretch! Good luck!!

nianicho777 · November 2015

rue:D said:
It's not recommended as it can increase the risk of SIDS. Babies are supposed to be flat on their backs and bouncers, rock n plays, and swings all have an incline. That said, you aren't the first mom to do it and you won't be the last either!

Have you tried swaddling baby before putting him in the bassinet? Some babies don't like to sleep in wide open spaces like a bassinet or even a crib, but swaddling can help them feel like they are in a smaller space even though they aren't.

See I agree with this, but our baby is in a sleeper during the day and that has an incline ...so I guess what I'm saying is, if it's not meant for sleeping, it might not be the best idea.

rue:D · November 2015

nianicho777 said:

rue:D said:
It's not recommended as it can increase the risk of SIDS. Babies are supposed to be flat on their backs and bouncers, rock n plays, and swings all have an incline. That said, you aren't the first mom to do it and you won't be the last either!

Have you tried swaddling baby before putting him in the bassinet? Some babies don't like to sleep in wide open spaces like a bassinet or even a crib, but swaddling can help them feel like they are in a smaller space even though they aren't.
See I agree with this, but our baby is in a sleeper during the day and that has an incline ...so I guess what I'm saying is, if it's not meant for sleeping, it might not be the best idea.

My LO naps in a rock n play during the day, but I or my husband are awake to make sure she's breathing okay. We would not let her sleep in it at night when we aren't able to watch her.

swelniak · November 2015

A week ago I would have said "go with what works" as I let LO sleep in his bouncer the first couple of nights home, but I recently read an article on a baby that died from positional asphyxiation and it freaked me out. It was from sleeping unbuckled in a car seat, but apparently it is common for bouncers and nursing pillows (like a boppy) as well. Babies slump in a bouncer and can cut off their airway and die. I agree to let them fall asleep there and try to move them and swaddle if they need that comfort closeness of the bouncer.

ameares721 · November 2015

The Ollie swaddle has been wonderful for us - check it out!!!

ElleMF728 · November 2015

kassyfry said:

Can you put her in the bouncer for a while and then transfer her to somewhere else to sleep? I had to do that at first. I noticed it helped if i laid him down and then kept my hand on his chest for a few minutes and then slowly moved away

This. DS2 falls asleep easily in his bouncer so I do that for bedtime and just move him upstairs when we go to bed. He doesn't wake up.

whitemn04 · November 2015

LO only used to sleep in the swing but I was so paranoid about his neck slouching I was awake moving him. I found that swaddling him tighter helps him sleeping in his crib/bassinet. During the day we will let him sleep in the swing/bouncer but we are awake to monitor. I will transfer him to the crib if I'm doing chores. He will sleep in his crib now any where between 15 minutes to 3 hours, depending on how miserable he feels like making mommy that night.

VioletandRose · November 2015

I was previously one of those absolutely-no-inclined-sleeping moms, but my daughter definitely prefers the rock n play/bouncer/mommaroo to her flat bassinet. I mentioned it to her doctor who basically said, if it works, go with it. Just avoid sleeping in anything that really brings the chin to the chest, like a carseat, and if the sleeper or bouncer you're using has a pillow, remove it. She said her children both slept in RnP's for the first 2 months.

edavis926 · November 2015

Both the pediatrician at the hospital and our pediatrician were fine with our lo sleeping in a rock n play. Maybe it just depends on the baby but her chin is never touching her chest. We don't have a swing so maybe that causes more of a slouch than the rnp.

shand0712 · November 2015

Our son sleeps in his fisher price rock and play. He will not sleep in the bassinet and I was told to keep him on an incline due to his reflux. But now that I'm reading about this being a no no I'm questioning it

LaurenBee24 · November 2015

My pediatrician told me to buy a wedge for the crib, but specifically said not to let her sleep in a rock n play or anything similar. I knew this already but I was at my wits end because she will only sleep in my arms. The incline should be no more than 20% if you are going to buy a mattress wedge.

tracij12 · November 2015

This is obviously a super controversial topic, but it's all in what you are comfortable with. Is it 100% safe, no. But there are plenty of babies that have regularly slept in bouncers, swings, rock n plays, etc and had no issues.

DD1 slept in her bouncer for a few weeks the first few months before we were finally able to get her to sleep in the pack n play with the wedge.

bainner1 · November 2015

My baby was born on 10/14 and wouldn't sleep in her crib and won't sleep on her back. For the 1st 2 weeks, she slept in a swing. She's now sleeping in her crib, though sometimes we'll still put her in her swing if she's having a hard time falling back asleep at night, but she still won't sleep on her back. She loves being upright as well as on her belly. So for the last 2 weeks, she's been sleeping in her crib on her tummy. I know, I know, SIDS, but that's how she wants to be and has very good neck control so whether on her tummy in her crib or in her swing, I have very little worries about her having any issues. Babies my be babies and they know what they want. So if you're LO seems comfortable and so do you, follow your gut!

FatPony · November 2015

What the heck!!!! My son sleeps in his bouncy chair (the one that vibrates) every night - the nurse said it was okay!!!! I guess I should've done my own research.

Carrmenn · November 2015

Yeah it's a very controversial topic. So many swear against it but I'm sure so many people do it & nothing happens . I guess it's all about the risk your willing to take ... Every baby will react differently .

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