How to get an 8 week old to sleep anywhere but on me during the day?

[Bumperlicious]

Dd2 is 8 weeks. She sleeps in an amby hammock at night for about 7 hours - great. However during the day she will only sleep on me, in the sling or sometimes in the carseat if we been out (though bizarrely if we are elsewhere she might stay asleep for 2 hrs but if we come home she wakes up).

She falls asleep on the breast then if I try and move her into the hammock, Moses basket, pillow, dh, she will wake up. Any tips on getting her to sleep elsewhere?

[thehumanpacifier]

It is a tricky one. DS was exactly the same, except would only sleep on me day AND night, so well done to you!

It is the most natural thing for them to want to sleep close to you, although I know it doesn't always fit with us when there are other things we could be doing!

I can tell you it does get a lot esier, your LO is so tiny and they change all the time.

IMO I would enjoy the cuddles for now, she will probably be different again in a few weeks

[thehumanpacifier]

Sorry, just noticed it is your second, I am sure you know they change constantly, and just wanted to reassure you it gets easier!

[Bumperlicious]

I know I should appreciate. tis hard with dd1 though & house is a tip (I know I shouldn't worry but it's depressing being stuck in it).

I mentioned it at my nct group today & a couple of them looked at me like this which makes me think I am doing something wrong. I know I'm not but it is wearing a bit thin. There is only so much crap I can watch on tv.

[Bumperlicious]

Any tips? I've just bought a sheepskin and i am hoping that will create some positive sleep associations.

[ceebs05]

I don't have any tips but also have an 8 week old dd who is the same and only a bit better at night. It's frustrating not being able to do anything isn't it? And i know what you mean about tv - I've never watched so much rubbish!

[Sleeplesssister]

I had this problem with our DD (now 16 weeks), she would sleep on her own at night in the moses basket when I fed her till she dropped off but refused to nap on her own during the day unless it was on me or DH. We cracked it in the end by starting on the morning nap, catching her early before she got too tetchy, and just sitting with her with one of us holding her hand. The first few weeks she would cry for ages and eventually only nap for 10 mins or so on her own, we have now extended this to about 40 mins. I don't think there is any magic cure, my health visitor (also a sleep consultant) suggested pick up put down, again just starting with the morning nap, and if she did not nap on her own to carry on with your day as normal. We also gave her a dummy, which seemed to help - I did not want her to get too dependent on the dummy though so this week we are starting to wean her off it...

We were quite strict when we decided to stop her sleeping on us, I would take her out for walks in her pram to get her to nap. However, don't beat yourself up about it too much, you'll get there...

[Cosmosis]

I have a 10 week old who is similar, although I have just discovered he's happy to sleep on his front for naps, which I may keep doing as I'm right next to him, I know it's against advice though/

[marzipananimal]

my 11 week old ds is very similar. He sleeps well in his cot at night but during the day I can only get him to sleep by taking him out in the pram, and even that seems to be getting less effective :( He often dozes off feeding but will rarely sleep for long even if I leave him lying on my lap. I'm starting to feel a bit desperate - he's such a lovely baby when he's not tired, but a horror when he is!
Sorry I don't have any useful tips, just letting you know it's not just you, and I'll let you know if I crack it!

I've tries a couple of times putting him in his cot and leaving him to cry but it hasn't worked (I don't like to leave him more than 10 minutes). Very frustrating and exhausting, and I don't even have any other DC

[marzipananimal]

Oh I've just remembered one thing that occasionally works. I sometimes feed him lying down on the bed then if he falls asleep I can move away without disturbing him.

[marzipananimal]

(by the way, I'm not stalking you, we just seem to be going through some similar things! How is the feeding going now?)

[Dummyhunter]

dd used to wake when put down - until my mum said it was because she was suddenly not cosy - have since wrapped her (loosely) in a blanket with a bit under her head and now she seems not to notice too much and stays asleep

[colditz]

put the moses basket mattress on your chest, and cuddle her in a blanket.

then transfer the whole caboodle once she's asleep.

[CountBapula]

Hi bumperlicious, we do seem to have similar issues with our DCs ...

DS likes to do this, and DH loves it too. I am trying to crack down on it as like you I never get anything done.

If DS falls asleep on me I drape a blanket over his shoulders and transfer the whole caboodle. Most chance of him not waking if I roll him onto bed next to me, then keep my hand on him to reassure that I'm still there.

Started some shh/pat and pick up put down this week and he will now fall asleep in moses sometime with a LOT of help from me. Has taken AGES and been quite frustrating but worth it.

I always check that he is in a deep enough sleep before putting down - arms limp and hands unclenched, face still and expressionless. Then lay my face against his in basket for a couple of minutes and gradually peeling away when he's still.

[Bumperlicious]

Thanks for all the replies. I'll try wrapping her up a bit. Is it so unusual it's just my mum & my in laws and one of my nct group looked at me a bit like when I mentioned it. I feel like I am doing something wrong & getting the old "well if you pick her up when she cries she'll learn that you'll always pick her up..."

[CountBapula]

Oh what rubbish. You're just doing whatever you have to do to keep your baby happy! It totally depends on what sort of baby you get. One of my NCT group has a baby that just falls asleep on his own on the play mat or bouncy chair or anywhere really - all she has to do is put his dummy in. Some people are just lucky like that ...

[ExistentialistCat]

I was just going to start a thread on this topic myself! DD2, also 8 weeks, onl sleeps on me in a sling during the day. She'll occasionally nod off in the car but wakes frequently, and she'll wake as soon as I try to transfer her to her basket. Although it would be nice to have some hours in the day without a baby on me, I don't mind that much. But I'm very unsettled by comments from my parents in particular that she needs to learn to settle on her own.

You'd have thought I'd be more confident with DD2. DD1 was exactly the same and now sleeps in her cot at night and for her afternoon nap. I carried her until she was 5 months old. Thing is, I can't remember what I did to encourage this transition - it just seemed to happen.

[Cosmosis]

it's not unusual at all, most of the babies I know do it! And yes I will pick ds up if he cries becuase he is a tiny baby and cries because he needs something - even if that thing is just some attention!

I have definitely had success this weekend with wrapping him up - I hadn't before because I think the cloths I was using weren't sturdy enough for him - I am now using a big cotton celular blanket he cant' escape from!