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How do you get a baby to sleep in a cot?

7 replies

MissHoney85 · 18/01/2021 01:18

Feeling totally clueless! My DD is 4 weeks old (though only just at her due date now, so I've been cutting her a bit of slack). She will pretty much only sleep on me at night, which I've indulged up to now as she's so little, 4th trimester etc. However the lack of sleep for me is getting to be a problem, especially as my DH is going back to work tomorrow so I won't be getting the same level of support.

We have a SnuzPod and I have got her to sleep in it for a 2-3 hour stretch a handful of times but with no consistency. When she does sleep in it, her sleep tends to be very disturbed and she needs lots of patting, shushing, humming etc. I can't quite tell if she's actually asleep or not sometimes with all the nose she makes. In a way it's less restful than having her on me!

I did manage to get her to have a nearly 3 hour stretch last night by putting her down awake but drowsy rather than waiting for her to go to sleep, but it didn't work tonight and she just got herself worked up so is back on me.

She will nap during the day in a reclined rocker chair, though often with the vibrate function to help settle her. She will also lie on a playgym mat so I know she can lie horizontally without discomfort.

I've tried swaddling but she doesn't seem to like it. She just gets distressed trying to break out of it. I've also tried co-sleeping but she was just as reluctant to be put down in the bed as she is in her SnuzPod. I found it quite stressful and I'm also not clear how co-sleeping done 'right' is that different to her being in a bedside cot.

Is there some magic trick I'm missing? Should I be persevering more and just power through the crying, or will she just magically start to do it when she's ready? I just want a sleep equivalent of a BF Counsellor to come and tell me what to do!

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Sugarandteaandmum · 18/01/2021 07:42

I wouldn't power through crying, especially if she is a bit early and only now at her due date. I would cosleep safely with her next to you for a bit longer.

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MissHoney85 · 18/01/2021 08:57

@Sugarandteaandmum the problem is, she's not co sleeping safely next to me. She's sleeping on me, chest to chest, which I understand is not within the safe sleeping guidelines. I've tried many times to get her to sleep in her cot or even next to me in bed, but she isn't having it so I'm not sure what the alternative is.

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candyhorse22 · 18/01/2021 09:12

I feel for you. I don’t have any solutions other than saying I’ve had the similar difficulties with my little one and our snuzpod (little one is now ten weeks). I wonder if it’s the size of it, she has tended to sleep more consistently in a Moses basket. Possibly as it is abit smaller and cosier (not sure). She did get abit better in the snuzpod but it was so inconsistent I have swapped to the Moses for the time being. X

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MissHoney85 · 18/01/2021 09:17

@candyhorse22 yes I've wondered if the cot is just too big. Our friend who's a HV recommended a Cocoonababy, which she used with her own babies. We bought one second hand and she had one 3 hour daytime nap in it but never took to it at night. I might give it another go. I just feel like I'm being really inconsistent as I'm trying so many things. When I let her sleep on my chest she's actually in a really good routine - feeds at 10, 2 and 5 with solid sleeping in between. When I start messing around with trying to get her down that goes out of the window - she pretty much only slept 1-4 last night. 😴

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Ohalrightthen · 18/01/2021 09:20

Ohhhhh i remember this well!

They grow out of it, keep persevering!

Things that helped...

-tilting the head of the cot a bit
-putting a tshirt I'd been wearing over her cot mattress so it smelled like mummy
-putting a hot water bottle under the blanket to warm up the mattress

Basically we tried to make sleeping in the cot feel as much like sleeping on mama as possible. She still only did 2 or 3 hours at a time til we sleep trained at 10m, but she slept in the cot!

The other thing is to try and make sure that you keep full body contact with her body until she's in full contact with the mattress. Put her down feet first, as that can help stop the startle reflex, and keep a firm hand on her chest til she's nice and still and sleepy. If you have a bedside cot, try and sleep with a hand on her while she gets used to it.

You've got this! Keep trying, she'll get there eventually.

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pumpkinpie01 · 18/01/2021 09:26

Put your top in the cot as the top sheet, put hot water bottle in there. Whip the hit water bottle out quick, move baby so so slowly into cot directly onto the warmth. Good luck

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MissHoney85 · 18/01/2021 10:11

Good ideas @pumpkinpie01 and @Ohalrightthen, worth a try!

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