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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

Won't sleep in Moses basket at night

16 replies

MintyTea · 30/07/2011 23:39

Our 1-week old baby seems to hate the Moses basket at night even though she'll sleep in it happily during the day. As soon as we put her in it at bedtime, she wails for ages but if we have her in our bed she will drop off fine. But I am scared when she's in our bed and can't sleep properly.
Am I expecting too much, too soon, for her to sleep in the basket at night? Other people who have had their babies in the same week are getting theirs to sleep in the basket.
She doesn't like swaddling at all.
Does anyone have any advice?

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Tryharder · 31/07/2011 01:15

All 3 of mine have hated their moses baskets and have preferred to sleep either in our bed or on us! I think it's normal and yes, you are expecting far too much too soon. She's ONE week old, bless her.

I think she's too young to be left to cry so you could look at safe ways of co-sleeping or letting her sleep on you at night and then transferring her to her moses basket when she's in a deep sleep. If it helps, I co-slept with all of mine and they have all gone in their own beds quite happily as older babies so don't let people tell you it's wrong or that you are making a rod for your back etc etc. You have to do what makes you and your baby happy.

I wouldn't worry about what "other people" are doing TBH.

LoopyLoopsTootyFroots · 31/07/2011 01:21

Same here with my 6 week old. I have to admit she sleeps with me now, but I'd rather she didn't, as I find it hard to sleep.

Let me know if you find a solution! (Was like this for months with older DD by the way, touch wood not this time!)

shmoz · 31/07/2011 01:22

Maybe try putting an item of clothing or a blanket in there that you've been wearing so it smells of you? Also possibly wrap her in it so she's not going straight down into a cold basket.

Good luck.

Original poster

MintyTea · 08/08/2011 20:57

Thanks for all of your replies and sorry for not acknowledging them sooner - phone must have conked out mid-reply.
I wasn't so much worrying about making a rod for my back as I was worried about her rolling out of bed or getting trapped under a sheet, etc.
Still not having great success but persevering with a combination of trying to set a routine with bath, change, feed, bed - and cuddling but not feeding when I know she's full already.

One more question I'd love to know your answers to - what time do you bath and 'get ready for bed' as it were? As we know our DD can stay awake for maximum 5 hours usually, we do bath time about 7.30 then 'bedtime' about 8.30 so we have a chance of getting to sleep before 2am. But maybe we should wait till later, say 10pm when we're ready to sleep?

Thanks x

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Tigresswoods · 08/08/2011 21:30

At that age don't worry about a bed time as such just go to bed yourself. Do a feed in bed then begin trying to put her down. You may just have to make do with cuddling and getting what sleep you can. It does get better but at the time it feels like it never will.

Bumpsadaisie · 08/08/2011 21:53

I think you just have to wait for time to pass. My DD wouldn't be put down at all until she was 6 weeks old - she slept on me and I used to slide her off next to me on the bed once she was "milked out" after a feed.

It was actually a blessing, because I got much more sleep and after a few weeks of it she would actually feed without really waking me up too much.

DH was relegated to the spare room so it was only me and DD in the double bed. I never felt scared of anything happening, it just felt natural to me and it was so clearly what DD wanted and needed at that very early stage.

By 2 months old she was goiing in the basket.

Bumpsadaisie · 08/08/2011 21:56

Re a routine, I think it is very very early days at a week old. We started having a little more structure once DD was 6 weeks, was smiling and could see us across the room and had become a little more independent.

We used to have a bath early evening, then a feed. Then change sleepsuits and into sleeping bag in moses basket with dummy, at our feet on the sitting room floor. She would then doze away until 11 ish when we went to bed, I would feed her again, and she would then sleep in the basket next to our bed.

At about 3 months, we cut out her spending the first part of the evening in the basket downstairs with us and after her bath and feed we out her down in the basket in our room. She would then wake for a feed when we went to bed at about 11.

bluesmile10 · 09/08/2011 20:15

My ds was just the same - we eventually put him to sleep in the carry cot of his pram at night - seemed to work a treat and there he slept at night until he was too big for it and we put him in his cot.

tryingtobemarypoppins2 · 09/08/2011 20:34

Have you tried a 'nest' in your bed. They mean that baby is in bed with you, but safer and in their own space.

www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=baby+sleep+nest+co+sleeping&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=1024&bih=372&wrapid=tlif131291843437310&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi

Flisspaps · 09/08/2011 20:38

We had nothing approaching a routine until DD was about 3 months old IIRC! At 1 week old she slept and ate when she wanted (and it was either one or the other or both for the first few weeks!)

ZhenXiang · 09/08/2011 20:46

I used to wear a t-shirt for a day and then put it over the mattress under DD so that she would sleep in her own cot at that age, worked well.

Could you put the moses basket in the middle of your bed? It might work if you can sleep comfortably around it.

KenDoddsDadsDog · 09/08/2011 20:47

Just take her to bed when you want to go. There is no such thing as making a rod for your own back with a baby this tiny. (if at all).
I learnt that the hard way. Wish I had spent less time worrying about rods, Moses baskets and routines and just enjoyed cuddling and co sleeping.

Cheeseandbiscuits · 10/08/2011 00:17

Oh god, I was you 5 months ago. It was awful, the only place DD would sleep was with us. We ended up co-sleeping for the first 6 weeks. We did try her in her moses basket after every feed so she eventually got used to it and slept with us less. It took maybe 6-8 weeks.

Since about 2 weeks of age, we always did bathtime between 5.30 and 6.30. Now, we do bath at 6, milk at 6.30 then she's asleep by 7 ( most nights!)

Agree there is no such thing as a rod for your back or a spoilt newborn. DO whatever you have to do to survive. Repeat the mantra " this too shall pass"

Original poster

MintyTea · 23/08/2011 21:18

Thank you all so much for your advice. It's so comforting to know it will get better - I know the books tell you that, but sometimes you need to hear it from real people :-)

We're at 4.5 weeks now and she is gradually getting more used to the basket. We sometimes put a muslin in the crib that has been stuffed in my top all day(!) which she does like, and we now bath at 7-ish and feed, then feed again at 10-ish. We still have some awful nights but we had a really good night last night and those ones really keep you going.

Again, thanks for all your help and advice. Hope you all have lovely sleeps tonight!

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Original poster

MintyTea · 23/08/2011 21:21

PS. tryingtobemarypoppins2, the sleep nest is a great idea! Thanks x

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KenDoddsDadsDog · 23/08/2011 21:29

Glad you are getting a bit more sleep! Long may it continue.

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