How to get 4 wk old to sleep in crib - please help me!

[Birdiegirl]

My 4 week EBF dd will only sleep on me or in her car seat. If she falls asleep after a feed and I put her in the crib she wakes up crying. I've been trying the Baby Whisperers 'EASY method' but with no great success. If I put her in the crib while awake but sleepy she immediately becomes alert and cries and no amount of shushing and patting or pick up / put down seems to work, if anything it seems to annoy her even more! Ive tried leaving her to cry for a few minutes to cry (which kills me every time) and sometimes she settles but mostly not!

Anyone got a magic solution please? seriously any advice greatly received, except co-sleeping as we had been doing that (accidentally) and we're trying to move away from that if possible.
Also how much sleep does a baby this age need

point 7 explains how the car seat can actually help partially through the night

Hi Loopy, it was something I had read on mumsnet, that said, don't put a baby in a car seat for longer than two hours. Just searching quickly on the internet I have found this information, car seat danger
I read a case of a one year old who died because she was left in a car seat all night to sleep. That's a one year old, not a newborn, and out of the so called 6 month safety window. If a babies head fell down and chin touched her chest it could obstruct breathing.
If the baby is being held in your arms, this wouldn't happen.

Just thinking about this again... think I suggested swaddling already but if dc is sleeping well on your or in a car seat (which I agree with clouds, doesn't sound ideal and I have also heard about not more than two hours), it sounds like dc needs to feel cocooned. A car seat would do this with their arms being cosied in on either side. Getting some kind of baby cocoon pillow thing (don't know what the 'technical' name is) might help.

Also with sleeping on you or the car seat your dc would be slightly upright. My DD had silent reflux and would not lie flat on her back at all. Screamed and screamed. We elevated the head end of her cot mattress slightly with a folded blanket and that really helped. If you also roll some small towels and put either side of dc, so they come up to armpit level and you ensure they are positioned in the cot with their feet touching the bottom so they can't wriggle/slide down then they might feel more snuggled.

Totally recommend swaddling though!!

That's what I read too cloudhands, although it says it's due to their backs.
I know what you mean about the chin on chest thing obstructing breathing but I guess you could always fix car seat into a reclined position in cot.

I actually looked on lots of sites last night and sooooo many parents saiud they put their babies to sleep in carseats for all number of reasons.

I also think it's not ideal - just wondered what the literature said

Agree with co-sleeping being much safer than leaving baby in the car seat all night! But if you're not keen, then try wearing her in a sling and letting her fall asleep next to your body. Once she's out (check arms, they should be floppy if in deep sleep) then gently, gently transfer to cot that you've warmed with hot water bottle. You may want to have a little swaddle wrap laid out to slide her into so she feels snug. Don't transfer in light stage sleep though - she'll wake up the second she's put down if not soon after.

Most newborns need lots of body contact and prefer to sleep on or close to mum or dad. This is normal, and how mammals and primates sleep. DD doesn't know that it's 2012 and if you put her down you're not leaving her to be eaten by wolves. 20,000 years of powerful human instincts there - she is a clever baby!

Oh, I found Baby Whisperer to be quite bonkers by the way...