Sleep Habits of a 9 Week Old - am I doing the right thing?

[Ellibop]

My baby is almost 9 weeks old, although he was born 3 weeks early so really is only 6 weeks.

He sleeps in his moses basket some of the time once fully settled, but often wakes and needs cuddling or won't even sleep in the basket at all. At first I stayed awake, seemingly 24 hours a day (!) but then accidently kept nodding off holding him. Realised this wasn't safe so gave in and allowed him to sleep on or with me safely.

This has resulted in much better sleep all round and a happier mum/baby! My only concern is that he will stop wanting to go in his basket at all.Should I instead be putting him back in the basket once he's asleep (although when I have done this he wakes after about 15 mins and continues to wake, meaning very little sleep all round)?

It seems to me that he is slowly improving and bit by bit becoming happier to sleep on his own, and my instincts tell me I'm doing the right thing, but I can't help worrying. My hope is that by 3-4 months he'll be totally in his basket for sleep, but am I preventing this my allowing him to sleep on me (even though he's really cuddly and I actually quite enjoy our snuggles!!).
Advice/reassurance greatly received. x

DD slept in bed with us for several months and happily migrated to a cotbed just before three months. You are doing fine.

Stop worrying and enjoy your lovely baby

We have a similar situation - 6 week old who waws three weeks early. (I am always interested for what matters we shoul treat her like a 3 week old. She was 6lb 10oz when she was born).

Anyway, like yours she will not settle herself in her basket and almost always sleeps on me or her mum. The problem is mum is worrier and doesn't sleep properly if she is on either of us as she is worrid something will happen to the baby.

We have a 26 month old (who was 5 weeks early) who I "trained" into a sleep routine but I cannot remember at what age I did that. I did post a thread last week about it as I was trying then to get baby into a routine but was shot down by everyone as it being far to early. What age, then, should we be doing this?

IMO , sleep routines come on their own. at this early , young age, when babies need to feed freqently and be close to their mum, it is too soon. co sleeping is perfectly safe and lots of info about it on here , if it helps you to get a good sleep.

i think sleep training is something that should happen from maybe 12 months if baby has not found their own pattern by then

i think we are guilty of expecting too much from little babies... sleeping in 2 - 3 hour blocks is normal. as is less sleep and more feeding.

Ellibop you will be fine - your instincts are spot on.
However it is worth trying to put him down when he naps in the daytime - in the basket or the pram or wherever. Or get a sling so you can carry on while he sleeps.

This may be a silly q but is he too big for the basket already? dd woke herself up from a very early age as her flailing hands hit the sides. She slept much better in the non-rustly pram or (how embarrassing) on a blanket on the floor.

Eventually they do sleep longer and more soundly so you can put them down once asleep.

Neither of my children settled in anything other than somebodies arms (anybodys - no preference) for the first few months. My second would wake up after fifteen minutes if you put her down. Both were settling themselves in their cots for 11/12 hours sleep by 6/7 months.

I would say enjoy the lovely warm cuddles and your new baby.

our baby was also 3 weeks early and is 9 weeks tomorrow - perhaps they share a birthday! He prefers to sleep in the sling, on me or in his pram on the move in the daytime but we did institute a bedtime routine when he was about 5weeks - feed, bath, feed, bed, starting at about 6.45pm. He is now usually asleep in his cot by 8pm and settles quickly. We did this because we (selfishly!) wanted our evenings back and it has worked quite well. Daytime napping in cot has yet to be mastered though and I am taking it easy with that.

We moved him into his cot last week (he was in the carrycot of his pram before that) and he really liked it - I think it is as MrsBadger says, he likes being able to stretch his arms out without them hitting the sides and waking him up. I was worried it would take a few nights for him to get used to sleeping in a cot but he preferred it straight away.

PS it took a while with the bedtime routine though - to start with we would sit with him for about an hour, singing to him etc. Also gave in and gave him dummy, which had not been the plan but which he loves. We take it out before he is asleep in a faint attempt to stop him becoming too reliant on it, but he has it for a minute or two when he is first in his cot and it helps him settle. (when first started this routine, for a minute or two, read 20 mins.. !!)