anyone else with a velcro baby?!

[Misty9]

Dd is 11 weeks and will not nap unless she's on somebody. We've got a sling and she'll sleep for hours in that, but although my hands are free its still quite restrictive when it comes to playing with her brother, nearly 3 years old. I would also like some separation sometimes!

She won't sleep in the pram or car seat. If I put her down once asleep, she immediately wakes. If she's in pram etc when sleepy then she'll scream until picked up, then usually feed to sleep. At night we're slowly transitioning from Co sleeping to a bedside crib, but very rarely has she fallen asleep in it.

Any advice? Do I just need to accept this and park ds in front of the telly for now?

I'm afraid I had the same. I'd think of DS as having a "baby spirit level" - he'd be fine, deeply asleep, then the exact angle of lowering him into his cot would wake him and he'd howl. Lift him up again: instant silence.

Good luck, OP. I know it ain't easy!

I had a velcro baby exactly as you described. I went with it and embraced co-sleeping and all things babywearing. She's now 17 months, perfectly confident and becoming fiercely independent, although her nights are still split between the side car cot and snuggled between DH and I.

Not much help to you in the here and now I'm sure, but it's such a short time in the scheme of things. I miss spending the whole day cuddling her now, some days I only get a cuddle for the fee mins she spends breastfeeding before she's off again :)

She's my last so I am enjoying the cuddles, but my toddler is being very difficult at the moment and wearing her makes it even trickier to manage him. Plus he's still in nappies...

Sigh. I'm stuck with it for now I know. It'll be good in winter but right now it's a bit hot for having a baby strapped to you. Need to buy a sling rain cover too!

Cranial osteopathy fixed my velcro baby!

You could so have been describing my 12 week old dd. She's dc3 and simply does not tolerate being put down anywhere. I use a sling and co-sleep as it's the only way I stay sane. I'm slowly getting her used to the odd 10 minutes of being on her playmat or in her chair when she's awake. I was fully prepared for this though as ds2 was a very high needs baby so she still seems calmer than him. Not sure I have any advice really. I know it'll pass so doing my best to get on with it.

Another vote for cranial Osteopathy, it was like a magic wand for the Velcro I was so sleep deprived I could barely speak had three sessions and he'll happily sleep on his back on a variety of surfaces. We saw results the day after the first session and just for better the more we had. Best £120 I ever spent!

Hello. My DC3 was exactly the same. Much more than our previous 2 children. But when she got to 12ish weeks she completely changed and started sleeping in her cot during the day, sitting happily in her bouncy chair and watching the world go by. She still hates her car seat and is not a huge fan of going about in her buggy for more than short trips (unless I can time it for when she's about to drop off).

I don't really think I did anything, I think she just decided that actually it was OK to be not stuck to mummy all the time. I did leave her to cry for a few minutes in her cot a few of times (less than five mins) and then went to comfort her, so maybe she realised even if she felt upset there'd be someone to comfort her very soon.

She stopped being a velcro baby just before I completely lost my mind, especially given how difficult it is trying to look after a toddler. If it's possible, do make sure you get some help. But remember - she will get better! Also, my health visitor said that all the carrying her around in the sling etc would help her feel confident and happy when she was ready to be on her own, it's what she needs for now and will be good for her in the long term (that's what I think anyway, but I do know how hard it is).

Have you considered reflux?

I have queried reflux before but her puking improved a lot once her tongue tie had been cut. Also, she will sleep the first part the night in her crib, but only on her front. She startles awake on her back.

Cranial osteopathy is an interesting idea. The birth was straightforward and quick but maybe it could help. Her brother was similar with not napping anywhere except on someone for the first few months - but you have time with your first!

Thankfully I've found a sling which doesn't hurt my dodgy back too much, so I think I'll just have to lump it for now. She's asleep on me at the moment so I'll attempt a crib transfer in a minute to at least brush my teeth! Oh, and she'll happily lie on her play mat for 15min or so, it's just as soon as she gets tired she'll cry until she's picked up.

Actually now it's been mentioned I should say my baby dies have reflux and the craniology helped massively. So it could be that the improvement in the reflux was the reason I can now put him down! He also had a preference for front sleeping and only did a stretch of longer than an hour that first slot at night. He's fine on his back now. Worth considering.

My Velcro baby improved when her reflux was properly treated (with ranitidine). In the mean time I wore her all the time! I also used to warm a cotton sheet on me as I fed her then put her down on the cotton sheet so the shock of the cold bed was minimised.

I had one... Wore her in a sling a lot, and when she started getting heavy circa 3 months got a rocking swing thing... Saved my sanity as she napped happily in that during the day!

I love the idea of a 'baby spirit level' My DD was exactly the same. Tbh it drove me nuts at the time, but only because others suggested it was a bad thing that she wouldn't sleep in her bassinet. When I look back, I think I expected so much from a tiny thing that had been used to being inside me, and needed that closeness. That doesn't mean I don't think you should aim for some baby-free time tho, as after a while I found I couldn't even make visitors a cup of tea, and something had to give!

That's interesting dharma as I had thought dd would like a swinging chair - but she cried when I tried her in one in a shop. Which one did you have?

Baby spirit level sounds about right! Although dd sleeps in her front so for us it's more about not face planting her into the crib... It's actually quite difficult to put a sleeping baby down onto their tummy!

I've continued to embrace the sling, though I'm somewhat of a reluctant baby wearer I must admit. She's getting better in her car seat too thankfully, ahead of our five hour car trip at the weekend. She's happy for longer periods in the bouncer now too, it's just the daytime napping. But all too soon she won't nap at all, I know. I'm enjoying a lovely snuggle as a type, whilst I have to wrestle them out of ds now