Baby will only sleep on us - help!

[spongemoon]

So baby is 9 weeks today... and since he was about 2 and a half weeks old the only way he will fall and stay asleep is on myself or partner.

We've tried putting him down drowsy, putting him down asleep, putting him in crib, cot, Moses basket, sleepyhead... all to no avail. We've tried co-sleeping - that has a success rate of about 1 in 5 as to whether he wakes up or not but still doesn't stay asleep that long. I've tried using hot water bottle to warm the sleeping space up, doesn't help. He sleeps fine in the pram laying down when out so he hasn't got an issue lying on his back which is what we first thought.

I know it is normal for babies to want their parents close, and I love the cuddles so much, but it is not safe at night and it would be nice to get some use out of the crib I spent £200 on 😂

Any advice please?! Or just some info on how long this can be expected to last? Thank you!

Describing my daughter to a T - we co slept as it was the safest option. Next to me crib used for storage!

At night I found swaddle blankets were good for getting DS to sleep and keeping him asleep. Put him in it awake and let him go to sleep on you before transferring to the cot. Swaddling stops their startle reflex from waking them up. Have you tried a dummy for sleeping?

How long was it before she slept by herself? And yep the next to me crib is a bedside shelf at the moment 😂

At home, she is still in with me but this was my decision based on my own laziness frankly!

However she started nursery just before she was a year and within a day or so was going to sleep, unaided, on a mat on the floor and has slept perfectly for them ever since. They are magicians, truly!

At 9 weeks you are still very much in the trenches, so even if you co sleep some of the time, you can keep trying every few weeks to transition into a cot again.

I would second a swaddle wrap. The love to dream 50/50 worked with my youngest. Plus a dummy and white noise. Sometimes I would rock her in my arms to sleep then put her down and other times I could lie next to her and stroke her head. She would cry a tiny bit but never got very upset just moaning really because she was tired, it only lasted a few mins and I felt it was worth it because she then went to sleep in the next to me. Which was safer than me falling asleep holding her.

My baby did every single sleep on me including naps until 10 months! Then she started napping in the pushchair but still coslept. Then she would start the night in her cot and come through to our bed when she woke up. Started sleeping through in her bed when she was 2!