Baby won't settle in Pram

[Jewel89]

My daughter is 8 weeks-9weeks old.
The last few weeks She will not fall asleep or settle in her pram, if she is awake she is crying until picked up and taken out.
We use the bassinet part of the pram.
I have used the carseat on the pram, and this she will sleep in and seems more content, but I cant use this when I am going out for longer walks etc.

I have read it can be due to the space being too big and empty, I have bought a newborn insert that cushions around her head and underneath her but that doesnt make a difference.

Any advice

Have you tried a sling? My son much preferred that when he was really small.

Could she transition to the non-bassinet bit of the pram now she’s a bit older?

Upgrade the mattress in your bassinet. Add blankets or put in a spare pillow as a mini-mattress to make it more cosy. Also, you could swaddle your LO by wrapping them securely in a blanket before putting them in the pram for a walk. Babies are often surprisingly cold natured.

Back in the day, I had an old pram to use as a cot downstairs. DD1 would never settle in it. Before DD2 was born, on a whim, we bought a new mattress/foam liner for that pram and DD2 slept in it like a champ. In your shoes, I'd look to upgrade the sleeping surface and make it as cosy as poss.

Also, I found both DDs were happy to sleep in pram/pushchair if they had been pushed a bit first so that they fell asleep with the motion.

If you can, a sling. There are sling libraries and sling consultants who can help you find the right one to fit you (each parent might need their own one).

some babies just hate prams.

Did you use a material sling or the more sturdy ones with clips etc?

Not until she can sit up or hold her head i dont think

Some babies just need to be close to you, I've had 2 velcro babies and 2 perfectly happy to be left in the pram. A sling is a life saver, either a wrap and look up some tutorials online or a soft structured carrier like a Tula, caboo or ergo baby which can be used from newborn. Something like this: babytula.co.uk/products/olivia-mesh-explore-baby-carrier
You can get lots of them on vinted and if you make it to any baby groups, mums there might be modelling some that you can have a look at! Please bear SIDS recommendations in mind if you are making any changes to your pram, a pillow is really not a great idea.

I had a material sling, and personally found it less faffy than the buckle variety, because you didn't need to adjust it constantly. It just stretched to the right size.

Elevate the head part lightly . Often babies do not like being completely flat if they have wind or reflux . Swaddle is good too as they do like to be hemmed on if that makes sense .

Is she warm enough/too warm? We used a thick sleeping bag in ours to make sure he was nice and warm. Is the bassinet completely stable? They normally clip in the middle so if it's very slightly loose and the baby goes over the midpoint it can tilt down a little bit so they're just slightly head down. I spent a lot of time hauling DS back up the pram because he'd wriggle and squash his head up to the top end of it. Otherwise, dangle toys, take the lid off so that can see out, find every patch of cobbles in your city? Wash the sheet in case it smells weird?

I know someone who's baby went in their pram once and screamed the whole time, he hated lying flat and had some colic. He went in a sling until he could sit up and go into the pushchair seat.

Other people have said once their baby gets past the teeny tiny stage but not old enough to sit up, they don't like lying flat because they are too nosy and want to see the outside world which is obviously harder lying flat in a carrycot. Again sling is probably better until ready for the pushchair.

My dd hated the pram until she was 6m + and I could sit her up so she could see out. I basically carried her in an Ergobaby sling until she was a toddler. I found the stretchy slings hard to get on with, but everyone is different. Is there a sling library near you where you can try out a few and borrow to test?

I think lots of babies just like to be held. I used a stretchy sling while baby was smaller and then moved to an ergobaby carrier that I found more supportive. Really recommend sling library so you can test out what works for you. Life is easier carrying overall, no need for a big bulky pram.

Both of mine didn’t like the pram until six months old. I tried a few carriers and would highly recommend an ergobaby embrace for ease of use and support.

At that age for me it was a sling all the way
I used one with clips - BabyBjorn - could never effortlessly manage the cloth ones like some could. We went everywhere using it

Sling. Didn't use with first dc, but 2nd was a cling on. I used a stretchy one then a mai tai. It can't have been a mai tai, surely? That's a cocktail. But sounds like it.

There was a sling library near me to try them. I used it until dd was about 18 months. She loved it and I could do other stuff... like push ds on the swings. Great workout walking up hills too.

Mine mostly refused a pram until six months (when she became too heavy to carry in a sling for too long). I used a proper sling with buckles but which was mostly soft fabric, as I found that easier to put on with a crying baby than one of the stretchy long pieces of fabric type sling. I used a Longchamp nylon bag which I remember was a really good size to take most stuff I needed out including a fold up changing mat, nappies, a few toys etc.

I need sturdy, I have a material one from the baby box which my partner liked using but I don’t trust myself to tie it. I got a BabyBjörn one which feels really secure.