15 week old crying to sleep

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DS can not self settle, even when I pick up on his sleepy cues very early I have to spend 15 to 20 minutes to rock him to sleep, often for only 20 minutes sleep. He usually ends up crying and really getting worked up before he falls asleep, which isn't ideal!

He doesn't fall asleep in the car or the pram without at least five minutes of crying.

The constant rocking to sleep is starting to hurt my back and I feel guilty when he cries, as he only cries when he is tired.

Does anyone have any tips, or can reassure me I am not alone?!

Hi, could you try laying him down and comforting him in the cot? This will encourage him to learn to self-settle so you should have to intervene less and less.

As long as you rock him to sleep you are ensuring that he needs your intervention to get to sleep and will find it hard to settle himself. It may take a while to settle him at first but it will get easier and easier and be easier on your back in the long term!

I am a child sleep consultant and I can assure you you are not alone!! I have many clients who come to me with just this issue, I am amazed you have not been inundated with other mums saying they went through the same, you are certainly not alone. I hope this helps, Nicola

Thank you. I will try that again, I had stopped as he gets so worked up, really screaming and angry when I did that, he now does this when I am holding him so he may as well do it in the Moses basket! I am glad I am not alone though.

You can give as much in cot comfort as you need to and pick him up for a few minutes to calm him if nec as long as you don't rock him or comfort him beyond when he is calming. Is he otherwise happy and does he feed well? Nicola

Isn't it a bit too early for that? Not long ago he was close to you all day, being rocked and swaddled all the time (while you were pregnant). I'd give him more time to adjust to the cot (a very different environment). Have you thought of using a sling or a baby carrier for a while?

I understand your hesitation but this is actually a great age to teach a baby how to settle to sleep and they tend to respond really quickly at this age.

He feeds well and is generally happy.

The last few days he hasn't been screaming so much, he has a but of a shout and moan but today I managed to put him in his basket whilst he was sleepy but just about awake and he fell asleep!

Well done! That's great news. You will definitely get there!