Does waiting for 20 mins before transferring them to bed work?

[peachsmuggler]

DD2 is 7 weeks and after her sleeping well in the Moses basket for a couple of weeks have been holding/slinging/pramming for naps and co-sleeping at night. This has all been great but our bed isn't big enough for 3 of us and would like for DP not to have to sleep on sofa. Have been trying to put her down to sleep in her pram and pushing it in living room to keep her asleep initially then taking carrycot of pram upstairs for start of night. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't but my question is this, she is sleeping on me now in her sleeping bag. If I wait till she is asleep for 20 mins is she less likely to wake up during transition? I remember doing it for DD1, and it didn't seem to work but she was such an atrocious sleeper that I'm not surprised!

Anyone have success with this?

When my DD was that age we needed to rock her to sleep and would wait approx 20 mins before transferring her to Moses basket- you need to wait until they are in a really deep sleep which is when their bodies go very relaxed. Can be tested by moving an arm and if it flops back i found it meant safe to move. Good luck!

I was going to recommend the arm flop test too. Yes it does work to wait, but we waited 30 just to be sure and for quite a while we had to transfer really really gently, often dh had to help and vice versa. We moved DD to a cot at 11 weeks and from that point did the rocking in a chair next to the cot and gradually reduced the holding time, by a minute every day or so until we got to the point (at 5.5 months - we got a bit stuck at 4 mins!) that we decided we could put her down awake.

Good luck!

Thanks! Yes I find the arm tends to flop quite a while before the20 mins so am never sure whether to trust it!
Waited about 30 mins last night the transferred to carrycot, which I the. Took upstairs and she stayed asleep for almost 3 hours. Hurrah! Had very good intentions to do same after feed but we both fell asleep at 1.30 and then woke up at 3.40 So fed her again and it took a while to settle. Once she seemed asleep I waited 20 mins and about 5am put her in the carrycot and rocked it for 5 mns. She slept till 6.30 and then came in with me till the alarm went off at 7.40. Of course I was awake from 3.40-6.30. I just get so much more sleep when we co-sleep but, as I say need him off the sofa I think. All in all quite successful so will start doing this every night. fifi, that is very dedicated about reducing by a minute each time, seems like a great idea thanks!

My dd is 6mo and will not go to sleep unless she's on me do do u think this would work at her age? Would love not to go down the cc route!

Just to say that the 'No Cry Sleep SOlution' sounds like it would be up your street. It has all sorts of ideas for no controlled-crying approaches.

How about getting a co-sleeper cot? Or a normal cot, with the mattress on the same level as your bed and positioned next to where you are sleeping? Obviously make sure there is no danger of gaps/dips they could roll into. That way you can pop him/her over there and they are in their own little space, but close enough to get your lovely sleepy pheremones. :)

I went down the route of feeding him to sleep on a Widgey nursing pillow. Not everyone's idea of the best sleep training approach, but because the pillow was supporting him my arms were free and it was fairly easy to make the transfer.

Arm flop test good, you could try swaddling as sometimes if they feel a bit more 'confined' they don't seem to startle themselves awake or notice the transition as much. I used to put a hot water bottle in the moses basket, and quickly remove it and put my dd where the warm patch was! This was nearly always successful! HTH

er, I don't see why not, my DD1 became a heavier sleeper the older she got so it might be even easier with 6 month old!

branching, thanks. Good idea about NCSS. I borrowed a copy when DD1 was small so I might get it again. Absolutely nothing worked with DD1 except waiting gor her to get bigger and develop the ability to sleep but I did find reading the book very supportive in that there was pressure from other angles telling you to do CC etc. I was thinking about taking side off the cot and seeing if this mattress height matched up but it's not designed as a three sided cot so would worry about it collapsing etc. I have one of those pillows, in fact she is on it right now. Been so use to feeding her lying down at night but then I generally fall asleep, so maybe this will be better.

1973, not sure if I am very keen to swaddle at this stage but thanks, will try hot water bottle. Have got one of those toys which is essentially a very soft square of fabric but with a bunny head on it which is gor soothing so have put that in basket under head, having been holding it while feeding so it smells of me.

Couldn't get her into carrycot downstairs tonight so started off in the bed and only just now tried her in carrycot again but she woke up so am feeding her on the bf pillow and will try again in 20 mins!

I have 7 week LO on my chest now waiting to make the transfer, I also do the floppy arm test and wait 20-30 mins before putting him in basket. It seems to work after a night feed but never after a day feed! Any ideas why? He now has all day naps in the sling or out and about in the pram (but won't stay asleep in the pram once we get back home!).

mashpot, same here with naps! Occasionally I can get her to sleep in pram in house after falling asleep on me and then pushing back and forward but often just wakes up so generally sling it is! I read babies regard night sleeps and naps as two distinct things. Very frustrating!

It is peach, although we must count our blessings the sling works. I only got to grips with mine recently and daytime naps were a terrible struggle before too.

Well the last transfer worked, got 3 hours sleep.

Yes the sling is fantastic and you can still do loads with it if you need to. Took from 2.30-4.30 to get her back into carrycot last night and she then woke at 5. Think it was quite cold last night, might put Cardigan on her tonight. Well done on your 3 hours!!

Oh yes, never worked for naps. Napped in sling, pram on me, sometimes in bed with me until 6.5 months when I started the in cot awake business. Still now I have to sometimes do nap in bed, but she reliably goes to sleep in evening after 5 mins. Naps are clearly from another planet!

Just an update on this. Have been having more luck with carrycot at night. Still have to wait 20 mins but have managed to get her in there a couple of times a night. The rest of the time we just co-sleep so all moving in the right direction. Sometimes she only sleeps an hour or two (she went longer stretches in our bed), but as ling as I can get her in there, I can just wait until she naturally stretches out these sleeps. Knackered today. She's still sleeping, but her big sister is up!!!