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Sleep

Join our Sleep forum for tips on creating a sleep routine for your baby or toddler. Need more advice on your childs development? Sign up to our Ages and Stages newsletter here.

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Original poster

How do you get a 3wo baby to sleep in a moses basket?!

31 replies

PickledLily · 14/04/2012 17:13

She just won't. Fine during the day, but only if she's flat out before I put her in it, but at night, not a chance. She's generally not keen on sleeping on her back either.

How does everyone else manage to get a relatively new baby to sleep in their basket/cot?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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MadameChinLegs · 14/04/2012 17:24

Do you swaddle her? This may help her feel snug and secure. I also would put my dd in it awake and chatter to her, so she got used to being in it.

Do you think she may like it propped up a bit? A hard back book under each leg at one end may help.

There are a lot od MNers who co-sleep and never actually used a basket, if this is something you would like to do. There are guidelines out there to make sure its safe.

nickelhasababy · 14/04/2012 17:30

ah, i remember that.

we stopped trying and have co-slept ever since

not saying it's the best thing for you, just what we did.
(dd is 17 weeks now)

Original poster

PickledLily · 14/04/2012 18:12

I've tried swaddling her, but am not very good at it and i'm not sure she likes it (she tries to escape!).

We have been co-sleeping, but got the impression that everyone else's babies managed to sleep in a cot/moses basket. I mentioned to a friend that LO will only sleep on/next to me at night and her response was "You'll want to sort that out!" So am now concerned she'll never sleep in a cot if we don't try soon.

Am waiting for a bedside cot to arrive, but suspect LO won't be interested in that either!

OP posts:

TunipTheVegemal · 14/04/2012 18:14

things that helped me were:
-swaddling
-warming the basket first with a hotwater bottle
-tilting the head up slightly on a couple of books
-feeding to sleep and lying her down veeeeery gently

LapOfTheGods · 14/04/2012 18:33

Agree with all tunips suggestions.

Uglymush · 14/04/2012 18:42

Against all the advice, I also have 3 wk old, and the best way we have found is lay him on his side - it will hopefully reduce the risk of 'flat head' too

heather1 · 14/04/2012 18:48

My first son hated the Moses basket but liked his cot. Pretty much the same for the second DS too. I had a wicker one and wondered if the creeking noises woke him up.
I did co-sleeping with my first. I couldnt with my second as I was on anti-ds.
Mabe she notices the sheets are cold in comparison to the nice warm cuddle she has been having with you. You could try warming them up with a hot water bottle. Then take the hot water bottle off the mattress and put her there on the warm spot. Not sure if this is good advice or not be worth a try?
I also took both of mine to a cranial osteopath to make sure they had no kinks or anything that might hurt their heads when they were lying flat.

Juule · 14/04/2012 18:53

Get someone to show you how to swaddle tightly. Mine were all much more settled in the early weeks when tightly swaddled. It might work for your baby.

Original poster

PickledLily · 14/04/2012 19:11

LO wasn't fooled by the hot water bottle trick. I have to say, the moses basket does look bloody uncomfortable, i'm not sure I'd want to sleep in it! The base is not well supported and sags slightly and the waterproof mattress makes a loud crinkly noise.

I'll give swaddling another go, although LO is also very windy and cries in pain - does swaddling help or hinder?

I suspect the real problem is that LO can't reach the source of the milky smell drifting towards her...

OP posts:

notcitrus · 14/04/2012 19:17

Wait until 6 weeks. Suddenly both mine went from hate to love.

BewitchedBotheredandBewildered · 14/04/2012 19:19

I know people who swore by a sheepskin which would be quite warm on touch and may insulate a bit against the crinkly mattress.
I second the swaddling too, baby laid on her side with something along her back to feel really snug.

theidsalright · 14/04/2012 19:54

DD stopped sleeping in it after 10 days. I was distraught! We co-slept for survival only (I was scared!) and despite my fears that it would all go wrong, she transferred into the cot beautifully at 5 weeks. She now (7.5weeks) sleeps in the cot (right by the bed) at night and naps in her bouncy chair (goes almost flat) during the day.

Do not despair-some of em just don't like the basket!

Kerb252318 · 14/04/2012 19:59

My DD hated it had to co sleep no other choice anything for sleep. At 8 weeks suddenly she would then was to big by 12 weeks! All I can say is don't stress it's quite common just do what you have to to get some sleep!

HerrenatheHHHarridan · 14/04/2012 20:02

Try placing an item of your clothing (that you've been wearing) in the moses basket so that when you put her down, she can still smell you. Sometimes this fools them into sleeping!

tentative123 · 14/04/2012 20:33

I wrap her blanket round her while she is feeding then transfer her when she's zonked out and lay the blanket under her so she's still snugged. Dd is 4 weeks

Original poster

PickledLily · 14/04/2012 22:32

I've tried the item of clothing trick too, it didn't work. Wrapping the blanket around her is the only way to get her down during the day, but it doesn't work at night. She's clearly a fussy thing and knows a good mattress when she sees one (we've just got a new bed!).

But it's good to hear she's not alone in her dislike of the basket. I have to say, I wasn't planning on co-sleeping but it's working out ok so far.

OP posts:

CointreauVersial · 14/04/2012 22:39

We had this problem with DS in the early weeks - I just waited until he fell asleep on me, then v-e-r-y gently transferred sleeping babe to basket. It didn't always work, and we ended up co-sleeping on a few occasions, but he eventually got used to it. The important thing is not to beat yourself up if she's not behaving in the way you imagine she should - babies have their own agenda, so go with the flow in the early days.

A baby sleeping bag really helps - no messing around with covers and swaddling.

DS was hard work, but DD1 and DD2 were happy as larry being dumped in the basket and left to fall asleep by themselves. Maybe they knew they weren't pfb....

Original poster

PickledLily · 15/04/2012 11:38

Thanks for all the top tips.

"babies have their own agenda"
I need to get used to this don't i, something tells me it's going to be this way for the next 18 yrs

Am waiting for her to grow enough to wear a grow-bag without disappearing through the arm hole. She's a tiddler, not yet 7lbs, so everything still swamps her!

OP posts:

MadameChinLegs · 15/04/2012 12:06

We used this to swaddle DD in until she was about 12 weeks old and outgrew it. Really easy to use and very tight.

CointreauVersial · 15/04/2012 12:15

Don't worry, pickledlily, you have the next 18 years to mould them into something approaching acceptable human beings that will do your bidding at all times.

HerrenatheHHHarridan · 15/04/2012 19:24

They have teeny-tiny gro-bags for newborns at TK Maxx sometimes pickledlily! They are a worthwhile investment :)

whoknewthat · 15/04/2012 19:26

Neither of mine ever slept in their crib. Both of mine slept on my chest for the first 10 weeks

I have nothing to suggest except to say that 'everybody' else doesn't manage it.

childofourtime · 15/04/2012 19:35

I have just been through this- I gave up trying and went for (safe) co sleeping (DP in spare bed etc). Now at 9wks we've settled him relatively happily in his big cot. Only 3 nights so far but it's been so much easier than I thought (no rod for own back after all). I really think some babies want to be close to someone 24-7 at first. My 1st was totally different and went straight into her basket from birth.

3rdnparty · 15/04/2012 19:37

ds hated moses basket, hated swadling even when my dm and dmil had shown me how to do it properly.... he slept best either on me, in his pushchair flat or cotbed in sleeping bag once he was big enough.....

LightsOnNoOneHome · 15/04/2012 19:38

Have you tried rolling up a small blanket and placing one on either side of baby in the moses basket? It should be against the side of the basket and from waist down so baby cannot roll its face against the rolled blanket. This is what the midwife did when we were in hospital and I continued to do this for the first month. It worked for us.

Hope that helps!

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