can you settle a disagreement please?

[MadameJ]

Dd is 20 weeks and I think she is a fab sleeper (usually wakes once between 10 & 7 for a feed. However in the evenings I feed her to sleep and then she goes into her swing where she sleeps until I go up (I do a dream feed first). DH thinks I am teaching her bad habits by using the swing but I think this is nonsense as she sleeps well enough overnight in her crib. What do you all think?

Personally I would lose the swing and get her used to going into her cot straight away. But whatever works for you!

I have tried putting her up straight away but she really Struggles to settle and I was up and down stairs all evening! Grrr I desperately wanted to be right!!

You do what is right for you now but be prepared to do some sleep training further down the line as dd is not learning to self settle. If dd is your first it's all trial and error so I would advise doing what you think is best for you and your family, no right or wrong way!

No she is my second but I feel like she is my first as dd1 was a horrendous sleeper and only really slept with me attached to my boob!! I think maybe I will try the cot again tonight as she can self settle as she does so in the night it just seems to be the evenings she struggles with. Thanks for the advice x

I would definitely just do what works now and fix it if it becomes a problem later.

Could you move the swing up to the bedroom her cot is in to get he used to falling asleep in there? Does the swing 'swing' by a power source or just naturally from her movement?

The swing is a battery operated one but I put it on the lowest setting. I think I will try her upstairs tonight and if it doesn't work I will worry about it in a few months when it becomes a problem.

I would bring the swing upstairs and keep it on the low setting then after a few nights i'd turn the 'swing' movement off, once she has settled with that I would try transferreing her to the cot.

Thanks for all the advice, if I do manage to settle her upstairs do you think I should bother with the dream feed (she doesn't need it as such as she is already a hefty 19lb!!)

if she doesn't wake for it I wouldn't wake her. if she does wake then yes. if she doesn't wake, she may wake earlier in the morning than 7, but she may not. I would just see how you go with it. if you find she's waking at 5am then you could go back to doing a dreamfeed. bit of trial and error. it's hard to know what is right. good luck with it.

Thank you for all the advice, I will report back x

Update: Put dd into cot tonight, she got a little upset so I persevered (bit more boob) and put her down when she was sleepy and she has gone to sleep and has being there over an hour. I have had a glass of wine and actually chatted to dh!!!

Good result I think, dd stayed in her cot till 2:30 had a quick feed and went back down till 7:20 so she obviously didn't miss the dream feed!!

Yay! Brilliant op. she seems happy enough to be in the cot. Thats great.