Help! 7 week old only sleeps while breast feeding then cries when he is put down!

[Jojo190314]

Hi all. Really need some advice and help.

I am a FTM and have a beautiful 7 week old boy. I am breast feeding and he only falls asleep while nursing. When I then try and put him down to sleep in his carry cot he cries and will only settle again after being put to the breast. This means we are currently co-sleeping which I am concerned about doing. I have tried swaddling but he hates it. He seems to be quite an active baby moving his arms and legs a lot. He clearly likes to suck a lot but won't take a dummy. He is also trying hard to suck his fingers but can't get it right. Tried putting something that smells go me in the cot, heating it before I put him in and putting him in the Boucher for a while. I don't really know what else to do and other people have got me worried I am doing something wrong. I'm worried I have got him into bad habits which we will find it hard to break. Please, any advice I would be grateful of as I just moved, live two hours away from my family, don't know anyone near me and my partner works full time. Therefore I am really quite lost and responsible for this current situation.

Thank you in advance for any advice.

Jo.

I would just co-sleep safely tbh!

Other than that have you tried a different type of dummy? Mine didn't like the orthodontic types but did like the traditional cherry latex kind. Also you might have to hold him for quite a while (20-30 mins) before trying to put him down - wait til his arms just drop if you pull them up.

Does he nap when out in the pram? Do you have a carrycot attachment?

We struggled with naps more than nights, but are currently trying taking DD 8wks for a walk around the block to get her to fall asleep. Here's hoping she'll get used to it.

You could start with naps and work towards nighttime. Tbh at night we would feed until asleep and put in basket. She would cry and we would rock, shush, pat etc until soothed (trying to avoid picking up unless necessary) after letting her cry for a min, then when she stopped and re-started leave it 2mins each time.

Some may disagree, but I feel she sleeps better than when we co-slept, and I certainly do so a better mum in the day.

A very strong night time routine also helped, incl bath, change of clothes etc.

We swaddle, she would flail and wake herself up otherwise, but the swaddle never seemed to bother her.