Sleepyheads - what did you do when your baby got too big?

[Plateofcrumbs]

Our sleepyhead pillow has served us very well (best thing I ever bought) but I'm accepting my baby is going to outgrow it before too long. Previous attempts to put him to bed without the sleepyhead haven't worked well (although didn't really persevere with the experiment).

So am wondering how people managed to give up the sleepyhead? Am wondering if I can ease transition with some rolled up towels, or should I just go cold turkey?

Oh and I know I can buy the sleepyhead grand, but I don't really want to be condemned to dragging it around whenever we stay with family etc which I have done with this one.

Hi plate - I didn't have a sleepyhead but used a cocoonababy which I think are vaguely similar - at around 5 months I just kept trying to see if he would settle without it for naps and at bedtime - and eventually he did!
I know it's not necessarily with most helpful advice but I have found that what doesn't work one week will the next! So potentially if you persevere he will be ok?

Sorry it's not more practical and I am not expert as DS is 7 months and not a fantastic sleeper! I did try with a rolled up towel under the cot sheet for naps as a transition but didn't think it made that much difference so just stopped!

People often recommend trying things at naps but I have found with all sleep 'training' that actually bedtime is the easiest as that routine is so ingrained that little changes are easier to make (plus DS is cream crackered by then and can't resist as much as he can at naps!!!)

Hope some of those ramblings help...

I was surprised by how easy it was. He actually slept better in his big cot. Like you I considered it the best thing I'd ever ever bought and I was assuming I would buy the big one. He suddenly just seemed uncomfortable in there though and we just went cold turkey more or less.

We transitioned really easily at 5 months. We went on holiday and had no choice but to use a travel cot. He did fine and actually did his first ever sleep through (hasbt continued mind!). I was dead anxious about giving it too. Hope it's as easy for you. I think what helped was we had a number of co sister sleeo props- dummy, dream sheep, muslin square etc.

Co sister?! Should be consistent.

Oh that's a good point, we kept lots of things the same. So he had the same cot sheet that we'd been using on the sleepyhead and he was in his normal sleeping bag and we also use a dummy.

Thanks for the tips - I will give 'cold turkey' a try again! We have just transitioned him into his big cot (from crib) so will give him a few more days to get used to his new surroundings, then try removing the sleepyhead. We do have a good consistent bedtime routine now so hopefully that will help.

Last night was the first proper night we didn't use it. Dd is 16 weeks. We'd had it in the Co sleeper cot and she was just looking a bit trapped and not comfy. But it went well last night, she looked more comfortable being able to pan out a bit. Though did keep trying to roll!

I strongly suspect DS will start rolling at night once released from the sleepyhead's confines. I'm already having to perfect the art of upside down nappy changes as he won't stay on his back long enough!

First try tonight. As suspected he immediately flips himself onto his front when I put him in his cot, which he thinks means time for crawling practice. Eventually got him to sleep by pinning him down on his back. Five minutes later he rolled himself onto his front again and woke himself up. This could be a long night!

For the benefit of anyone else in this position: we had a couple of unsettled nights whilst DS got used to being able to flip himself over but he is now sleeping MUCH better than he was in his sleepyhead since he was able to roll over. He is mostly sleeping on his front which he couldn't do before, and he has gone from 4-5 wake ups a night to 1-2. Result!

Sleepyhead was still a godsend for us but it was definitely the right time to get rid.

This is interesting - we're about to start weaning off it.

Hello Plateofcrumbs,

I hope you are well. I was actually going to start my own question about this. My 7 months old is still using her sleepyhead, like you I don't want to use it anymore but the first time I put her on the bed without it she started to push herself up and without me noticing she was at the top of the crib, so I sort of freaked out because I am scared that she might hit her head with the bars at the top. So, my question is...do you use bumpers? I have read that we are not supposed to use bumpers for safety reasons but how do I prevent her from hitting her head? Thanks

Hi DS1 is 6 months and out of his now but I started putting him down for his daytime naps in his cot (in his own room) without it from around 4 months, maybe earlier. He was still sleeping in it in his crib in our room at that point. Funny enough when we removed it from his crib one night he didn't get on well at all so had to put it back. But when we put him in his own room for the first night without it he was fine. Guess he didn't make the association with his cot and the sleepyhead.

I should probably add that he's not rolling yet so that makes life a bit easier perhaps!