Help... Baby moved from Moses basket to cot. Now wakes every hour

[Racheldavies1000]

Hello mums,

I am asking for help / advice. My 15 week old baby got too big for his Moses basket. So we moved him into his cot in his own room. This was 5 days ago. He now wakes anything between 45 mins - 1 hour and half. He isn't hungry, sometimes it's his dummy, but mostly it seems he is a bit clingy and needs to be held and soothed. We knew it was going to be a big transition to a bigger bed and his own room, but we didn't think it would completely knock out his his whole sleep routine.

We don't have the Moses basket anymore as I know some people suggest putting him in the Moses in cot. But that's not an option.

To make things easier and less daunting we almost made our own cocoon baby with pillows and rolled up towels under his top sheet. I have also put things that smell of me like my nightie and even carried his comfort blanket around in my top so it had my smell in the cot.

We don't have any room in our bedroom for his cot.

I am in need of an intervention. I am exhausted and feeling run down and very emotional as he is waking so frequently during the night. His naps during the day haven't changed.

Is there anything I can try? Help, tips, advice are much appreciated. But I hate the word persevere.... This is my first baby and have been told this all the way through and I think I will scream at the next person who tells me to 'persereve'.....

Thanks all xx

Well for starters he needs to be in your room until at least six months as it reduces the risk of SIDS , he really needs to be in your room at such a young age .

Can you buy a small crib , you can pick them up on eBay/Facebook for around £20.

This cocoon you made also doesn't sound very safe so I'd not try that again .

Their is nothing that can be done for immediate affect , if their was I wouldn't be waking every hour with my Ds

Try swaddle in cot?

Do you have space for a travel cot in your room?ypu can always get a proper mattress for one. It means the sides wouldn't be bars.
Or can you move your furniture into the babies room to make space for a cot in yours?

Thanks hodgepodgepanda, but I have researched and I don't think sleeping in his own own room will reduce SIDS. As no one really knows what will help as no one knows the cause. I was in that room on a single bed with him from the start, as my room is too small for anything. He needs to be sitting up slightly has he has silent reflux. He Moses basket was tilted and as he was so big for it he ended up with his face in the side of the Moses every night. Which I thought was more dangerous. The v pillow and the towels make the cot smaller and cosier which is why I have done it and I have read in various places it is perfectly safe as the towels are under the sheet so my DS can't wiggle away or end up under the pillow.

He fully wakes up and cries so I have no choice but to try and settle him. If he was just restless I would leave him to try and settle himself but he cries the house down.

Icklekid, I could try a swaddle thanks!

We don't have any room in ours, we live in a very small house with 2 small bedrooms. ??

X

You're bang on time for the 4-month sleep regression. Mine went suddenly from one or two wakeups to waking every 45 minutes all night - it was so, so exhausting. The only thing that worked was white noise, and even that only helped a bit.

I know you don't want to hear 'persevere' and I don't blame you, but what ended up being the most useful advice for me was to just accept that she was going to wake up lots at night for the next little while no matter what I did, and concentrate on getting as much rest as possible for myself with that in mind. For us that meant cosleeping (in a bedside cot), DH taking her for a shift in the early morning so I got some uninterrupted rest then, and napping with her.

had another bad night I am so tired I could cry!

Thanks PterodactylTeaParty I read about the sleep regression yesterday... Wow it can last for weeks! Thanks for the comment I may have get a blow up bed for me and small cot for my DS's room.

Thanks all for your comments xx

I second it's more likely to be sleep regression than the change of environment. We ended up moving dd at this age, as DH was waking her up and vice versa. Yes it's fractionally more risky supposedly, but you've passed the peak risk period. I don't like to sound of the pillows etc though.

I think the main thing is to focus on improving self settling, and the holy grail of putting baby down drowsy but awake.

It is a phase, but babies who can self settle will get through it quicker.

Jumping on this thread, we've been suffering this regression for the last month... Dd just turned 4 months. To those who have experienced it, how long does it last? Is a real bugger of a thing!

Still suffering. I think it might be the sleep regression. Last night was TOUGH to say the least. I have just bathed, massaged and done story time. DS is now trying to settle himself..... Question do I let me him cry it out? I have gone up for the last couple of times.

Also what are your daytime nap routines like? Does that affect your evening routines?

Thanks all.
X

Am I right in understand that baby is in a cot, in his room, with you sleeping in a single bed in his room too?

If that's the case, try taking one side off the cot and butt it up to you in your bed. This allows for easier settling.

Dummy and swaddle will help too.

Daytime naps at this age should be around 30-45 minutes in every 2 hours through the daytime.

Question do I let me him cry it out?

No, you need to meet your baby's needs. At 15 weeks and for several months to come, the only reason a baby cries is when they have a need and that need is not being met. So the baby cries as his/her only way of communicating that need to you. Your role as parent is to figure out and then meet the need of the baby. Not to ignore the need.

Sleep training methods that involve ignoring crying should not be used until baby is over 12 months old, when a baby's needs are more easily known and met.

This happened to us too; at the time I thought it was the move to the cot but we eventually realised that was a coincidence and it was the dreaded sleep regression. Is he breastfed? We tried lots of things and the only thing which really worked was co sleeping; dd still woke every hour or so but I could just latch her straight onto my boob and go back to sleep.

Hi there :) I'm really feeling for you as lack of sleep is just horrible! I'm trying to think of good ideas for you that we tried with my daughter (now 2!- I also have a 13week old) when she first moved into the cot I put her in side ways at the end of the cot, and like I did with the Moses basket had two towels rolled up on either side on her under the sheet, (it made it cosy like a Moses basket!) I also always secured her in very tightly with a giant muslin right over her and tucked it down the sides of the bed (along with a sleeping bag!) once she was used to being in that room and the cot (couple of days) I just turned it round so she was in the right way! This honestly worked a absolute treat! They love to be secure and just find the new 'roomy' cot a bit worrying! If I'm honest I wouldn't get into the habbit of sleeping next to your baby this is only going to create another sleep association that you'll eventually have to get baby out of! My best advice I was ever given was 'be consistent' your going to have to do the exact same thing for a few days before you see a result! Don't chop and change daily
Because your baby will not know what's expected of it! But honestly that cot advice, try it! It was a god send to us! My daughter slept through at 10weeks and my son has just started to sleep through so they're must be some proof in the pudding?! Xx

YY to sleep regression and teaching self settling is likely to be the answer.

I would not do cry it out but I would do controlled crying. At this age he will probably get the hang of self settling within a day or two of CC (if you leave it till older it may well take more days of crying).

CC is very controversial on mumsnet especially at under 6 months but I know plenty of people who've used it in RL from as early as 6 weeks and guess what their babies sleep (and are happy)! I used it at 17 weeks when DD was waking like your DS - I did Cc at all nap times and at bedtime and it worked within one day, she slept through that very night.

Oh and in answer to FATE: yes your baby is crying because he has a need. He needs to sleep. At the moment he can't get back to sleep without your help, this is not good for him or for you.

Obviously, you should only use CC if you are sure he is not hungry, ill or in pain of any sort.

minipie: I would do controlled crying

Genuinely interested. How would you be sure at 15 weeks that baby is not hungry, ill or in pain?

Is it assumed all babies, regardless of their daytime milk intake or personal differences, will not need a night feed so cries can be ignored?

No mention of the OPs daytime feeding here. So hunger is a possible reason for wake ups.

OP has mentioned reflux (16 weeks is peak for the pain of reflux). So pain is a possible reason for wake ups.

I agree the baby's need could be sleep. No mention of daytime naps by the OP here, so this could be resolved without crying by more daytime sleep.

minipie - is it preferable to you to resolve things without leaving the baby to cry or would you go straight to CC without exploring other options?

Not being facetious, genuinely interested. I cannot understand how you can be so certain of a baby's needs and future needs are met so the baby communicating to you can be ignored.

Oh I agree babies may well need night feeds at 15 weeks. But not every 45 min/1.5 hours. That frequency of wake up is much more likely to be a sleep association issue (ie DS cannot transition to next sleep cycle without a feed/rocking etc) than hunger. I'm not saying I'd do controlled crying for all wake ups and not give any night feeds. I'd do CC at nap times and at bedtime, when the OP is sure her DS is well fed.

Apologies I missed the reflux mention. Only OP can decide if she's confident the reflux is not causing him pain.

Yes of course non crying options are preferable IF they work. I'm not some monster who enjoys hearing her baby cry! But the things mentioned on this thread (and all sorts of other things we tried) didn't work for me - maybe they will for the OP, I hope so. By contrast CC worked quickly and completely for us - in one day - and DD was a far happier baby from then on - so I think it's worth mentioning as an option.

... not every 45 min/1.5 hours. That frequency of wake up is much more likely to be a sleep association issue (ie DS cannot transition to next sleep cycle without a feed/rocking etc) than hunger

Agreed. Totally agreed.

I would not have considered even mentioning or arguing the point here if we were talking a 9 month old, 10 month old (even though I still disagree with CC before 12 months). But it is that you have gone straight in here with advise to recommend CC at 15 weeks, without considering other advise first.

This strikes me as an agenda speaking, rather than actual helpful advise specific and unique to the OPs actual problem.

I'm not saying I'd do controlled crying for all wake ups and not give any night feeds. I'd do CC at nap times and at bedtime

Again, genuinely interested here. So my understanding of CC is that it will only work if you are consistent. Indeed it is my understanding that consistency is the single most important aspect of using CC.

How will the baby, at 15 weeks old (or however old) understand that sometimes they can cry and that you will come to comfort and/or feed. But sometimes they will cry and you will not come to comfort and will not feed.

Are you suggesting that consistency is not important? That it is fine to pick and choose when to respond to baby's cries and when not to?

Yes of course non crying options are preferable IF they work.

I agree. Yet you went straight in with: "I would not do cry it out but I would do controlled crying.". Without even considering if this baby is getting enough feeds through 24 hours, aside from all the many, many, many other options that are available to the OP.

I am not inherently anti-CC (although considering it as young as 15 weeks would never, ever be something I would consider) and have used the sleep training method with my first child.

It was a last choice though. The final option. This OP is no where near the last choice. There are loads of things that could easily work without leaving the baby to cry.

It may be a bit late now but I started mine off in the moses basket in the cot for a few weeks before being just in the cot.

Mine went straight into the cot from birth Random. I've always thought moses baskets/cribs etc small and restricting.

FATE so did one of mine, I more meant to change what they sleep and change room all in one go is a lot of change.

My youngest never even spent a night in with me! I could not sleep with them in the same room so didn't even try with DC4.

FATE when I said "I would not do cry it out but would do controlled crying" I didn't mean to suggest that CC was the best option or that I'd go straight to that. I meant that it would be something I'd consider doing (whereas CIO would not be). Apologies if my phrasing was misleading!

Oh, on the consistency thing: As I say, we did CC at all nap times and at bedtime one day and DD slept through, bar a dream feed, that same night (down from waking every 45 min/1.5 hours as OP describes). So I never had to deal with the issue of whether to treat night wakings differently. Sorry, not helpful!

Thanks everyone.

I'm a bit nervous about controlled crying. I just want to make sure he is safe and ok. It has now changed to waking up every hour - every hour and half. So there is a slight improvement. I am not sure if he is a little bit to young for CC?

Thanks Clemelan, I will give that a try! Worth trying anything at this stage.

When he wakes in the night he he probably only has one big feed, if I offer food at any other time, he just plays with the teat and doesn't actually drink anything. Other reasons he seems to wake, are He spits his dummy out and or he tries to turn over, he does not like sleeping on his back. Or he tries to pass wind but finds it difficult...

I got told that when I start weaning my DS it will get better as it will have a fuller tummy for longer, so I will just have wait it out for the next few weeks. Do you think that could be the problem?

I would be happy if he slept for 3 hours in a row! Not asking for much :o(

The sleep deprivation is awful, isn't it?

When my lo used to wake that frequently, it seemed to be because he was not happy to see he was on his own when he roused/was moving between sleep cycles (even though we slept beside his cot!). Do you think this could be a possibility?