Help needed with 12 week old sleep/naps

[happymummyto2]

Hi, just wondering whether anyone has any other suggestions I can try to get my 12 week old to sleep/nap on his own?

Since he was born he will not settle in his moses basket, pram or even on in my bed. We have been managing as best we can by either him sleeping on my chest or more recently when he has managed 2 hours at night in the Sleepyhead pod. During the day he will not sleep at all unless on me or if we go out in the car.

My evenings consist of feeding him to sleep from 7pm until 10pm then he has 30 mins nap in the Sleepyhead before he feeds to sleep at approx 11pm. He then wakes at about 1pm and will then only sleep on me despite being put down repeatedly.

We have tried swaddling, dummies (won't accept), hot water bottle to warm moses basket and putting clothing I've been wearing in the moses basket to no avail.

He seems to want to sleep on his tummy but obviously I can't let him. I'm also worried about him only napping during the day in his car seat but it's the only way he sleeps always during school runs. If we don't go out at weekends when we don't have to do the school runs he doesn't sleep.

Any new suggestions would be gratefully received. I have 2 other children I need to care for and with my OH being self employed and working long hours I am struggling with the night time routine/lack of sleep on my own.

Many thanks

Have you tried a bouncy chair for daytime naps?

I would also preserver with the dummy. You may need to hold it in while baby is young, but it is so, so, so worth it for independant sleeping.

For daytime naps I'd just be relentless about it. Into bouncy chair, dummy in, held in place if need be, and tapping it encourages sucking, then just relentlessly bounce bounce bounce bounce bounce and keep going - dummy, bounce, dummy, bounce in a non stop relentless kind of way until baby sleeps (and then keep bouncing going, while daytime sleep is an issue)

Thanks FATEdestiny, will give the bouncy chair a go! Will also have another try with the dummy, I did try to get him to accept one for about 3 weeks at about 3 weeks old but he got so upset and distressed if I even put it near him that I gave up 🙄