9 week old won’t sleep in cot

7 replies

Purplepjs · 31/01/2019 23:58

She used to for short periods. Not great but improving. But since 8 weeks she just will not sleep in her cot or moses basket. She needs to be held all night. I am on my own and have an older child and this is killing me. She won’t lie in bed with me. I feed her, wait till she’s asleep and lower her into the basket but in ten minutes she’s awake again. Any advice??

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ArkAtEe · 01/02/2019 09:56

Sorry no advice her but letting you know my baby is the same, I will get her to sleep and as soon as I put her down she wakes up... If I put her down "drowsy but awake" then eventually she will start crying rather than go to sleep...

Some things to try though..

Have you made sure she has no wind before you put her down? Walking a sleeping baby up and down the stairs we found was a good way to gently get up any wind.

Could it be her reflexes waking her up and have you tried swaddling? Mine can be put down swaddled but fights her swaddle in her sleep and then wakes her self up

Ashleighc01 · 01/02/2019 16:56

I'm in the same position!!!! My baby is 3 weeks old today.

esme8585 · 01/02/2019 19:03

A sleepyhead helped me with this problem. Good luck, hope it gets better soon!

coffeeforone · 01/02/2019 19:10

Will she lie on your chest (chest to chest), so you can lie down too? We went through a stage from 6 to 12 weeks where DS would have only sleep on us or in a sling. It's really tough and I have a partner who I did shifts with so can't imagine how tough it is for you. He does now co-sleep beside me though since 12 weeks

Original poster

Purplepjs · 02/02/2019 00:31

Thank you for replying! Yes she will sleep on my chest sometimes which is how we’re getting through it. Tonight I tried sleeping bag and then tucking a blanket over her legs and tucking in the sides of the moses basket. It took an hour of stroking her cheek and putting dummy back in but she then slept for two hours in the basket....whoppeEE!!! Who knows what she’ll do now for the rest of the night. Thanks for the suggestions...I suspect I’ll try them all! And, though I’m sorry you’re all in the same boat, it’s a relief to know! I expected this for the first month, but was a bit blind-sided by the regression at 8 weeks.

OP posts:

Hopehope20 · 06/02/2019 21:38

Hey, we had this exact scenario. I can only offer advice on my own experience...and I know this isn't for everyone...however...same scenario..my son would only sleep on me,my partner and I were doing 2 hour shifts through the night but we were so exhausted we were both falling asleep on the sofa or in bed with him on us. This is a huge SIDS risk, we panic bought a sleepyhead and since the first night we used it he has slept unaided and soundly (also swaddled) from 9 at night though to 7. We couldn't believe it, it changed our lives.

The Sleepyhead however is not approved by the lullaby trust for safe sleeping, huge amounts of people use them overnight but this has to be a personal decision. I am so paranoid about safe sleep...and ofcourse i would love it if he slept in his moses basket...but we are where we are and I decided the sleepyhead was less risky than him sleeping on us

SarahandDaisy · 11/02/2019 18:11

We also had a big regression at 8 weeks due to her having a cold and jabs and it drove me to despair. To get her to settle now I put her in Sleepyhead in her Snuzpod then lie with my head on the side of it and my hand on her tummy and make shh noises until she settles. Then leave her and zip up the crib and she's fine, though the first time at night this can take a couple of times.

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