Co sleeping & can't out baby down

[shannonhinton0421]

My baby boy is 7 weeks today. I never ever wanted to co sleep but I was exhausted and due to bad stitches after labour it was easier to co sleep. Now I can't seem to get him to sleep on his own even nap times, as soon as I put him down he wakes up. I did manage to get him to sleep in his next to me for the last 2 nights for 4/5 hours until he wakes for a feed. Has anyone got any tips for nap time please?

All babies need significant help and input to be able to sleep independently, so this is quite normal behaviour. Some well established things that help:

• Dummy. Allows for comfort sucking in an independent way.
• Swaddle. Recreates womb-like conditions. Sensory deprivation makes being moved easier. Calms hysterical crying.
• Movement. Ideally naps in something that moves (pram, bouncer for example) for independant sleep.
• Be very very slow and stealthy as you place baby down very very gently. Stay in physical contact with arms around baby and hand on chest as you very slowly lean away. This must be a very, very, VERY careful set of movements.
• White noise or shushing can help.
• Subdued environment

Try warming the cot/moses basket with a hot water bottle for 10-15 minutes before you put baby in. There's less difference from going to your warm body to a cool mattress then.

Try to lower baby bum first into the cot then sort of roll baby down on to their back. This can help you avoid triggering the startle reflex or minimise it.

Moving baby sideways rather than down has frequently worked for me. Sit on the sofa with a moses basket next to you. When baby is asleep move them into the moses basket. If they stay asleep you can move the moses basket on to the floor or somewhere more secure. I recommend picking it up under the bottom not the handles so it swings less.

I frequently feed DD to sleep on the bed. When she's fast on I press my hands into the mattress and slide them under her so I don't jostle her, move her into a moses basket that is on the bed, give her a few minutes so there isn't too much movement all at once (I'm right next to her so she can't topple the basket off the bed) and move the basket to the floor when she's fast asleep.

This probably isn't what you want to hear but some babies just don't sleep unless they're on you. Mine didn't. She has slept in the pram twice (she hates it for some reason), and until she was 4 months in the moses basket twice.

Your baby is still tiny. Google the 4th trimester. It won't change his sleep but I know it helped me understand why my babies wanted to be held all the time and then give myself permission just to hold the/sleep with them and not worry about it.

DD is 10 months and we still co sleep. For naps I feed her to sleep and roll away. I've never managed the art of putting her down asleep from my arms. It didn't bother me though, I loved cuddling her whilst she slept and thankfully DH didn't mind that I did little to no housework etc whilst he was working

At this age it really will be trial and error, I agree with ideas a PP has posted. DD is a dummy rejector which made it hard for us too. All babies I know of the same age as DD have a dummy to get to sleep.