My baby won’t sleep in his cot, any tips?

[Firstbaby1234]

My son grew out of his next to me weeks ago, we ordered a big cot from argos that was meant to be delivered the next day. The mattress came but the cot never did. Turns out it was lost in transit and it took 4 weeks to come. This meant we had to cosleep for 4 weeks, now the cot has come the past week has been awful! He will go to sleep in it but is then awake every hour slamming his legs down. As soon as you pick him up and bring him over to our bed he’s straight asleep. Is there any tips to get him to stay in there?

Have you tried putting some of your clothing that you've worn that day in the cot, so they get the smell of you?

Nope. You have to wait until he’s old enough to be happy sleeping on his own. Definitely don’t put clothes in with him, they could get wrapped around his neck.

Sorry, I should clarify, I didn't mean leave the clothes in there whilst the baby was in there. Put them in a few hours before or leave your pyjamas in there during the day and take them out before you put the baby to bed.

Will he go in for naps? That’s what we did until he got used to it.

Slamming their legs down is a typical development thing, they learn how to do it and enjoy the noise/sensation so I think that’s coincidental timing rather than distress.

My tip is not to lift him, but carry on with the broken nights til they stop. He’s reacting to a change in his routine. You lifting him into your bed (and I totally get why you are doing that!) is just defeating the purpose of having the cot. It’s hard though, for both of you, good luck!

No I will definitely try today leaving my pjs in there and taking them out before. At night time I give him his bottle but then I have to get him to sleep and transfer him over in to the cot, he won’t go to sleep on his own, the putting him down when sleepy but awake doesn’t work for us.

In the night when he wakes up I don’t think I could just leave him in his cot because I really don’t think he would go back to sleep.

@Skinnermarink he will go in for naps but he won’t go down awake, I let him contact nap before then transferring him. He only has short naps anyway about 30/45 mins

You don’t have to justify not going to your baby OP. I always go to mine, he’s never left to cry (but is thankfully pretty good at self settling with a muslin)

i would honestly persevere and give him what he needs and just think of it as a slow progression. Every time he lasts longer in there before waking is progress.

Sorry, should say you don’t have to justify going to your baby, not not going.

controlled crying is popular on Mumsnet but I’m not a fan.

@Skinnermarink im exactly the same I couldn’t leave him to cry, he has a comforter and he does settle with that but he won’t drift off with it. He doesn’t have a dummy either. I think he just needs to get used to the cot as it must be a big space for him going from sleeping next to me and then on his own in a big cot

OP, your most recent message where you talk about the cot being a big space has just reminded me of what friends of ours did when they moved their child into a cot - they put shoeboxes along each side, under the sheet so he still felt a bit ‘enclosed’. And it worked! They took them out after a week or two once he was back to his normal sleeping pattern. .

Does he sleep in a bag OP? That helps ours to feel a bit more swaddled without being swaddled…we can’t actually use a blanket, he has a great habit of putting them over his head to play peekaboo with himself alone in his room 🙈

@Williamshatnershorses oh really! I’ve heard of putting towels under the sheet but never shoe boxes! And @Skinnermarink yes he does have a sleep bag, I actually went out today and got him the bigger size!