Baby wants to be held and won’t settle crib - swaddle? Nest?

[Lanzy]

I have the next to me crib, since night one baby will not sleep in it even with trying to get her during the day. Putting a blanket with my scent, it’s like the crib feels too big to her. Totally get

She only weighs 5 11 and cellular I’m not too sure on, I see tommee tippee does a love 2 dream swaddle that is suitable for her weight, I just wondered if anyone else used or any similar that I could for weight?

and also is baby/nest ie babymoov cocoon or something similar (happy for recommendations) safe for overnight?

any other tips advice would be appreciated thanks x

She’s a week old - just hope it gets easier as both us are running on lack of sleep (me and partner)

Nests aren't safe over night

DD was 6lbs and I think we had gro snug for her, only worked to stop her screaming, didn't make her sleep. She bedshared for a long time and the next2me held snacks. I recommend looking up safe bedsharing and babywearing and just surviving.

My baby hated the next to me, I keep hearing how many babies hate it.

The purflow baby bed is approved for overnight sleep. It's the only one on the market that is.

Swaddle and white noise worked sometimes!

My DS wanted to be held most of the time in the early days, so we had to have a strict shift system rather than just hanging out all together.

enjoy the snuggles!! It’s such a special time! Sleep will sort itself out eventually

Congratulations on your new baby! Early days/weeks/months are exhausting. Have you heard of the 4th trimester?

Nests aren't safe for unsupervised or overnight sleep.

Love2Dream swaddle bags were great for my little one (now 2y2m). We also used velcro swaddle bags too for the first couple of months before switching to sleeping bags.

Do you have a partner? Take it in night shifts if you can, one to hold the baby one to sleep. Rest whenever you can - do as little as possible and stick your feet up. It's hard/impossible to sleep when the baby is sleeping in the early days especially so just rest whenever you can.

Are you breastfeeding? You might want to have a read up on safe co-sleeping and bedsharing - it's not for everyone but it helped maximise everyone's sleep in our house.

The Lullaby Trust website is so helpful for all things baby sleep.

Congratulations again!

You don't need anything fancy to swaddle. Just a £2 flat sheet or giant muslin

My next to me was useful for holding snacks, water bottle, phone, spare muslins and so on. My baby would only sleep on me to start with. We took turns sleeping in shifts. After a while, I was able to roll her on to the mattress next to me for a few hours. Built this up and then stuck the cot next to my bed with the side off. Would roll her in there once asleep and lie right next to her. Everyone started getting better sleep then as she was safely on a separate mattress and I could move around without disturbing her or worrying about where she was. She still thought she was next to me on the mattress!

Never tried a nest as they aren't supposed to be used overnight. Check out the Lullaby Trust for info on safe sleeping and Co sleeping.

Purflo worked wonders for us, I only got it after 5 weeks of staying up in shifts to hold the baby. I don’t know if it would’ve worked earlier if I’d had it earlier. When I put baby down he’d always slightly stretch out and settled as soon as he touched the sides, but every time I tried him without it in the cot he’d be spinning around and fussing, I think he liked feeling snug and safe.

As far as I’m aware the purflo is tested to the same standards as Moses baskets and carrycot bassinets so if you’d be comfortable with your baby sleeping in one of those then you should be comfortable with the purflo. And in any case, a slight increase in risk from a nest is still a much smaller risk than being dangerously sleep deprived.

@GinnyBee Hi ginny, gonna get one ordered and hopefully it will do job. When you used purflo what did baby go im cover wise? Ie swaddle, cellular or a sleep bag!
im looking at love 2 dream swaddle

I had a may baby so by the time I had the purflo it was bloomin hot so he just slept in a vest, maybe sleepsuit on cooler days. And I had a cellular blanket at an arm’s reach if it got colder overnight which I then tucked in under the whole thing. I know they say not to use a blanket with it because you can’t tuck it under the mattress but honestly I’m not sure what the difference is if it’s tucked under he actual pod. Baby can’t yank it over their face and that’s the point isn’t it.

My baby was 5lb 5 and we used these type swaddle bags. 0-3 is very small so should be ok as just the head hole has to be tiny enough. They are a god send!! I have bought several in different tog ratings / sizes. My baby always slept much better in these and settled much easier.

Tommee Tippee Baby Sleep Bag for Newborns, The Original Grobag Swaddle Bag, Hip-Healthy Design, Soft Cotton-Rich Fabric, 0-3m, 1.0 TOG, Sky Grey Marl amzn.eu/d/hLbvpwp

My son wouldn't sleep unless he was held for the first few weeks, but the Love to Dream arms up bag worked wonders! I also had to (safely) cosleep from about 4-6 weeks, until we discovered the Love to Dream bag. He then started managing a few hours at a time in the Snuzpod attached to our bed.

I used love 2 dream bags when I realised that my baby's moro reflex was the reason he couldn't nap for long or would only nap on me - he kept throwing his hands up and startling himself awake.
For ages we thought he didn't like being swaddled because he'd instantly wriggle his hands free or fight against it when actually he wanted to have his arms up in a different position. He still likes to sleep with his arms up now at 9 months.

Hi @Lanzy thanks for posting, some great advice here. If you're still looking, here's our guide to the best swaddles as recommended by Mumsnetters. Hope the article's useful - if you have any feedback do let us know🙂