Getting 17 day old DS to sleep in moses basket.

[kayzr]

Please tell me how I can get him to sleep in his moses basket and not our bed. He will eventually go to sleep in his basket but not until 1-2 in the morning. It is really exhausting.

We don't mind having him in our bed but we'd rather he slept in his moses basket. I know I am very jealous and selfish but I'd like to be able to cuddle up with DH in bed. I spent so long with a big bump and not being able to cuddle up to him.

Any ideas greatly appreciated

Kayzr For the first week of our son's life we co-slept as he wouldn't sleep in his moses basket so I understand your concern. The following helped us fix this problem at night within 1 day (although we still have trouble with daytime naps at 7 weeks old):

• we started using a routine - Gina Ford - I am not saying you should do this but a routine of feeding at regular intervals and only letting him sleep max 2.5 hours in the day seemed to sort out the nights.
• putting one of my dirty t-shirts (not too dirty! ) over the moses basket sheet to make it smell of me
• if its cold either putting a hot water bottle in it for a few minutes beforehand to warm the basket (as its not as warm as you are) or when you are cuddling him wrap a blanket around him and then put him down with the blanket underneath him.
• if he seems small in it (i.e lots of room to wriggle) then put rolled up towels on one or both sides of him to make him snug.
• swaddle him - we bought a proper swaddle as using a muslin/sheet just came undone.

We have stopped doing all these things now apart from the wrapping him in a blanket and using a swaddle.

Good luck!!

Thanks. We are hoping to get him into a better routine as he won't go to sleep until after 1 usually.

Will try swaddling him, we have a swaddling blanket but he hasn't been to keen so far.

Our DD is now 3 months old. She wouldn't sleep in her basket until very late on in the night until perhaps 2 or 3 weeks ago. We aren't really doing anything different, i think she is just growing up a bit?
Swaddling did help, as did keeping the room really warm, but I think it was just a case of her being ready, IMO.

For swaddling we use the "limp arm test" - does his arm drop back down again when we lift it, if so he's ready to be swaddled, if not wait for him to relax a bit more. Also our son fights the swaddle quite a lot if he's fighting sleep but we keep him in it as he wakes himself up without it.

Will have to try that Choc, maybe if he is swaddled when I feed him he'll go down easier when he is finished.

Kayzr I always keep him swaddled for feeds he has before sleeping, even if I interupt him just before his feed ends to swaddle him (so he is relaxed)

It worked!!!

He went to sleep in his moses basket last night. He seemed to really enjoy being swaddled.

Thanks.

Excellent news!! Hope you and DH enjoy the marital bed once more!