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Sleep

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Original poster

How to get 7 week old to sleep in crib at night?

21 replies

Luise85 · 07/01/2009 18:47

I have been co-sleeping with ds for a couple of weeks as I found it easier for all of us (am bf'ing, he still feeds two hourly at seven weeks). But as our bed is not king size I would like to sleep comfortably with dh in one bed again, so decided its time to move ds into his crib. His crib is right next to our bed but even if I put him down asleep he would wake up 5mins later screaming. it then gets very hard to put him down again, let alone to make him fall asleep while in crib (it's a rocking cradle, rocking doesn't help, holding his hand, singing, whispering, etc also tried).
Is there anything that could be done to get him to sleep in his crib? I don't mind to get up every two hours to feed him (I don't expect him to sleep through this early). DH suggests controlled crying, but I find that unbearable.

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Renni · 07/01/2009 23:10

I found controlled crying worked for me. Even though it is tough on you. I cried too. Also i never kept everything silent all the time like some people do. For eg if ds sleeps well in day with everyday noise then why keep it ultra silent when he gose to bed. As when you enter room this will disturb. I used to put a radio on low in the crib so there was noise all the time. This helped. You can only try it.

liath · 07/01/2009 23:16

I think 7 weeks is too young for cc. I'm afaraid I just carried on co-sleeping and DH stayed in the spare room until ds was ready for the cot at 6 or 7 months. However you could try putting something that smells of you into the cot with him or putting a hot water bottle on the crib sheet for a few minutes before you put him down so it's warm.

TBH though if he's feeding every two hours it might be more trouble than it's worth for you trying to settle him in the crib after every feed when you could just snuggle up together and nod off while he's feeding. It'll all go so fast anyway - why hurry him out of the bed for the sake of getting a big snoring farty man back in .

sundew · 07/01/2009 23:20

you surely can't do controlled crying at 7 weeks . I co-slept with both of mine until 6 months (at least) but that worked for us - and for me - I found it much easier to breastfeed lying down and not having to wake completely.

Couldn't you co-sleep for a few more weeks - at least until the feeds get more spaced out?

Have you tried putting one of your t-shirts in the cradle (unwashed) so it smells of you. This helped with dd2 - although for her it had to be dh's t-shirt as she is a daddys girl .

Good luck anyway

pasturesnew · 07/01/2009 23:22

Have you tried swaddling? He might like that?

Original poster

Luise85 · 08/01/2009 14:29

thank you for your prompt replies!
Last night has been as usual- tried to put ds into crib asleep, he would wake up immediately and cry.tried for two hours, feeding several times inbetween (comfort suckling I guess) until I gave in and we both fell into a deep good sleep at 1a.m. in bed (DH said he couldn't tell who snored louder, lol). The issue about co-sleeping is more or less that we don't think it's safe enough considering we are two adults and baby in a duoble bed without railings on the side.Also despite having ds now I still love dh dearly and would never ask of him or want him to sleep in the spare room just to make more space in the bed.
Will put a t-shirt into his crib tonight and see how that goes, def getting a water bottle to warm up crib. Thank you for this useful advise!

OP posts:

Seeline · 08/01/2009 14:31

Where does he sleep during the day? Try naps in the crib, also put him in there while you clear up after a nappy change etc just so that he gets used to it.

pigleychez · 08/01/2009 15:06

My DD sis the same at about the same time..She suddenly decided she hated the moses basket.

We tried a few things that did and didnt help.

Smelly t shirt didnt work for us.

Slightly elevating the mattress and head end helped. She would sleep well in her bouncer so it slightly copied that. Just pop a small folded blanket under the head end of the mattress.

Making a Nest help alot! We rolled blankets and placed round the top and bottom of the basket. DD was just starting to reach out with her arms and legs and think she felt too lost. Having the rolled blankets helped her feel more secure.

Agree with Seeline about having naps in there and laying there to get used to it. This is what I did to get my DD used to the transition into her cot and its been plain sailing. (Its the waking during the night thats the problem- Buts thats a whole different issue!)

Hope some of these ideas help you.

pigleychez · 08/01/2009 15:09

My DD did the same.....

Slightly elevating the mattress at head end helped.

sorry.. rushing as so much to do and not enough hours in the day!

KingRolo · 08/01/2009 15:19

Swaddling really helped for us, would recommend this. Once dd is swaddled she falls asleep in minutes and doesn't notice being put in moses basket. It also makes her sleep longer as she doesn't wake herself up by thrashing her arms around.

Jojay · 08/01/2009 15:27

Swaddling changed my life!

Seriously, it's made such a difference to my 10 week old DS2. He was impossible to put down once he'd fallen asleep in my arms, but once swaddled he's like a different baby. He's in a moses basket next to my bed and at night I lift him out and feed him, he stays in the swaddle in the whole time.

Before we started swaddling he was feeding twice a night, at about 1-2am and again at 4-5 am. The first night in a swaddle he went to 5 am from 10.30 pm, and last night to 5.30 am - SO much better, and no tears or stress!!

And those swaddling blankets that KingRolo recommended are fab - a friend lent me one and there's no way DS can escape from it.

PLEASE give it a try - I cannot emphasise enough the difference it made here. (and he's waaaaay too young for CC)

KingRolo · 08/01/2009 15:34

JoJay, you have said all the things I didn't have time to type .

The only downside is having to deswaddle to change dd's nappy but now that she isn't feeding so much at night she isn't filling her nappy so much either.

The blankets are £14 but really are worth every penny - best item we bought for dd.

Jojay · 08/01/2009 15:39

I don't bother with nappy changes at night

ten10 · 08/01/2009 15:47

I am sure i may get shouted at for this, but...
the only thing which worked for us was to put him down on his tummy to sleep.

I tried this when the alternative was me wanting to throw him out the window, as i was so sleep deprived and very upset at his constant screaming when he went into the moses basket,
but I couldn't sleep if he was in bed with me, can't explain just didn't seem to be able to relax enough,

so put him on his tummy after trying loads of other things and it was like a small miracle took place, and he went off to sleep without any real fuss within minutes

sweetkitty · 08/01/2009 15:53

Bedside cot

pushed up against yourside of the bed means he is right next to you but you have more space in your bed, also he won't fall out the other end.

Best thing we ever got

Jojay · 08/01/2009 16:00

The other thing I like about swaddling is that it's one of the few things that everyone seems to agree is A Good Idea.

If you do controlled crying, someone will tell you that you shouldn't.

If you co-sleep, someone else will tell you that you shouldn't.

No-one ever says that you shouldn't swaddle a baby (do they?)

KingRolo · 08/01/2009 16:02

Someone said on a thread some time ago that swaddling is like putting a straight-jacket on a baby. It is, that's why it works!

Original poster

Luise85 · 08/01/2009 17:11

During the day ds sleeps in his moses basket in the living room,
sounds like a good idea to put him into his crib to get him used to it. Haven't thought about elavating the mattress at head, makes sense to me...
Swaddling doesn't work for ds, funny enough he fights it until his arms are free again.
Thank you ladies for the good tips!

OP posts:

Jojay · 08/01/2009 18:36

DS fought the swaddle like mad too, to begin with, and got his arms out too, which is why that proper blanket is so fab. Once he couldn't get his arms out, he slept. The ones that fight it are the ones that need it, 'cos otherwise their arms flail about like mad and it disturbs them.

All IMHO anyway - I'll stop going on about it now..........

pigleychez · 08/01/2009 19:14

My DD fought her way out of being swaddled in a blanket admittedly not a proper swaddling blanket.
Thats why I think making her "nest" worked as she when she did fling her arms about they didnt have as much room.

However now she prefers the opposite- When we first moved her into the cot she was in heaven and slept like a starfish with all limbs stretched out! Untill she went into a sleepingbag... now shes learnt to lift both feet and bang them down together!- Great fun at 2am!!

ObsidianBlackbirdMcNight · 08/01/2009 22:57

7 weeks is too young for CC. If they get scared or lonely they should be comforted IMO. I have co-slept with DS until a weeks or so ago (16 weeks old) in a normal double with DH as well. I sleep with my arm round him and his head on my arm so he's not going anywhere. I found we just had to wait for him to be ok with it, not try to get him in it before he was ready.
Having said that he's bottle fed and I give him his last bottle propped up in the basket which I know is not done in case they choke or something.....

FluffyBoggun · 08/01/2009 23:58

In reply to swaddling:

The only reason it might be abd is if you swaddle AND co-sleep. Research shows that if you overlay the baby when swaddled it can't wriggle out and could be smothered. (According teh my od copy of 3 in a bed)

Swaddling might work for alone sleeping because it is like being cuddled. You dont need a special blanket, can give directions if you want to know how with a normal baby blanket - if I can find them.

We laid our baby on his side from about 8 weeks and he suddenly seemed ok on his own! Helped with colicy sleeping too.

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