Not sleeping in the pram - suggestions?

[elk4baby]

My 3month old little boy doesn't sleep in the pram. Sometimes pushing himself way past his 'tired' state, so starts crying and nothing helps other than lifting him out and carrying. We end up walking home with him in my arms quite regularly.

He does sleep in it sometimes, but this seems to involve us leaving the house 'right on time' - after a nap and having a meal. The walk is sort of an 'activity' for him, but when he's tired and bored just nods off.

My in-laws suggested that the pram mattress might be too hard for him. There's some amortisation, but it doesn't completely prevent all the vibrations. On extremely bumpy roads, he does end up complaining, but is fine most of the time. But could this really be preventing him from sleeping?
(Sometimes, it actually looks like he's soothed by the vibrations and if nods off, it doesn't bother him)

Does anyone have any suggestions? If it really could be the mattress, are there any cushions/pillows/supports that could help? Anything else I could do to help him sleep in the pram?

I really like our pram and am very happy with it and would hate to be forced to buy another...

Sling?

What kind of pram is it? Depending on pram I have different ideas.

Perhaps try a softer blanket, a little music mobile, or a blanket over top. Also any comfort item from home, or one specifically for the the pram.

My ds is not too keen on his pram either and regularly screams his way round the park. I have to say, I keep going. He's facing me, can see me, I know he's not hungry/in pain...and eventually he will go off and sleep quite happily, but it might take half an hour and have me heading for home! I always look enviously at mummies and their contented pram sleeping babies. I think it can help to be consistent - OF COURSE it's nicer to be held...maybe I'm just a mean mummy, but we need to get out and about! I doubt it's anything to do with the mattress/road surface and more to do with it being much nicer to be held by Mum.

We just had EXACTLY this problem with our DS (15 weeks today). Like you, I was trying to time the outings with military precision to hit the window where he would sleep rather than scream. I was so embarrassed by his screaming that I gave up pram walks altogether, as I was trying to carry him home in one arm and push the pram in the other and it was a disaster. I was sooo disappointed, because previously he had loved the pram and I relied on it for daytime naps (he will only sleep on the move in the daytime).

I started walking him in a Baby Bjorn sling which he really liked and would sit happily in either awake or asleep. He slept for 90 mins in this the first time I tried it, so that was great. Also I didn't have to worry about bumpy pavements.

Then, last week, we tried him more upright in a pushchair, and he loves it! He has good head control for his age, so it would depend whether your 3 month old can sit up ok, but you might want to think about this. I think in retrospect he was bored in the pram as he got older, and frustrated that he couldn't look around until he fell asleep. Now he happily looks around from his pushchair and nods off when he's ready. No more screaming! We have a Maclaren Quest, if that's any help.

Hope something works for you. BTW, ours also now cries in the car seat suddenly - this is not a fun age!

We have a Mutsy pram - it's great and I absolutely love it! To be honest, I think he really is just bored in it. If the mattress was too hard for him, he'd never sleep in it, especially over bumps (and he's not bothered by the shaking once he's asleep - even light sleep).
I remember our first couple of weeks of attempted 'walks'... and until I put a pram/cot book around him (black and white ), he complained all the time. But now, I think he'd studied the book enough and just doesn't turn his head to the side. I've hung a small toy over his head as well, but he might know it too well by now...

I love that pram, never used it but it sure looks cool.

I would prop him up on some blankets perhaps to give him a change of view. Also is he any better with the hood down?

A bit jealous now that you've said the pram.

Of course it's probably just a stage so just keep trying him in it.

Thanks nannynz . The pram really is awesome to use .

DS really does calm down with the hood down. It doesn't solve the crying problem completely, but does keep him amused for a while. The only down side of keeping the hood down is the staring I get from strangers walking by; seems everyone absolutely has to get their nose almost IN the pram .
Do you think more toys would help? I thought of trying to put his pram book up along the edge of the hood instead of around the mattress... will report back after our walk today.

The walk was a bit better today, DS even slept for a short while (only about 20 min. - I stopped moving and he woke up instantly and didn't go back to sleep). I put the pram/cot book up along the hood, which got him really interested (that open-mouth excited look, precious ). Then I slowly lowered it back to being around the mattress (along the pram walls) with him still focusing on one of the pictures. He didn't look at it for too long, but somehow me doing this has 'reminded' him that the book was there to look at. He later started looking at it again (I couldn't get his head to turn to the side to do this for weeks!) and fell asleep 'hypnotised' by the B&W shapes.
What kind of toys do you use in the pram? What seems to interest babies the most?

Glad the walk was a bit better, am sure things will improve. If he's fine with things to look at there's plenty of things to use, I've had babies that were quite sensitive to stimulation and that's why I would keep the hood down to let them rest.

With people wanting a look in don't make eye contact, also if I have to stop for lights I try to keep pram moving(bumps in the pavement are good to use).

You could hang anything on the hood. My last baby I made a mobile with twigs, rocks, avocado nut, leaves, feathers, scrunced paper towels but the top thing was a aluminum pie dish - she'd stare at it for ages. Another baby I cut up the full face photos of other babies out of parenting magazines - she would 'talk' to them. A make up mirror would be good too.

How is he on his tummy? Perhaps for some of the walk you could have him on his tummy to give him a different point of view. Sometimes I roll up a muslin and put it under their chest to give them more leverage.

Hope this helps.

Please look at my story on "Wireless" Mobile phone by your bed? Waking up between 4-3.30am?? Keep mobile away from push chair?

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