What to do when she outgrows the bouncer?

[bumblecat]

Lilah is almost 6 months now and sleeps in her bouncy seat both for naps and at night. This is almost the only way she ever sleeps. She will sleep in the car or stroller, if we're out, or in my arms if she falls asleep nursing, or in bed if she's swaddled and falls asleep sidelying nursing. This happens twice a night after her feedings. I let her sleep by me for a bit and then usually put her back in her bouncer because I sleep better that way. Right now we have a crib mattress on a platform level with ours wedged between our bed and the wall. That's where the bouncer is. I want to transition her to sleeping on her mattress. The clear answer seems to be that I should nurse her to sleep on her bed, swaddled, but she will not nurse if she isn't hungry and she isn't always hungry when she's sleepy. So I will try that, but I need something for when it doesn't work. One thing I really like about the bouncer is that if she starts to rouse in it, I can bounce it for a moment and she settles back to sleep really well, unless she's hungry or ready to get up.

So, I need to find a replacement way to "move" her to sleep initially, and a new way to soothe her back down when she rouses during sleep. For the first, I was thinking maybe an exercise ball? I could hold her while sitting on it and bouncing. I'm not sure it would work, but it seems like it would. I do have a rocking chair and I never use it because it travels across the floor when I rock in it, which is really annoying. So I want to replace that with a glider rocker and then that may be another way to do it but I don't know if that motion would be "strong" enough for her since she is used to bouncing. Anyway, any input on those 2 options, or any other ideas appreciated.

Then for the rousing during sleep, I have no idea what to try and would love to hear what you do. I would really like to figure this out before she outgrows the bouncer so I'm not left feeling helpless. TIA!

[Angelorum]

My son was almost exactly like that, bounced to sleep in his bouncer and if he stirred, I would just rock it for a second until he settled again. It was so easy, and he slept so well that way. He still naps in his bouncer sometimes, but at 8 mo he's getting too big for it, and I have to be in the same room when he naps so I am sure to notice when he wakes up so he doesn't try to roll out of it. He sleeps on our mattress now all night. To put him to sleep, I put him in my mei tai and bounce on an exercise ball. He usually nurses while in this position. Sometimes if I think he's going to fall asleep quickly I just hold him, but he's getting heavy, so I really like the mei tai. Once he's good and out I transfer him to the bed. Sometimes I still swaddle him, but he's outgrowing the need for that.

To settle him while he's laying on the mattress I developed some cue words as advised in No-Cry-Sleep Solution. Basically you pick some words to say, like "shh shh night night" or whatever you say to your baby when it's time for bed. For a couple weeks you only say them when she's really sleepy and calm, never when she's fussing or angry from being tired. After you've associated them with that calm sleepy feeling you can try to start saying it when she's stirring or fighting sleep. Mine works pretty well. I put my hand on his chest and say the cue words and he usually stops stirring. If that doesn't work then I sidelye nurse him, but it sounds like your lo won't take the breast if she's not hungry.

When we were first transitioning to the mattress at bedtime I let him have all his naps in the bouncer, because I wanted to make sure he was at least getting good naps since his night time sleep was a little disturbed. He woke pretty frequently in the beginning of the night (before I had come to bed) at first. I made sure I responded quickly so he didn't associate being scared and alone with the dark bedroom. Some nights when I couldn't get him to stay asleep I just gave up and went to bed early with him. A couple times I just set myself up in the bedroom with things I could do quietly in the dark (laptop, book + tiny book light) so that I could be sure to catch him stirring early. Gradually it's gotten better. He's not sleeping through the night by any means, but he wasn't before either. The difference is that he settles a lot quicker and easier now then when we first started, and he doesn't wake quite as frequently.

Good luck! I was scared at having to change a routine that was working so well, but once we got settled in the new routine it's not so bad.

[bumblecat]

Thank you, the cue word thing may be really helpful. I have been doing a long "shh shh" while she falls asleep for awhile, so maybe that would help her when she's out of the bouncer. Good to hear the exercise ball works for you as well.