Gentle methods for getting dd to sleep in the crib

[rhiOrion]

My dd is 7 weeks old, and will only sleep on my chest at night. Her crib is side-carred to the bed. We've tried a snuggle nest between us, we've tried a sleep wedge, we've turned her on her side, we've put the vibrating chair in the crib and put her in that.

She'll hang out for maybe 10 minutes, tops. Then she starts screaming.

And once she starts screaming one of us generally has to get up, put her in a carrier, and bounce on the exercise ball to get her back to sleep.

We're not interested in having her sleep in the actual bed with us... we have a memory foam plus pillow top mattress, and it just doesn't feel safe to me. And I feel like I need to go with my instincts. Maybe when she's a bit older.

During the day she'll occasionally sleep for hours in the swing.

We have some reflux issues, I think. She's on Zantac, and I'm cutting out dairy to start with. But she'll sleep on her back on my chest sometimes, without a problem.

The sleeping on my chest was sweet and cute for a while, but there's a big difference between a 7 pound baby and an 11 pound baby. Plus she starts squirming at about 6 am, and it keeps me awake, even when she's asleep.
Obviously I'm not interested in CIO.

Any suggestions on gentle methods for getting her to sleep in the crib?

I have NCSS, but I believe she's still younger than it's recommended for, right?

[blessedwithboys]

the only gentle method is the one where you lay her down and pick her back up the instant she cries out. otherwise, you are CIO. if you opt for this method, you may have instant success after a night or two, or you could be doing it still at a year or even older.

a pillowtop memory foam bed is not necessarily unsafe. thick blankets are more worrisome. if your flat sheet is tight and you are careful about blankets, she will be fine.

i cant imagine not having my db in my arms at night at just 7 wks. GL to you

[crwilson]

My first dd was like yours - really only slept while glued to my body. With her, it only got worse, so I wish I would have done the put her down pick her back up method when she was younger. I just didn't have the patience for it, and I wanted to be snuggled with her, etc. etc. It's hard to muster the patience when we're so sleep deprived. Hopefully someone with more experience will be able to give better advice than I can offer.

[rhiOrion]

The put her down and pick her up the second she starts to squeak thing was going to be my plan for the weekend. So I'll stick to that, I guess, unless someone has other ideas. I'd rather do it on the weekend when DH is there to help me. And there to let me sleep some during the day if I don't get any sleep at night.

She's slept the last two hours in the swing, and I slept on the couch. It was nice to have to sleep without a baby on top of me, even if I am covered in dog hair now!

I really really don't mind if she wants to sleep on me sometimes... I actually enjoy our naps when she's on me. It's so sweet to wake up with her little face right there.

Like I said, the crib is side-carred, so I'm right there. I can sleep with my hand on her, if that would make her feel better. But it doesn't! I can scootch to the edge of the bed and sleep right next to her, pretty much as close as I'd be if she was in the bed with me. But nope.

Oh, and she hates being swaddled. It'll calm her down sometimes if she's really screaming, but then once she gets calm she'll start fighting the swaddle, and eventually work herself up again.

[Baby_Cakes]

The swing was where DD took most of her naps, and where she fell asleep at night when she was that age!

You're doing all the right things so far. How comfortable are you making her crib? I know a lot of mamas use lambswool or something nice and comfy to ease the transition from mama to crib. Also, I know it's not "recommended" but DD used to sleep well on her tummy. I could never get her to stay asleep on her back. More often than not I'd put her down on her side and she would roll onto her belly and sleep like that.

[Ldogg]

What about adding some warmth to the crib somehow? I know people have used things like warming blankets and such, though I have no experience with this. My guess is -- since you've tried scootching right up next to her when you're in bed and she's in the crib -- it's the lack of warmth she's feeling, especially if she doesn't like being swaddled. Might be worth a try!

Good luck to you, mama!

[BlueStateMama]

Thinking waaay back (DS is almost 7 and DD slept like a rock from 3 weeks on!) DS was a summer baby and while I loooooved having him fall asleep on my chest - it was really tough to sleep pinned under a sweaty baby all night! I had a bassinet pulled right up to my side and I used to put a heating pad in while he nursed to sleep, and then too it out right before I laid him there. Also he only liked swaddling if I left his arms out - he seemed to be cozy in a half-swaddle.


(also - he used to get SO sweaty on my chest - I kept a washcloth by the bed and when he was out I'd scooch it under his head so we both didn't melt!)

[rhiOrion]

Originally Posted by BlueStateMama

Thinking waaay back (DS is almost 7 and DD slept like a rock from 3 weeks on!) DS was a summer baby and while I loooooved having him fall asleep on my chest - it was really tough to sleep pinned under a sweaty baby all night! I had a bassinet pulled right up to my side and I used to put a heating pad in while he nursed to sleep, and then too it out right before I laid him there. Also he only liked swaddling if I left his arms out - he seemed to be cozy in a half-swaddle.


(also - he used to get SO sweaty on my chest - I kept a washcloth by the bed and when he was out I'd scooch it under his head so we both didn't melt!)

yes! i'm so tired of waking up hot and sweaty!

[mum06]

I'm on Baby #5 (he is 6 weeks old) and I have never had success at getting my babies to sleep in a crib on their backs. They always ended up in bed with me. My first woke up about 5 times a night in his crib until he was ten months old, when I gave up and let him cosleep. Baby #4 was a tummy sleeper and needed to be right up against someone. Even now at 2 years old she flips on her tummy when she falls asleep. My only advice is to patiently wait until Baby is limp and deep in sleep and put her down gently. I'm here to figure out how to get #5 to sleep...

[Bokonon]

I would definitely keep trying the swaddle, and tightly. And read "The Happiest Baby on the Block" if you haven't already. It will get better, I promise...and then worse before it gets better again, LOL.

[rhiOrion]

Well, night number one was a failure.

Got her to sleep in the carrier and laid down with her. We both fell asleep for a while. Woke up and put her in the snuggle nest. That lasted for five minutes before the screaming started.

Nursed her back to sleep and we both fell asleep for a while. Woke up and put her in the crib on her side.

5 minutes and the screaming started.

Lather, rinse, repeat and put her back in the crib. Got 15 minutes this time, but it included me being pretty much in the crib with her, and trying to side-lie nurse (which I suck at). I had my arm all the way around her... basically in much the same way somebody might sleep with their LO in the bed with them, only in her crib. No dice.

Nursed her back to sleep and just let her sleep on me at this point.

I'm honestly not even sure that sleeping with her in the bed with us would work. She just wants to be ON me at night. And she *knows* when she's been moved.

Tried to swaddle last night, but was so exhausted that I couldn't get the swaddle to work at all. Maybe I'll try the miracle blanket tonight.

[cileag]

Originally Posted by rhiOrion

Tried to swaddle last night, but was so exhausted that I couldn't get the swaddle to work at all. Maybe I'll try the miracle blanket tonight.

The miracle blanket worked great for us---go to the website to see the demo so you are doing it correctly. Here's what I did that worked--I'd swaddle P. up tightly (and she always protested that part), placed a single spit up cloth/prefold under her head and then I nursed here to sleep on the boppy, sitting in bed. Then I'd transfer her slowly to our side car crib, WITH the prefold under her head. For us that was key since she never had that no warmth change on her skin.

For a gentler transition, I nurse side lying (and it took me a long time to get it right) with her swaddled and the prefold under her head and then I just have to scoot her over a few feet and that was easier I think.

Sending you sleepy vibes!

[snoopy5386]

I would also try to keep swaddling. My main suggestion would be for you to side lie nurse sort of in the crib and then scootch away from her. How about a sleep positioner? We use one and I think it makes DD feel like she is still being held. An angled one might help her reflux too.
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index...ductId=3559172

I will say with DD1 it was a whole different experience. She would only sleep with my nipple in her mouth like the whole freaking night for months. It sucked. DD2 I can pick up and lay in the crib and she will soothe herself back to sleep. I'm not doing anything different, she is just a different kid.

[silvermist]

I read elsewhere that putting them to sleep on their tummy may work. I'm here to find ways to get them to sleep in their own space from birth. My first REQUIRED me as her full body pillow and pacifier for 1156 consecutive nights until we had to let her CIO due to my extreme nausea in a second pregnancy. The cuddling was awesome- i miss it, but the lack of sleep for me for 3+ years and resulting mood swings and poor parenting choices did not ouweigh the benefits. I'm desperate not to repeat this scenario.

[peacelove&camping]

honestly, do the dairy elimination, and be really strict about it! she sounds a lot like my dd, and i bet you notice a difference after 2 weeks. be sure you're cutting out all sources and forms; check out livingcaseinfree for all the names and some hidden ones.

for what it's worth, i never had success with ncss. we didn't want our dd in our bed either, we had an arcs, but she would only sleep on my chest from 2wo to 8wo, and we kinda had to do what we had to do. after that i was able to kinda slide her off of me, but she had to stay right next to me all night. honestly, i'm a lot more pro-baby-in-her-own-space than many moms on here, but still i feel that if at 7 weeks she's having that much trouble, you should just let her for now. i know it, like you said, goes against your instincts; maybe try sleeping in a chair in a wrap so she won't slide off. but you aren't setting any bad patterns in the first couple months, and if she's this young and she needs you.... i totally understand how awful it is, i did it too :) other than that, just be sure you're putting her down awake when you try the crib, and good luck! hopefully she grows out of it soon. and good luck on the dairy too--it is not easy, at all.  in 4 months i can offer some great stuff for getting her in the crib!