Crying and Putting Baby Down

[mommyabroad]

So last time around with DS (years ago), I never let him cry for more than a few seconds. But I didn't eat, sleep, or take a shower either. Now with a newborn, I am committed to eating and taking better care of myself and am wondering --- how exactly do I put my little DS down? She screams. She doesn't like a swing, carseat, or infant seat. I have a Moby which she will tolerate at times but not always.

[Friendlee]

I often have to do this thing where I am holding her and I get her into a good mood...then I slowly kneel down and then ease to sitting down (all the while, I'm gently bouncing her and humming a song over and over to keep her happy). Then ever so slowly I ease her down off my lap while engaging her with a toy and it's so slow that she doesn't even realize that she's not in my lap anymore by the time it's over. At the end, it looks like this: I am laying on my side and she's on her back looking at the toy/mirror or whatever and I ease away STILL humming my song.

If you need to take a shower, this takes place on the bathroom floor. If you need to eat, this takes place on the kitchen floor on a blanket. That way, you're never vanishing suddenly from her sight and your humming or talking never seems to move away from her.

It's obnoxiously slow, but it worked for me!

[ACsMom]

My first dd was like that - hated any kind of baby contraption whatsoever. I'd sometimes be able to put her in a bouncy seat next to the shower, play with her for a few minutes, then ease back (talking to her the whole time) and hop in the shower and just make it quick. When she wouldn't consent to the bouncy seat I'd lay her on my bed and turn on the ceiling fan (before she could roll over) - it would hypnotize her for a good five minutes. Sometimes I just had to wait till my husband got home to take a shower. It was rough - I always felt like I wasn't taking good care of myself, but on the other hand it was only for a few months, really.