Buh Bye Bassinet, Hello Mama's Armpit!

[GinaRae]

The bassinet is going buh bye now (borrowed from a friend) as he refuses to sleep in it. I always hope to put him down for 3 hours or so --- I'd like to sleep soundly for a while before he comes to bed.

We still have a cradle too, but he's no more impressed with that. Instead he wants to be nuzzled into my side with his face towards my arm pit.

Any advice? Should I try to put him in the cradle during the day to get him used to it?? I am thinking it's a losing battle.

[Curlita]

We have several pics of Conrad with his face in my armpit... I'm lucky when he will settle for the armpit, usually he wants the Boob.

Conrad sleeps in his bassinet at night. At night he is swaddled, nursed to sleep, and occasionally gets the binky. He isn't swaddled during the day, doesn't sleep in the bassinet during the day, and (until Operation Carpet Mouth) doesn't get a binky during the day. The key to making the bassinet work for us (and as a result, getting longer than an hour of sleep at a time) is to pull out all the non-mama comfort measures at once. During the day it's all mama, all the time.

Only you can decide whether it's really worth the effort to get Lachlan to accept an alternate sleeping location besides your armpit. If Conrad were really dead set against the bassinet, we probably would give up and find a Plan B also.

[GinaRae]

By bed time I am SO exhausted and so is hubby. We try over and over to get him into that bassinet/cradle...sometimes for hours! We end up giving up now...

I'd like to do a paci sometimes but don't think he;s ready. He has latch issues still.

[*Lindsey*]

DS was like that from day 1. He slept in the bassinet one time and that was it. The crib was used for storage. He was in bed with us until he was almost 2. Nothing we did to get him to sleep elsewhere worked (and we didn't do CIO). So, we bought a bedrail!

Really, it depends how much effort you want to put into it. Is it worth the fight to you to get him to sleep some where else?

[GinaRae]

I'm just worried about him at this size. I've found him under the side of my pillow and hubby's pillow once each and under my comforter once. I don't think I am sleeping well because of all of it and I don't have time to nap much.

Once he's bigger I won't care so much. Also it's a good compromise to get a few hours of sleep with him elsewhere...

[*Lindsey*]

Will he sleep in the crook of your arm? I always kept my arm on or around DS when he was tiny to make sure he didn't move. Not the best or most comfortable sleep for me...

[scheelimama]

I think it depends on how much you want to force the issue. DD2 was like that and would only sleep with me. That worked fine for me, but I can see how it might not work for everyone. FWIW, Piper hates the cosleeper, but she loves her Amby swing and will sleep for several hours during the day and at the beginning of the night in her Amby hammock. It's a godsend! And she looks so cozy. Oh, and she'll actually put herself back to sleep in it like the website says. I hear her start to stir several times over the hours that she's in it, but she calms down and goes back to sleep every time.

[brooklyn_warbler]

Originally Posted by *Lindsey*

Will he sleep in the crook of your arm? I always kept my arm on or around DS when he was tiny to make sure he didn't move. Not the best or most comfortable sleep for me...

this is how i sleep with wren. i'm getting used to it, but we also planned on cosleeping. she just prefers to be snuggled up to me, tumm to tummy, than swaddled in the middle. i actually sleep better this way because she wakes up less.

[chubbycheeks]

Originally Posted by scheelimama

I think it depends on how much you want to force the issue. DD2 was like that and would only sleep with me. That worked fine for me, but I can see how it might not work for everyone. FWIW, Piper hates the cosleeper, but she loves her Amby swing and will sleep for several hours during the day and at the beginning of the night in her Amby hammock. It's a godsend! And she looks so cozy. Oh, and she'll actually put herself back to sleep in it like the website says. I hear her start to stir several times over the hours that she's in it, but she calms down and goes back to sleep every time.

Aisha, do you find the Amby a lot different from a regular swing? I admit I haven't read much about it, just glanced at it. . and I was just curious if it's similar to a regular swing or has some distinct advantage. I've been considering one as well, as DS won't sleep anywhere but in my armpit at night or in a pouch being carried during the day!

[renaissanceed]

With DD we had a crib (never used) and bassinet and tried her in the bassinet but that didn't work. With this little one, we have a cradle and he is actually willing to sleep in that for about 2 hours from 9:30 to 11:30 until he wakes up and then I bring him into bed with me and DD.

If he's sleeping better in an armpit I say go the armpit route

[Momma Aimee]

looseing battle -- when he is 2 or 3 (or 12) you can bribe him with a cool bed set ..........

[wwisdomskr]

nak

:...as I look at the newborn in the crook of my elbow, the 2 year old passed out next to me and the 7 year old sprawled out (watching a movie) on top of her sleeping daddy! luckily, the 7 year old goes to her own bed at night!

[GinaRae]

I planned to cosleep but it's not as comfortable as I remember it being.

I have always coslept -- but the first two boys always slept in between us happily, and not up against me. My third spent most nights near our bed but not with us until he was a toddler. They all left my bed at 6 years old except DS2 who was forced out at 2 yrs.

So I guess it's the snuggled against me or in my arm thing that's not letting me sleep well enough to be happy. A little sleep loss is expected, but I feel like it's a LOT. :

[wwisdomskr]

i'm sorry, gina. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. you don't have to justify. sleep is so important. co-sleeping DOES depend so much on the child. we had to ease dd1 out when she was 2ish because we could not get any sleep. so far, dd2 has been okay and I have no idea how it will be with ds. i hope you find something that works for you. is trying an amby swing an option?

[chrysalis]

today i napped easily w/ sheamas in the maya wrap sling i have w/ him in upright position. i slept on my side w/ ring side up. he seemed to sleep longer, w/out waking and i slept too. maybe try this? unless you are still afraid you'd roll over onto him?

i let sheamas sleep in the sling thing on me or in my arm pit in bed w/ pillow parallel next to him and kind of angled so i can kick my leg onto it for comfort (i love what i call having a huggy pillow). there is no way either one of my dc would have slept in a cradle or crib or bassinet. i think that they babies just want to be close as they can to us...megh still sleeps w/ me and i love it. she would hate to be alone, i know that. i don't blame her. during the day or night this is where sheamas sleeps. oh sometimes in the day if i'm in the living room/kitchen area he'll be on the couch w/ head on a pillow...i always make sure he's safe and can't roll off. he just started rolling over by himself at 10 days...my goodness. scary! so yeah, i think i need to keep my arm around this boy as that is what he seems to need. i don't know what else to suggest...are you having a hard time sleeping w/ him right there in your arms??? does he still wake often if he is there? hugs and rest to you tonight, dear gina...

[GinaRae]

Lis -- I think that he isn't waking me up more than when he was using the bassinet, but I am not feeling rested. i can't get very comfortable as I don't like staying in the same position for hours, so when I go to turn over in my sleep, I wake up. I feel like I am not getting deep sleep.

Originally Posted by wwisdomskr

i'm sorry, gina. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. you don't have to justify. sleep is so important. co-sleeping DOES depend so much on the child. we had to ease dd1 out when she was 2ish because we could not get any sleep. so far, dd2 has been okay and I have no idea how it will be with ds. i hope you find something that works for you. is trying an amby swing an option?

I missed something! Now I feel bad too because I was rambling because Robina's comment about planning to cosleep got me posting about how I'd planned to cosleep too. No hurt feelings here at all!

I'm looking on Craig's List for the Amby but so far after the gas to get to where they're located and their asking price, it won't save much. It's a big investment for something not guaranteed. I didn't mind investing in a $300 car seat because it's a guaranteed item. But the Amby worries me. Still after hearing about Piper sleeping in one, I would like to try.

[scheelimama]

Originally Posted by chubbycheeks

Aisha, do you find the Amby a lot different from a regular swing? I admit I haven't read much about it, just glanced at it. . and I was just curious if it's similar to a regular swing or has some distinct advantage. I've been considering one as well, as DS won't sleep anywhere but in my armpit at night or in a pouch being carried during the day!

Actually, it's very different from a regular swing (which Piper does not like so far, so much for the $80 we spent on that.) The Amby cradles them much better, which is a must for Piper. She likes to be swaddled and she startles too easy in the swing since i can't really swaddle her. In the Amby, I can swaddle her, but she's happy even without being swaddled in it, since the bed kind of provides a swaddling effect. She looks so cozy in it. And when she starts to fuss, the swing will bounce slightly with her movements which provides a womb like sensation, and more often than not, she goes right back to sleep before she ever wakes up or starts crying. I can gently swing it back and forth kind of like a cradle if I want to for her (like when she's half asleep and I'm trying to get her all the way to sleep before leaving the room.) It's really awesome! I'd say the newborn cuddlers are a must too, they make her much more cozy in there.

[scheelimama]

Originally Posted by GinaRae

I'm looking on Craig's List for the Amby but so far after the gas to get to where they're located and their asking price, it won't save much. It's a big investment for something not guaranteed. I didn't mind investing in a $300 car seat because it's a guaranteed item. But the Amby worries me. Still after hearing about Piper sleeping in one, I would like to try.

Try Ebay. I got mine for $180 total with the cuddle snugglers and shipping. I thought that was an okay price. And I knew if it didn't work, I could get most of that back by reselling on Ebay. They have great resale value. More than 50%.

[Googy]

Um, yeah, my Arm's Reach co-sleeper is functioning beautifully as a storage space for water, Boppy, etc. Caitlin hates it with a special passion, as did her big sister. We can usually get her to sleep the first jag or 2 in the sleep positioner between us, then later in the night she will only sleep on my chest.

[GooeyRN]

We have sleep issues now, too. He won't sleep in the swing, bassinet, bouncy, or anywhere other than on my boob. My dd is still in my bed at age 2. I can't have 4 of us in the bed. I don't like sleeping with a newborn at all. I don't mind once they are bigger and you don't have to worry about rolling on them, smothering, etc. But not when they are really little. sigh. I don't know what to do to get some sleep.