16 Week Old - First Night in the Crib

Dear mom:

I am a grandmother and did not have that particular problem, but I have a neice who is just finishing her residency as a medical doctor and has a 1 year old son. She put him to bed after doing all the usual feeding, changing, etc. and told the rest of the family who occasionally would baby sit, that they were not to pick him up, but once he was in bed for the night with his bedroom door shut..that was it. The little guy did cry a lot initially, but at 1 year old, he looks like a very happy, self confident toddler. I don't think I could have done it, but for whatever it's worth, it worked for my niece and it looks like it worked for Blake.

Good luck
B.

Hi T.,

I'm not sure if you've ever heard of an amby baby hammock...I never did until I was desperate for sleep (but for most it works wonders). No, it's not a crib, but it's a way to keep the baby in his own room to get used to being away from mom at night and still Sleep! It may make the transition into the crib a bit easier. If you slowly transition...first, mom isn't constanty sleeping with me....then, able to sleep in my room by myself (still craddled in the hammock)...and eventually, in my own crib! The one slow change at a time always worked for mine (bottle to soft sippy cup nipple, then sof sippy cup nipple to hard, etc...u get my drift) some kids just like to do things in steps. Just know that it will all workout eventually, but you might want to give the hammock a shot to speed things up. U can probably find some reasonably priced ones on ebay or somethinglike that. Just a thought. Good luck :-)

Most babies especially breastfeed babies wont sleep through the night until they are 6 mths old. Don't try to rush this by introducing cereal to early or letting him cry throughout the night. I know what it is like being sleep deprived. I have a baby that just turned 6mths today that I am up with every night and a 25mth old that has had night terrors every night for the last 3 weeks. I will be up with my oldest when the baby is hungry so some nights I have ended up with the oldest laying on my side while I rub her head and nursing the baby on the other side. Sleep deprivation has a whole new meaning when you are up everynight with 2 children and work. They double team you. I would relax and know your baby is normal and as he gets bigger he will start to sleep through the night. Take baby step when getting him use to the crib. Put him in there for a few minutes periodically throughout the day and play with him. Then start letting him take his naps in there and eventually move toward him sleeping in there at night. It is a gradual process and no easy way or quick fix. If he has a familiar toy or something he likes put that in there too. Make the transition as smooth as possible. The more he is in the crib the better it should get. My daughter loves to play peek a boo in the crib, try anything you can to get him use to it. Good luck and remember he is only a baby and will grown up too fast anyways, enjoy this time and the bonding you getting from those night feedings. I miss them with my oldest but it did make us a lot closer, now when she is hurt or scared all she wants is me because I was there for her at night, it really is an important time in your guys life as a family.

I, like you, went through the same thing. I think that some babies just are not made for cribs. My baby is 9 months old now and still never liked sleeping in her crib. I tried everything, too, from a crib wedge, mobile, sleep positioner with memory foam, and a heart sound bear. She still woke up every 2 hours or less sometimes when I put her in the crib. So it seems that the crib is just taking up space. From birth I tried a bassinette and she hated that too. I put her on this cuddle pillow that strapped her in so she wouldn't sink in and put her in bed with me. She loves it because she can stretch out. She still sleeps on it but without the straps. She is big enough where she does not sink as much but wakes up only when she is hungry at night. We also had a problem with spitting up so she had cereal in her bottle from about 1 month all the time. Now I give her that in a bottle only at night. What kind of formula do you use? I had my baby on soy and she stayed hungry all the time but then switched her to milk based. I find Similac keeps her more full and is thicker than most formulas. Maybe gas or upset stomach keeps your baby up too. A newborn's esophagus doesn't close good and things come up a lot. The cereal will help with that. Next thing I got a fisher price aquarium swing and made it go in the side-to-side position. She slept great from the beginning and the motor even went out because she slept in it for 10 hours a night. I bought a graco swing that goes up to thirty pounds and she uses that now or sleeps on the pillow with me. I am a single mom so we are in the same room and she can see me from it. she naps in it and sleeps in it. She still doesn't sleep but a few hours at a time, is not teething, not sick or anything. so maybe your baby is a night owl like mine. I was also a baby that never ever slept in a crib. my mother slept with me on a full size mattress on the floor and that was the only way to ever get me to sleep. also my baby will sleep in the recliner with me holding her for like 2 hours! so maybe some of my suggestions will help. like you said there are lots of suggestions from people who don't have kids or doctors. my pediatrician told me to let my baby cry it out and all it did was make her sick and throw up on herself. I don't suggest it. If the baby sleeps well in the swing, it's ok. just make sure they are secure. I think mine is going to sleep in her swing forever or whenever the motor runs out-whichever comes first.

My daughter who is now almost 8 years old did not like her crib until she was about 6 months old. She slept in her swing in our room. Both my husband and I wanted her in the crib but we had a 2 yr old to raise as well at the time. So going without sleep for us was not an option. I know you want what is best for your son. Personally I say don't sweat the small stuff. Let the child sleep where he can. He needs sleep as much as you do. He will soon go into the crib and you'll look back at these days with joy at how as I tell friends now "My daughter was a swinging baby." She enjoys the swing on the play ground just as much and her pre-school teacher said that was the only outside toy she enjoyed. Soooo enjoy your son he will grow up soon enough.

Hi T.,

We are also trying to transition to the crib (our daughter is 10 months), and it's not easy for us either.

We co-sleep, and I definitely recommend that for letting you both get a good night's sleep if you can nurse while lying on your side. I could not get comfortable at first, but I learned after trying it several times. Now we sleep well with an average of 3 very vague awakenings - only long enough to have babe latch on again. We can nurse while we both sleep, which is great.

I am only attempting to move from co-sleeping to crib because I have back problems, and she is crawling to the edge of the bed during naps. Last night we moved the mattress off the boxspring, though, so my only issue now is the back problems. But if you try co-sleeping, there are lots of tips online about general safety and how to arrange yourself to sleep better while nursing. Hope this helps!

Hi, I don't have any experience advice for you, because my dtr was always an all night sleeper. But, something I have heard works. I am not sure where the swing is, but if it's in your room, try moving it further and further away from you. For instance closer to the door for a few days, after that, maybe to the door, then just out the door, then in his room, etc. I wish you luck. He's still young, and although I know it's hard with no sleep, it will get better

Keep doing what your doing, he will get use to it. I know it goes aginst everything your told but it work for me so,
Find a stuffed animal and/or just blankets and put them around the sides of the crib. This helped my little boy sleep better through the night when he came home from the hospital 20 days after he was born. Since he is so use to being inclosed in the swing, blanket and stuffed animals will give him the same feeling.
Good luck. My boy is 18 months and I still a little sleep deprived at times.

another thing to keep in mind is that children go thru phases...so during that time that he slept for 6 hours at night, he may have been in one phase of a growth spurt where he needed the extra sleep. now though, he may be requiring the extra food. you can put as much cereal as you want into his bottle....if he needs to eat every 3 hours, hes gonna be up every 3 hours. cereal in the bottle...doesn't generally do much as far as getting babies to sleep more.
and if you have to put him in his swing to sleep...do it. long as he is safe and cozy, let him be...who cares where he sleeps!!! my son went thru a phase where he would wake around 1 am.....nurse for about 30 minutes....and then want to play for an hour. i'm sure i don't need to tell you that i wasn't up for playing at that hour...lol so i would put him in his vibrating bouncy seat, strap on the toy bar, and throw on a barney movie. he'd play and then fall asleep...and i still got my rest too!! just do whatever works for you guys!!!