5 Month to Sleep in Crib

We kept J in a bouncy seat in his baby bed until he absolutley woulldn't sleep in it anymore. We put him down on the mattress and he rolled over and slept all night.... He had reflux and needed to be elevated. I don't see any issue for her sleeping reclining instead of laying down. If you have one why don't you use it at nap time and see how it works? Some of them have virbators built in and they work wonderful too.

Here's a link to see what types are offered on the market now.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/babies-kids/baby-toddl...

Hi M.,

Oh, I hear you loud and clear! Our baby just turned 6 months and is finally sleeping in the crib. I can't handle any sort of crying-it-out method during the night, so I used naptimes to help her adjust to sleeping in the crib. I would nurse her, make sure she was clean, tummy full, etc, and then kiss her and walk out. It helped me to set a time frame I could handle---I would wait 15 minutes and then go back in if she was still upset. After 1 week there was improvement, after 2 weeks there is even more...and she's now sleeping in her crib (though not through the night by any means). I know it might sound gimicky, but I went on Amazon to see which soothing toys got high ratings from other parents and I found this Fisher Price soothing glow worm and bought it last week. I can't say it makes a huge difference but she does seem to like having it nestled close to her and the glow and soft music seem to sort of distract her from her crying and lull her. I keep it in the crib and only use it when she's going to sleep, so that she associates it with bedtime. Anyway, hang in there...seems there's always one challenge or another with a baby---and so far I've found that most thing end up resolving themselves over time--though the waiting can seem endless. As a side, our pediatrician said she has no problem with babies sleeping in their car seats up until 8 or 9 months!! Best of luck to you.

-R.

Hello M.,

I'm a parent coach and I've read many books over the years related to kids, development and "how to". The one book I give/ suggest to all my new Mom's is called Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Mark Weissbluth. I not only love this book because of the easy to implement strategies, but it's also designed for you to read only the sections which apply to you, like sleep issues for 0-5 month olds.

The trick for your situation would be to teach your baby to sleep in the crib. Start at nap time. I really like, what I call the elimination method, where you stay in the room until they fall asleep for the first few naps the gradually leave before they fall asleep, until finally you can put them down to sleep without tears.

You can find the book anywhere. I love it!!

Best of luck--

R. Magby

Hi M.,

My 5 month old son prefers to sleep in the car seat too. Having had three babies and two very colicky ones at that, I've found what has worked best is a a structured bedtime routine that includes a warm bath, some cuddling, and a warm bottle. I usually put my babies to sleep around 8:00 pm and they usually sleep through the night until 7 am. Another thing that has helped my son is the Fisher Price Oceans Aquarium crib toy. My son loves to kick the button on the aquarium and watch it light up and play music. It's very soothing and helps him fall asleep. Also, when times were tough with the colic, I sometimes would run the vacuum cleaner in their room until they fell asleep--that works like a charm for most babies who fuss around bedtime. The glo worm and a mobile over the crib can also help. It may take a few days for your daughter to get used to her new bedtime routine and gadgets, but eventually she will sleep better and so will you:)

I hope this helps,

M.

my baby is 5.5 months and she can sleep through the night but getting her down is terrible with my other 2 i would lay them down and they would go to sleep...i can tell she is tired but she fights sleep even during the day. the other night i laid her down and let her fuss...it was about 15min but then she went to sleep...i know she was full, dry and just tired...nothing else worked and she went to sleep, try it if it gets to be too much for you or its just not happening you can always get her and try something else

i would suggest the cry it out method that is what we sid with our son and now he falls to sleep on his own just fine, He was also about the same age as your daughter is.and could only sleep in his car seat or swing. Just develop a nightly routine this will help tell her body that it is time for her to relax. Then you put her down in her crib. Now this may take a few nights so i am warning you now and it will be very heart-wrenching. She will cry ALOT prob and you just go in her room and reassure her evcery 15 min or so and then make it 30 min or so. This worked for us so i hope it works for you. You just need to have patience and a steel reserve. Our son sleeps just fine now and he is now 2. Good Luck!

I wonder if a swaddler would help make her feel more cozy, too? She might be too old/big for that, but one of my sons was in one til about 9 months. Just like some of the other mothers said, make sure she's fed, dry, and comfortable and then it just might be time to let her cry it out a bit. I did find that if I would go back and check on the baby, it would just give her new resolve to tell me how unhappy she was with the current situation. I have four kids and have done some crying it out with all of them (at times I was crying with them). They are all happy, healthy well-adjusted kids who have bonded to mommy and daddy without any problems. It is hard to hear your baby crying, but the payoffs of a well-rested baby and mommy are too big to measure. Since you know she can sleep through the night, it may be that she just needs time to adjust to the new sleeping situation. Rescuing her, as we all want to do, may prolong the issue. Good luck! This is so tough but you can do it!

Hi M.,

Our daughter absolutely loved sleeping in her car seat and in her bouncy seat, too. We gradually started introducing her to sleeping in her crib and in our bed at nap times. We did have a vibrating crib, but that didn't seem to make any difference for her at all. I read every sleep book out there and the person that made the most sense to me was Dr. Sears. They have several books that I found helpful. I know some have suggested that CIO may have worked for them, but it just didn't work for us. I had a really hard time letting my baby cry when it just seemed to go against everything in my heart. It may work for some, but neither my husband nor I could stand it so we just let her sleep with us when she needed to. We had no trouble transitioning her to her own bed when the time came. There were never any fits or tantrums. Today she sleeps on her own just fine. There are also several respectable scientific studies that show letting your child cry it out can do more harm than good. Here are a couple of resources that you might find helpful:
http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/1998/04.09/ChildrenNe...
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/10/handout2.asp
The bottom line is that you have to do what works for you and your baby.

I did the same thing as Amanda S. I had to establish a routine at the same time every night (warm bath, bottle, then bed) then let him cry it out but going in to reassure him every 15min. It really is heart wrenching but after 3 days the patteren was set and I didn't have anymore problems. But to keep them asleep I also agree with Victoria K. They always slept better on a softer mattress.

I can relate to your story the movement of the car is soothing and it helps my son fall asleep too. He is a hard sleeper and I had to put him in the stroller in the winter months and walk around the house singing like a crazy woman for HOURS!
Several months ago i bought a new mattress it was much harder than I am used to and the real cushy ones cost in the thousands. I then realized that the cause of my son's sleeplessness was his cheap crib mattress, I bought a feather cushion for top of my bed and I bought one for his mattress as well folded it over twice (i did not cut it because he is growing and will put him in a bed soon), we are both sleeping way better! Also stack up on several luliby CDs

Hi M.,
Just want to start off telling you that you are doing a good job & you will get thru this!! Our DD (who is now 4 months) had somewhat the same issue. I would let her nap in her swing or bouncy seat (slightly inclined but not as upright as carseat) to get her used to laying down. During the day, I would do at least once in the bassinet but it was hard for her to fall asleep or stay asleep. I just kept up with trying different things but eventually giving her more time in her bassinet & she eventually got it (this was not without a loss of MUCH sleep!!) Ease into it if you think it would help her more than a cold turkey change. She will get used to it eventually. When she is awake, talk to her about how exciting it is to sleep in her crib (I know this seems silly, but we've always given 'notice' to our now 3 yr old & he seems to have liked it). They don't know exactly what you're saying at that age, but if you make it sound exciting, I don't think you can go wrong :) We have let our DS (3) & DD cry it out & they are perfectly happy & healthy. I hope this helps - good luck!