Need to Go Back to Sleep!!

Maybe you could try a rocking chair, the motion may be the same to him. And doesn't it stop swinging after a little bit? Where as you could stop the rocking in the same way. I know how important sleep is and we all need it and enough of it!

Hi K.,
I have two boys. Your's is still very little. He'll change his pattern a million times until he finally gets about 1 to 18months and settles into a real solid pattern. Do whatever he likes and enjoys to get him to sleep so you can sleep. He'll be grown before you know it and you'll wish for this time back. Fighting it will just be more frustrating. He'll eventually grow out of the swing and /or stop loving it as much, so use it as long as he likes it and don't worry about it.

Also, his feeding habits will change many times over the course of his little life, so he'll need more food at different times. I nursed both of mine and they got up regularly to nurse and went back to sleep. This stopped around 9 months. My feeling is there is no need to let a baby cry it out. He needs his mommy now and will figure out how to self sooth and get himself to sleep when he's older. Again, enjoy this time. It'll fly by.

Good luck and happy mothering
V.

Sleep patterns change with development - some times due to caloric demands and other times due to motor/cognitive milestones. The fact that he sleeps longer while reclined(?) in his swing is curious. Does he have any issues with reflux? He is a bit too young for sleep training so I would question the reason for this behavior change and address it accordingly. Have you tried to elevate his head/recline him in his crib? You could put a folded up blanket or something like it under the mattress.
When you say "he does not eat until 5," be aware that this is a moving target, especially at this age. Your baby is growing up and changing every day; things that seemed to work yesterday may not be valid today or tomorrow.

GL

I suggest you cross that bridge when you come to it. Kids change their sleep habits so often when they're tiny, because they're growing so fast. Just try putting him down in his crib all night every time he changes feeding schedule, or reaches some other baby milestone. And be glad you found out that the swing works!

Hi K.,
My son had reflux, so a little different situation, but he used his swing starting around that time and through till he was almost a year. When he was around 3mos he started to like it and we used it a LOT to keep/get him asleep. The Dr. wasn't worried b/c at that age they are young and will change their habits all the time. By 6mos he was sleeping soundly in his crib, but if he woke from a nap or something where he still needed more time.. or he was overtired, we would put him in the swing to sleep. We didn't stop the swing either, like some people do. He outgrew needing it by 9mos, and then we only used it for when he was sick and couldn't breathe well lying down. Hope this helps. Don't worry, he'll get over the swing thing; just use it as you need now to keep your sanity! --Anne

My son slept in a swing for several months from the time he was about 3 months old. I worried a lot about it too, but I think the reason he had trouble sleeping lying down is that he had really bad spit-ups. They were very disruptive and violent. So much breast milk would come shooting out of his nose (no kidding!) and his mouth that his entire head would get wet. I'd have to dry him off, change the sheets, clean up the bed, change his jammies, nurse him again, then try to get him back down only for him to start spitting up again once I put him back in his bed, or wake up again in a short period of time and start spitting up. Eventually, I thought I'd try the swing and it worked like a charm! It didn't even need to be turned on. I think it was just the positioning that he liked because he didn't spit up hardly at all. At some point, after several months of sleeping in the swing, he started having more wake-ups, so I tried the crib again. It took three separate times of trying for a day or so, but on the third try, he slept through the night--a good 11 or so hours--and has ever since. I couldn't believe it!

So, I would echo the other person who says you should be happy you've found something that works for the moment, and use if for as long as it works. When it doesn't work anymore, hopefully he'll be ready for his crib.

Two safety notes: different swings have different weight limitations, so make sure your son is within yours and make sure you move him to the crib before he is able to climb out of the swing--it's likely that he'll be good and ready for the crib by then because it will enable him to move around more, which he will want to do by then.

Good luck!

Hi K.,

My son had the same routine as your little son.... He was a PERFECT sleeper right off the get go :O) But then, reality set in around 3-4 months old, and he actually needed to wake up every couple of hours to be fed or soothed.

It's normal for an infant to wake up quite a few times a night for the first year. That is why there are jokes out there about mom's and babies :O) You probably even had thoughts like "WOW, this new baby thing is easier than I thought"......I had thought something similar :O)

Your new baby just "fooled you".. He was tired from being born or something :O) or whatever...But now, it's real.

Anyway, about the swing........it's up to you, as you are his mom. Just think about this.....once you start it, it becomes necessary for him to soothe. OR, if you go away somewhere for the night, you'll need to take the swing. Once you make this his "routine" then you will not be able to break him of it until later, but he might need another "soothing device".

It's completely up to you on how to handle it. In my mind, there is NO WRONG SOLUTION only the solution that works for you. If you swing him, rock him, bring him in bed with you, or whatever.....the choice is yours :O)

~N. :O)

At 3 months they experience a growth spurt that can make them very hungry. I have 2 girls and we started them on rice cereal at 3 1/2 months (feeding it to them with formula and not in a bottle).I wouldn't keep him in the swing all night if you are unable to keep an eye on him. You may have to let him cry a little bit so he learns to self soothe.

Does he seem to have any breathing problems? The fact that he will sleep in the swing makes me wonder if elevating the head end of his mattress might help him sleep better. If there are any respiratory problems at all, this often helps the breathing and allows a child to sleep. Or I suppose it would help even if there are no respiratory problems.

Both my babies slept great for the first few months...and then they went from newborns to babies and changed everything! Very common. And they finally both learned to sleep through the night (like 10-12 hours!) around a year old.

You're baby is doing so much now and needs more calories for this growth (physical and developmental). Even things like learning to hold your head up and smile or make extended eye contact can be a lot of work for baby. So by all means, trust your baby that he's actually hungry. He may be sleeping better (longer) in the swing simply because it's so darn relaxing to be rocked all night...works like a charm! But alas, you will need to break it if you start it, so think hard about what habits you want to start. I had to break the swing habit with both of mine for naps (they slept fine in the crib for night, but not naps...go figure). If he falls to sleep easily after feeding, my guess is you could fill up his tummy and go right back to the crib. You may have a few rough nights if he's already entrenched in the swing habit, but it'll be worth it to break now rather than months down the road--and how many batteries :-)

All that said, he's your baby and it's your relationship with him. As long as you are loving and listen to his needs for being fed and cuddled, you can't go wrong. Please do not let him "cry it out"...he's just a tiny helpless baby and I'm so glad to hear you didn't mention that. Good for you! Good luck...this year will fly by before you know it, so cherish every sleepy moment of holding your son.

There is a sleep regression around 4 months and another around 9 months where sleep gets disrupted. It is developmental. As others have said he could genuinely be hungry. Remember that sleeping through the night is 5-6hours straight in a baby his age so as far as he is concerned, he is still sleeping through the night.

C.

I am having the same issue with my almost 4 month old. For the past few weeks he has been waking every 1-2 hours. I have been told he could be experiencing a growth spurt. Since I am breastfeeding, I am told that he is just increasing my supply???? The last few nights seem to be a little better and he is starting to sleep longer. Hopefully this will happen for you to. The only other thing I can think of is maybe your son is having gas. When he's laying down it is harder for him to get it out and when he is sitting upright the pressure on his tummy is not there. Just a thought. Good luck

It sounds like he is just hungry. 3 months is very young to be sleeping through the night. If your baby will eat a full feeding then he is genuinely hungry. The swing may pacify him and hide the core problem. I was taught never to leave a baby in a swing for more than 30 min. Can you send dad in? Even if he just brings the baby to you while you feed and puts him back. Good luck and hope you get some sleep soon :)