Night Time Carseat Sleeper

when they are that little let them sleep where ever they want I did that with my little peanut when she was little she's 15 months now and sleeps through the night just fine good luck

Both my boys slept in cars seats and the swing until about 6 months! That is they only way they would sleep, thay also hated the play pen and the crib. They just didn't like to sleep flat on their backs. My kids are only 10 months apart, but my 2nd son's pediatrician actually recommended putting him to sleep in the carseat to help with his colic. Hope this helps!

Yes. A friend of mine did this with her baby, who had a lot of congestion so when she was on her back she couldn't breathe through her nose and would often wake up. It seems odd to some people at first, but it's perfectly safe. I put my child to sleep in her carseat one night when we were at a hotel with somewhat icky accomodations, because it was the cleanest place I could find. She slept like a dream.

The only drawback is that, eventually, she's going to have to learn to sleep outside the carseat. But there's time for that.

YES! I bet most of us have done this :) Believe it or not your helping her digestive system as well. It is still developing, thus they tend to spit up more. Buy keeping her sitting up in her car seat even at a slight angel it's helping her. I had to do this with my first child. SO YOUR DOING GREAT!! :) Congratulations on your first baby...there is nothing like it!!

I think I allowed my son to sleep the first 6 months of his life in his carseat because that was the only place he would sleep as well. We would place the seat in his crib..LOL Now he is 2 years old and sleeps in bunk beds. Good luck to you and sweet dreams..LOL

At this stage of the game you get sleep any way you can!!! My daughter used to sleep in her swing quite a bit during the night. Then, I would move her to the crib after her middle of the night feeding. Also, if she fell asleep while we were out running errands, I would just put her carseat in the crib and let her continue to sleep. My motto is that you never wake a sleeping baby!!! You just have to be careful once they get old enough to understand how to manipulate you. That's when the bad sleeping habits can develop. But, you've got a couple months before you have to worry about that!!! I think you will be a better mother if you are able to get sleep, and that's the most important thing! Good luck and enjoy your year off with her!!! It will go by fast!

Dear B., As a teacher you know to find information backing up what you are told. I would ask these folks who say it is ok to have your new born sleeping in a probed up car seat in her bed where they got the information that it is ok. I implore you to go and buy a tiny pillow designed for babies who do not like to sleep on their backs. It has been backed by your states licensing standards on child care. And child care associations. Sweetie, your sleeping and that thing tips over just because... How are you going to feel. I am deeply concerned only that an added item to the bed just spells a problem. Check on that side pillow. I sent away for mine and the babies did fine with it. A car seat on a matteress is very unstable. As a new mom we know your trying and you want to do it all right and you will. Check with your Peditrition too see what he/she says about all this. Hang in there. Kathys

You really want to avoid letting her sleep in her carseat if you can. Not only is it unsafe, it could start a habit that will cause you much frustration later on. Studies have shown that allowing an infant to sleep in a carseat can cause breathing problems*. I know a lot of parents do this (and I was guilty of it myself, until I found out about the studies), but there are other methods to get her to sleep that are much safer. For my daughter, I used an infant positioner that was at a slight incline, and I made sure she was also wrapped up snugly in a blanket. As for sleeping habits, some friends of mine have a son who is one year old and still hasn't slept through the night, nor would he go to sleep in his crib. Every night since the day he was born, they would put him in his swing to get him to sleep. He got used to it and refused to go to sleep elsewhere. Once he fell asleep, they would move him to his crib, but eventually, he'd wake up and they'd have to start the whole process over again. The safest place for a baby to sleep is on his/her back, in a crib. Losing sleep is part of having a baby, but I'm sure you'd rather lose a little sleep than risk losing your daughter. Even if she gets mad and cries, lethargy will win in the end and she will eventually fall asleep. Also, you could have someone else watch the baby for a few hours so you can get some much needed shut-eye! I hope this info helps! Good luck! :-)

Source: http://www.webmd.com/parenting/news/20061207/car-seat-saf...

Hi B.,

Yes, when all of my (I have 4 kids under 7yrs old) were babies they'd fall asleep in their car seats and then we'd just put them in the pack n' play, or crib and let them keep sleeping. If we took them out, they'd scream, and at that age, you want them to sleep as much as possible so you get the most sleep too.

I also found that they LOVE to be in tight spaces when sleeping and the carseat is very comforting because it keeps them in snuggly like they were in the womb. You'll see that sometimes at that little, the pack n' play is SO big and too much space for them. I also bought a neat pillow that has 2 triangle shaped pieces on each side of the baby and they lay in the middle...this keeps them from rolling around and also makes them feel cuddled by the pillow and they sleep better having something touching them.

Also, if you are able to or have a desire to, you might want to have her neck checked out by a chiro or gentle massage therapist to see if her neck is in alignment. I've found with all of mine that they were out of alignment from birth (they are in a pretty cramped in space in your belly and then the whole birth process can make their little spine and neck out of whack) so it's painful for them to lay down on a flat surface and eventually is painful to nurse on one or both sides as they get bigger and it gets more painful.

If you need a referral of a good person to do this who does not crack the neck, let me know...it's saved me from alot of sleepless nights..after being adjusted, they slept through the night very soundly.

I hope this helps...sounds like you are doing a great job!

C.

I know when you are tired you will try anything but I would not get her used to sleeping in the car seat. This will cause trouble later on. If you have sleep issues, I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND swaddling. Swaddling my daughter got her out of our bed and into her crib to sleep and sleeping for longer stretches.

Also, read Good Night, Sleep Tight by Kim West. Very helpful!

Good Luck!

This is NOT safe. I'm an in home daycare and I've been to many, many early childhood classes on sleep & SIDS. A baby should always, always be put to sleep on his back in a safe crib unless otherwise instructed by a DR. I have always co-slept with my babies, but in very careful method.

Also, being in a carseat too long affects the baby's spine.

http://www.babycentre.co.uk/baby/safety/carseatsleepexpert/

Just because a handful of people here have done it or "know someone who did" does not make it safe.

The best thing is swaddling.

She WILL adjust to whatever way you put her down. Rock her to sleep THEN put her down. As the last poster said, exhaustion will win out over her "anger". She may not be "angry"... she probably just wants YOU. She's used to being very close to you for 9 months... hearing your heartbeat, etc.

Don't risk SIDS or spine damage or bad sleep habits because you think she's "angry". They don't really have that emotion yet. She knows comfort and uncomfort. Make her feel safe and secure & she'll sleep.

Oh, and the saying "sleep like a baby" is crock. Most babies don't really sleep for long stretches.

Get someone to help you out while you catch some zzzzzzzz's

ALSO: INSTEAD OF PUTTING HER TO SLEEP IN Pack N Play.... PUT HER IN A CRIB WITH MATTRESS.... and NO toys, blankets, etc with her. Do a google search on SIDS and you'll see what I mean.

B., I have heard that carseat sleeping is dangerous, but am not an expert. However, something we did with our daughter...I had a moses basket that I placed in the crib. I put a blanket under the basket to prop up her head a little and she slept like a champ. My daughter liked the closeness feeling she got from the basket as opossed to all the room in her crib. Maybe this will work for you also. K.

Sleeping in the car seat is fine - it actually helps if your baby is gassy, too. I tried it, though it didn't last long, but I have a friend who did it with her daughter, by recommendation from her ped. Her daughter was colicy, very gassy and it was the only way she could get her to sleep.

My son wouldn't sleep next to my bed in the pack and play either as I had planned. He would sleep in the bouncy seat which I wound up placing inside his crib. Sometimes I would bounce it from behind to rock him to sleep. Babies are used to being in a close quarters in your womb so the big expanse of a crib is daunting to them. As long as she's safe and can't tumble out it should be fine.

The other thing you may want to consider is swaddling her and putting her on a baby positioner (not sure if that's what it's called). The one I got was from Babies R Us and it's a foam pad that has an incline with velcro trangular pads that attach and allow you place the baby not quite flat on her back. I would turn him a bit on his side propped up by the triangular pad and switch sides so he didn't get flat head. He was swaddled of course to keep him feeling safe and secure. I hope this helps.