Wont sleep in crib!! - My 9 wk old refuses to sleep in her crib

TeagansMom609 wrote: My 9 week old daughter slept in her crib only a few times since shes been home, and that was in the first week. Since then she will not sleep in her crib. Ive tried everything such as putting something that smells like my milk in her crib, using the mobile, music etc. I dont want her sleeping next to me in bed anymore. Its starting to scare me, since soon she should be starting to roll over. I try to put her in her crib when she falls asleep and is in a deep sleep but as soon as I put her down she wakes up and screams bloody murder until shes so worked up she starts making herself cough. PLEASE give me some suggestions!!!!!

kimberley replied: i am probably not the best person to give any advice since i have co-slept with all my kids (and still am with my almost 9mo old DD) but i know at that age, Jade slept better when she was swaddled in a blanket because here new found movements kept waking her up and it made her feel more secure. i hope you find something that works for you. i am sure the other parents here will have more advice to offer. welcome to the board and good luck!

KatieLeigh79 replied: My DH refused to let me co-sleep with JR because he doesn't want him in his bed... so for the first 6 months I slept on the couch with my son, but after that when we had to change him to his crib (which was a nightly battle) I found putting him in a snuggly seat, swaddled in a blanket INSIDE the crib was the only way he would sleep in there until he was 10 1/2 months old, then he got to big to sleep inside the seat in the bed - I know people think that is "unsafe" I checked him every half hour when he slept like that but it was the only way he would sleep - if you want the link to the seat I had that worked the best let me know and I can email or PM it to you.

TeagansMom609 replied: Thanks for your suggestions! : ) Although alot of people tell me to try to swaddle her, she hates it! She doesnt like her legs to be restrained. Shes very fussy about that for some reason. God I wish that would work! Also...what does PM mean? LOL Thanks for welcoming me also!

ediep replied: pm means send a private message. Kind of like emailing someone, but it goes through this site.

It may just take a while for your baby to get used to the crib. Try maybe putting her to sleep in the crib during the day or after the last night feeding, then gradually move it back. It took my son a few weeks to get used to the crib too. Good Luck

ps- Welcome to the board, I hope you stick around

A&A'smommy replied: Oh no I feel your pain alyssa use to do that I could probably let mine CIO and she probably wouldnt cry for but a second (she is six months old) but we are always to tired to do that. I wish I had some advice for you but I don't I just wanted to offer you some hugs because I have BTDT! ((((HUGS)))) And oh yes welcome to the board!

And oh yeah I just wanted to tell you alyssa didn't like to be swaddled either not even when she was first born! LOL

Mom2Boyz replied: I wish I had some advice for you, but I don't. I sleep on the couch with Conner until my fiance gets up for work in the morning (around 4:00) Then we go sleep in the bed til we get up for the day. I've tried several times to get him to sleep in his crib, and like your daughter, he screams bloody murder. He wouldn't even sleep in his bassinet when he was first born.
Anyway, just wanted to tell you that you're not alone!!!
And welcome to the board. I look forward to getting to know you better.

CantWait replied: I wish I had advice for you. My ds, Anthony (now 10 months) would only sleep in his crib at night after his last feeding. It's only been the last few weeks that he will take a nap byhimself, or go to sleep in his crib byhimself. He would sleep with me on an extra mattress, or on the couch otherwise. When he was 9 months, we tried CIO and it worked much better then when he was younger, it did take a LONG TIME the first time though. Sorry no other advice for you. Best of luck to you, and Welcome to Parenting Club

amynicole21 replied: We had the same problem, and to this day my 20month old daughter has never slept in her $800 crib. We co-sleep, and it has really worked out well. It wouldn't have been my first choice, but it's what worked, and that's what we went with. Good luck, I hope you can find something that works for you!

bellymonstersmama replied: We give a Annabella a bottle untill she is almost asleep, then swaddle her (which she hates), and then give her the rest of the bottle to calm her. It works for now but they are habits we will have to break later. At this point (she is four months) it's getting hard to find light swaddeling blankets that are long enough LOL.

Kaitlin'smom replied: the only way I could get Kaitlin to sleep in a crib or bassinette was to swaddle her tight, and I also had to line the basinette with a blanket (I know your not supposed to do that, but I had it tight and not going anywere) cause of it being colder and the noise. I did co-sleep with kaitlin for about a month or so and I was worried about rolling over on her also but I was so aware of her theat I never did, I even had the co-sleeper thing, called a sungglie I think, it was okay.

I am sure you will find something that will work, just takes trial and error

coasterqueen replied: Kylie never slept in her crib! Thank goodness we didn't buy an expensive one, guess my instinct was right to listen to my DH on that one, lol. Even though he would have preferred her sleeping in her crib. She did nap in there *occassionally* but VERY RARE. We co-sleep too.

jem0622 replied: I always found cosleeping best. But if the idea scares you, then consider letting her sleep in her carseat. Not kidding. Is she colicky? Nathan had colic (milk allergy) for 3 wks. He was very high needs during that time and slept on my chest every night. Once I figured out what was hurting him and stopped eating all dairy he was quiet as a mouse.

Swaddling does help too or make sure that the surface is not cold (lay a receiving blanket down until she wiggles too much.

What I would do with the boys is lay a blanket on my chest and then they would lay on me. When I transitioned them to bed I would quickly throw that blanket down flat (it smelled like me and was warm from body temp) and then lay them on it. They loved it!

HUGS

MommyToAshley replied: My DD went from a bassinette to a crib. By 8 months, she was too big for her bassinette but she didn't really care for the crib. I think she didn't like it because the crib was so big and overwhelming. I started by just putting her in the crib for naps and let her sleep in the bassinette at night. Once she started taking naps in the crib, I transitioned her to the crib at night. I also let her play in the crib some during the day just to get used to it.

They make a device for the crib (I forget what it is called) that goes around the edge of the crib to make it smaller so that it is not so overwhelming. I thought about buying this for Ashley but she started sleeping in her crib without it. I did notice that she always ended up in the corner up next to her bumpers... I guess it was a security thing for her. Even now, at 20 months, she sleeps in the top corner.

I hope that helps.... and, welcome to boards!!!