KKAFP-love it but baby won't sleep anywhere else? Help?! long!

[marchmommy]

I really would appreciate your advice on this--i love this sling. My DD is only 9 weeks old-as soon as I pop her in the sling she calms down and goes to sleep (9 times out of 10). This is great b/c it is comfy for me (and her) and it frees my hands up so I can play with and take care of my 22-month old DS.
But, and this is a big but, I am still dealing with sleep issues with DS (basically he needs me to go to sleep and will only sleep in our bed now!) b/c I was always nursing him to sleep and/or snuggling him to sleep. I vowed I would do better in the sleep department with this one. So now I'm trying to get DD to learn to sleep in places other than the sling, and to learn to fall asleep by herself a bit--(but I can't bear to let her cry more than a few minutes, esp b/c she's so young). But, for example, this afternoon, I bathed her, fed her, swaddled her, then rocked her-she fell right asleep, i put her in the bassinette, and she only slept 30 minutes before waking up wailing--then i popped her in the sling and she fell instantly asleep! What should i do? Should I just enjoy the sling? Or try to get to her to sleep in a bassinette and crib too? I'm just so worried I'm going to be dealing with 2 kids who need my help to sleep at all times. Advice?

[Momof3Labs]

Wait a few more weeks - she's still in the "fourth trimester" and needs the warmth, comfort and movement to sleep. At 3 months of age, babies go through a huge burst of neurological development and develop the ability to self-sooth, which means that you'll have much better luck getting her to nap alone then than you probably will now.

For a good read on this subject (like you have time), check out The Happiest Baby on the Block.

[betsydenny]

She might not be comfortable sleeping on her back yet. Both my DD and now DS were not comfortable being on their backs as newborns. Pediatrician said it was fine to have them sleep in their car seat/carrier or bouncy seat.(They slept 1-2 hour stretches in the crib and 5-6 hour stretches in the car seat!) DD switched to the crib around 3 months. DS is taking longer but ongoing colds (thank you DD)are contributing to his being more comfortable slightly upright.
Hang in there. By the time they go to college they will have to sleep on their own! ;-)

[omgrown]

Another suggestion I could make is looking into getting a baby hammock for her to sleep in. I know it may sound far-fetched (that's what I thought when someone first told me about hers) but I ended up getting an Amby baby motion bed on Ebay and its like a dream! My DS sounds similar to your DD, he would only sleep in the sling or on or with us, but co-sleeping wasn't working out great for me, I couldn't sleep with him in the bed, and he wouldn't sleep in the co-sleeper for very long at all. I got the hammock for him and the first 2 nights he slept 8 hours! Its supposed to be especially good for babies who love to be worn in a sling. I think they're website is amby.com or something, maybe google Amby Baby Motion Bed. Good luck with you little one!

[toomanystrollers]

Ok, you just described our youngest. I thought I created a sling monster. She lived in my pouch KKAFP for at least 16 weeks, and then she gradually wanted more room to stretch. So don't worry, she won't sleep on top of you forever :) I believe she slept swaddled until around 6 months old - and then onto sleep sacks.

I also finessed the trick of laying our dd down in her co-sleeper while in her pouch and quietly sneaking my head out of it!