My newborn won't sleep in his crib. please help

[lovemaggie]

hi,
I am a new mom to a 6 weeks old baby who absolutely refused to sleep in crib. Even though he appears drowsy and tired, the second we put him down in his crib, he would scream and cry until we pick him up.
If he didn't sleep well, his feeding became difficult too. We are worried about his losing weight(since we had difficulty at the beginng to gain back his birth weight), We held him all day and all night after each feeding getting him sleep well. We are exhausted and I am due back to work soon. I am worried if we can still carry on like this day and night.
Anyone has similar experience? Any recommendation?
Thanks very much.

[Wife_and_mommy]

You might want to post your question in one of the other folders. You'll be more likely to get responses.

Here is all of my one year of parenting experience :) :

My dd wanted to be held if she was awake for about the first 8 weeks. She learned to soothe herself to sleep pretty early and slept great until about 6M. She then proceeded to wake up every single night up until last week. We didn't do anything different but that's just the way it goes.

Things to try:

a paci
swaddling pretty snug
another feeding
diaper change

Another thought...if my dd was really crying and wouldn't go to sleep she usually just wanted to be held.

If nothing else, know that things do get better and you're NOT the only ones.

HTH,
Elizabeth

[randomkid]

Hi: I recently posted a similar question in the lounge forum. Check there for some good responses. I, too, had to hold my DD ALOT in the first few weeks. However, we found out that she had a milk protein allergy and was miserable - I knew something wasn't right, but it took a while to figure it out. Anyway, she started doing much better after we put her on hypoallergenic formula. Is your DS showing any signs of distress? I used a sling for awhile which allowed her to be close, but freed up my hands so I could function. I also borrowed a bassinet that has a vibrating feature and she slept pretty good in that at 6 weeks. I haven't had to use the vibration for about 3 weeks now, but she will only sleep in there at night. I have to put her in a cradle swing or her bouncy seat with the vibration on for naps during the day. We gave up on the crib for now, but I think we will try it again soon. Good Luck! You are not alone.

[betsydenny]

Neither of my little ones could handle being flat on their backs till they were several months old- DD 2 months and then DS 4 months. I ran it by our pediatrician and he said it was normal and that it was ok to have them sleep in their infant car seats or bouncy seat. They felt a little cozier in these positions and slept much better.

I even tried to "wean" my DS from the bouncy to his crib and gave up. It wasnt worth the lack of sleep for any of us and then about 4 months he seemed uncomfortable in his bouncy and I tried the crib and voila no problem.

Give it a try. Good luck. I just kept telling myself that they would have to learn to sleep thru the night by the time they went to college. It helped me gain just enough perspective to smile or laugh and know that it would eventually pass.

hang in there!
Betsy

[mariaconroy]

I faced a similar situation with my daughter, who is now almost 5 months old. For the first three months, she would only fall asleep in our arms. Often when we tried to place her in her bassinet, she would wake up and start crying. My mother suggested putting her down on her side and amazingly, that worked for us! We would still wait until she fell asleep, but then put her on her side in the bassinet, propped on both sides by rolled up receiving blankets so she couldn't turn over. Eventually we bought one of those sleep positioners, which worked too. Even if she did wake up, she was much more likely to fall back asleep without crying.

Take heart - it will get better. We can now put her in her crib in her own room and she falls asleep on her own. One thing I wish I had done earlier is set up a bedtime routine. Even if your baby is still falling asleep in your arms, I think it is helpful to start a routine that they can associate with bedtime.

Good luck!

[cmdunn1972]

Mommy, listen to your baby! Obviously, he prefers the security of cuddling at night to being alone. So long as safety is not an issue (minimize blankets and pillows on your bed and a minimal tendency to roll), go ahead and allow him to share sleep with you. Otherwise, you might consider one of those Arms Reach co-sleeper beds which attach to the side of your bed and is flush with your mattress. A secure baby sleeps better (which also means more sleep for you), and it seems that your baby's sleep habits also affect his ability to thrive.

Don't worry about what some 'guru' says about this issue. Use an open mind, listen and respond to your baby, and do what's right for you and your family. You know your family better than anyone.