Am I creating sleep problems with DS?

[beansprout13]

DS2 is now 7 weeks old and I'm fearful that I'm creating major sleep issues with him. He will basically only sleep in his car seat, and it has to be buckled and pulled pretty snug. He has some reflux and is on zantac, but it isn't a bad reflux problem and with the zantac, he shows no other reflux symptoms other than a refusal to sleep flat on his back. Actually, I'm not so sure that the refusal to be on his back has anything to do with reflux as much as the fact that he likes to sleep curled up and that is difficult to do in a bassinet or crib (tried swaddling him -he hates it).

So, we tried sleeping in bouncy seats, swings, etc, but we keep coming back to the car seat. At night he sleeps next to my bed in his car seat. During the day, I try to get him to nap in other places, but he so prefers the car seat. As soon as I sit him in there and tighten the straps, he immediately calms down and begins to close his eyes.

DS1 was a horrible sleeper and still is. I swore with DS2 that I would do all I could to not create sleep problems, but here I am again.

Should I be stressing over this right now or just let it go? How am I going to be able to break him of this car seat sleeping?

[egoldber]

You need to let it go. :) He has reflux and is miserable and uncomfortable. He will most likely outgrow the majority of the reflux before he is 6 months old. Remember that things like Zantac do not stop the reflux, they only help with the pain of it.

[boolady]

Yeah, let it go, for your own sake. He'll be just fine. DD was a reflux/Axid baby who slept in her carseat for about 1 1/2 to 2 months, ages 2 1/2 months to 4 monthsish...(it's all a blur now, really). It was a huge help in terms of her being able to settle down for sleep, whether it was because of her reflux or the snug feeling. It was the only place she slept well, and when she started to get bigger and wanted to be able to move and groove a bit more, she would start fussing at night. We then moved her to her crib (swaddled) and she was just fine.

It will be okay. Just let him get his sleep. I was very hesitant to do this, and my ped kept telling me that her son had very bad reflux and it was the only way he would sleep. Turned out to be the best thing we could have done for DD.

[bubbaray]

Let it go. My dr told me that both her kids only slept in the infant car seat for months. Her advice was to just do whatever it took for the baby (and mom) to sleep. DD#1 only napped in the swing or in the car until she was 12m and started daycare.

[kerridean]

Both of my girls slept in their car seats as babies. They would absolutely NOT lie on any flat surface. We would just put the carseat in the crib.

They usually napped in the swing, carseat, or bouncy seat. Around 4-6 months I started transitioning into the crib. By then, the reflux and colic were improving and they were more accepting of the idea.

Now at 3 and 5 they are FABULOUS sleepers, in their own beds, every night.

[Lolabee]

Have you tried napping him in a sling? That would probably still give him the semi-upright snuggly feeling without having to use a carseat. There are concerns that too much time in the carseat can cause plagiocephaly in young babies so it can't hurt to keep experimenting with different ways to get your baby to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Good luck, I know how difficult it can get with a refluxy baby!

[niccig]

DS had reflux and slept in his car seat for 6 months. It was the only way he slept and our ped. preferred it over stomach sleeping. We had to move his head each night so he faced left/right/front. You have to be aware of flat head issue from always in the car seat, we were lucky and DS had a perfectly round head despite every night in his car seat - must have thick skull bones! We easily transitioned him to the crib, the car seat was in the crib at night and it was a rough few nights, but he got used to the crib without the car seat.

[gatorsmom]

Be Thankful! At least he likes and is very comfortable in his carseat! Some poor babies aren't comfortable sleeping anywhere but mom's arms.

I wouldn't worry about it at all. He is still so young that any habits at this age are easily broken. I recently worried about my twins only sleeping and napping in their swings but they both transitioned to their cribs over a 2 week period just in the past month. They had been in those swings from 10 weeks old to 7 months. I thought I'd never get them out without a huge commotion. But the transition for both of them was much simpler than I expected.

Don't forget that over the next few months your baby will change so much. He may outgrow his reflux. He may become very mobile so that he wants to wiggle and move and starts hating the confines of his carseat. It's hard to say, but so much can happen over the next few months.

As for the doctors who warn against skull deformations, I've heard that if you can give your baby as much tummy time as possible while they are awake, you shouldn't have any problems with their heads or necks. If however, baby spends a lot of day time in his carseat (if you are doing a lot of driving with him, for example) AND he is sleeping at night in his seat, then you may want rethink his spending so much time in his seat. hth!