Need HELP! DD (2 months) sleeping habits - swing & bed

[pinkflamingo]

OK- the first month, DD would not sleep anywhere but our arms during the day and our bed at night. We tried the bassinet and she would whimper and whine and it was just easier to cosleep(I am breast feeding only.) She hated her swing and could only tolerate the bouncy seat for a few minutes up until 6 weeks when she decided she LOVED the swing.
She started taking beautiful 1-3 hour naps only in the swing. Now she will not nap anywhere else. I have tried and she wakes up. Our pattern these days is wake up, feed, diaper change, gymini, swing. She is only up about an hour -if I try to hold her or lie down with her during the day during nap time, she starts fussing, crying and whining until I put her in the swing. Then she starts yawning and her eyes get heavy and she sleeps. Beautifully.

DH will be home for the summer next Friday- so I will have help for the next 2 months. If I go back to work in the fall, I would like to wean her to the crib for naps and night time. Any tips? Is this a lost cause? She loves to sprawl in the bed and makes a lot of noise and we both get pretty poor sleep. We are both tired of it but it is better than being woken up every hour or so screaming because she is lonely in her bassinet/crib.

I am so worried about flat head syndrome- she seriously HATES tummy time and will not let me hold her beyond her hour of awake time that precedes each nap. She is in great spirits, is growing and maturing beautifully. Please help! DS was totally fine sleeping in the bassinet and crib from day 2... so this is NEW territory for me!

Side note= she likes her bumbo in small doses. At this age, is this an ok substitute for tummy time? She has to really work to stabilize her torso in this.I realize pretty soon she needs to be pushing up but right now it seems to be all about upper neck and shoulder control. Should I keep on pushing tummy time although she screams or should the bumbo be ok for at least a few weeks?

Thanks!

[SnuggleBuggles]

There have been several discussions about this on the sleep board and the consensus is pretty universal that babies start taking reliable naps in their cribs closer to 5-6 months. Before then, just do what works. You aren't setting up bad habits so don't worry. My ds1 napped in his bouncy seat or my arms till 4-5 months then did great in his crib.

I let ds2 sleep on his belly, especially during nap time when I was up and could keep an eye on him. Belly sleep didn't really worry me though b/c he was full term, breastfed, non-smoking family, his crib was devoid of any suffocation risks and no bumpers...so I felt ok doing it and ds2 slept well.
No Bumbo- not good for their body to be in that position because they don't have the core, trunk and neck strength to support that weight. I have yet to figure out why they make those because they don't seem great from a developmental perspective. They do everything in the right order naturally so work with that. We do tummy time because people aren't putting their babies on their bellies any more. Normally babies would have a chance to be on their back and belly any time.

I wouldn't really stress much about tummy time. Just vary up positioning, limit time in the carseat and it should be fine.

Beth

[wellyes]

Don't stress about it. My DD only slept in her papasan swing (including at NIGHT) for the first several months. Doc was OK with it.
For daycare we just had my MIL who was magically able to get her to sleep elsewhere. I think your daycare will be experienced enough with babies who aren't easy sleepers - they're usually better than parents at getting LOs to nap in my expereince!

For flat head worries, I'd recommend babywearing.... get a Moby or Ergo with infant insert. Baby is pressed up against you, looking out in every direction, happy as a clam.

[brittone2]

I can address the tummy time. Just remember it doesn't have to be DC flat on their stomach on the floor. You can sit on the floor with your legs fully extended and totally together, and then put her across your lap. Hold a mirror or toy with one hand and encourage her to lift her head. Any time they can be on a slight angle vs. flat it will be a little easier for DC to lift their head. You can do this by slightly bending your knee (closest to her head) if she's across your lap, so that her head/upper body are higher than her lower body. Use a toy to get her to look up a bit. Similarly, you can semi recline on a couch or chair and put baby on your chest. Talk, etc. to DC and see if they'll lift their head a bit. THese are good alternatives for babies who really hate flat on their stomach tummy time...it is at least a start. You can also just try really short and sweet amounts of tummy time after each diaper change and see if she'll tolerate just 30 seconds or a minute and gradually work up the time she tolerates.

I don't think the bumbo is a great substitute, personally. Tummy time really works the trunk in a different way, including really engaging the muscles around the shoulder girdle (in a way the bumbo will not) that will be important later for crawling, getting onto all 4s, etc. Ditto the arms/hands. Weightbearing through the arms/hands is something OTs tend to feel impacts fine motor skills down the road. (you need good strength and stability in those shoulder muscles before you can develop good fine motor control). (eta: I personally would not put a 2 month old in a bumbo).

My little one is 2.5 months and is currently doing a morning nap in the swing (my first child of the 3 that even likes the swing LOL), and an afternoon nap in our bed. We cosleep at night. No advice on alternatives really, because we tend to be pretty happy with cosleeping. eta: I am running a fan in our MBR currently and have found DS2 sleeps better with it than without. It is thought to help reduce SIDS and the white noise is great too. I'm running it because the AC in the house we are renting doesn't get super cool in the upstairs BRs, but the other two benefits are nice.

[melrose7]

My 2 month old DS had torticollis (tight neck muscles) and we went to see a PT last week. He also has reflux so tummy time is difficult. She suggested we use an exercise ball and lay him on that. So if you have one you can try that to help with arm and neck strength. DS also only naps in the swing and DDs did until 4 months too. DS just got moved to his crib after getting too big for the bassinet. He did sleep with me a little but I tried not too. But easy to do when EBF.

[brittone2]

My 2 month old DS had torticollis (tight neck muscles) and we went to see a PT last week. He also has reflux so tummy time is difficult. She suggested we use an exercise ball and lay him on that. So if you have one you can try that to help with arm and neck strength. DS also only naps in the swing and DDs did until 4 months too. DS just got moved to his crib after getting too big for the bassinet. He did sleep with me a little but I tried not too. But easy to do when EBF.

Yep, the ball works great for this. Again you can be behind baby and have it tipped toward you ever so slightly so that baby is kinda facing "uphill" with head/shoulders a little higher than feet. Even better is to have another parent or sibling facing baby on the ball as an "entertainer" while *you* stabilize the baby.

[tiapam]

I agree with Beth, I would not put a 2 mo old in a Bumbo. I am not very familiar with them, but it seems like she has to work on head strength and sitting up at the same time. I have no training in this whatsoever, but the way babies do it naturally makes sense, they gain control from the top down.

There is no substitute for tummy time. A lot of babies hate it, but it gets the job done.

As far as the sleeping, is baby getting out in the morning? They get pretty tired out by even the shortest outing. It might make the difference in getting her to sleep elsewhere.

[maylips]

Just wanted to encourage you a little here and tell you that when my first was born, I was soooo worried about her sleeping habits. I think I posted on here 10-15 times about different aspects all related to sleep. I got so much support, and pretty much the consensus was to do whatever you can do the first few months to get them (and you) to sleep, and things work out. And that was true for me. Your sweet baby was wrapped in a cocoon for 9+ months, so it will take some time to get adjusted to sleeping alone in a cold crib without movement. You're doing great!
:hug:

[WitMom]

I'm the mom of a swing-napper, too! DD is 3 y.o. now, but as a baby would not nap anywhere other than her swing. I read all the sleep books for a solution, and they all talked about how bad "motion sleep" was but never had a solution that worked for us. I was soooo worried about it, but eventually, for my own sanity, I just accepted it. DD napped in that swing forever. She was well past 1 year old (she was a runt, so size wise she still fit in the swing) when she finally started napping in her crib or PNP. She transitioned without problem.... She just pointed to her PNP one day at naptime, I put her in it, and that was that. She napped beautifully in her swing and once she was ready, she napped beautifully in her crib. All this to say....I wouldn't worry about it a bit if I were you.

[Indianamom2]

There have been several discussions about this on the sleep board and the consensus is pretty universal that babies start taking reliable naps in their cribs closer to 5-6 months. Before then, just do what works. You aren't setting up bad habits so don't worry. My ds1 napped in his bouncy seat or my arms till 4-5 months then did great in his crib.

I let ds2 sleep on his belly, especially during nap time when I was up and could keep an eye on him. Belly sleep didn't really worry me though b/c he was full term, breastfed, non-smoking family, his crib was devoid of any suffocation risks and no bumpers...so I felt ok doing it and ds2 slept well.
No Bumbo- not good for their body to be in that position because they don't have the core, trunk and neck strength to support that weight. I have yet to figure out why they make those because they don't seem great from a developmental perspective. They do everything in the right order naturally so work with that. We do tummy time because people aren't putting their babies on their bellies any more. Normally babies would have a chance to be on their back and belly any time.

I wouldn't really stress much about tummy time. Just vary up positioning, limit time in the carseat and it should be fine.

Beth

:yeahthat: I 100% agree.

[pinkflamingo]

thank you so much! I am so appreciative of all of your words of wisdom and helpful kind advice!! THANK YOU! :applause: :love5: