Is there any reason it would be bad if DC slept in swing MOST nights??

Its the Papasan so she is reclined....but I can only get her to sleep there, in my arms or on her belly(in which case we stay up and watch her).
Just wanted to know if anyone has been told that this is not a good idea?

Re: Is there any reason it would be bad if DC slept in swing MOST nights??

my ped said not to let her stay there for more than 20 minutes. I do not know why - probably should have asked

1 other reason - you could build up a very bad habit that will be harder to break when they are bigger.

Re: Is there any reason it would be bad if DC slept in swing MOST nights??

Posted by Mrs

my ped said not to let her stay there for more than 20 minutes. I do not know why - probably should have asked

1 other reason - you could build up a very bad habit that will be harder to break when they are bigger.

Re: Is there any reason it would be bad if DC slept in swing MOST nights??

How old is dc? DD slept in bouncy seat for 2 months, then the car seat for 2 months and is NOW in the crib. I say whatever works! JMO though..

Re: Is there any reason it would be bad if DC slept in swing MOST nights??

How old is she? For the 1st 4-6 months, I say do whatever works for you guys. Babies tend to like the swing because it's inclined, snug and there is movement which they were used to sleeping to while you carried them.

Re: Is there any reason it would be bad if DC slept in swing MOST nights??

My DD never slept in the swing at night but for her naps she did. She would sleep in her swing for 3-4 hours at a time.

I say, and so do a lot of the girls on here say, that its whatever works for DC.

I thought I was getting my DD in a bad habit by rocking her to sleep every night and by putting her in the swing for naps. DD is now 14 months old and goes to sleep on her own in the crib for naps and bedtime. Naps are harder but bedtime - she falls right asleep.

Re: Is there any reason it would be bad if DC slept in swing MOST nights??

Posted by JustBrowsin

Posted by Mrs

my ped said not to let her stay there for more than 20 minutes. I do not know why - probably should have asked

1 other reason - you could build up a very bad habit that will be harder to break when they are bigger.

Uggh I know about the 2nd reason. I wish she would sleep somewhere else. I try to put her down on her back in her crib or PNP every night 2-3 or more times, but she wakes up right away every time so eventually I just put her in the swing or her seat. Any suggestions??

Re: Is there any reason it would be bad if DC slept in swing MOST nights??

Re: Is there any reason it would be bad if DC slept in swing MOST nights??

*Raising Hand*

Before I go any further...I just want to answer the question and tell you why in OUR situation and I have to say upfront that this does not apply to every situation...just ours and I share it only so that it might provide another viewpoint....

My son slept in the swing for a good portion of time and no one ever said not to let him. But....at 4 weeks I noticed he was favoring one side (turning his head) - long story short he was diagnosed with muscular torticollis and we had to stop the swing immediately because it was contributing and making the situation worse. We never used a bouncy seat and only had him in the car seat for travel but if we had used those things more frequently we would have had to stop that too. The problem was that his head was not getting the support it needed and he was at a greater risk of having a severe flat head.

So that was our situation and why we should not have used the swing...why we had to stop using the swing and never went back to it...this from a kid that spend a lot of time in it. He was able to adjust.

Getting back to your situation...
I do believe that when they are young and it is all so new that there are a lot of things we do to get through it all and I personally think it's fine so long as the baby is okay. So many parents use the swing without any problem so I am really truly honestly NOT against it. My advice...

Make sure the neck has the best support. I can recommend the one we use which was recommended by our physical therapist.

Make sure that the baby spend a lot of time not on the back...so those naps on you are helpful and try to get in that tummy time. You want to make sure the head doesn't get flat.

Message edited 3/26/2008 8:49:47 AM.

Re: Is there any reason it would be bad if DC slept in swing MOST nights??

How old is your DC? I agree with Ang - if you could avoid it - I would. When they are in a crib or bassinet you can rotate their heads so that they are not favoring one side. I noticed when my son was in the swing he always favored one side and even when I turned him - he would turn back.

We had a flat head issue earlier on but corrected it right away.

Re: Is there any reason it would be bad if DC slept in swing MOST nights??

Re: Is there any reason it would be bad if DC slept in swing MOST nights??

I agree with Ang, don't let your baby sit in the swing for too long to avoid plagiocephaly.

Re: Is there any reason it would be bad if DC slept in swing MOST nights??

Message edited 3/26/2008 9:07:18 AM.

Re: Is there any reason it would be bad if DC slept in swing MOST nights??

I didn't use a swing with DD, DS LOVED his swing and would only sleep in it. He had the same problem with his neck as Ang's son. To this day he also has a slanted head, although you can't tell with his hair.

Re: Is there any reason it would be bad if DC slept in swing MOST nights??

Re: Is there any reason it would be bad if DC slept in swing MOST nights??

Our DC HATED the crib and would only sleep in the PNP for cat naps - 20 mins max. But DC would sleep in the car seat for 10 hours a night. We tried the drib incessantly to no avail and then one night, we swaddled DC and put her in the crib. She slept the whole night through. No explanation whatsoever as to why it worked but it has worked ever since. The first night she was 16 weeks. I would keep trying and def try swaddling, it made so much difference.

Re: Is there any reason it would be bad if DC slept in swing MOST nights??

I wouldn't do it.

Besides the flat head issue, torticollis, etc., I think it's not natural.

I believe that those flailing arm movements are precursors to crawling.

I believe babies are smart little ones who get used to the idea of being rocked & then want it ALL OF THE TIME.

I believe that it will create bad habits & is one more transition for you to deal with. It was bad enough trying to get my kids to CIO & sleep in their own crib. If I let them sleep in a swing, I'd be buying everyone a hammock for their room.

Message edited 3/26/2008 11:45:15 AM.

Re: Is there any reason it would be bad if DC slept in swing MOST nights??

This post is interesting to me because my DH and I went to a baby care class and the nurse was saying that the baby should not be in a car seat more than 2 hours because of something with the spine. My DH lives by this rule and is very anal with it. I said "people on LIF let their kids sleep in the car seat. what is the big deal?" This post is making me realize the "big deal"!

Re: Is there any reason it would be bad if DC slept in swing MOST nights??

a friend of mine, her daughter had this problem from sleeping with her neck. She actually had to go to physical therapy to be able to get her head to straighten out and get the musles all corrected. It was painful for her. I felt so bad for her.

Message edited 3/26/2008 1:44:51 PM.