WWYD re: sleep

my DD, Savannah, is 4 months old. prior to this weekend, she hadnt slept through the night yet.

She is on elecare formula (just starting solids), and at first was getting up to eat often... every 3-4 hrs... then she would get up but not be hungry and fall right back asleep once we picked her up... so it seems she is waking from habit, and at like 5am we would put her in the swing and she would sleep until 8:30 or so.

This weeked we went upstate and brought the swing since she loves it... we let her sleep in it for two nights, swinging slightly, and wouldnt you know.. she slept through, without a peep, from about 8:30 until 9 or so.

DH and I are desperate for sleep, but I dont want to start a bad habbit..

WWYD?? TIA

Re: WWYD re: sleep

my dd is 6 wks old, we found she sleeps better in swing.. not through night yet, but much better than co-sleeper. We dont let it swing the entire time, once shes asleep we turn off. I figure adventually she will go to her crib and all will be good, just right now this is what she prefers.

My oldest dd always took naps in swing and also would fall asleep in swing before being transfered for night.. and when it was time to dump the swing.. all was okay.. she went straight into crib with no problems. This was at 11months old.

I say happy mommy and daddy makes happy baby.. and if her sleeping through night in swing is what helps keep you and dh happy b/c you get sleep.. then i say do it! Work out the kinks later on.

Re: WWYD re: sleep

I don't know if this is the 'right' answer, but I would use the swing----my DS was a bad sleeper, he was colicky, got used to being woken up every 3 hours on the dot in the nicu, wasn't able to fall asleep on his own at all & wouldn't sleep without being swaddled---that said, I used the swing if we needed it.
Do you rock her to sleep now? If you let her fuss/whine for a minute or 2 does she go back to sleep?

Re: WWYD re: sleep

My DD is on neocate and we have had quite an adventure-she is exactly 4 months..
she still naps in swing everyday..never once slept in her crib! We stopped swaddling her awhile ago because she rolls over...
well, we bought an amby bed..
It is a bed on a hammock that rocks and i swear, it saved my life with the sleep dept! Sleeps 10-12 hour stretches and she prefers her side..
She is doing alot better with better sleep too- look up the Amby Bed..it isnt cheap but i told my DH, what the heck, i am so tired etc...now i complain about starting my day between 530-615 everyday but i am getting a decent nights sleep, lol..its funny how we forget!

Re: WWYD re: sleep

My DD is 4 months also and is on neocate and has severe reflux...she is a decent sleeper, but I found that she liked to sleep on her belly. She sleeps 8:30 - 4:30 ish in the crib, has a bottle, and goes right back down until 9:30ish. The pediatrician told me that the AAP is now saying that if you have airflow in the crib (so no bumpers, and a fan to increase airflow in the room) the risk of SIDS is as low as for a back sleeper. Neither of my DDs were huge fans of the swing for more than a half hour, but I would try to get her used to the crib if I were you, since that is (I assume) where you want her to sleep in the future.

Re: WWYD re: sleep

Re: WWYD re: sleep

I would stick to the crib because honestly, it will just be another thing for you to break down the road - and I've seen parents on here who've had their children sleep in swings and have MAJOR sleep problems.

I think for naps sleeping in the swing is great. But, overnight she should learn that the crib is where she sleeps. If she gets up and isn't full on crying I wouldn't go in to get her - she may just put herself back to sleep.

I know it's hard when you need sleep but there is a light at the end of the tunnel

ETA: She's not a newborn anymore -- if she were younger I don't think it would be a big deal as long as she was getting sleep - but at her age they start to learn to form habits IMO!

Message edited 4/1/2009 10:20:21 AM.

Re: WWYD re: sleep

Re: WWYD re: sleep

My babies are 3 months... DD sleeps in the crib, but DS won't, he is sleeping in the swing. We are trying to break him of the habit, I hate him sleeping in there, but when he cries he wakes up DD and then I have two crying babies... I don't know what to do either!

Message edited 4/1/2009 11:41:43 AM.

Re: WWYD re: sleep

i have a similar sleeping problem.. DS (10 weeks) LOVES to sleep on our chest.. he sleeps so soundly when on someone - which i knew he liked being on his stomach.. he would wake up screaming after 20-30 min if on his back in the crib..

so last night i went out and got the angel care monitor that monitors the movement in the crib and will alarm if breathing stops... after 20 seconds, a LOUD alarm sounds...

he slept better - not through the night, but not on us..


that can be something to look into if you want to put your DC on their tummy..

Re: WWYD re: sleep

My DD doesn't have reflux issues, but we're having the same type of problem introducing the crib. She slept SO well in the bassinet, and she's waking up 3-4 times a night now. And as you said, sometimes she doesn't even want to nurse, she just wants to be snuggled.

We are sticking with the crib routine because, as one of the PP said, it's just another bad habit to break later if we go backwards. I feel personally it's better to "break them in" when they're young and not as set in their ways.

Re: WWYD re: sleep

Also, as far as SID's goes, once they roll over do not worry. I work in the medical field and actually call on pediatricians and most all of them agree, once the baby rolls, there is nothing you can do..if they are strong enough to roll over, you are good to go..plus, IMO, i wish i had never let her get used to so many other things instead of the crib..she was a tough tough newborn and we dealt with 10 hours of screaming straight so we were desperate but now, it is tough..i am getting her to do naps in the crib if at all possible but it is tough...

Re: WWYD re: sleep

Posted by melijane

Posted by Lauren82

My DD is 4 months also and is on neocate and has severe reflux...she is a decent sleeper, but I found that she liked to sleep on her belly. She sleeps 8:30 - 4:30 ish in the crib, has a bottle, and goes right back down until 9:30ish. The pediatrician told me that the AAP is now saying that if you have airflow in the crib (so no bumpers, and a fan to increase airflow in the room) the risk of SIDS is as low as for a back sleeper. Neither of my DDs were huge fans of the swing for more than a half hour, but I would try to get her used to the crib if I were you, since that is (I assume) where you want her to sleep in the future.

Can you post a link to that info? I am not finding it. Thanks

Re: WWYD re: sleep

Posted by Lauren82

Posted by melijane

Posted by Lauren82

My DD is 4 months also and is on neocate and has severe reflux...she is a decent sleeper, but I found that she liked to sleep on her belly. She sleeps 8:30 - 4:30 ish in the crib, has a bottle, and goes right back down until 9:30ish. The pediatrician told me that the AAP is now saying that if you have airflow in the crib (so no bumpers, and a fan to increase airflow in the room) the risk of SIDS is as low as for a back sleeper. Neither of my DDs were huge fans of the swing for more than a half hour, but I would try to get her used to the crib if I were you, since that is (I assume) where you want her to sleep in the future.

Can you post a link to that info? I am not finding it. Thanks

My pediatrician told me this...I trust him, so I never looked into it any further...I'll ask him next time I am there where I can get more information on this. He said it came from the AAP, which is where he seems to get all of his recommendations.

Re: WWYD re: sleep

Posted by melijane

Posted by Lauren82

Posted by melijane

Posted by Lauren82

My DD is 4 months also and is on neocate and has severe reflux...she is a decent sleeper, but I found that she liked to sleep on her belly. She sleeps 8:30 - 4:30 ish in the crib, has a bottle, and goes right back down until 9:30ish. The pediatrician told me that the AAP is now saying that if you have airflow in the crib (so no bumpers, and a fan to increase airflow in the room) the risk of SIDS is as low as for a back sleeper. Neither of my DDs were huge fans of the swing for more than a half hour, but I would try to get her used to the crib if I were you, since that is (I assume) where you want her to sleep in the future.

Can you post a link to that info? I am not finding it. Thanks

My pediatrician told me this...I trust him, so I never looked into it any further...I'll ask him next time I am there where I can get more information on this. He said it came from the AAP, which is where he seems to get all of his recommendations.

Mine too but he gave me WAY different info. I thought maybe he was just not up to date...Thanks!

Message edited 4/1/2009 4:57:26 PM.

Re: WWYD re: sleep

i would use the swing, but i would also keep trying the crib to get her used to it,maybe for naps. Once she sleeps a couple nights in the swing and gets used to sleeping through, try the crib again