My son is 5 weeks old and he will not sleep in his crib! PLEASE HELP!?

Question

He will sleep fine on the coutch or in his chair but than as soon as you put him in his crib he screems. I have tryed putting him in his crib when I see that he is getting tired so he can learn how to put him self to sleep but it does not work. For the past two weeks I have let him cry and sometimes he wont give in for hours and just cry all day. This goes on days and nights , I have also tryed music and the heart beat bear. The longest he has gone with no nap because of this is 8 hours! I really need some help I am going crazy!!!!!!!!!

I have tryed swaddling him, put blankets on either side of him to make him feel comefyand he is not in a big crib just a pack and play.

Answer 1

Do *not* put him to sleep on a couch or chair. They are dangerous. He could fall, or he could suffocate. Babies are *only* safe on an actual *bed*!!

It is *normal* for a baby to need help going to sleep. Do you expect him to go into the kitchen and prepare his own meals? Of course not. He is equally unable to go to sleep by himself. A baby is *totally* dependent on the people around him!!

When your son is tired, *HOLD HIM*!! Nurse him, sing to him, rock him, etc. until he is fully asleep...then for 5-10 minutes more. He *may* then let you put him down--but many babies don't. Totally dependent, remember?

At night, put him down on your bed (safely--see sources section below), lie down next to him, and nurse him to sleep. It's quick, easy, and painless.

Answer 2

I'm not sure I can offer you help, but maybe at least make you feel a little better! I have a 6 month old and she just started sleeping in her crib at 4 1/2 months. I tried and tried and tried when she was younger and all she would do is scream when she would touch the crib. She could be sound asleep, and as soon as I placed her in it, she would wake up screaming!! I found the reason is because she had reflux and it was uncomfortable for her to lay flat. Doesn't sound like this is the problem with yoru son since he will sleep on the couch, but what I learned, is let them sleep where they will sleep and worry about the crib later! You need sleep I'm sure, so if he will sleep in his chair, let him! My daughter slept in her swing the first 4 1/2 months of her life, and now that her reflux is gone, she does just fine in her crib. It wasn't even a challenge getting her there! Anyways, good luck, and don't worry too much about doing everything right! What's right for one baby isn't necessarily what is right for the next!

Answer 3

I know exactly what you are going through- I not only went through this once, but twice. In fact, I had a long standing joke with my spouse that they must have been jailed in previous lives and were not fond of the bar-like rails cribs offer. I don't know what it was I tried absolutely EVERYTHING. i would place them in there to fall asleep in, I would wait till they were sleeping; then place them in- I would put them in and be right by the crib- I would distance myself gradually to see if i could actually leave one night- and never did this happen. I heard my child cry for three and a half hours- wailing as strong in the third hour as he did initially- I knew this wasn't just the typical baby wanting attention thing. I tried the cradle instead- a little better but still NO NO NO- I know how tiring, frusterating this is- my kids have slept in bouncy seats- car seats and with me- until they were old enough to move right into a toddler bed. Of course my hubby worked midnights at the time, so there was room- My kids were older infants when they were sleeping in their toddler beds- of course make sure they have rails! And mom, you will need to sleep while he sleeps so you are more rested. ;)

Answer 4

Try putting him in the chair and then putting the chair in the crib and see what happens. Then you can try to put just him in the crib in a week or two and see what his reaction is. Same with the couch cusion. My mom said the only place I would sleep when I was a baby was on top of the clothes dryer. Try everything and anything. Good luck, I hope you find something that works.

Answer 5

Maybe he associates the crib with being left there to cry. Thats why he does not like it. Believe me they can associate stuff. You should try to make his crib a nice place to be and not a bad place for him. If you leave him there to cry all the time he will start to not like it. This is what I did, when my daughter had a belly ache, I was sleeping with her for a couple of days and I needed to break her of it after she was fine. I just wore her out a little bit, untill she got really tired, when she started to get pretty tired, I tried to lay her down in her crib when she got a little tired, when she fussed I picked her up but did not feed her every time, just made sure she had a bellyfull every couple hours. She would get more tired and doze off some more, (dont let him cry too much though because that just makes them more awake) and when she would start to doze off I would lay her back down. Eventually she slept for 4 whole hours! Also,don't let him sleep anywhere but his crib, and he won't know anywhere else to sleep. You should not let your baby cry it out, it's the worst possible way to get your baby to sleep in the crib. He is too young for that anyways. He just thinks mommy is being mean and does not love me. You just have to teach him it's the only place to sleep, but in a good way.

Answer 6

I understand your dilemma. I have a five-month old daughter, and she actually just started sleeping in her crib last week. I asked my pediatrician about why she didn't want to sleep in her crib. The pediatrician said that most babies don't sleep in cribs when they're this young and that it's normal. They are used to being curled up in the womb, and a crib is just too much space. If your son is only five weeks old, please consider cutting him some slack. He's brand new to the world and needs some extra comfort. I know how difficult it is, but all he wants right now is to feel safe and comfortable. The crying out method that you describe breaks the trust that you are working to build with your son. He needs to know that you are there for him and that he is safe right now. You can't teach him not to cry. He's a baby--he's going to cry. All you will teach him in not responding to him is that he can't rely on you. I would recommend reading Dr. Sears--The Baby Book. Our pediatrician recommended the book, and I think it gives solid advice. My husband and I took turns sleeping with our daughter for about two months. She would also sleep in her swing (harnessed in) and the best solution was her car seat, which we placed in her basinett so there wasn't any risk of it tipping over. Please know that you son's behavior is normal, as is your frustration. It DOES get better. I promise. Just let him safe wherever he is comfortable and safe for right now. At around age three months, you can begin to set up schedules Right now, he's just a baby and needs your love and comfort more than anything else.

Answer 7

The same thing happened to me. My daughter is 10 weeks old now, but at 4 and 5 weeks, she would scream and scream until we took her out of the crib. Here's what I did to remedy it:

I gave her a 6 ounce bottle of formula, sat beside her crib and held it up for her until her eyes started rolling back in her head and in about 5 minutes, she'd pass out. It seems that she would always get cranky and bitchy at night before bed if she couldn't fall asleep with a bottle in her mouth. It's like me I guess...I need to eat before I sleep or I can't sleep.

So then I was worried that I might develop a bad habit for her by allowing her constantly fall asleep with a bottle in her mouth. But after a week or so, it stopped. I started mixing in some rice cereal with her formula to make it thicker and more satisfying, so she wouldn't be hungry as much. And it worked. She sleeps 8 to 10 hours a night now without waking up at all. Before, she'd wake up every 3 or 4 hours because that damned formula is so thin, she'd be hungry all the time.

Doctors say don't give them anything solid until 4 months, but that's crap. When I was a baby, my Mom fed me baby food out of the jar at 2 weeks and I was fine. My Brother did the same thing with his kids. As long as you're not giving them top sirloin or something, they'll be fine. A little rice cereal mixed in with the formula won't hurt and will most likely help a lot.

Answer 8

There is a big difference between laying on a soft, warm comfy couch and then laying in a hard pack n' play, you could try laying a few layers of soft blankets under him so it's not such a hard and cold surface. Also if you take one or a few recieving blankets and fold em' up then put them under the mat to elevate the baby's head slightly that might help too. Baby's like to be warm and snuggly cause it's comforting for them. Then when all else fails - Let him sleep where ever it is that he ends up falling asleep, if its the car seat he likes then leave him there, if its the chair then so be it. . .etc. . .etc . . .He will eventually grow out of it. He is still brand new afterall :)

Answer 9

I had the same problem with my son at first. When we brought him home he would only sleep on my chest or my husband's. Then he would sleep in his car seat, then his bassinet and then he finally slept in his crib. This progression took about 5 to 6 weeks and then he was fine. The first couple of days in the crib were tough but it all worked out. By 10 weeks he was sleeping through the night .
Best of luck to you!

Answer 10

He is not too young to notice a difference in where sleeps, to whoever said that. Ok, now to you, first off he is waaaay too young to just let him cry. He has to learn he can trust you, and this age is critical for that. For now, let him sleep where he wants. The crib is big and scary to him, he's used to small spaces and you being around. Don't worry about where he sleeps right now. Its when he gets a little older that you need to worry. My baby didn't like her crib, and I realized it was too hard for her, so all I did was place her on top of the comforter, and shes fine now. Shes 2 months old. Again, don't worry about it yet, let him sleep where he wants right now.

Answer 11

He is too young to be noticing that he is in his crib (as opposed to laying on the couch). You should take him to the doctor and see if he has colic. I know that sounds crazy because you think it's a "sleeping thing" BUT colic is also be related to other things and maybe his crib is not comfortable enough for him to feel good. My oldest had colic and it was the craziest stuff that would finally work with him. Don't blow it off as sleeping in the crib --- he's an infant -- he doesn't know his crib yet.