Suggestions for Bedtime Routines/Transitioning to a Crib?

Question

I'm a first time mom to a 4 month old. She's getting too big for the bassinet that she is in (in our bedroom). Any suggestions on how to transition baby to the crib in her room? Is waiting until 5 months a better idea? I've read that the earlier the better, but during the first three months, she would cry the moment she was in a crib. She did become accustomed finally to the bassinet, but I think that's only because it is in our room. I am not really a big fan of co sleeping, though I did it at first when she was a newborn to make feeding easier (she's breastfed). Also, any practical bedtime routines for her age group? She is too young for story reading to lull her to drowsiness, a bath every day is overkill. Basically our routine is change diaper/change into onesie, sleeper/nurse --> gets her drowsy and sometimes asleep. Thank you.

Answer 1

Our routine for our 4 month old twins is:

They are given a bath every night (the warm water relaxes them), fed, we dim the lights and it is quiet. Then they are put in their seperate cribs (lights are off in the bedroom) we will turn the mobiles on if they are having trouble, we also give pacifers (this is a personal choice)...my son can be very fussy so sometimes he requires me to rock him to sleep in our glider for about 30 mins.
I will tell you that when the twins were transitioned into their cribs we did have to do CIO a couple times (cry it out) we never let them cry for more then 10 mins. If one was crying after 10 mins we would go in, give the paci, turn the mobile on..we tried to limit the amount of "picking up" during bedtime. Babies will get acustomed to being picked up at every peep, it becomes habit for them, so maybe try to limit it (I am not saying to ignore your child, a baby should always be loved and cuddled as much as possible)

It is also recommend that you do start to read your child, especially at this age (every book I have read on pregnancy and infants as well as my doctor and health nurses have said this) It helps to develop their language skills.

Good luck

Answer 2

4 months is a good age to move her to her crib. You might want to consider a more definate bedtime routine. I would give her a bath every night (you don't have to use soap or wash her hair each time if you worry about her skin, the water itself is the soothing part.) I would not use a bottle or breastfeeding as part of the bedtime routine, you don't want her to become dependent on it to get to sleep. You can read a simple story to her like "Good Night Moon" each night. If you do the same things each night at the same time, it will make her life very easy and predictible, which is what babies need.

After you do your routine (whatever works for you, really) put her into her crib and sit right beside her until she falls alseep. You might pat her back once in awhile or soothe her by saying, "Mommy's here" but don't do too much. Do that for 3 nights. After that, spend 3 nights halfway across the room, where she can see and hear you. After those 3 nights, spend 3 nights right outside her door where she can hear you, but not necessarily see you. After those 3 nights, you might be able to put her down and then just come back and check on her every 5 or 10 minutes.

This is called the Sleep Shuffle and it comes from a book called "Good Night Sleep Tight" by Kim West. The book covers infants to school age children, and what I have told you is the routine I followed with my 2 year old, so the routine for a 4 month old might be slightly different. Doing this will not only ease the transition to the crib, but it will help her learn to go to sleep on her own, and possibly help her sleep through the night. Good luck!

Answer 3

Put the crib in your room. She is not too young for story time. Read to her softly at night, in comfy surroundings. It will instill a love of books in her, and provide the basis for a routine. Incorporate a bath, and a lotion-massage. Have her nurse, but don't let her fall asleep that way every time, or that will be her routine. You don't have to use soap everyday in the bath. The warm water is soothing though, and will help.
Lastly try singing, or dancing slowly. Worked with my daughter, who was a fabulous sleeper once we established this routine and stuck with it.
Good Luck, sounds like you're off to a great start!

Oh, and if she doesn't like the vastness of the crib (which was a problem with my girl), put the bassinet in the crib, and have her get used to the space that way. When she's too big, she'll have gotten used to the space.

Answer 4

I had the same problem as you. Our son was in a bassinette in our room until he was around 3.5 mths old. He was coming close to the weight restriction so we bought him a crib and put it in his room. He hated it. So we brought the crib in our room. Still no luck. So I let him sleep in the bed with me (hubby on the sofa :( ), for about a month. Then at a little over 4 mths we started getting him to nap in his crib in our room, he would only do it for 45 min each time but I thought that was better than nothing! He slowly started getting used to the crib during the day, and would sleep longer, for 1-2 hrs per nap. We then started putting him in his crib at night. He took to it this time I think because it was in our room, and he was used to it from the naps. Three days ago we put the crib in his room. He just turned 6 mths old. He is sleeping just as fine in there. We were worried that he wouldn't sleep well but I actually think he is sleeping better because we are not disturbing him with our sleeping patterns. We also used to change him in his room so he was familiar with the surroundings.

As for the routine, we do a bath every night because he really loves it! If you feel a bath every night is a bit much concerning his skin and hair, don't use soap every night, just water. I only wash our son's hair every four days or so. He has never had any problems. I used to read to him everynight, but that seems to get him more wound up as of late! So, he has his bath, bottle, turn on mobile in crib, fan for drowning out other noise (we live in an apartment), his room is very dark, he has a pacifier and a receiving blanket he takes to bed too. You could also do a massage. We do that sometimes with him if he is particularly cranky and he loves it. I just rub his legs and arms and belly, you don't have to be a professional, they don't know the difference, they just love the physical contact.

I found the sleeping issues we have had have gotten easier over time. He was a VERY difficult baby for the first couple months. We tried everything for naps and bedtime and sometimes it just didn't work out right. The best tip I can give you is consistency. Babies love to be able to predict what comes next. Since we have been on a routine with him, doing the EXACT same thing every night he has responded really well. He used to cry before bed, we would stay with him in the room until he fell asleep, reinsertining the pacifier, rubbing his back, winding the mobile, but now he knows it is bedtime at night and will go to sleep usually without crying in about 5-10 min. Just be consistent. She will get the idea and will eventually be able to sleep peacefully in her crib, in her own room.

If you can do it now, that would be good for her, don't let her cry it out though, try and comfort her while she is in her crib if possible. Good luck to you and remember it will get easier in the next couple months (babies sleep becomes more like adults, our son now sleeps 11 hrs a night, when he used to only sleep around 7 at 4 mths).

I thought I would add that you can let her cry a bit and then comfort her if you would prefer to leave the room instead of staying. Some people are against this, some all for it. I was personally dead set against it, until I saw how not sleeping enough was affecting him. We only did it a couple times and not more than 5-10 min. This was only if he was sooo wound up that we couldn't calm him no matter what we did.

Some good books to try are:
The baby whisperer-Tracy Hogg
Healthy sleep habits, happy child-Mark Weissbluth
Sleeping through the night-Jodi Mindell
What to expect the first year-Heidi Murkoff, Arlene Eisenberg, Sandee Hathaway

I got all these and just mixed and matched the advice and ideas I agreed with.

Answer 5

Be constant and loving. It is the best way achieve any transition. None of us likes change but change is inevitable in life. Perhaps you can put a chair or a small couch in the room with the crib so you and take a nap near by. That might encourage the infant to sleep knowing you are there setting the example for the first little while.

Answer 6

The earlier that you start putting her in the crib, the better. Try putting her in there for her naps throughout the day. If the crib is in a room other than yours, put her in the crib at least once a day and sing songs to her and play with her to get her comfortable with the room and the crib. You must stay consistant. Put her in there at night, leave her binkie and a bottle with water in it in the crib were she can reach it, and walk out the room. She is going to cry but that is okay. There is nothing wrong with a child crying!. As long as she is not making herself sick, let her cry herself to sleep and don't go back into the room until you know that she is sleep. Eventually she will know that you mean business and she will go to sleep without all of the drama. If she starts to make herself sick, go comfort her and give her the bottle but do not pick her up. Rub her tummy, sing softly to her, let her know that she is okay, and when she calms down a little bit, quickly exit the room. Also try putting a cd player in her room and play a lullaby cd at a low volume. That always worked at the daycare center that I worked at. For a routine, try doing an activity with her that would usually tire her out or put her in the stroller and go for a walk. Walks and car rides always worked for me. After that quick bath, warm bottle, SLEEP!!

Answer 7

I think you just need to do it. I never had any problem. I did the same as you, kept her in my room in the bassinet until she got too big. But mine was actually a bit older by then, cuz she's small to begin with. I just put her in it one night when I finally got it all set up. No problems. Your bedtime routine sounds fine. That's all I ever did at that age. Now, at 2 it's a bit different, but you sound like you are doing fine right now.

Answer 8

First try putting her in the crib during the day to get her used to it while you are in there with her. This will help her to get used to her crib. Then slowly transition her in there, for just naps, and then for bed at night. As for a bedtime routine, change her diaper and rub her down with some lotion, and then put on her pajamas, sit in a chair and read a book to her. They say it is never to early to start reading to a child, because they do take the words in. Try it.

Answer 9

I keep my son in bed with me till he was six months. At four months I put him in the crib instead of the bassinet for naps and put him to sleep at night in the bassinet. Then after naps were okay in the crib I started putting him down in the crib at the beginning of the night, till he finally sleep the whole night in the crib.

Answer 10

Just put her in her crib..thats what i did...get a sleep positioner..something to make her feel like shes in the small space(liek the bassinet)

a bath every night also helps(and isnt overkill!)...then do your normal routine...

Give her some cereal it may help her sleep too.

Bathe>diaper>dress(sleeper w/ feet)>Feed/nurse>sleeptime