I am having trouble gettting my 3 month old to stay asleep in her crib. Any suggestions?

Question

I give her a warm bottle, burp her well, rock her to sleep, and when I go to lay her down she wakes right up. Even when I stick the pacifier in her mouth. The only sleep I usually get is if she sleeps with me on the couch usually about 4 hours, I am lucky if I get 2 when I lay her in her crib. I go back to work Friday, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

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Answer 2

Sometimes babies are the best at playing possum. You need to make sure she is sound asleep before moving her. The only absolute proof is when the pacifier pops out and her mouth is hanging wide open. When you get up to move her, make sure the pacifier is back in her mouth because she'll startle a bit and start to suck on it. Just walk with her until she settles down and stops sucking. Lullabies work wonders, too. When you lay her down, stay for a minute or two and rub her back. Sometimes swaddling will help...wrap her snug in a light blanket while rocking her and when you lay her down be sure she is covered. As she gets older, she'll kick the covers off, but right now she needs the added warmth. That's why she sleeps so well when you're holding her. She can't regulate her temperature very well yet, and when she goes from your warm arms to a cold bed, a lot of heat is lost, which wakes her up. I hope this helps.
Sweet dreams and Blessings...

Answer 3

Try some (very little, just to thicken it) rice cereal in her bottle. This way she will stay full longer. Try a warm hot water bottle in a pillow case to simulate your warmth. I also had a bear that had a heart beat sound for my kids. You may have to just let her learn to pacify herself. We all wake and move around when we sleep, leave her in the crib for a while to see if she cries or just plays for a few minutes, she may go back to sleep. Resist the urge to go get her as soon as you hear her awake. Also break the sleeping on you habit! It's very hard on both of you to break! Once in a while is OK but NOT all the time! Good Luck = )

Answer 4

This is going to sound mean....but our son never had issues with sleeping alone. At first he would fuss. It was so sad my husband would never let it happen. He would get him and hold him and it ended up that our son slept in his carseat in the cradle for the first 3 months. Well that was getting to be old. Finally I put my foot down, put him in his crib after he fell asleep and he woke up and cried. I let it go and you know what after about 10 minutes of crying he had tired himself out and slept all night in that crib? We never had another problem until he learned to get out of that crib at a little over a year. But honey that day is far off for you....just be strong. It might take a few nights but your little one will get used to it soon enough. Good luck to you!

Answer 5

do not pad her crib! that increases the risk of SIDS. my son was a little pest like this. singing amazing grace worked on him and rubbing his back when was able to sleep on his tummy. since she is not old enough to sleep on her tummy just put her paci in, start singing, turn the lights down low, and rub her head ever so gently. she may wake up as soon as you walk off so you probably will have to go back a few times to make it stick lol. it may also help if she has eating and had a warm bath not long before you start to put her to bed. start this process of getting her to sleep in her crib early in the night. you probably will have to do this for at least a week to get her used to it.

good luck!!

Answer 6

I had such issues with this that my third child slept in her crib, starting the first night home from the hospital. She never had sleep issues or crying, but I did have those issues with my older 2 kids. Sit beside her and let her fuss. If you'ld like, talk on the phone or sing to her so she knows you are close. I'd sometimes rub my child's back to help relax them. But alot of times it just comes down to letting them cry it out, learn to self-comfort, and fall asleep on their own. Falling asleep on the breast/bottle or her only sleeping on/with you only hurts you both. Eventually she needs to learn to go to sleep by herself. Better to get the yelling over with when she's too small to crawl over the crib bars.

Answer 7

Usually, when a baby is 3 month's old they wont stay asleep for very long. The joy's of early parenting. Give it time and sooner or later she will adapt to everything and she will sleep soundly through the night. My two year old still wakes up during the night. I just reasure her that she is alright and she usually goes back to sleep. Just make sure you show her that she is alright by talking to her. That usually works with most babies.

Answer 8

Nathan's mom had some good ideas and remember that if something does not work then try it again later...you could try a lullaby cd in the room on low volume and play it while you rock then leave it to finish after you put her down...it is hard but try to comfort her without picking her up...it may take a while to change the routine...I had to do the comfort without picking up after my baby was sick for a week and it took 4 nights of patience and perseverance to help her get back in the routine
good luck

Answer 9

Well, first, you have to love the fact she loves her mommy! But, second, I know how sleep deprived moms really crave sleep.
I've never been one to let my child cry himself to sleep, but if you keep "saving" her from her crib, she will never learn to sleep in it! I think... you should feed her, change her, make sure the room temperture is warm enough for her, and giver her a pacifier, then turn on a lulliby and close the door.

I set a time limit, like 3 minutes or 5 minutes, and don't let her cry longer then that.. but see if she can't just cry herself back to sleep.. I know it's sad :( but she has to learn that she'll be ok without mommy. Sometimes I lay beside the crib and sing until we both fall asleep lol
Good luck!

Answer 10

I had the same problem with my first born. She was so used to sleeping with me, that when I wanted her to sleep by herself, she would cry and cry. What I did was right before bed I would find a quiet spot and try to make her calm, being calm makes it easier for them to sleep. Then after about 10-15 minutes, I would swaddle her in a blanket that she was comfortable in, and sing to her, then put her in her crib. She would cry for a little bit at first, then she would fall asleep. It might take a little time for your baby to get used to the crib, but it is better for babies to learn how to put themselves to sleep.

Answer 11

Getting a baby that young to sleep by herself in her crib is difficult. (It's recommended for a newborn to sleep in a bassinet in your room until 5 or 6 months)

How long after she falls asleep do you wait to put her in there? Wait at least 15 minutes before you try and put her down, to make sure she's fallen into a deeper sleep. If she's in a deeper sleep, it'll be harder for her to wake up, and she'll more than likely stay asleep like that until she needs to be fed again.

Swaddle her very tightly when you rock her to sleep. She'll be warm and comfortable. And when you place her in her crib, keep her swaddled. It'll make the trasition from arms to crib SUPER easy. :o)

Keep in mind she won't be able to fall asleep in her crib by herself until she's about 6 months.

If neither of those suggestions work, try letting her fall asleep in her baby swing, or her bouncy chair. (the vibrations work very well for helping her to sleep longer) She can be rocked to sleep that way, and you won't have to move her. (meaning more sleep for you!) She can stay in there all night, if necessary.

Hopefully, one of those options will work for you. :o) Good luck, and remember, we ALL have a hard time with our babies when it comes to sleep.... hang in there!

(Also, about the softer mattress as posted above, babies are supposed to sleep on a firm mattress, without any loose blankets. Otherwise, it'll increase her chances of SIDS, as a soft mattress or loose blankets could hinder her breathing)