My 5 week old baby will not sleep in his crib. He prefers to be in his swing. Any suggestions??

Question

We really want him to sleep in his crib now to avoid problems later,,,

Answer 1

The most probable reason that your baby likes the swing is because it's small and he is comfortable with it. Five weeks is still young so you might want to wrap him up in a blanket so he feels he's being hugged and surrounded comfortably. You could put the car seat in the crib but when he grows out of it you'll have a harder time having him sleep without it. Wrapping is probably the best way to get your baby used to being in the crib. Remember that to a baby a crib is soo big. he can't tell how big it is so he's not comfortable being in it. If he's wrapped or if you want to try and put rolled beach towels around him for a few weeks or till he's about three months than you can do that two. Roll the beach towels width way and sort of make a little circle around the baby so he can feel the towels around him. As long as he's not rolling over and the towels aren't too close to his face than it's fine. Good luck! Bye!

Answer 2

Edit: You're right. I'll retract that statement. :) He lived as a part of you for 9 months, and is not even a month old yet. He actually does need to be with you. You know he's fed, changed, and tired and safe in his crib, but he thinks (thanks to generations of genetic survival instincts) that if he's not with you he will starve, freeze, or be eaten by wolves; he has no idea that you're at the other end of the room rather than miles away, and that he's still with you instead of alone for the next three days. It's all the same to him. "Self soothing" is a milestone just like walking. It's not something that you can force, and stupidly unrealistic to expect of an infant. Hold your baby or put him in a sling or wrap so he can nap on you. If you absolutely can't do that, yank his crib mattress out of his crib, lay it on the floor, and lay down next to him and snuggle him while he falls asleep. You can get up after he's asleep. But, to actually answer "when to babies begin to self soothe", that depends on how neglectful his parents have been. A 3 or 4 month old baby who has always been left to cry because Mom can't be bothered to parent him and thinks he'll become dependent and manipulative if she helps will most likely "self sooth" very well, since he knows that sleepy-times are "mommy is gone until she decides to come back, so I had better deal with it and make the most of being abandoned." Babies who have been parented to sleep will start "self soothing" a bit later when it's actually age appropriate and they realize that Mom is always with them and will always take care of them even when she's in another room.

Answer 3

My son was 3 months old when I put him in his crib for the first night.Some people agree some don't,my son my choice.He to liked the swing ALOT!!I started out putting him in the crib after his bath and let him play and look at the mobile or aquarium.I would change his clothes and even the odd diaper in there so he got used to it.If you also get a nice thick soft fluffy gushy blanket and put it under his sheet it will fell a whole lot nicer for him as just the hard mattress.At 5 weeks swaddling may still be an option,not for mine it wasnt, he hated it.I would and still do sometimes let my son fall asleep in the swing then put him in his crib when I go to bed.Good luck,hope i helped.

Answer 4

Don't even think twice about him sleeping in his swing for now.

My daughter went through a phase where she would only sleep in her swing too. She is now 12 months old and sleeps perfectly fine in her crib. And I'll tell you, those days of her sleeping in a swing seem like a LONG time ago!

Tune into him. Everything is new to him still - he's used to sleeping when he was inside you and you were moving around, that's why he likes the swing. If it's not affecting your sleep (and probably getting you more sleep) don't worry about setting any bad habits right now.

Answer 5

Why do you assume that he will not outgrow this in his own time? Why assume it will become a problem later? Why not do what works now and worry about it when and if it actually becomes a problem.

It is possible that he has minor reflux, it is relatively common in young infants he may get heartburn if he lays flat on his back. Let him sleep in his swing. Most likely he will outgrow this phase all on his own. If you think the swing is unsafe or bad for his back consider getting this: http://www.ambybaby.com/ It is safe for babies up to 40 lbs. I know it is expensive, but it may be the best thing you buy for YOUR baby.

Teaching your baby that sleep is an enjoyable state to enter is one of the best gifts you can give your child that will last a lifetime.

More about the Amby Bed from Dr Sears:
http://www.askdrsears.com/amby.asp

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/7/T070100.asp

Answer 6

Make sure there are not other issues first. Does he spit up often? If he has acid reflux, he might feel more comfortable sleeping sitting up. Other than that, he may just like the motion. Unfortunately, sleep during motion doesn't lead to deep sleep, and is not very restful. Watch for the early signs that he is tired, such as looking away from an object that he has been playing with, or that first yawn. The moment you see it, move him to his crib.
Though doctors don't usually recommend this, you might try giving him naps on his tummy, if you are comfortable doing so. Or else you might try the wedge. Most babies don't like sleeping on their backs. I know I don't!

Answer 7

I highly applaud your way of thinking and my first three babies slept in their cribs from the night they got home from the hospital. HOWEVER they were all extremely good babies. Now my fourth was another story and what we ended up doing was making him take at least one NAP in his crib per day, even if he cried a while, to keep him used to it. But in the middle of the night you want to do whatever you can to get yourself some sleep. So we would put him to bed in his crib, and he would be fine, but when he woke up to eat, we would just let him sleep in the bouncy seat or crib from that point on so that we could go back to bed without any crying babies. You have to find a balance between not making yourself miserable in the middle of the night, and beginning to introduce him to his crib .

Answer 8

Get rid of the swing! Keep him up until he can't hold his eyes open anymore and place him in his crib. After doing this time and time again - he'll accept the crib without issues.
Remember, you're the 'parent' not him. Don't give into him or you will develop more problems than you ever thought possible.

Answer 9

How about having him sleep in his carseat, in his crib. That way he is still being snuggled up, but still in his crib environment. He will know that he won't be rocked asleep and has to soothe himself - just in his crib.

Later on he'll probably want to get out of his carseat - he'll be more comfortable in his crib.

You could always insist on cribs for naps but give in during the night time when you need to be sure to get sleep too.

Good luck! SD

Answer 10

confine him in the crib. use blankets starting under his arms and push them up against his sides so he feels like he is being held! That is why he wants to sleep in the swing. Think about it, he spent 9-10 months all shut up in the womb, its comforting to him.