My 2 month old daughter will only sleep in my arms?

Question

The minute we put her down she wakes up and starts crying! I know she is still young but what can we do to help her be comfortable sleeping without being in mine or my husbands arms!?

Answer 1

Firstly, you CANNOT SPOIL A BABY by giving her the attention she desires. A baby can only communicate with crying. If your baby cries when you try to put her down just give it some time it wont last forever. As inconvenient as it can be at times she will be little for such a short time. Enjoy her wanting to be close to you, it really wont last long. In a few months she will be crawling until she is worn out.
It is not a good idea to allow her to cry herself to sleep. She will be using much needed energy. It is an onld wives tale to let them cry. I have three children, and they are not spoiled by any means. The children who are a pain are the ones who are always trying to find a way to get mommy to notice them.
You will find a way to get around this and what she needs, just be patient. Try rubbing her back and singing to her.

Answer 2

I went through the same thing with my daughter. The good news is she is only two months, you will have no problem reversing the behavior.

Go out and get "Secrets of The Baby Whisperer" by Tracy Hogg. I know i know, another parenting book. trust me. Some lady at the grocery store overheard me complaining to my fiance about how our duaghter would cry every time we set her down and would only sleep on my chest at night. at that point she was almost 4 months, i hadn't slept barely at all since she had been born so i listened when this lady came up to me and told me to read this book. I was desperate, so i figured what the heck. I'm telling you, the first night was hell, the second went better, and by the third, i was not only able to set her down in her own crib, but she was sleeping through the night by herself and has ever since! She is over 2 now and i probably would never have made it this far if i hadn't read that book. It's pretty standard stuff, nothing crazy and unreasonable and its easily read, no psych dribble.

Basically, the first thing would be to start putting her down while she is almost asleep, but not quite. The second thing is that every time she cries you pick her up, but then the minute she stops crying you set her back down. It is pretty tedious at first, but it pays off becuase after awhile she learns that you will always tend to her crys but that when she stops crying she's got to put herself to sleep anyway. There is a bit more to it, like keeping a log of your progress, and using a pacifier just at night when your trying to get her to sleep,etc. There is a lot more advice in this book than just getting your baby to sleep on her own. Also, each section addresses specific concerns, so you can read just the part you need to battle thisspecific problem and then go back later and read the rest. It is so wonderful i made sure i bought the toddler edition too (for 4 months and up, so you might want to get that one too once you see how valuable this tool is).

Also, at 2 months your child is way too young to ferberize or allow to cry herself to sleep. this method should not be used till about 4 or 5 months of age and only after you have familiarized yourself with the method completely, there is a right way to do it and CAN be scarring to the baby if handled improperly.

Answer 3

Enjoy it Enjoy it Enjoy it!!

Mine did this and I thought I was going to go crazy at first. He didn't want to be anywhere but in my arms or on me. I started wearing him in a sling and he just loved it. I miss it already that he doesn't always need and want to be on me anymore. He is only 4 and a half months old now and he does fine on his own. However, at first he didn't want anything else but to be by you. Just think your little is scared and wants to be held tight and snuggled and hear your heartbeat, your warmth, your voice - just like it did for almost the last year that it was inside of you.

Time flies so fast so snuggle that baby up, get a sling if it's in the way of you getting things done and enjoy it.

Don't let your baby cry - she is too young! Remember, she is just scared and wants to be with you like she has for such a long time. She will become more secure and confident the more love you give her now.

Good luck and enjoy!!

Answer 4

Swaddling helped my daughter. That way she still feels like she's being held tightly. Make sure her matress isn't too cold, because that could wake her up.

Sometimes, the only thing that worked for my daughter was to swaddle her tightly and the put her down on her side, and after she was sleeping on her side for a few minutes, roll her slowly onto her back.

Answer 5

When I had my first daughter, she was the exact same way. I thought something was wrong with her or that I was doing something wrong. But after lots of research, I realized that
babies are biologically programmed to sleep best next to a warm body. She's was in your belly for 9 months, warm and safe, listening to your heart beat, and next to you is where she still finds that comfort. Can you blame her? I know it's a hard situation to be in, especially when you're sleep deprived, but you'll find a way to work through it.

You might try a sling (for info, www.thebabywearer.com) to free up yours or your husbands hands. I also recommend the No-cry sleep solution book by Elizabeth Pantley.

this, too, shall pass.

Answer 6

First, make sure she is not hungry. Usually, babies with full tummies will sleep well.
She may just be a person who needs a little bit more closeness. Each child will be different in those needs. When she is ready to sleep without being held- she will. Making her cry until she sleeps does not promote trust- which is what babies are developing at this time.
You can use a front carrier- used properly- they are great!
Swaddle her gently in a soft blanket as you are holding her. When she falls asleep (well)- place her in a reclined swing.
(I purchased very quiet electric one.) She may not like this at first either- then you will have to hold her. In time, she will be ready for the next step. Be patient, this time passes quickly, and you will miss this. Before you know it, this little one will want the keys to your car!

Answer 7

I know this is going to sound crazy but can say it dose work. If you take a shirt that has your sent on it and put it in your daughter's bed like a bed sheet that should help her because if she like to be with you in your arms it's because she feels safe and she knows your sent

And if you have a heat pad warm that up for about a minute and put it down on where you lay her down or even on the shirt because it will make it warm for her and it's not cold so it wont startle her when you do lay her down.

I can say by doing that and turning on my daughter's womb bear she had no problems staying asleep.

Answer 8

She hasn't learned to self-sooth herself to sleep. Try swaddling her with her arms out and putting her to bed before she is a sleep. Pat her back and stand next to the bed. If she get upset let her know you are there and comfort her but don't pick her up. People tell you you spoil her but she isn't spoiled she has been conditioned to sleep while being held. She need to learn to sooth herself or things will only get harder as she gets older. check with your DR about the different positions your baby can sleep in. Make sure she is getting plenty of tummy time during the day while she is awake. This will help build strength, exercise any extra gas out and make her tired for a nap. She may not like tummy time but take it slow and build up the time each time you put her on her belly and soon she will enjoy it. (this is for the day and not at night until she is stronger) After she has built up her muscles and can lift her head and turn it from side to side the DR may give you the green light to let her sleep at night on her belly with out fear of SIDS. Also, make sure she has a daily routine and you may not want to put baby down right after a bottle. First give her a good burping and maybe some tummy time and then put her down when she isn't as full of gas. That will help her fall asleep easier if she doesn't have a belly cramp and stay asleep longer if she is comfortable.
Also, When putting baby to bed I like to roll a small blanket in the shape of a U and place it under the babies knees pull the sides up toward her sides. This gives them the feel of being supported because the knees don't slide down and flatten her legs whiel sleeping and this gives her a feeling of being held. Plus, don't forget to swaddle her or take a longer blanket turn it sideways and place it over the baby's belly and legs then tuck it firmly on the sides of the mattress. Loose enough she can breath and wiggle loose if she wants to. Don't forget to leave her hands out if she doesn't like them covered. This snug blanket along with the U shaped one under her knees will greatly help to feel more like she is being held. Give her something to look at while she is in the crib to help her learn to entertain herself while she falls asleep.
Good luck with your new baby!

Answer 9

Place her in the bassinet or crib and let her cry for a few minutes. Most of the time they will fall asleep on their own. Don't let her cry for more than 5-10 minutes. Do NOT pick her up though. Rub her tummy and sing to her or even read out of a book. Just the sound of your voice may help lull her to sleep.

Answer 10

I had the same problem with my daughter. For the first three months, she slept in her swing and when we finally decided that she couldn't sleep in the swing for the rest of her life, we had some problems getting her to sleep in her crib. The one thing that finally helped was putting a shirt that I had worn for a day under her sheet. She was used to my scent when she was sleeping and it made her feel secure to "smell me". I fed her, rocked her in the rocking chair for a few minutes, put her in her crib with my shirt under her sheet, and in a few minutes, she fell asleep. She did cry for a few minutes, and I patted her and calmed her down without picking her up. From that night on, she slept in her crib with one of my shirts under her sheet.