getting my 4 month old into the crib?

Question

my 4 month old refuses to sleep in his crib. im breastfeeding and the only way i can get him to go to sleep is if i lay down with him and feed, if i move him at all he wakes up. i made a bottle and fed him that until he no longer wanted it. my attempt was on the thought of slowly making the transaction from what his comfort is now to make it easier on both of us. well as soon as i laid down he wanted the breast. i want him to sleep in his crib and have tried several different methods. his needs are met. and i cant afford sleeping 4-5 hpurs a night anymore, i have a 4 yr old that needs me awake and alert in the mornings. Im going to try feeding him formula for night time feedings so that i may be able to have a more sleep to work with but i really need some different advice on getting him out of my bed so i can sleep even better

Answer 1

Have you tried a soft toy for him to cuddle up to? My 5 month old has been sleeping 8-10 hours in a cot in her own room for the past 2 months. Sometimes she falls asleep while I am feeding her; other times she will be awake but tired when I put her in the cot and she will chat with her toys for a couple of minutes then drift off to sleep.
She does have trouble getting to sleep during the daytime sometimes, and then I lay down with her and cuddle her until she is asleep.
Good luck with finding a solution that works for you and your son - I know it is hard trying to survive on 5 hours sleep each night, particularly when you have older children who need you when they wake up in the morning.

Answer 2

I put my son in his crib at 4 weeks because he is such a loud sleeper and loud eater, he was keeping both me and my husband up. Now he is 4 months old.. breastfed still, and he sleeps in his crib. Here's the rub - I still get up every 2 hours to feed him! I have a comfy armchair in the kids' room (I have a 2 1/2 yr. old also) and I go in there and nurse him. I even doze while he's nursing... then I put him back.
I tried giving him a bottle of formula befrore bed, even tried putting cereal in it... he still woke up every 2 hours!
So I feel your pain.
The only thing that gets me through it is the thought that it won't be long before he wants nothing to do with cuddling with mom... I'll take all the cuddle time I can now while I can, even if I'm groggy the rest of the day.
Good Luck!

Answer 3

I'd hate to see you switch to formula. Is there any way you could nurse somewhere else? I always brought my son downstairs to nurse in my glider. I would put him to bed drowsy, but still awake. You don't want him to go to sleep nursing because when he wakes up he doesn't know how to soothe himself. (He thinks he needs you to fall asleep)You might want to try a pacifier to help him transition. Try a song right before you put him down, maybe a wedge or swaddling to make him feel secure. You might want to put an item that smells like you in the crib. Its obvious he smells you when you lay down. We have a nice routine now of a warm bath (very relaxing) a massage with bedtime lotion, then nursing in the chair, while we are walking upstairs I sing our song to him. I would give him his pacifier and leave. (we are trying our first night without the pacifier tonight..wish us luck)
Best of luck to you.

Answer 4

Put him in his crib and let him cry until he falls asleep. EVery time. No exceptions. Don't reinforce his behavior by giving him attention. Very very soon, at his age, he will learn to go to sleep on his own in his crib. I know you won't do it, but you should.