When should I start transitioning my 2 month old into his own bed?

Question

My 2 month old son co-sleeps with me and my husband. He has colic and is a very needy baby. But I really want him to start sleeping in is crib so that I will be able to rest as well. I've tried to get him to sleep in is crib a couple of times but as soon as he realizes I'm not there he begins to cry and will not fall asleep on his own. What is a good age to begin transitioning and does anyone have any tips on making it easier?

Answer 1

Everyone does this differently. We went through a struggle as to what to do for a while, until finally we just did what my parents did. We put her down in her crib and let her cry, giving her 5-10 minutes between each time going in there (no lights on), and giving her a bottle.
What really helped was giving her a nighttime routine. Every night at the same time, since she was about 2 months old, we gave her a bath, then a bottle, and tucked her into bed. There were some rough nights at first, but now even if she isnt asleep, we lay her down and she smiles, usually falling asleep soon after.
Good luck, this was the hardest part for me!

Answer 2

I also have a two month old who will not sleep anywhere except for in my bed on top of either my husband or my chest. I've tried everything to get her to sleep in her swing, car seat, bassinet, crib, etc. and nothing works. I read some of Dr. Sears advice on cosleeping and he changed my attitude about it. If your baby is crying and is happy to sleep with you, then they must have a need to be with you. Forcing them to sleep away from you will only foster feelings of insecurity and distrust. Some babies are very needy and need, for whatever reason, to be close to you. There will be a time when you miss this closeness so do your best to enjoy it now. Transition to a crib when BOTH of you are ready. To give each other a break, my husband and I take turns sleeping with the baby. One of us sleeps in the extra bedroom one or two nights a week. Even if I only sleep in there for half the night, it's refreshing and I can enjoy sleeping with her again. Try taking a break if you can. Otherwise, enjoy it as it won't last forever.

Answer 3

ASAP.

Have you tried swaddling him? Propping him up with a baby positioner to help with symptoms from the colic? They make a stuffed bear that makes sounds like the baby hears in the womb-it secures to the crib...that might help.

I never did the co-sleeping...we tried but neither me or my husband got ANY sleep so my husband put her in her crib at day 10. Let him cry to a certain degree...this will also help you distinguish his different cries. I can tell if my daughter is just fighting sleep or if she's really upset/not sleepy. If you dont feel comfortable letting him "cry it out" you do what you think is OK, i.e. rocking him to sleep, nurse/give a bottle, etc.

Good Luck!

Answer 4

We transitioned our son out of our bed at about 3 months because I wasn't sleeping well with him there. We were also having a problem with him sleeping a lot during the day and staying up until 2am! At first he hated the crib and would wake up immediately when placed in it. I began putting him in his crib everytime he fell asleep during the day and eventually he began taking his naps in the crib. He now goes to bed around 9pm in his crib (I either nurse him until he is sleepy and then lay him down or I put him down in the crib and give him a pacifier until he falls asleep). In the beginning he would sleep for a short period of time and then wake up and I would repeat the process (nursing or pacifier), sometimes having to do this 2-3 times until he went to sleep for the night. Now I put him down only once and he sleeps until 5-6am. My son was colicky for awhile. Hang in there, I found that things get a lot better around 3 months :)

BTW, I think 2 months is a little young to expect him to fall alseep on his own in the crib. At that age he probably still needs to suck, swing, rock, etc. to get to sleep. I believe that 4 months is generally considered the earliest age to begin sleep training, if that is something you want to do.

Answer 5

What I would do is move his crib so that it's right next to your bed. That way when and if he does wake up during the night you are in sight. Soon after, he will be comfortable in his crib and you should be able to move the crib back into his room and as often as possible put him down for a nap in the crib in his own room. It's all about making him feel comfortable. I bet it's scary for him to be in a scary crib and mom's not around. So, just make him feel comfortable and he should be fine really soon.

Answer 6

My daughter slept in a bassinet next to my bed until she was around 4 months old, then I moved her into a crib in her own room. A co-sleeper bed that attaches to the side of your bed may be a good transitional option. Having her in the bassinet helped my daughter get use to the idea of sleeping on her own, but still had her close to me. Another thing that helped her (as odd as it may sound) was having something that had my scent. I slept with one of her baby blankets in bed with me for a few night, then I put her to sleep with it in the crib and it helped her to not miss "me" as much because it smelled like me. Good luck!

Answer 7

Do it ASAP. The longer you wait, the harder its going to be. Try sleeping him in a bassinet next to your bed then in a month or two, put him in his crib. Also dont leave any lights on. That way, the baby learns that when the lights are out, that means its time to sleep.

Answer 8

Maybe you could try putting the crib or bassinet or pack-n-play next to your bed. Let him get used to sleeping by himself but not right next to you at night.

During the day let him nap in his crib or pack-n-play so he's used to being in there. Don't hold him while he's sleeping or to get him to sleep.

Then gradually move the bassinet or whatever farther away from the bed and into his room.

Hope that helps!

Answer 9

I started putting my son in his cradle next to our bed at around 3 months... this was only for the start of the night, he still came to bed with us when he woke up.

Around 7 months we moved him to a crib in his own room... same thing, still comes back to bed with us.

Music helped get him to sleep durring both transitions. For the 7 months one i also started putting him down on his tummy.

I find i get more sleep with him next to me... i only start him in a crib because he goes to bed before we do :)

Answer 10

Do it as soon as possible before he is old enough to really know the difference. I ended up letting my daughter sleep with us until she was 3 and it was horrible! The older they are, the harder it is to break them of the habit! It's okay to let a baby cry for a while. Be tough!