what do you think of a baby sleeping in his swing?

Question

I accidentally fell asleep without transferring my 5 month old son to his crib, he falls asleep in his swing every night, and the night I left him in it, he slept through the night. I tried it again a few times, and it is consistent - in his swing he sleeps through the night, in his crib he wakes up at least 3 times a night - should I let him sleep in his swing? Is there any danger or concern about doing so?
I'd really appreciate the input of others on this one, it is really tempting when you are so tired to do anything for a full night's sleep, but I don't want to cause him problems down the road...
Thanks for your thoughts!

yes, we have the rechargeables, only way to go!

Answer 1

I think its great! Although I recommend getting rechargeable batteries and charger (I sometimes get people this for shower gifts if I see they have a swing on there.


Enjoy your rest!

Answer 2

My son is almost 6 months old, so I know where you are coming from, but please trust me when I tell you not to do this. It's fine if it's a nap during the day while you are awake... and if he happend to fall asleep there, wake him and take him to his crib. A few points that I want to share with you...

1. He needs to learn to fall asleep on his own in his own crib. The longer you wait, the harder it will be. He will cry at first, but that is NORMAL.

2. At this age, he does NOT need to wake in the night to eat. Put him to bed with a clean diaper and full belly around 8 or 9 and he will be fine until 6 am or so. If he wakes, let him cry himself back to sleep. It really is okay, although you will feel like you are torturing. I repeat... it is okay... I promise.

Now, if my guy cries in the night, I pay attention to the type of cry. If it's a tired cry, I let him cry and check on him when he is quiet again. If it sounds more like a scream, I do go in and pick him up. I can't help it. I have to make sure he is ok, didn't have a bad dream or whatever.

I understand the temptation, but my son's doc advised us to get started with good sleeping habits at 4 months to avoid bigger problems later. My son would ONLY sleep in his car seat until we transitioned him to his crib. It was hard at first, but has worked out well. He is out for the night by 8:30 and sleeps until at least 5:30 most of the time.

Part of getting him to go to sleep for the night is setting up a bedtime routine. Take your pick, bedtime story, bath, solid food feeding... whatever works for you. And stick to it. You are teaching him how to fit into the family routine, rather than building the routine around him.

Our son is a very happy, healthy, well rested baby. He smiles and laughs more often than he cries. And mommy can sleep through the night finally... and get an hour or two to herself beofre going to bed.

I thought it would never happen... but it did...

Answer 3

Letting him fall asleep in the swing is great, but leaving him there all night is too dangerous. Let him get into a good sleep and then transfer him to his crib. Repetition is the key, but eventually he must learn to sleep in the Crib. Sorry , not what you want to hear, but as he gets stronger he might be accidentally able to topple the swing.

Answer 4

My son did the same thing and it is not going to hurt him in anyway, except you will have a really hard time getting him back in his crib. I made the mistake of letting it go on to long so i could get some rest and then he would not sleep in his crib at all! Then I had to put the freakin car seat in the crib just to get him to sleep in his room.

Just from experience I wouldn't do it, because I went through hell getting him used to his crib again. Once i did I took down the swing so I would never leave him in it again.

He is going to need to learn how to put himself to sleep soon, because what are you going to to when he is able to get upright and stand or push himself up. Get him back in his bed with a good sleep routine, it will make you feel better and be secure where your baby is sleeping.
Good Luck!

Answer 5

My son slept in this swing until he was almost 6 months old...he got too big for it. Then he went to the crib and it was harder because he slept so good in the swing and not well in the crib. He is now 10 months and is sleeping in his crib.

I think your baby will be ok. Just remember to strap him in and maybe set an alarm halfway through to check up on him. Eventually though he will be too big for it but right now I dont think you are doing any harm to your baby.

Answer 6

I used to put my daughter in her swing to sleep for naps. She would nap for 3-4 hours in there. Then again, she was (and still is) a sleeper...12+hrs at night w/o waking!
It is possible that the cozy feeling of the swing is what did it and could help him get in the habit of sleeping in longer stretches. I'm sure there is nothing medical to back this up, but...
When my daughter was born and I was on mat. leave, I would sit with her in my lap during the night (I'm a night owl anyway) and read or watch tv and she would sleep 5+ hrs at a time even very early on. After many nights in a row of this, she began sleeping longer in her bassinet at night, too (as long as she was swaddled). She started sleeping through the night (11pm-7am) by 8wks and never looked back!

I've read that the reason our generation seemed to sleep better/longer through the night at an earlier age was because we were put to bed on our tummies which is a more secure feeling because of the natural curl of our limbs pressing down on the mattress as opposed to sleeping on your back. Obviously we know better now, but maybe if you can find a safe way to create that cozy feeling in his crib/bassinet, he'll sleep better. Swaddling is prob out of question by now, but maybe a sleep sack would help.

Answer 7

The powers that be say not to let baby sleep in the swing, but there are plenty of advertisements of babies doing just that! I did it, and I would do it again. I would keep baby nearby, so you can hear any problems fast, and once you feel really solid in your routine, you can put baby to sleep that way and move him to the crib. Eventually (we hope) you can put him in the swing until he's just drowsy, then lay him in the crib and pat him down to sleep. By his first birthday, he'll put himself to sleep! I believe that you're on the right track to helping him sleep independently without all the awful crying. Congratulations.

Answer 8

I don't think a parent among us lacks for having done this lol. The only problem I foresee with this is what happens when he gets too big for the swing? Try alternating nights so that he does not become too dependent on the swing to get him to sleep.

Answer 9

I use to let my boys sleep in thier swing.They were in the first 5 months and it helped them sleep through thte night..then we gradually weaned to the bed. The only problem you may have is getting them to sleep when they are not in the swing. But my kids would sleep anywhere so I did not have a problem...I just wanted the consistant straight sleep. Good Luck

Answer 10

My only though if he wiggled out and fell or chocked himself somehow you are no where around. I dont see a problem with it during the day where you are able to watch him.

Our son was the same way as long as he was in his car seat he would sleep straight through the night we did it for about a week then I worried about his back....

Answer 11

To be honest I've never heard of anyone doing that until I read the question and all the answers. I would never even think of doing something like that, it just doesn't seem normal to me. Naps I have done but not the whole night! Anyway I guess if your baby is fine that's what you will do. I'd suggest getting him used to something that he's supposed to sleep in......