Baby cosleeping?

Question

so my 10-week old son won't sleep for longer than 3 hours at a stretch in his crib at night. he wakes up, feeds, goes back to bed. But if i put him in our bed, he'll sleep for 5 hour stretch if not longer.. And he is able of sleeping 6 hours a night, he's done it before.. he just doesnt want to.. i dont mind him sleeping with me, but i don't get much sleep either way, he kicks and grunts all night!!! Has anyone had this problem ? how did you deal with it?

Answer 1

I have always slept with my babies. With a family to take care of, momma needs her sleep too! I have never found transition to be difficult -- a lot of people think that a kid will never leave if you let them sleep with you as infants. America is far behind the family-oriented countries that think we're strange for NOT co-sleeping (hmm... we rank #1 in SIDS as well).

A baby needs security, and at his age, he is still a little young for consistent "long stretches" of sleep. Give him a few more months, and he will seem like an entirely different baby. Do daytime crib naps for now. You will sleep better together once you get used to snuggling.

Start a bedtime routine as well. I like to play with the baby for about an hour (talking, tickling, reading colorful books), then nurse, and followed by a warm bath and lotion. This has always helped my little ones fall into deep sleep and sleep longer.

Answer 2

I have a crib set up as a sidecar. For me I have it level with my mattress so that it is basically just a mattress extension. For you you can drop the platform on the mattress down so that there is about a two-three inch drop from your mattress to the crib mattress. That way the baby feels like they are in bed with you, without being actually in bed with you. (Actually now that my son is bigger mostly I sleep in the crib as he likes to be in the middle).

You can also try just butting the crib right up against the side of the bed with all four sides and see if just the sounds of you sleeping near him, and being able to see you helps.

There are also cosleepers that are basically padded boxes that you put the baby in, on your bed. I am not a big fan of these. I think that parents can come to rely on them too much and assume that they do not have to baby proof their bed. Then the baby ends up out of them and you both fall asleep. You also can't nurse properly in most of them.

If you are interested in using a crib as a sidecar drop me an e-mail and I can describe how to attach the whole thing. It's a bit long because there are so many different contingencies.

Good luck, I hope you can find something that works for both of you!

Answer 3

my son sleeps in the bed with my husband and I and he kicks and grunts as well. He just started sleeping in the crib but he sleeps longer in the bed with us. So during naps I put him in his crib so he will get used to it and then I am going to start putting him in the crib after he gets more comfortable being in there. Hopefully soon!!!!! Just make sure you let him sleep in the crib sometimes or he will never want to get in there. I'm going to start putting him in the crib at night but I'm going to feed him right before I put him down so that he will not be hungry so soon.

Answer 4

We took off one of the side rails, butted the crib up to the edge of the bed (best to attach the frames together some way so they don't separate - that would be very dangerous for the babyt) and laid a foam pad on top of both mattresses to make a solid, smooth surface. That way, our kid could wake up, get fed, and go back to sleep, and we could put him back in his crib. He slept fine that way until he outgrew the crib and then he moved into a 'big-boy' bed in his own room. Every kid is different, though, and every solution you pick should work for him and also for you.

Answer 5

You need to keep him in the crib. It may be hard now, but it will be much more difficult later to break him of sleeping in your bed and finding comfort in his own bed. Also, there is a chance of the baby being suffocated when sleeping with an adult on a bed, couch or chair when the adult and baby both are asleep. I would let the pediatrician know that the baby doesn't sleep much and perhaps your own doctor know you aren't getting a lot of sleep. I was advised to sleep when the babies slept (mom of twins) so when they slept, I would nap. Your safest and best choice is to keep the baby in the crib.

Answer 6

Your son maybe going through a growth spurt, (they go thru there first major one at 3 months) so maybe that is way he is so restless in his sleep. My daughter is 9 months and I am actually have the same problem with her she won't sleep in her crib for longer than 2 or 3 hrs and if she sleeps with me she tosses and turns I am just trying to hold out and hope she will get over it in a few days(hopefully). She will take her naps in her crib no problem its just sleeping at night. But she is also about ready to go thru a growth spurt as well.

Answer 7

Personally I find it hard to sleep with an infant. I think that once in a while that it is fine but as a rule I think that cosleeping sets you and the child up for a hard time in the future. I think that a baby need to learn how to sooth themselves and fall asleep.

That being said I think that everyone should do what works for them. I have a cousin who sleeps in bed with her 2 children and they are all very happy about it.

Once your baby reaches about 12 pounds he will sleep longer. It isn't that he doesn't want to sleep longer, understandably he feels better when he is near you but you have to ask yourself how you are going to feel having him in your bed when he is 3.

Do what you feel is best for your family. Good Luck!

Answer 8

Don't co-sleep, for a myriad of reasons.
We had a non-sleeper too! He would sleep 20 minutes, then be awake for two or three hours - he just plumb wore us out. He didn't sleep for 8 hours until he was a YEAR! We were just so happy when he finally got to the point where he would sleep three or four hours, that seemed like a vacation!
Just keep trying, that's all any of us can do....

Answer 9

My one-year-old has spent (maybe) 10 nights in his crib. He sleeps with me everynight, but since your son is an active sleeper, try a cosleeper. If you haven't seen them before, it's a bassinet that attaches to your bed. They keep the child out of your bed, but they still feel like close to you. You can find them for pretty cheap on ebay, but first check your local freecycle group. You may be able to find one for free.

For more cosleeping help: try www.askdrsears.com

Answer 10

Since my son was born he has slept in the bed with my husband and I and we have really enjoyed it! Your baby willl sleep better wherever he is most comfortable. If that happens to be your bed, embrace it. Not only is he sleeping better, but I was so paranoid at first that I liked being able to instantly be able to see my son. Your baby probably feels more secure when he is sleeping with you and that's why he isn't staying up as much as he was in the crib.