is it ok for my baby to sleep in her swing or with me in bed?

Question

kayla wont sleep in her crib unless she is really out before i put her there, so she either sleeps in her swing or we fall asleap together while she is breastfeeding.

Answer 1

Many American doctors will tell you not to co-sleep. If done in an unsafe manner, it can endanger the baby, as can anything.

Be sure when sleeping with a newborn that the surface you are on does not indent too much or the baby can fall in and not be able to get out. Sofas and soft mattresses are hazards.

Be sure that you are not impaired in any way when co-sleeping.

Fluffy blankets and pillows are also hazards.

Be careful of potential falling, having your mattress up against the wall and using a side rail can help.

All this said, many cultures practice co-sleeping, but do know that this was done from birth, so pregnant belly was replaced by newborn, and mother was always aware of the little one. Breastfeeding and co-sleeping naturally go together.

-- a co-sleeping mom of over two years

Answer 2

Sleeping in the swing during nap times is fine, great even if she is taking good naps in it! I wouldn't reccomend letting her sleep in the swing as a nightime sleep as she might get used to the nighttime general rocking motion and it doesn't make for a workable routine for you in the long run.

Co-sleeping, however, is a wonderful thing!! Only if done with certain safety precautions that others have mentioned, not being drunk, smoking, fluffy pillows and blankets, easy to roll off, etc. Not being cautious about it CAN be dangerous, but if precautions are taken it is definitely a good thing. A very common misbeleif is that co-sleeping increases the risk of SIDS, SO NOT TRUE!!! Study after study has shown that it DECREASES the risk of SIDS. Close proximity to the mother at nighttime results in regulating the babies breathing patterns among many other things. Not to mention that it has been done since the dawn of mankind. Just google "co-sleeping and SIDS" and see what I mean. There has been substantial evidence that close proximity to the mother coupled with nightly suckling is very beneficial.

Here is a link from the SIDS-Network organization on the subject:

http://sids-network.org/experts/slpbby.htm

You sound like a good and compassionate mother, and I can't say I blame your baby. It is a hard transition to go from a warm, cozy, in-motion womb with a heartbeat, and the smell of mother to an empty, still, and lonely cage.

Answer 3

All of my kids have slept with my and my daughter who is going on 16 months still does. I think the best way to do with with little ones is to use a co-sleeper or to use their crib and the the rail off and put it up against your bed where each mattress is touching. You need to make sure theres no gap between the beds though and the crib is not slipping.... you can also use a toddler guard rail on the side that baby sleeps on or put your mattress on the floor.... I only let my babys take short naps in their swing just because I didn't feel it was best for their backs.

Answer 4

How old is Kayla? If she is older than 8 weeks, cosleeping is fine but play it safe. Some guidelines are as follows: Place a mattress on the floor up against the wall making sure there are no gaps. Make sure Kayla has her own bedding. Be sure that you don't use pillows in the bed or heavy comforters. Be careful not to overheat her. Make sure your own nightware doesn't have loose strings on it. Don't cosleep if you have been drinking or using drugs. Don't cosleep if you are a larger person (Because she can become trapped between you and the mattress). If you are putting her in the swing for a nap, it's fine. But, for the night, I would not recommend this. The crib is infact the safest place for her. After breastfeeding her, wait 10-15 min before putting her down and make sure her bedding is warm. Keep your hand on her body as you lay her down and just say "shhh" while patting her body in a rhytmical motion to mimic the heart beat. It's tough...good luck with this. If she is over 3 months old, you can break the association between breastfeeding and falling asleep by a method described in the book "The baby Whisperer". I used to have to nurse my son to sleep for 3 months...somedays it would take HOURS. Everytime I went to put him down in the crib, he woke up. This book helped SO MUCH! Good luck!

Answer 5

I think it is fine. A lot of people co-sleep and believe it is good for the baby. Unless you are a heavy sleeper (or stoned/drunk) you'll know where she is and won't roll over onto her. Be areful if the mattress is against the wall, it is dangerous b/c baby can get stuck/smother btwn the mattress and the wall.

I also have friends whose babies won't sleep anywhere but the swing.

However, you might want to establish a schedule and get her used to sleeping in her crib. Give her a ritual to look forward to. Clean her up, put her in jammies and read her a book. Then put her into her crib...leave her for 30 minutes (this will be hard). If she is still crying after that, bring her to bed with you or put her in her swing.

It took us about nine days to get Lina used to her crib.

Good luck, whatever you choose to do. Don't let people make you feel bad about your choice.

Answer 6

Of course. The box that the swing comes in has a warning against allowing your baby to sleep in it. The commercials advertising the swing show a baby swinging and sleeping happily.

It's even safer to sleep with baby in your bed, as long as you follow the safety guidelines:
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/7/T071000.asp

Answer 7

in my opinion, the swing is perfectly fine as long as she's the right size for it. I also think allowing baby to sleep with you is ok too, but you have to consider if you're a heavy sleeper or mover, you obviously don't want to hurt your child. My daughter slept with me when she was a baby. I would change it if I could though. She STILL sleeps in my bed, and she's 9!! I've tried to kick her out but it doesn't work. LOL. Good luck.

Answer 8

Co-sleeping is fine as long as you handle it wisely. However, I found that when my son was very young I could not sleep well in the bed with him. Of course, since one of the few places he WOULD sleep was on my belly, that just meant that I got very little good sleep... nothing more than semi-consciousness for months.

I would be concerned about the swing at night though. During the day when you can watch her, it's fine for her to sleep in the swing, but at night you have to worry that she may be able to flip out of it. A drop from the swing could hurt her. I know this because my son could not sleep in his crib, so often slept in his carseat. (He had breathing problems, and couldn't sleep in a horizontal position.) If he was asleep and wasn't on top of me, then it was in the carseat. However, we learned that we had to be careful where we sat the carseat because if he woke up playful he could manage to propel himself out of it if he wasn't strapped in (and flip it over if he was). In the end, we found it was safest to put him in the carseat and put the carseat in the crib.

I know it probably doesn't meat propper safety guidelines (daycare required a note from the doctor before they would comply) but I didn't know what else to do. If my son was horizontal he woke up coughing and choking within 5 minutes. One doctor told us to try to prop the crib mattress up at an angle, but that seemed more dangerous to me than his carseat. The other doctor said that the carseat was fine as long as it didn't last over a year.

Only you know your child and her tendencies. Be smart about what you do, but if you feel like she's safe, there's nothing wrong with letter her sleep when and where she wants to.

Answer 9

yes!!! i put my daughter in her swing when she's really fussy and you can tell she's tired, but when i put her in her crib, she wants to play. after about 10 minutes in her swing, she passes out. we give her another 10-15 minutes, then we put her in her crib. also, during the day, my daughter climbs up on the couch at naptime and falls asleep in my lap. i just get a blanket, lay her on my chest, and take a nap with her. i used to sleep with her in bed after she was born because i read something that said a mother's breathing helps regulate the baby's breathing, and lots of studies have shown that if you are not a deep sleeper, it can actually benefit baby to sleep in bed with you. i see no problem with it, plus, it's so much easier when baby wakes up for a feeding.

Answer 10

this is my personal experiance with my daughter. for the fisrt month or so she would only really sleep good in her swing for a number of reasons. if you think about it they are used to being rocked asleep when you are pregnant so it is soothing for them so be in a swing. there are no reasons she cant sleep in her swing. i talked to my doc lots about it and he said it was fine. as for co-sleeping i couldnt do it. i was so affraide of something happening to her while i was asleep that i wasnt getting any sleep. that and my step son slept with his dad for ever and i know how hard it was to get him to sleep in his own bed. he is now 4 and still wants to sleep with us sometimes. my daughter thinks that if she is in our bed it is play time. depending on how old your daughter is try putting het in her bed after a bedtime rutine and see if that helps. also music in the room may help to.