4 month old son wont sleep in crib

Melissa - posted on 11/06/2009

Thank you everyone

Rebecca - posted on 11/04/2009

Some people will tell you that this a "4 month sleep regression." Maybe, but the real issue is that it's not natural for a 4 month old baby to be away from its mother all night long, so of course he's going to cry and resist. And eating 2-3 times a night is average for a breastfed (read: normal) baby. Most babies who sleep 12 hours at 8 weeks are being fed inferior breastmilk-substitutes which cause them to sleep deeper which is actually a hazard because it leads to increased risk of SIDS. You don't want your baby to be in a deep sleep all night long -- he might not wake up in the AM!



Just hang in there and respond to your baby's needs. Move the crib into your bedroom, or better yet, do some research about safe co-sleeping. He will only be small for a very short time, and he needs you to respond to his needs, not try to force him to conform to your life.

Melissa - posted on 11/03/2009

yeah my mother in law thinks I should just let him cry, he wakes every couple hours just wanting to nurse. Its so hard because he really gets so upset. I put him back in with me untill I can get him to sleep longer stretches again.

Alison - posted on 11/03/2009

Does he actually wake your daughter? I used to be afraid of that, but it turns out the big sister is a pretty heavy sleeper. When I was cutting out night feedings, I moved my youngest into the living room until she was sleeping through the night. If you do that, you could try to cut back on the nightfeedings either just letting him cio or send papa to see him (which will probably result in some crying too).



My two children are now sharing a room with very little inconvenience. You'll ge there too!

Melissa - posted on 11/03/2009

Quoting Brandi:

I was going to suggest putting him in his crib during the day but see you already doing it, stick to this, It will take awhile for him to get use to the crib, also maybe try a small night light in the rm at night nearer to his crib so it dont bother your daughter, I had to do this for my son and he did better with having to be in his crib, but i had to put him in his crib at 6 wks old because he just would NOT sleep the least little bit in anything else
good luck

Yeah I do have a night light next to his crib.   

Katie - posted on 11/03/2009

i was goin to agree with brandi...my son is now 2 months and he wouldnt sleep inless he had some kind of nite lite...well i ended up putting him in bed me with me and my husband and found out he slept much better in there. i think it was only bc our bed was much softer than his crib or bassinet...so i was wondering is the crib too hard...maybe under the bed sheets you can put a blanket down and put the sheets on top bc in my sons bassinet i put a blanket down and he lays in that just fine now..he sleeps most of the nite. hopfully this will work for you too.

Daphne - posted on 11/03/2009

A couple of my girlfriends got their husbands to take down one side of their crib and attached the cribs to their beds with clamps from Home Depot... essentially making their own cosleeper. They said it's been working wonders! That way, it's like they're sleeping with you, but they can get used to sleeping in their crib at the same time. ;D

Karen - posted on 11/03/2009

You've got the idea, now use it at bedtime too. Make sure you have a good routine for when you put him down for the night. Try giving him a warm bath, then his bottle, then rock him for 10 to 15 minutes before putting him down for the night. If you do this every night he will get into the habit and sleep in his crib with no problems.

Karen - posted on 11/03/2009

You've got the idea, now use it at bedtime too. Make sure you have a good routine for when you put him down for the night. Try giving him a warm bath, then his bottle, then rock him for 10 to 15 minutes before putting him down for the night. If you do this every night he will get into the habit and sleep in his crib with no problems.

Brandi - posted on 11/03/2009

I was going to suggest putting him in his crib during the day but see you already doing it, stick to this, It will take awhile for him to get use to the crib, also maybe try a small night light in the rm at night nearer to his crib so it dont bother your daughter, I had to do this for my son and he did better with having to be in his crib, but i had to put him in his crib at 6 wks old because he just would NOT sleep the least little bit in anything else

good luck