My 2 month old will only sleep while being held?

Janine - posted on 02/17/2010

i had the same problem with my daughter. i did some research and tried everything...the hot water bottle, putting the shirt i wore during the day in with her, but nothing worked. i came up with acid reflux, being held makes the baby feel more comfortable. we got some baby zantec from the doctor and it definately made a difference. we still had some problems, but it did get better. she is now 5 months and has grown out of it. i would keep trying to put your daughter down, eventually it will work. good luck!

Andrea - posted on 02/17/2010

I would have to agree with the other moms and say that both the swing and vibrating chair were life savers, but if I had to pick one, she LOVED that swing until she was too big for it. It was great for getting things done during the day. Be it homework or housework i was free to do it. Good luck.

Shirlene - posted on 02/17/2010

I have a 3yo and a 14 wk old and with my older boy he was used to being held bcause he was a sick baby so at 12wks i thought i had better do something about it so i brought a mobile and swaddled him nice and tight put his dummy in and put him into bed and turned his mobile on it distracted him straight away once it stopped if he was still awake i would just wind it back up...worked wonders his now 3 and still sleeps 8.30-8 or 9am..i have also done the same for my baby girl as soon as she gets grumpy i wrap her and put her in with the mobile, she also sleeps through the night........goodluck.

Sarah - posted on 02/17/2010

I would try a swing or a bouncer. During the day you could always put her in sling or something I do that with my three week old daughter sometimes if she won't sleep. I know she like my holding her so she can fall asleep but I use the swing and her bouncer also otherwise I would never get a minute. She cries sometimes and I let her for a few minutes and sometimes she'll just fall asleep on her own. It's hard sometimes. Good Luck!

Amber - posted on 02/17/2010

My daughter is 12 weeks today and we have the same problem. Nothing works, swings carriers. My husbans keeps telling me it needs to change,but the truth is i kinda like it. They will only be this size for a short time. i am tryng to take advantage of it. I say if your getting sleep hopefully it will work its self out. My daughter sleeps from 8pm to between 6-8 am, and never wakes up. I dont know if this helps, just wanted you to know that you're not alone out there.

Amber - posted on 02/17/2010

my lil boy did the samething all i did is put him in a swing and swadd him

Kelley - posted on 02/17/2010

don't worry Jessica it WILL get better! My personal opinion is that she obviously needs and desires the security that she gets from this.I do not believe that you can spoil a child from to much love or affection.There will come a day when she does not want to be held and it will be here sooner than you think. My children are grown now and probably your age and have children of their own.If I had it to do over I would not keep a clean house but would spend my days playing with them. You do however have to take care of yourself so if you are sleep deprived you may consider having someone taking the baby for a couple of hours for some you time. A healthy mom is equally as important as a secure baby.

Heather - posted on 02/17/2010

my son is the same way. he is 9 weeks old and i was just able to get him to sleep in his crib for the first time last night...

Kirsty - posted on 02/17/2010

my little girl is the same now but she has to have music on because it's her comfty zone, im like u now cz i miss just lyin there while she goes to sleep because i put her in her room when she has asleep, anyway im off because she woke up for a drink nice chatting bye

Becca - posted on 02/17/2010

Has anyone told you about the limp arm sign? After she falls asleep gently lift her arm and let it drop. If it falls limply it means she's in a deeper sleep. If she resists it means she's in a lighter sleep. It is easier to put down a baby if they are in a deeper sleep. Just make sure you put her down feet first.



My son was exactly the same way at her age except he would go 20min awake, 20min asleep from around 1pm until 5 or 6pm every afternoon (talk about exhausting). Now at 6 1/2 months he won't go down if he can see me and is sleeping for over an hour 2-3 times a day. I actually miss cuddling him to sleep.



We tried lots of different things to try to get him to sleep on his own but most of the time if I needed a nap and wanted him to stay asleep for more than 20min I would just sleep beside him in my bed (sometimes I could get an hour that way).



One thing we did do around three months is establish a sleep time routine to help cue our little one that it was time to go to sleep. As soon as I notice that he is cuing for a nap I sing him ABCs or Twinkle Twinkle as I carry him to his room, tuck him in and put on his music box (we do the same at bedtime except I read him a story after I tuck him in). Then we only go in again if he's crying. These days if I haven't missed his sleep cue or waited too long he will then go down on his own in less than five minutes.

Lois - posted on 02/17/2010

my two youngest were both like this,for the daytime I put them in front packs,then when they fell asleap took the pack off and left them in it on the couch or in the crib. Night time they sleapt with me in the big bed.You might try letting her sleap where-ever she falls asleap ( as long as you can make it safe) or pre-warming her bed with a bean-bag type heating pad.. One of those stuffed amimales that have heart sounds may also help.By the way those two are almost adults now,so no I didn't roll over and sufficate either one of them.

Jessica - posted on 02/17/2010

Thanks, I have tried the swing, carseat, ect. We are at a loss. I am just going to keep being persistent.

Grace - posted on 02/17/2010

As frustrating as it may be you need to remember that this is such a short season and sooner than you think, being in Mama's arms is gonna be a thing of the past. I would encourage you to love on your little one as long as you can. I found with my son that a good sling/body wrap was the perfect solution to that. I could sling him and he would sleep peacefully as I made dinner, cleaned or whatever. Treasure her desire to be close to you... she will claim her independence soon enough.

Sarah - posted on 02/17/2010

hi not sure this will help but my little boy wouldn't sleep unless he was being held the health visitor suggested that we put a hot water bottle it the cot for a short while just to warm up the sheet a little i know some of us like getting in to a cold bed but babies may not i tried it and it worked he didnt like getting put onto a cold cot sheet maybe you could try that hun see how that goes put the hot water bottle in the cot half hour before and then take it out about 5 to 10 mins before puttin taylor down hope it helps good luck xxx

Kirsty - posted on 02/17/2010

I had the same problem with my daughter but what i use to do with her was, if i placed her on my bed i would get a t-shirt of mine and place it under her head, plus what i use to do was lye her on her belly and stroke down her nose and she would just slowly fall to sleep. Hope this bit of information has helped

Lianne - posted on 02/17/2010

i would love to help you!! but i did this with my daughter and 22months later she is still a nightmare at sleeping wakes up 3/4 time in the night sometimes awake for 4 hours in one go.
all i say is try everything and anything break the habit now while she is still young,
good luck.

Theresa - posted on 02/17/2010

Try the swing or bouncy seat (on vibrate if you have that). The other thing that may help during the day is a front carrier or a sling carrier. My second son would not sleep lying flat, so the bouncy seat and swing were lifesavers. They're the only things he would sleep in for the first couple months.

Emily - posted on 02/17/2010

Get a baby carrier.

Rachelle - posted on 02/17/2010

Does she sleep better in a swing or upright position? If so she might even have acid reflux.

Ami - posted on 02/17/2010

Have you tried a swing or vibrating chair? My son only slept in his swing or vibrating chair when he was tiny. good luck ,hang in there!

Jennifer - posted on 02/17/2010

Hmmm . . . swaddling helps, what about a swing? maybe the rocking would help and the upright position. Babies still get that falling feeling when they are on their backs until a bit older . .that may help.