how do you get your baby to sleep in their crib?

Katherine - posted on 08/12/2011

we kept our son in our room until he was 6-8 weeks old, and when he finally outgrew his bassinett we started to put him into his crib with major issues!!!!

We had to rock him to sleep completely but then once he was transistioned over to the crib he would wake up screaming because he wasn't in his usual place.

At 3 months old (there abouts) I started letting him cry it out!!! I would bath him, feed him, place him into his crib, kiss him, tell him i love him, give him his soother and turn on his music (noise machine) and leave, the first night he cried off and on for maybe 20 mins, i went in every so often to calm him down and re soother, and the next time he cried twice and was asleep.

now at 4.5 months i feed, bath, bottle, bed, lay him down wide awake, kiss tell him i love him, soother, music leave, no crying EVER unless he's not feeling well!!!

It's all about starting a routine and following it EVERY night!!! Good luck

We also found using only one type of soother in bed worked well, we have different ones laying around the house but only one in the crib, also we gave him a small teddy and a recieving blanket to cuddle with

Kyndra - posted on 08/11/2011

My daughter always wanted to be held after about a month of this I started using the boppy pillow it made her feel like she was being held and would go to sleep and stay that way.

Jenn - posted on 05/08/2010

OMGoodness I have the same problem. When my son cam ehome he wouldn't sleep in the crib, so we let him sleep in the vibrating bouncer or his swing and now when we put him in the crib its useless. Lesson learned for next baby, but what to do NOW?!

We try to lay him in the crib, but he just lays there and eventually gets so fussy we have to pick him up. I refuse to let him cry it out until he is atleast 4-5 months old. Have no clue what to do!

Charlene - posted on 05/08/2010

maybe a good middle step is to try something else- not go straight to the crib, she is still so young!

what worked amazingly for us was the Nap Nanny. We didn't want her sleeping in her swing but that was really one of the only places that she would sleep. The Nap Nanny is like a little mini bed and is perfect for them to sleep on for the first few months. I had such great luck wiht the Nap Nanny and our daughter went from sleeping not at all (1 or 2 hours at a time) to sleeping through the night!

I would definitely look into getting one. SANDRA BULLOCK was just in People magazine with her new little baby in one! That's enough of a reason alone : ) Good luck!

Kerri - posted on 05/06/2010

You put them in there bed when they come home from the hospital. don't let them sleep with you

Heather - posted on 05/06/2010

I started my 6 week old in her crib for naps during the day, because I found that she is sometimes a better sleeper during the day then at night. (Also, I have far more patience for failure when it is light out!) She just started this past week sleeping in the crib at night and I have been trying for about 3 weeks. also, she has to be totally asleep, so I cuddle her until she stops making faces, sucking her pacifier, etc, and I found if she is totally full she will stay asleep through the transition better. I don't have success every night, but more often then not she is spending most of the night in her crib.

Melissa - posted on 05/05/2010

At two months old I would not yet resort to cry it out. Most say you should wait for that until at least 4 months, some say not until six months.



Her naps during the day should be no longer than 2-3 hours in duration. Keep the area she is sleeping in dark, if you have to wake her, do so by turning on the light, rather than physically waking her. This will show her that when it is dark, it is time to sleep. At night, also keep it dark. But at two months, when she is waking up you should still be nursing every couple hours or formula feeding every 3-4 hours.



When my son was that age we rocked him to sleep for naps. We rocked him to calm him for bed time, but tried to put him in his crib groggy, not fully awake, not fully asleep. This then helps them fall asleep on their own.



Does your baby have a pacifier? If not, they really help keep them relaxed when you put them in the crib, if she has one and it doesn't help, maybe find another lovey object for her.



When she does wake up, keep the room dark, change diaper as needed, feed or rock, if you talk to her keep your voice low or stick to lullabies.



She still needs a lot of your attention. At this age you can't spoil them, I would give her whatever she wants at this point. When she is 4 months you can start to set up more of a sleep routine and let her cry for short periods of time.



Hope some of this helps.

Emily - posted on 05/05/2010

oh by the way, she's two months old....

Emily - posted on 05/05/2010

hello ladies! well she's been sleeping in her baby swing in her room. but i haven't been able to get her to sleep in her crib yet. before that she slept in a bassinett when she first came home from the hospital. when she's sleepy and i put her down in her crib, she wakes up and eventually gets fussy. do i just let her cry? gah! it breaks my heart...

Danielle - posted on 05/05/2010

well you can try to put them to sleep and make sure they are asleep and carefully st them in the crib and wait for a while to see if they fuss and if the baby fuses then pick them up and try to put them to sleep 9 times out of ten they are still hungry so if they are not sleeping them put them in the crib and feed them a bottle and youll notice that they will start to fall asleep
best of luck to you that is what i have to do with my daughter and she is barely a month old

Melissa - posted on 05/05/2010

How old is your baby and where has he/she been sleeping?