13 Week Old Will Not Sleep in Bassinet

My daughter was the same way. She would, however, sleep in the pack and play. We realized that the bassinet wasn't enclosed enough for her. The bassinet has bars like a small crib so we got a bassinet bumperso it wasn't like she could see the whole room, and she didn't feel so exposed, and she was fine. We also realized later that she had pretty bad reflux so used a sleep positioner. (I think you'd know by now if that were the case...) Good luck!

Let him sleep where he wants. Won't sleep in swing or
carseat forever. Be grateful he sleeps there!!!!!

Babies like to feel surrounded. By that I mean that he prefers the carseat, swing, stroller because it surrounds him. At 13 weeks I was still swaddling my boys. I also had the sleep positioners for the crib. They like to feel like they are in close quarters. Try swaddling him in his bassinette or crib or roll 2 towels and put one on either side of him so he feels like he can't move. The warmer they feel and the tighter the quarters, the longer he'll sleep (as long as he's not hungry or dirty). Good Luck!!

My son hated his bassinet too, but liked his crib much better. I think the bassinet mattress was not comfortable for him, it's something to consider. And in the crib I was able to have his head higher to help with any congestion.

Hi J.,
My son is 6 months old and we went through the same issue. He would only sleep in his car seat. In the bassinet he only slept 2 hours at a time. I think it was either uncomfortable or too big (mine was cradle size). We let him sleep in the car seat and then switched him to a moses basket (where he felt cozy). When he hit about 4.5 months old he was too tall for the moses basket and we moved him to the crib and it went fine. Let him sleep where he is most comfortable and he will adjust when the time comes....with my next child, I'm skipping the bassinet and going straight to the moses basket.

Good luck! R.

My son slept in a side-car co-sleeper until 14 weeks when things went downhill. I tried putting him in his crib for the first sleep-stretch of the night, and that did the trick (instantly started sleeping 8 hour stretches). When he woke, I would bring him into our room, nurse him, and then put him in the co-sleeper for the rest of the night. Also, he never slept on his back, only his belly. When I decided to let him sleep on his belly full time, starting at about 7 weeks, his sleep got infinitely better.

My daughter slept in a regular bassinet until about 10 weeks. I think she felt too confined by it and the mattress is thin, like other moms have said. When I switched her to her crib, she too began to sleep much better. I had to elevate her mattress though, because she needed the incline (put a pillow under one end). She sleeps more like your son, even still does not sleep long stretches (almost 9 months), so I just do whatever it takes - if putting him in the stroller next to your bed means everyone is sleeping, I wouldn't worry about it. You could also try using a pack n play and beefing up the mattress by putting a baby quilt on top of it or a fleece blanket (my daughter LOVES fleece and falls asleep instantly). Once he's rolling around a lot (6 months), you can try him in the crib, and by then he'll be old enough to remove a night feeding or do a little sleep training. Don't worry, babies start to sleep much better by 5-6 months, and then many of them are sleeping 12 hour stretches by a year.

Have you read Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Weissbluth? This book helped me tremendously and can work for all sleep-related parenting philosophies. Start learning about sleep now so when the schedules emerge, you can identify them right away. Good luck!!

There is a small possibility that your baby may be experiencing acid reflux or something similar that is why he prefers the incline of a swing or car seat. My baby's Doctor suggested laying her on her belly after feeding across my lap for a few minutes and than putting her on her back in the bassinet.

Hi J.,
My son was similar...he would sleep in the swing, carseat, bouncy seat...all upright positions. I ended up rolling up a couple towels and putting them under one end of the bassinet mattress so there was a slight incline. It took a few days, but slowly he acclimated to it. Hope it helps!
J. :)

Let him sleep where ever he will. My youngest would only sleep in his car seat for the longest time, so that is where he slept.

My second daughteronle slept about a week in her bassinet. She too slept in the swing. bouncer or carseat, mostly the carseat. Try moving him to the crib. I put my daughter in the crib and she slept!!! A.

Congrats! :You could try putting a brick under each of the feet at the top of the bed (elevating it about 2-3 inches). Make sure the bed is stable. Be careful the foot end does not cause the bed to roll off the bricks. I did this for my kids until they were in adult beds.

My cousin had a hard time with her daughter sleeping in a crib or bassinet. Her daughter slept well in the car seat. So that's what they did until she grew out of that stage. There's nothing wrong with it. As long as baby is safe and happy, then Mommy can be happy & get sleep.

My son also didn't like the bassinet. The mattress was too thin and not very comfortable to sleep on. He liked his crib better.

I wouldn't worry too much about this. Two of my three children did not sleep in the bassinet. I just put the car seat on the bed and let them sleep there. I nursed so I would just unbuckle them and bring them into bed with me when they woke up. There are all sorts of taboos out there agains this but my children are now 11, 10, and 8. They seemed to have surrived. You do what you need to do to get through each stage and what you feel is right for you and your child. When I had my first child I would read the books and freat our finally after about two months I through the books away and went on instinct. So far so good. Good luck.

try the crib, may need more room, bassinet small.
will be in a crib anyway at some point, right.

Hi J. (I love your name!) My son Connor never liked sleeping in the bassinet. I liked having him right by me for easier night feedings, but he woke up a lot. His older brother Cooper slept great in the bassinet and I even kept him in it for six months! Since Connor didn't seem as comfortable as his brother had, I decided to try putting him in the crib at ten weeks. It worked like a charm! He slept so much better! As a matter of fact, he loved being in his crib so much that we had to make him give it up at age 3! He did not want to give up his beloved crib. My husband ended up building a wooded bed for him, to fit the crib mattress and Connor was happy with that. Swaddling is also a good thing that my sister did with her baby girl and they did that for a long time and the baby loved it! God bless!
D. N.

My baby slept in an Amby Baby until about 4 months, which is like a hammock, similar size to a bassinett. But she became restless. When we switched her to the crib, she started sleeping 100% better. I think she really liked the room. Now at 7 months old, she moves all around the crib throughout the night, but sleeps 8 to 10 hours. I think they really like the room. The initial switch may be difficult, but it's so worth it after. Good luck.

My son, now 13 months, was the exact same way! Since birth he hated the bassinet. We started swaddling him at night and that seemed to help. But strangely what really did the trick was swaddling him and putting him in his crib as opposed to the bassinet. That meant we had to move the crib to our bedroom so I could feed him at night, but it seemed to get him to sleep longer periods, so it was worth it! Hope it helps.

Having 4 kids, mine were all the same. Letting mine sleep on theirs stomachs did the trick. However, it could be a case of reflux. If that's it, it's more comfortable for him to sleep upright. Try letting him sleep in his infant carseat, inside his crib. Strap him in so he can't wiggle out. I know it's not idle, but that's what I had to do with my now 8 year old. He had a huge case of reflux that it was way more comfortable for him to sleep in his carseat. I just don't remember how long it lasted.