Baby Not Sleeping in Crib

As one that has done the zombie walk a few times.... it gets better. My 5 month old has slept in his crib since coming home from the hospital and used to wake up what seemed like every 30 minutes looking for his pacifier. Over the past few months it's gotten better and he is now down to one or two squeeks in the night. Through accidental testing (aka the baby monitor accidentally was shut off) he slept through the entire night without a problem. I've come to realize that the baby monitor makes me over sensitive to every whimper that he would otherwise get over and fall back asleep.

Definitely read the No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley. It really works for those of us that can't/won't stomach the cry-it-out method.

Try laying her sideways in the crib to make the crib smaller feeling. This may comfort her.

The paci try letting her cry for short times for it. Maybe she will find it herself or start comforting herself. A blanket or t-shirt that smells like you may also help.

I'm not sure how you feel about modified cry it out but this is what we did after spending 2 hours a night getting our 5 month old to sleep for about a month. We used the Ferber technique where you do a bedtime routine then put baby in crib still awake in manner that they can reproduce themselves for night wakings (without pacifier)The first night you check the baby after 3 mins, then 5 mins, then 7 mins and then every 7 mins until baby falls asleep. First night it took 1 1/2 hours, 2nd night 1 hr, 3rd night 30 mins and then took approximately 30 mins for 2 more nights, 6th night 8 mins, 7th night less than 1 minute and it has been like that ever since. She usually falls asleep without any crying or 1-2 minutes. If she cries more than that we go settle her but still put her back down awake. When she woke in the middle of the night, I would breastfeed her since I still felt she needed the night feedings. If your only issue is the pacifier you would treat the night wakings the same as bedtime and check after the 3, 5, and 7 minutes. Each night the intervals get longer. 2nd night is 5, 7, 10 minutes. Our little one started cutting out the night wakings on her own and has been sleeping 11-12 hours a night for the last month. This is very hard the first couple nights but the way we were doing it before involved way more crying even with all the rocking, breastfeeding, pacing, bouncing for 2 hours. We made all the changes at once but if you think that is too much you could first move him to the crib and keep the pacifier and maybe sleep close to his room if you can for a couple nights and then once he is used to his crib get rid of the pacifier. It will just take longer. If you have any questions about what we did you can email me at ____@____.com

I battled with this pacifier thing too! My son is now ten months old. I took his pacifier away at at 7-7 1/2 months. Trust me it is not a easy thing to do but try to do it now. She is still very young. She will adjust. Really it is you that has to adjust and cope. I am a working mom and zombie walking several times in the middle of the night was not the game I was willing to play to stick a binkie back in my son's mouth. This is what worked with my son and may or may not work with your daughter. It's called the cry it out method. I'm sure you have heard of it. It ripped my stomach apart but it didn't take long. TRUST ME it is harder on you then it is on her! The first night he woke up about three times. I let him cry for a good 5 minutes (it seems like a eternity). I went in rubbed his head & back, told him I was right there, go back to sleep. Do not pick her up because it gives her false hope. Leave the room, let her cry it out and follow it again. It took my son 2 nights to get over it. I will take 2-3 nights of pure hell to months of zombie walking. Yes it is a security blanket for a baby but really you are saving yourself the hassle of taking away when they are like 2 or 3 years old. Then they actually know at that age what you are doing. I just watched my friend take it away from her 2 year old son. Not pretty.... A month later he still was asking for it. This is just my advise and it may not be what your looking for but it worked for me. Good luck.

As I read this my 15 week old is wailing upstairs in her crib!(:
I have had it with the paci game as well. My first did not have one, my second one we took it away at 4 or 5 months as well. I HATE listening to them cry): but it's got to be done. I can far easier handle a crying baby for a few nights then the sleep depravation of the paci game.
OH it is OSOOOOOO hard not to go up there right now and put the paci in her mouth! I'm feeling you! SSHHHH....
I think she's worked it out! Yippie! That was only about 5 minutes or so.(: (: (:
I LOVED what Angela wrote! I totally agree. Kudos Angela
Ugh! She's at it again. So I'll go up and let her know I'm here and turn on the music part of her mobile.
(two minutes later) I went up, touched her tummy and sshhhshhhed her, turned her mobile music on (ours runs 15 minutes) and she closed her eyes and was fine. I made it to the bottom of the stairs, she cried another 30 seconds, and it seems she's out.(:
Having the music loud so it is louder than her crying seems to help her.
I wish you the best J. and all the other "paci" mom's out there.
Hey! It's 10 minutes later and she is out like a light. See J....you can do it! Let us know how it went asap.

Hey J.,

I can feel your pain! My second baby is now 12 months old and we had a similar situation b/c I often nursed her in our bed (anything for some sleep) and it got to the pt where Betsy wouldn't sleep unless (even fall asleep) unless she was in our room. It's tough, but you have to be consistent. We found with our daughter that she was used to being all warm and cosy with us in bed, so we wrapped her in a light blanket from under the arms down (snuggly) and she finally slept. It's going to take a bit of time and crying. Try to get rid of the pacifier b/c it will be harder the longer she uses, the tougher it will be to get rid of it. My girlfriend's second son Jacob was the same as your daughter and it took several nights (and a bit of crying to break his habit). We finally got Betsy to sleep consistently in her bed around 11months- so start now to make it easier on you.

P.S. I never had my son upstairs with us and he was putting himself to sleep at 6 months. Good luck with everything. If Betsy could transition- your little one can too (:

I have two little ones- a 2 1/2 yr old son and a 12 month old daughter, plus I just started my own business. Have a great day! Sleep will come soon. Hope that helps. *C.

I strongly recomend the "No Cry Sleep Solution" book. You might be able to find it at your library. The book address both getting your baby to sleep independintly and it also address the paci issue.
Good luck!

Perhaps the transition needs to be slower for her to deal with it. You don't say if the crib is in your room or a separate room (which would be 2 transitions, not one)...

Perhaps for the first while, you could have the crib mattress aligned at the same height as your bed, butted right up against your side where the bassinette was, with the crib anchored somehow so it won't move away, and the rail up just enough so she won't spill out into your bed (and so you have no difficulty reaching in to help her when she needs it...

That would make the crib 'her bed' in her mind, then you can make other adjustments to transition her slowly into another room (if that's your goal)...

L.

We used a co-sleeper with our first child cause it was easier for us for breastfeeding. I did the same as you, reached over and placed the pacifier back in. When she moved to a crib, I had a similar problem. My daycare provider sugguested that maybe it's not the pacifier that she wants, but just to know that you are still there. On her advise, we placed one of my worn T-shirts with my "smell" on it in her crib, and it worked. She started sleeping the night through. I hope that this helps you.

First off, pull out her pacifier at night when she's asleep so she doesn't wake up when itn falls out of her mouth. That's why they wake up crying. So start doing that if you don't already.... Next , the weight limit on my bassinet was 15 pounds. My daughter was out of that at 6 weeks b\c I was afraid she was too big for it. And its no wonder that she doewsn't want to take naps in a room where she knows mom isn;t right next to her. That is going to be a challenge for you. My opinion and that's all it is, I feel it would be helpful for you and your husnband if you get rid of the bassinet all together and introduce the crib as a "big girl crib" and do start with the naps. But don't think she will go down for a nap b\c she's not used to this crib. They HAVE to get used to new things and with babies THEY WILL get adjusted, you as parents, have to give the time for that to happen. I know you probably don't want her to always want to be next to mommy in bed when she's like 10 months old. So start now while she is not so set in her ways. Before you know it she will be and it will only be harder for you. It will be tough for a few weeks but "this too shall pass". Its up to you to be strong enough to make the change and make it a positive one. Good Luck

I think babies need to be near their mom 24x7 if that's at all possible. You can get a co-sleeper, drop the side on the crib and secure it against your side of the bed, or put a covered, firm foam pad or very firm, folded quilt on the floor next to you. I don't like to think how babies suffer when they have to cry it out, especially in a separate room. She is still very young but obviously the bassinet is too small. Mine pulled up in hers and pulled it over - oops! Time to move to something bigger. I think it's mostly you that she needs. They're small for such a short time! She's just not ready to separate from you! G. B.

I had this same problem with my oldest daughter when she was going from sleeping in my room to her crib. The only thing that worked for me was putting a little tv/dvd in her room and this kids movie "The wheels on the bus" and also the little einstein vidoes. I know alot of people say its bad to put a tv in kids rooms but my daughter is now 5 and yes she still does have a tv in her room but when its bedtime she knows she has to set her sleep timer for 10 minutes then its done for the night. Much better then getting up all night hearing a screaming baby. I think by her staying up watching the movie in her crib she slept harder and didnt miss her pacifier, sounds weird but it worked for us..Good Luck!!

She may also be having space issues - going from a fairly cramped but cozy bassinet to a huge crib may make her uncomfortable (all that wide open space, what to do?). Can you sort of swaddle her with a Mom-scented shirt?

Hi J.,
What worked for us, is we set up the crib in our bedroom so that the baby was close to us, so the wake up at night trips weren't so difficult. You could even put the crib next to your bed. We did this with both of our kids until they were 10-12 months old. Then we had to move them into their own room and allow some crying, but by that time, the child is eating more solid food and doesn't need a middle of the night bf. I hope this might make the trasition easier for you!

HI, My daughter is now 11 mos... I just went through EXACTLY what you describe, so I hope my comments help.
1. Keep having her take naps in her crib (when I started this, her naps would only last about 10 minutes) but by the end of two weeks, she'd take 45min-1 hr naps. Also, at 6 mos we introduced a "lovey" which was with her every nap and night time. After about 30 days (time in which it takes to form a habit) you should notice that she LOVES her lovey and it will be comforting for her at night.
2. As for popping in the pacifier...I set limits (pop it in twice a night, then once a night, then not at all)... when she cried, we let her go 10 minutes at a time (after all she's 6 mos now and it won't harm your child to let her cry that long) then, I'd go in, lay her down if she was sitting/standing and leave. Maybe we were just lucky but I didn't have to go in again after another 10 minutes... she'd cry herself to sleep. I only had to do this for a week and never again after that.
3. Another idea I heard about getting your kid to sleep in their bed/crib is to "play" in their room, point to the crib and let them know this is where they sleep. Perhaps even put your child in the crib while she's awake so she can look around the room, get used to the view, etc... "normalize" the crib to her and try not to show her the basinette since it's a reminder of where she used to sleep. Just a thought.

Whatever you do, do it now... habits will really solidify over the next couple months and then the battle may be bigger! Good luck

well ive been there twice!! i did the same thing you are doing, nap time in the crib. try putting her real close to the top of the crib. so she feels secure. what happen with our daughter is, she got so used to being in the small closeness of the bassinett, that when she went to the crib it was not cozy an snug. we also put like 10 pacifers in there crib. so there is always one near by for them to find. good luck to you!

I know you have received lots of suggestions, but I thought I'd add my two cents...I think naps in the crib to start out is a great idea to get her used to it. Also, during nap time don't go in and put the pacifier back in if she wakes up. Let her cry for a little bit (you're probably up anyway so it won't keep you awake like at night). She may go back to sleep or she may not, but hopefully this will start to get her used to sleeping in her crib without a pacifier. When you get to the point of deciding that you need to let her cry for a while (this happens to most everyone at some point in time for one reason or another) and it is during the day, find a small project that you really want to get done and don't go to see her until it is done. This will help take your mind off of her crying. If it is a night-time issue, start on a Thursday night. That way you just have to stumble through Friday and then hopefully you and your husband can catch up on a little sleep over the weekend and if you are lucky the worst of it will be over by Monday.

Best wishes to you
B.

First, I would suggest clipping the soother to her blanket, or sleeper, by 6 months they usually are able to find it easily and put it back in. Second, as to the sleeping in her crib, I've heard this suggestion elsewhere, but never had to do it. If it's possible, put her crib beside your bed with the siderail off. You put it right up to your side of the bed so she can't roll out..then she's still sleeping next to you, but getting used to the "bigger" bed. I would suggest then to gradually introduce the side rail and if possible move the crib out of your room to hers..Is only a suggestion, have not had to try it, as both my girls outgrew their cradle within 2 months. Good Luck

Again, it's patience and consistency, and tough love. You'll be no good if you're dragging yourself all over from being so pooped out dancing attendance.

It could be a step in growing up for her. 6 months seems a little young, granted, but stick with the crib transition and don't give in. Chances are the baby will eventually fall asleep. So she wakes up crabby; interrupted sleep makes me crabby too. BUT that will change too. Keeping consistency that she use the crib is the first step. Maybe have something like a mobile or those in-crib moving screens to distract them and ultimately the baby watches it so intently they fall asleep. Why? The mechanism is constant. The music is constant. Over and over stuff. I know if I keep staring at something, I'll eventually conk out. Babies too.

Best of luck!

My oldest daughter, now 4 1/2, gave us this problem. I don't remember what we did about the pacifier situation, I think she just learned to sleep without it. However, the bassinett to crib transition was a very tricky one. I listed all 5 of my Aunts on this. The general thought was that the crib was to big. We put her in the crib straight from the hospital. Think about it from a baby's perspective - they are in your tummy, all tight and snug, the bassinet at the hospital is all small and they can feel the sides, the bassinett at home is the same way. Now you are putting her in something that she can't feel anything on - big open space equals big scary space in her world. After discovering that she hated to be burritto wrapped/swaddled (she would scream really hard then). We ended up rolling up towels and then using packaging tape, or a rubberband, to keep them from unrolling and putting them on ALL four sides of her. We gave her moving room, but they were close enough that if she reached out she would feel them. That really did the trick. The big scary crib became the little, safe crib. As she got older and her reach increased, we eventually took them away. I wish I could remember what we did for the pacifier situation, hopefully somone else has some tips on that one.

HI about the binky can't help you there, that's just the way babies are. I used to have my daughter fall asleep in one of those vibrating seat things she loved it. But when she was asleep I VERY carefull ypicked her up and put her in her crib so she will wake up in there and know that it's okay it might be a little hard at first for her but it''ll work. Mine was the kind where if there was no noise she would wake up, so I got a comfort song thing that goes on her crib rail with a light. As far as the transition for you and your husband MONITORS, stick it as close to the crib as you want,, turn it up in your room so you are not freaking about sids and you will learn her noises that she makes when she does not have the binkie then get up and by the time you make it there you'll be right on time. GOOD LUCK

Well I hare to tell you J., but there is no easy way to do this. You will have to prepare yourself for war. Its going to take at least a good week to break this habit. You are going to have to let her cry it out. This will cure both the sleeping in her bed and the no more pacifier deal all together. May sound harsh but it works. I'm a mother of an 20yr olde and now a brand new mom of a 5 and 2 year old. I'm also a SAHM. No better advisr for you than that. Alot of sleepless nights but if you plan it correctly and sleep in the day while she sleeps you'll be ready.

I remember a similar problem with my first born. But his cradle and then his crib were in our room because at that time we lived in a one bedroom house. In fact, we didn't finally get rid of the paci until he was 2 1/2. I guess there's a few options I can think of. Would it be possible to put the crib in your room for a little while until she adjusts to it so at least you don't have to make the trip accross the house? Or maybe you could hand her the paci during the day so she can figure out to put it in her own mouth. Or perhaps simply swaddling her would help her to feel more secure. Good Luck!

She is going to have to cry it out! We went through the same thing w/ our now 8-1/2 month old. You will be tired a few nights but she will get it that she has to sleep w/out it!

I had this problem with my last one. I know you don't want to hear the crying, but make her take naps in the crib in the living room. Keep the house quiet but not silent. Go ahead and put some toys to look at in there. Go and comfort her, but it's naptime so do not pick her up until naptime is over. When she is used to it for naps, use it for bedtime, putting the crib back where it should be, or near your bed, each and every night farther away from you.

You don't want to keep her in your room forever. A friend of mine is still trying to break her 6 year old son from sleeping with her. She has locked him out of her room but he'll kick the door all night long if she let him.