Getting My 1 Wk Old to Sleep in His Cradle

It wouldn't matter what he sleeps in. He doesn't have an opinion on the good/bad things with a cradle. This is just how a baby is. His way of telling you you're needed. Either he's hungry or needs changing.

It's not the cradle tho. what you could do would be to put some lullaby music in there. Something soothing.

None of my 3 kids liked their bassinet/cradle and didn't sleep well until they were in a nice solid crib. The change was instant. I think they didn't like that the slightest movement would cause a sway in the cradle. Full on movement all the time like in a swing was fine, or full on still in the crib, nothing in between.

newborns are like that... he is used to being inside you.. it a cozy tight environment.

try swaddling him.. wrap him tightly in a recieiving blanket so he wont flail his arms and wake himself up.

he will probably sleep very well if you hold him.

he will sleep better when he is older.. by 4 months or so.. he shoulhave a general sleep pattern... usually babies take 3 naps a day... but for quite a whiel his sleep will have no pattern.

HI H.!

My son was the same way! What really helped was getting a "Swaddle" from Babies R Us. They run about $10 but are so worth it! My pediatrician told me that babies are used to being in tight cooridors and now they have all this freedom, it scares them.

Good Luck and Stay Strong!

H. don't pick him up when he fusses let him fuss he needs to figure it out if you keep picking him up your not allowing him to get use to it. He is scared he is only a week old he likes your warm body and to be held for security so have him bundled up and warm when you lay him in there too. I ususally baby them for about a month than try to reinforce leaving them to cry till they fall asleep. good luck and enjoy your little creation how awesome!!

Congratulations!
I had our daughter in a bassinet right next to our bed. I would swaddle her very tight , have her on an angle with a towel roll behind her back, not so big that she would go onto her stomach. soon as she started to fuss I just layed my hand on her back or tummy that seemed to help. How was the delivery, I had all my kids be seen by a craniosacral dr. after a month. My sons delivery was a bit hard and he would not turn his head completely one way(I am a physical therapist). His collar bone was slightly dislocated and had to be realigned so he was in pain when in certain positions. The Pediatrician thought it was torticalis but I wasn't sure so I saw Dr.Kavief ###-###-#### and in 2 visits he was fine. But you really have to have someone who knows what they are doing. I saw Dr. Reid Kavief or Dr. Zhedel in West Bloomfield. They are both great and work with lots of babies.I would go to Dr. K first. They are both worth the drive I know of some one who came from Chicago to see Dr. K . He is worth the wait if its a month or so. tell them you have a new born and they will put you on the cancellation list. Good luck.

I don't know if you have a vibrate option on the cradle he is sleeping in, but vibration always worked for both my kids. They would easily fall asleep in a bouncy seat with the vibrate on. I also tried laying a heating pad on the sheets to warm them up (don't put the baby on the heating pad..only to warm up the sheets) and that worked for a while. Just remember this time is fleeting...in a few weeks you will looking back at these first few days and laughing!

Check in with your baby and his needs~ he in very young and they fuss when they need to communicate something of importance to you. Either they need comfort, feeding, closeness, changing or it could even be a case of colic. At this stage of the game it really is anyone's guess.

The main thing is to stay calm, collected and patient. You are his world and light: all he knows and loves. If all else ~ Keep the pediatrician on speed dial (they understand with first time parents! LOL!). I also recommend parent groups as they help... and of course checking in here. But being with a group that meets up in person is a blessing for your own sanity as well.

Swaddling works wonders! Also, take one of your worn shirts that have not been washed and put it under him. It will smell like you and comfort him.
Don't lay him down on cold sheets. I always take a fuzzy blanket and sleep on it then instead of the shirt I put the blanket down and lay the baby on top of it. The blanket has my smell on it, and the fuzzy blanket feels warmer than flat sheets and blankets do.
Don't expect him to sleep flat on his back. Use those propping wedges to prop him at a slight angle. Enough so he's propped, but not enough that he'll roll onto his belly. Gives them a more "held" feeling than laying flat on their backs does.

And keep it up. Keep putting him in there. He'll get it...

Warm up the mattress with a small heating pad (remove the heating pad before putting him in!!!)

Swaddle him nice and tight.

Consider that he might be waking because he's just wet himself, or because he's hungry, or because he's having some other sort of discomfort. Or just misses you...it's really unnatural to be separated from Mom to him...you've been holding him for 9months.

Hang in there.

H.; he may need swaddling or putting a blanket around him to keep him warm, and wrapped up in , so he feels he is in his first home, your womb, swaddling helps a lot of very young babies to feel comfortable in their huge surroundings, so dont fret it, at least he is sleeping, and they do enjoy your warmth and touch and love being held, even while asleep, so try swaddling, D. s

Newborns are figuring out their new world and need to be held A LOT! They have been warm inside you and now they're not. Some babies don't seem to care much, but many care a lot. Keep your baby in your arms as much as possible, nursing frequently and talking soothingly to him. He needs to know you are very close. This will be true for a long time. He's very immature and out of his element here.

Hi H.,
We had this problem with my first baby and for us, the problem was that she was too cold. Poor thing went through a week of only sleeping 15 minutes or so in her bassinet (next to my bed) and then would start fussing. I'd think she was hungry so I'd nurse her and she'd fall asleep if I held her. I now know it was my body warmth that she wanted.

She was "cured" of her fussiness when we turned up the heat, swaddled her, put a blanket over her and put her in a sleep positioner. This was all on the same night that I made these changes (after a very rough night of basically being up until 5 a.m.). We also started making her last feeding of the night a bottle of formula. This way, daddy got to do it, we knew she was full, and it gave me an opportunity to pump and build up my milk supply in the freezer.

That first night that I made all those changes, she slept for 8 hours straight! I woke up panicked that something had happened to her. :)

Anyway, don't know if that is the answer for you, but it certainly helped me.

Enjoy your new little one!

He might need to be swaddled, wrapped up snuggly in a blanket, or he might just be cold. He is only a week old so who knows..it's all new to both of you. He isn't used to being out of his warm snuggy momma-belly! You will figure it out, most babies do love to held alot. No worries!

We swaddled our son with a pacifier and put him to sleep in his car seat until he was four months old and started to protest because he wanted to stretch his legs.

I think you've gotten some good advice here.

1. Swaddle and to make it easier, if you can, purchase a swaddle me blanket by kidpopottamus - babies r us $10
2. Try putting him to sleep somewhere else, a pack n play/crib etc. (my son hated the bassinet but always slept fine in either the pack n play or crib)
3. pacifier if you're ok with that
4. sleep positioner
5. tshirt that smells like you under him (make sure it is very stretched out over the positioner.

I wouldn't recommend letting him fuss at this age. This is the time when babies develop their attachment/trust part of their brain. Right now you want to jump at a moment's notice...leave that for later on.

good luck and CONGRATS!