Sleeps Best in Car Seat

I'm all for what keeps babies sleeping, but I just read not too long ago a warning for parents putting their kids in carseats to sleep in the house. There is a danger of lowered oxygen levels, and leaving the babies alone in the car seats could pose breathing risks.

I've attached 2 websites for you to look at:

http://hhc.healthvision.com/healthyliving/familyhome/nov0...

http://www.drgreene.com/21_666.html

Best of luck!
A.

My two boys were the same way. Especially the oldest one that would not sleep for more than 1-2 hrs at a time. He wore me out.
I think it is because the are so snug in their seats. They feel more comforted.
My sister who had 4 kids gave me the best tip and it helped for both the boys.
A comfortable sleep positioner and wedge set. That helps to keep them snug just like the car seat. You can position them and put the wedges up against their tummy sides and they feel really snug. Worked great for my babys, I hope it helps for yours. Here is a website to find an example of what I am trying to discribe. Good luck!
http://www.rightstart.com/global/store/product~item~6792~...

You have received some great advice and I want to pass on a word of serious warning. Our friend's niece was sleeping peacefully in her car seat after an outing. She was brought into the house in her seat to finish her nap. Unfortunately her head slouched forward and she was young enough not to have developed the neck strength to lift her head and she suffocated. Please, please, if you let her sleep in her car seat, make sure your precious baby is in an appropriate position and definitely not buckled. As for us, we did let our children at times sleep in their seats for short periods but usually only when we went somewhere such as church, the store, restaurant or etc... We found that swaddling was very effective the rest of the time. Good Luck!

It could also be gas and being in a semi pike position helps her to pass the gas. target or walmart carry items that you can use under the bed to give it a slight slope, they also have tube like things that you put your baby in to lie on its side so they don't roll all over. That is what I had to use with my first son and it seemed to work well for him.

Hi Sarah!
For the first couple months after Alyssa was born, we had her sleep in her car seat, and put her car seat on the bottom of the pack-n-play in our room. I always figured she liked the enclosed feeling. We changed when we realized she wanted to stretch her legs or neck and couldn't stretch too much, and the transition onto the flat surface of the pack-n-play was no problem. You might try the same thing with your daughter. Set her car seat in her crib so she gets used to being in there. Then when you feel she is ready, try to make the switch. I'm not sure I would recommend trying to duplicate the "confined" feeling once you do put her in her crib, since she may start to roll around - you don't want her to get caught in blankets. If you think she likes being upright in her car seat, you could get a foam wedge and put that under her mattress sheet so she would be a little elevated in her crib, too. Hope these ideas help!
~J.

that's so cool! I hadn't heard of anyone doing that except me. I am not sure what makes them sleep longer but I wondered if it was because my son couldn't flail about and wake himself up, he was snuggled in, and for my son, he fell asleep watching me, so he didn't have to worry about where I was and fell asleep happy.

I don't know exactly how to duplicate it in the crib, I make sure to tuck my son in, but mostly, he just grew out of that phase I think. Not every night in a row, but a couple times a week, instead of putting him in his carseat, I would put him in his crib, (which in the living room because we have a small house) and he would watch me from there. Some nights he sleeps all night, other times he doesn't. That's life though ain't it? Nothing too set in stone, kind of ebb's and flow's.

My granddaughter mostly slept in her car seat for several months. We placed it in her crib.

I also think sleeping in the car seat has to do with feeling secure in a small space. It may also be that sleeping more upright allows her to breathe better. We tried inclining the mattress but couldn't get it inclined anywhere near the incline of the seat. We also securely swaddled her. That didn't work either.

I think she stopped sleeping in the car seat once she was able to roll over. As I recall she sometimes took naps during the day in her crib without the car seat. But I'm not sure.

Another possible reason is that the bottom of the seat is a rocker and she may be able to make it rock on a hard surface by kicking her feet. We did rock my granddaughter that way.

My granddaughter had no difficulty adjusting to the crib without the car seat once she was mobile.

I found using the car seat for sleep handy, too. When she was asleep and I wanted to go somewhere I just picked up the seat and went. She usually didn't wake up. Or when she fell asleep at the store, once more I just picked her up and went home. Easy transitions.

I would suggest talking about this with your pediatrician. A lot of children sleep better in their car seats because they feel more cradled and secure. Others sleep better because they can breath easier in a semi-reclined position. If this is a breathing issue, your pediatrician should be able to diagnose it. Of course, you could just have one of those that likes the car seat! The other thing we found with our youngest is that she is slightly claustrophobic. As long as she can see out through the bars of the crib, she is ok. If she can't see out, she constantly wakes up. Good Luck!!

This is probably due to the confinement and feeling of being safe and swaddled. Kind of replicates the feeling in the womb. Try swaddling at night in the crib. Check out "The Happiest Baby on the Block" which will show you how if you've not done this before. It will seem funny at first as you will basically pin her arms down to her body and confine her pretty snugly. The idea is to wrap baby nice and snug so she feels like she's cuddled in the womb and minimze the feeling of "falling". If her arms are out and they fall to the side while she's sleeping, it can make her feel like she's falling and not safe.

My son loved to be swaddled and slept fantastic!!! My husband was in Iraq at the time and as a "single" mom I needed those extra long stretches of sleep to keep myself energized! Swaddling was a Godsend!

Good luck!

Hi Sarah,
I wanted to let you know that my daughter was like this also and she liked the elevation. We took a few of her bigger blankets and rolled them up and put it under the sheets and made it like a tub type thing under the sheets and propered her up on it, still ahve yet to change it and shes 10 almost 11 months old!

Hello....I am an older mom with 4 grown kids. I learned a long time ago that small infants like to be snuggled up tightly (not too tightly) because they have been so comfortable for so long while you were carrying them. Maybe your baby is not ready to be "free" and needs to be wrapped in a receiving blanket first (with the arms slightly crossed and resting on the chest)and then another blanket wrapped loosely over that, but brought up so the baby's ears have been loosely covered. When I would do that, it helped allot, and then it helped even more to hold the child against my chest right under my chin so the baby could hear my heartbeat...they are too smart for words! J.

my kids all had a transition period between the bassinet and the crib being bigger i would start swaddling them again. for your daughter she probably likes sleeping upright some. they have they wedges you can buy at the store but we use a pillow under the crib mattress. it lift them up a little and poses no danger. this also works great if they get sick and don't want to lay flat.

My first child was the same way. We concluded it was the confinement. It's more like a womb. So we got a little portable cosleeping insert that was meant to go in our bed between us, but we placed it in her crib. It worked wonders and made the transition to the crib much easier. She slept in the cosleeper for a month or so and then the crib by itself.

Here is the product we used. http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/601-###-###-####-###...

I'm sure there are others out there.

they have wedges used to keep babies on their side, but you can also keep them on their back, try putting a pillow (not a huge one) under her matress, my boys have pillows under theirs (5 & 10 yrs old) because of allergies and post nasal drip, maybe being upright she can breath better.
take good care,
H.

My son (the cuddlebug) adored his car seat for napping time, but at four months I felt I needed to break the habit (fearing it would only be harder as time moved on). He always had a lovie (one of those tiny baby blankets with an stuffed animal head) with him and a pacifer. I used these as soothers during our time of forming new habits. I first started by placing seat in crib and played some gentle music. He was in comfort spot (seat), but this gave him a chance to become familiar with sights around his crib. After a week, I would let him fall asleep in seat and rest for a while. Towards the end of his normal nap time, I would then take him out and transition him into the slightly elevated crib so he would wake up in crib (but still with his lovie and pacifer). He would wake to see his mobile, suroundings and hear the same pleasant music. After a week of this, I stopped using the seat and instead rocked him to sleep with his lovie tucked in him, a blanket gently laid upon him, with the same music playing and giving him a bottle or pacifer. He would get really drowsy and I would lay him down. If he woke I would rub his tummy (or times pick-up him) and then resettle him in the crib. Once he fell asleep in the crib, I would let him keep his lovei (which he just loves to cuddle with to this day) but remove the blanket (he now sleeps in a Halo sleep sack). After a week and 1/2 of this routine, I realized he was taking great naps in the crib and car seat was history. I share this month long transition with you in hopes it brings some ideas for you to try with your sweet cuddle bug!

Hi Sarah,

My son was the exact same way at that age. There were times when I swore he'd be sleeping in either his car seat or his swing for the rest of his life! LOL Fortunately, this is never the case. Our pediatrician thought he might have a small case of reflux, and that the upright position helped that. Also, when he got a little cold, the car seat really seemed to help him to breathe better. And my son loved to be swaddled until he was three or four months old; after that, I think the car seat was the closest thing to that snuggly feeling. He liked having his little cheek resting against the side of the carseat for some reason. :)

I wouldn't worry about it too much, but I would take a couple of steps to start the transition to her crib. For starters, like many other people recommended, I would start putting the car seat in the crib and letting her sleep there, so at least she gets used to her surroundings. (Make sure your crib is set low so the car seat is completely secure.) When you're ready to try the next step, you could try swaddling her, but she's probably already too big to stay swaddled. Have you tried it? You could even try swaddling her with her arms out now that she's a little older. Maybe that would help. The third thing we did was to place one of those car seat headrests flat in her crib, so she could cozy up to it and feel snug. My son really seemed to like the feeling of being close to something. And if you suspect reflux or any other reason why sitting upright feels better for her, you could try a crib wedge, too. We also used one of those.

Here's something similar to what we used in our son's crib: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2813894

All babies are different, of course, so just experiment until you find the right mix. But don't beat yourself up about her sleeping in her carseat! She won't do it forever, believe it or not, and I certainly don't think it's harmful, especially if she gets plenty of tummy time and floor time throughout the day when she's awake.

Hope something you read here helps you!
~J.

Hi Sarah, Lots of infants have reflux and they sleep better at an angle - hence the carseat is comfy. You can duplicate the angle by putting books or towels / blankets, etc. under one end of the crib mattress. That might help if this is the issue. Good luck!

They love that snuggled in feeling. After fighting my 3 boys on sleep I started right off with my daughter in her car seat in her crib. That way she was already used to the noises and smells and it was only the position that changed as she outgrew the car seat.
My youngest son only slept in his swing (which I drug from the living room to my room at night) and I worried that he was losing feeling in his feet. His pediatrician said not to worry, that it was fairly common.
Best of luck!
~M.

You may want to check with your pediatrician on this. I have heard that sleeping in the car seats may not be good for babies in the long term.. Something about their breathing..?

Sarah,
Some people actually put the carseat in the crib. I'm not sure how long they do this for, but I know of people who have. Check with your pediatrician.
The posistion of her body in the car seat might be what is most comfortable for her. I know I would feel comfortable that way.
Best wishes,
A.

I don't know either, but two of my three kids had the same experience, so I ran with it and got some longer sleep for a while, until we moved them into their own crib!

Hi,

Our son was like that too. What worked well for us was letting him sleep in his swing. The swing held him snuggly and had a rhythm that I believe comforted him. He was colicky for the first few months of his life and it was really the only time we could get him to sleep soundly. We went through two swing motors in his first six months, but it was well worth it.

K. S.

Hello Sarah, I'm a grandmother and my last grandchild is now 5 years old...when he was born he had acid reflux...my daughter had to feed, dress, change diapers, everything in an upright position, just so that he could breathe...My suggestion is that you raise the crib at one end, so that your child is not lying flat and also tuck pillows around your child... it will give your daughter pertection and really keep her warm. Some children take awhile to get over the pertecton of the womb....C. Henry

Hi! As unusual as it sounds, my son slept in his car seat until he was almost 7 months old. I talked to the pediatrician about it and she said that when it became uncomfortable for him (due to growing) he would make the transition to a regular crib. I relaxed about where he was sleeping and let him take the lead. Sure enough, as the car seat got more cramped he was willing to sleep in the crib. I started the transition during his naps and quickly progressed to all night. Good luck... D.

Honestly Sarah it could be any number of things. I know that my youngest (who is now 2) slept in her carseat for the first 6 months. She hated being swaddled but needed that security of confinement that the carseat offered. If it is about the confinement you could try using a sleep positioner in the crib, or rolled up blankets along side. Another thing to try is basic swaddling. Sometimes that is all it takes. But I don't think it is a big deal if your little girl sleeps in her carseat as long as it is in a secure place where you don't have to worry about it falling. ie in the crib, or on the floor. Hope this helps.

She might like the confinement, being snugly cradled in that position. Since she's about to be more mobile (rolling, kicking, etc.) it might not be a good idea to try to emulate it in her crib for safety reasons.

If she's four months already, she might be a bit big to swaddle--but have you tried? The only concern you might have about the car seat is that she get enough "not in car seat time" so her head doesn't develop a flat area. Does she get lots of tummy time? You might want to research flat-head (plagiocephaly) and car seats, as many pediatricians have concerns.

You could also talk to her pediatrician and see what they have to say about it. My own daughter rolled over onto her belly for sleeping at 4 months and it worried me so much since I was afraid she'd not be able to push herself back in her sleep if she was having trouble breating. I talked to her pediatrician and she had lots to say about sleeping, and helped alleviate my concerns.

When my baby was that age, she slept better in her car seat too. I started putting it in her crib because she had a cold, and found she slept better upright. I think she slept several months in her car seat (placed in her crib), until she could sit up. When she could sit up the car seat would flip forward - so we had to stop. Hope this helps.

ALL my 4 did this. I LOVE the carseat.... I was worried that it would hurt their back or something and doctor said no problem! But, eventually, it's time to get into the crib... so I would roll 3 blankets and put them on the sides and under the bum of baby... then put a larger blanket over the whole thing... if possible, tuck that one in around the crib (just to reduce any tangling issues). They like it because they feel snug and secure, like being held. Over time, you can flatten it out a bit and then soon, they'll just be used to being flat in the crib when they get a little bigger.

Does your daughter have reflux? Most reflux babies sleep better in an upright position. My 7 m/o slept well the first six weeks but it became increasingly difficult to get him to sleep lying down flat for any length of time. He spit up like crazy and took all his naps in the front carrier. We finally put him on Zantac and I started adding rice cereal to his bottles to help his formula stay down. I tried modifying my diet while nursing but gave up after 5 months when it became clear that pretty much everything I ate bothered him.

You mentioned your daughter sleeps 10 hours per day. Is that total in a 24 hour period? If so, that's not enough sleep. She should be sleeping roughly 14 hours per day in a 24 hour period. Between 4-7 months, she should be taking 2-3 naps for a total of 3-4 hours daytime sleep. She should be sleeping 9-10 hours at night. That doesn't mean she should be sleeping 9-10 hours straight through, mind you. Only that she should be going to bed around 7p-8p and getting up for the day around 6a-7a. Any feedings that occur during those hours should be business-only. No lights, no talking to her. Just feed her, burp her, put her back down. Don't even change her diaper unless it's super wet or dirty.

Do yourself a favor and try to get the sleep issues worked out ASAP. If your daughter becomes sleep deprived you'll go down a very long, frustrating road with her and end up sleep deprived yourself. Babies who are sleep deprived have a more difficult time falling asleep and staying asleep. This can follow them through the toddler years and beyond. My first son was sleep deprived as an infant for various reasons and at 6.5 years STILL has a hard time falling asleep most nights. My favorite book about sleep is Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth.

Good luck!

Hi Sarah, my boy also preferred the car seat at that age, and still does at times, at 8 months old. We've realized two things:

1. He breaths easier propped up and therefore sleeps longer. Try propping the crib mattress up on one end. This has helped us.

2. He likes the feeling of being snug in the seat. I have heard from other parents they've stuffed a large sock with rice and cuddled it around their baby's sides. Of course, you'd want to be careful that it won't spill or suffocate. I don't know that I would be comfortable doing this myself. Especially before 6 months old.

Hope that helps!
T.

We were ecstatic to finally discover that our baby (now a terrible two year old) would sleep in a car seat. We just used an old one without the straps and put it in his cosleeper next to the bed. He didn't like cosleeping in the bed with me, didn't like being flat in the cosleeper, but LOVED being cuddled by the carseat. I think that's what he liked about it - the position. I finally got to sleep after that. Once he was able to crawl out of it, though, it was no good, but by then he was ready to sleep flat again as I recall.

I am not sure what it is about the carset, but if it works, don't feel bad about using it! I used our carseat and then graduated to a reclining, vibrating bouncy seat. Guess what I did with these things?! I stuck them IN THE CRIB! Ha ha! It is worth a try! My 23 month old slept that way during the day (at night time he slept in his crib like normal without the carseat, but if he needed it I would have done it then too) and it was how I stayed sane. I think he was 8 months when I finally broke him of the habit.

Good luck and don't feel bad about doing what you have to do! There is nothing wrong with it and if it helps your baby sleep, then it is probalby a good thing!

It could be that it is a small place. Or there is the other reason that my doctor always told me to put my boys in there car seats for. she could have a tiny bit of acid reflux not bad enough to bother bother her but just enough to wake her those few times she does wake when lying in the crib. it is just a thought but my boys had it and it woke them up constantly so i was told to put them in there seats to help with it. it cant hurt her to sleep there though!!

I've been hearing more about GED (Gastroesophageal reflux disease). It can be associated with extreme spitup/vomiting and pain but there is a type known as "silent" GED where some stomach contents go back up in to the esophagus. When a kiddo has this they tend to sleep better a little at an angle so the contents can slip back into the stomach. You might try propping up one side of her crib mattress. Good luck!

Hi Sarah,
My 13-month old was the same way at the beginning. I was worried that it would get harder if I didn't transition her to the crib/bassinet, so right around the 3-4 month mark, we decided to make the transition. I was terrified, because I liked the sleep I was getting I didn't want to lose it!

At that point she occasionally took naps in her bassinet (but mostly her bouncy chair). So, did the transition in 2 steps: 1) I just tried using the bassinet more for naps to get her used to sleeping outside of her car seat. (I should also mention that we always swaddled her, so I made sure to keep that up which I think helped) and 2) once she woke up at night after the first stretch of sleeping in the car seat, I would then put her in the bassinet for the remainder of the night.

As with most transitions, they are scary but not usually as bad as the anticipation. My daughter was colicky too, so I was always afraid of her FREAKING OUT with every transition. But, amazingly, they usually weren't so bad. Just pick a few nights where your husband is around to help out in case it goes badly, and if all else fails, go back to the old way!

Good luck! And, let us know how it goes!

my son cannont sleep with out is a fan in his room. on the highest speed when there is activity in the house and on medium when everyone else is asleep too. make sure you point the fan away from your child of course. but fans make everything better, the louder the fan the better. box fans and stand fans are the best, ceiling fans tend to not be loud enough. the "white noise" of the fan seems to lessen the startle effect and thus keeping a sleeping baby sleeping longer. also, i cant even remember when they start rolling (duh) but my son needed one of the sleep positioners for awhile for him to feel secure, and tight in one spot. try the fan for real if you arent using one, they work miracles. i cant sleep without one either! good luck let me know if this works :)L.

My oldest son was the same way. He was in constant motion when I was pregnant - and not a whole lot changed after I had him. I think he slept best in his car seat because of the inability to move. He was restrained and able to sleep soundly, but when he was free to wiggle he wiggled and this would disturb his sleep.

My son slept for a long time IN his car seat in his bassinet or crib or even on the floor. He slept so well in it that I would just buckle him in and let him pass out. As long as the carseat isn't anywhere it can fall it is just as safe as any other option...if not safer since they are strapped in! :) Good luck!

My friend was pretty paranoid about her baby sleeping in her carseat because her pediatrician told her it was bad and could slow the baby's growth. Apparently, babies grow a lot when they sleep and the carseat confines them. Just to be on the safe side, maybe ask your pediatrician about this.

Just from what my other kids have done (not my 7 week old because he hates his carseat) they all have liked the carseat to sleep in...
One reason from what I think, is that she has always been in something small. bassinets are not all that big, then sleeping with you... the crib is to open, to much space and she doesn't like or/doesn't feel safe enough to sleep a long time... I would swaddle her up and she if she sleep better for you in the crib that way... a good book for helping your little one to sleep better is by Tracy Hogg Baby wispherer
If you keep letting her sleep in her carseat that is what she is going to want ALL the time, and then trying to get her to sleep in her crib will really be hard. Babies really like the confinement that they felt before they were born, so try to give that to her in her crib...

A word of caution. My friends let their son sleep in his car seat at night and he developed a muscle condition in his neck that required going to physical therapy.