My little girl is 7mo. old (8mo. on the 15th)and she will not sleep in her bed.Since i brought her home from the hospital she has slept in her car seat.(HER DR. SAID IT WAS FINE,WONT HURT HER).Now she is growing to be to big to sleep in it.Ive tried a number of times to put her in her baby bed and her cradle but she will only sleep for a few minutes and then squirms and wakes.I tried letting her cry for awhile in hopes she would go to sleep and eventually get used to her bed,didnt work!Ive put a number of different things in her bed such as things that light up,play soft music,etc.,as well as nothing in the crib.Ive tried everything.Any suggestions

By Tunnia on Thursday, February 27, 2003 - 07:19 am:

It sounds to my like she prefers to be fairly confined when she sleeps. Maybe try bundling her before putting her in her crib (we always called it the "Baby Burrito". Also, you may roll up a couple of towels (into very small, tight rolls to avoid a suffocating hazard, you would probably need to tie them to keep them tight and small) and place them on either side of her, keeping it away from her face, so that she feels more confined. Also you could try sleeping her sideways at the end of the crib so she feels closed in on three sides and then roll up a towel on the side not against the crib. Good luck to you.

By Mechelle on Thursday, February 27, 2003 - 10:40 am:

Do you have bumper pads in her crib?
Try placing her in her crib next to her bumper pad, that way maybe she can cuddle into her bed.

Tunnia's suggestion is wonderful,,I never thought of that one

By Claire on Thursday, February 27, 2003 - 11:47 am:

Please do NOT place your baby next to a bumper pad! They look very nice in a crib, but bumper pads are a safety hazard and experts recommend that you don't use them.

By Claire on Thursday, February 27, 2003 - 11:55 am:

166403_256442%2C00.html,http://www.parentsplace.com/babies/safety/articles/0,,166403_256442,00.html

By Palmbchprincess on Thursday, February 27, 2003 - 12:18 pm:

I agree with bundling her. You can also buy positioners that would take the place of the towels. I bought mine at JC Penneys for like $10. my kids only used them for a few weeks when they were little. It's a pad with removable (velcro) cylinder-shaped pillows on each side. Claire is right, bumper pads should not be used after 4 or 5 months. That stinks for me b/c they kept the binkies in the crib! ;)

By Tunnia on Thursday, February 27, 2003 - 12:38 pm:

Palmbch, I used a nifty little gadget on my ds's binky (dd never used one) to make it easier for him to find his binky at night and also helped keep it in the crib. I don't remember the name of it, but I think First Years made it and it was a soft, little stuffed bunny with a binky tether on it and a rattle inside. When it got dirty I just tossed it in the washer and it was small enough that it fit in the diaper bag. I bought it at Walmart for about $5 it seems. It was a life saver, well a sleep saver anyway, because when he woke up at night missing his binky he just had to feel around for his bunny instead of crying for me to come find the binky for him.

By Mechelle on Thursday, February 27, 2003 - 01:10 pm:

Oh please excuse my post with the bumper pads. I didn't realize she was that old.

By Claire on Thursday, February 27, 2003 - 02:39 pm:

The bumper pads are not safe even for infants I am sorry.

By Eve on Thursday, February 27, 2003 - 03:13 pm:

I have another suggestion for you. I've talked to people in this same situation. We let Syd sleep in her car seat in the first few weeks too. I would try putting the car seat in the crib to get her used to it. Then, when she falls asleep trying moving her out of the car seat. Maybe if she wakes up there, she will start to get more comfortable.

When Sydney was 6 months old, we Ferberized her as well. It worked after a couple of days, but I never knew I would have to listen to her cry it out again. That route wasn't for me. Good luck! It can be so tough!

By Mommyah2 on Thursday, February 27, 2003 - 04:09 pm:

Thanks a bunch everyone.Im willing to try everything the poor kid hangs half way out,but thats where shes cumfy.

I hate that we cant use bumpers anymore,it seems to keep their legs in the crib and arms.Oh well whatever keeps our babies safe huh.

By Mommyah2 on Thursday, February 27, 2003 - 04:15 pm:

Did you also know that placeing a baby on its stomach or even a really warm room will increase the sids risk

By Mechelle on Thursday, February 27, 2003 - 08:56 pm:

Yes,
it is said now to place an 'Back to sleep'.
Increases the risks of sids, if they are placed on thier stomachs.

By Kaye on Thursday, February 27, 2003 - 11:14 pm:

Here is a funny thought. We struggled getting our daughter into her crib also, however she slept in the car seat or on hubbys chest well. We got to thinking about the transistion. Think about the car seat, it is confined and cushy and warm, the crib, we just had a plan sheet on it. Well for safety reasons you can't really make it more cushy, so we focused on the warm. What we did was putting a heating pad in the crib for 30 minutes before we were going to lay her down. We removed the pad and then laid her down. I guess it made her think she was with us? Anyway, I think the car seat in the crib idea is great, but if she won't lay down in there maybe trying warming it up for her.

By Mommyah2 on Friday, February 28, 2003 - 02:02 am:

O.K I will tr the heating pad thank u.