Shannon writes:
"I know you addressed this some in your "sleep week" article, but I was hoping you could give me some hope regarding my 9-week-old. I know you said for the first 12-14 weeks let them sleep any way they will. Well, she sleeps only in her swing or on our chests. After spending two days trying to get her to sleep in her crib, she would only sleep for 15 minutes tops... then she would wake up for an hour or two... sleep for 15 minutes... etc. We tried everything... different positions, trying to simulate the "feel" of the swing (it's not the motion that she needs because she will sleep in the swing when it's off too). Needless to say, after two days, she was near delirious - arms waving erratically; shaking her head quickly - that is when I quit. Nothing was worth seeing her like that. I put her in the swing and she has been asleep since (that was 4 hours ago).
Everyone tells me not to worry about it and that she won't go to kindergarten with the swing.
My question is... If she isn't going to go to kindergarten with the swing, then how is the transition going to happen? Am I going to have to go through the horrible heartache of the past two days again when she gets too big to sleep in the swing?
Please tell me you have or know someone who has been through this. I just really want to know what to expect."
I think you have good people surrounding you, if they're telling you not to worry about it right now. Because really, what can you do at this point that isn't going to stress everyone out unduly?
It sounds like you're in a good spot if she'll sleep in it when it's not moving, because simulating the motion of the swing would be the toughest, most exhausting part. It sounds like she relaly likes being upright. That could be just a preference, or it could mean that she feels uncomfortable while she's flat, and that points to reflux or other tummy troubles.
If she does have some mild reflux, then the cure is to keep her on an incline while she sleeps, which you're doing. I'm going to assume that she doesn't have more severe reflux with spitting up since you didn't mention that, so there's no need for Zantac or any other meds for it. If keeping her upright is enough to help her, then you're golden.
I'm not saying she definitely has reflux, but I am saying that it's possible, and if she does, she's certainly lucky to have parents who are going along with what she's expressing a need for (very clearly, I might add, which means she's used to your responding to her) instead of what they think they should do.
Now, whatever reason she's sleeping in the swing, she'll either outgrow it soon (my bet would be right around the 12-week mark), or you're going to have to figure out some way to transition her out of it when she gets too big. Jo-Ann had a son who would only sleep in his infant car seat, and in this post we all were figuring out how to transition him out of it by figuring out exactly what about it he liked, and then replicating those conditions in his crib. You can do the same thing with your daughter and the swing, by observing what it is about the swing that she needs. You already know it's not the motion. Is it the upright position? The sides that kind of coccoon her? The smell? There are all sorts of things it could be, and if you can isolate those, you can replicate them. But you probably won't be able to figure that out for another few weeks at the least. 9 weeks is just the beginning of the cusp of the start of their making sense to adults.
My other suggestion is to start using a musical lovey, if you can. When you feed her, put the lovey (playing its music) snuggled in with the two of you, so she starts to associate the lovey and its music with drifting off to sleep with a full tummy. After a week or so of this you can start using the lovey to help her transition to sleep if she's fighting it, or to soothe her if she comes out of sleep briefly. When it's time to transition her out of the swing, the lovey will be helpful in getting her to sleep in a different spot.
It sounds like you guys are doing really well. Even if you do have to go through a swing step-down program, it'll be easier when she's older and a little more stable. The lovey will help. And she may grow out of it without your even doing anything.
How about getting an Amby Baby. It is similar to a swing but designed for sleping, and you can use it until they can sit up.
http://www.ambybaby.com/
Posted by: Sarah | January 25, 2007 at 10:09 AM
Great ideas! Be patient, you have a long time to get this right!
I have two notes to add:
1) Even reflux that does not involve spitting up may need VERY SERIOUS meds. It is commonly thought in the parenting world that if they're not screaming and puking, the reflux is not serious enough to treat. Not so. Gabe had silent reflux. Not a big spitter at all, and only just a bad sleeper. Very active, woke often, but eventually got enough sleep.
He also developed a feeding disorder (notably, his cousin who also had silent reflux also developed the same feeding disorder!). The pattern for both of them was that they developed a dislike of a lot of foods, got down to a 'limited diet' and then started reducing the amount of those few foods they ate. With Gabe, we caught it when he was just about 6, and the inflammation in his esophagus took more than 6 months to go down on meds. With his cousin, they caught it when she stopped growing at 8 and started losing weight, and her esophagus had huge holes in it taking up half the circumference. :( So don't think 'not spitting and not screaming = no meds required'. Gabe is on Prevacid, cousin is on Nexium for life. Silent reflux is still bad reflux just with different symptoms.
2) Try a variety of lovies. The musical ones are great for some kids, very soft or silky ones for others, etc. Gabe was very auditory, and anything but BEAUTIFUL, on key, gentle music was painful to him. He still has an amazing ear for music. And musical toys still make him wince. Brendan, my second, is very tactile, and was also sensitive to sound (though not in tone, more in volume). We had a musical lovie that he ADORED that had a really nice music-box tone, and was very quiet. Slept with mr Lion (a crib-lovey, actually - pull the tail) for ages. But he also had a big issue with textures, and loves soft and silky blankets. So try them out, when they're happy and content and well rested, to see which they enjoy best, and then use that kind.
By the way, I have scads of pictures of Gabe sleeping in the swing. And in the doorway jumper. And in the exersaucer. Lots of 'sleeping like a baby in an upright position' pictures. I only wish someone had said 'hey, reflux?' back then to me! Gabe's cousin had been an early spitter but had 'gotten better' in a few months, so nobody thought the 'sleeps best upright' or 'fussy and sleeps poortly when horizontal' meant diddly squat. It was only when he stopped eating that we figured it out. Years and years of discomfort and damage that we missed, and much more work to handle the feeding issues as a result. Not fun. (Fortunately 90+% of early infant reflux, silent included, IS outgrown by 12 months!)
Posted by: hedra | January 25, 2007 at 10:16 AM
My son also slept in his swing until about 4 months. (it's been a couple years, so my memory might be a little fuzzy) He let us know pretty clearly when he was ready to transition away from the swing. I think it was when he started rolling over. Suddenly he was pretty comfortable taking naps in the crib, and then sleeping all night in the crib. For my son being able to sleep on his tummy was the difference. And since he was rolling in both directions (front to back, back to front), I didn't worry about SIDS.
FWIW, it was my pediatrician that told me not to worry about letting him sleep in the swing! She said if he was getting enough sleep, and I was getting sleep, that we could work on any problems later.
Hang in there...and enjoy the part where she sleeps. That's great where-ever it happens.
Posted by: Lisa | January 25, 2007 at 10:16 AM
Having had three kids (now ages 10, 8 and 5), I say not to worry about where they sleep. My first child slept in his car seat for the first three weeks and ended up being a great crib sleeper. My second one was a screamer and swing sleeper - tummy trouble kid to this day - and still not a great sleeper. My third was a stroller and car sleeper. She is also a great sleeper now.
Posted by: Char | January 25, 2007 at 10:33 AM
"She said if he was getting enough sleep, and I was getting sleep, that we could work on any problems later."
I second that!
My first and second were bouncy-seat sleepers. My third was a swing sleeper. She probably still would if I let her! I think the turning point for them was when they could tummy sleep - around 6 months.
For the next couple weeks, don't worry about it. Don't worry about how your baby will transition. In a couple weeks - reevaluate the situation. If it's still working ok, give it a couple more weeks.
FWIW - I ended up with two swings for the third child - one upstairs and one on the main level. By the time #3 came, I didn't care how she was sleeping, just that she was sleeping!
Good luck!
Posted by: Gretchen | January 25, 2007 at 10:54 AM
I can completely relate to your concern. My son (just turned 1) slept only in the swing for the first 5 months.
He was diagnosed with silent reflux at 5 weeks (symptoms: sudden wailing in the middle of nursing) and was a very poor sleeper in the first few weeks because we had him in a co-sleeper. I put him down for a nap in the swing at 6 weeks and found that he slept much better and for longer lengths in the swing than when he was flat on his back.
Gradually the swing became the only place he would sleep – we were getting really worried and stressed about how we would transition him to a crib. I stressed about it and checked every resource I could to see how other people dealt with it. Then on his 5th month birthday, he tried to roll over in his swing and almost fell out – that was a big scare for us and him! I started to have him nap on a blanket on the floor with pillows on the side ..and he seemed to like that…The night sleep started out in the swing (from 6:30 to midnight and then we put him on the floor after the midnight feeding. Gradually he learnt to fall asleep without the swing on his tummy but never liked the crib until very recently.
The pediatrician kept telling us to move him to a crib but we wanted him to sleep (sleep is soimportant for proper growth in the early months!).
So, my advice to you is don’t get stressed. He will let you know when he is ready
Posted by: Bhuvana | January 25, 2007 at 10:55 AM
no kid goes to kindergarten in a swing!! i promise!! just sleep however you can right now!! four hours is fantastic!! i used to wonder if i would have to nurse pnut to sleep for the rest of her life- the child would only fall asleep at the breast or in the swing/carseat- never EVER flat on her back in a crib!! i literally thought i was going to die, that i was doing something wrong. then she finally grew out of it, almost at a year. what i am saying is hang in there and respect that your baby will go in and out of phases and while you are in the moment they may seem permanent but most likely you aren't doing anything that will cause long term issues. as pp's have said, babies do things when they are ready, and our trying to get them to do it before that just adds to everyone's stress.
we let pnut sleep in her swing during her daytime naps for months and months- she was tiny so she really outlived the normal life of the swing. we let her sleep in it at night only if she had a cold but if i was smart (and reading moxie then) i would have just let her sleep in it then, too. it was where she slept whenever we travelled, too. i second the idea of the lovey- we have a birdy thing that plays music and has a projection on the ceiling that she loved (although not that young, it was a bit later for us) and we played a lullaby instrumental cd on repeat at night- also she has a very soft blanket that is a lovey, too. your baby may just enjoy the cozyness of the swing- like being in your arms- and that's wonderful! as long as she gets plenty of non-swing awake floor time to encourage her movement and gross motor development, you all should be fine. hang in there!
Posted by: pnuts mama | January 25, 2007 at 11:31 AM
As others have said, you're doing just fine. My son slept in the swing until he was 4 months, then started cosleeping all night. He had been sleeping in the swing until his first waking/whenever we went to bed, whichever came first, then he would come to bed with us. If only I could get him out of our bed and into the crib now!
Posted by: Kayla | January 25, 2007 at 11:34 AM
I noticed you said the baby waves her arms frantically around. Swaddle with miracle blanket could help, too. Ours like the coocoon of the swing--it contained her flailing arms. Swaddling helped so much (yes, she cried while being swaddled, but then we'd pat her and put her in the crib and she would sleep much longer)
Posted by: NB | January 25, 2007 at 11:52 AM
My first never took a nap anywhere but in her swing until the was 6 months old, then she made the transition to napping on the bed with no problem at all. I only wish I'd gone ahead and let her sleep in the swing at night, too; it would have saved us all a lot of drama and sleeplessness, and she would have been so much happier during the day if she'd been getting decent rest at night.
Posted by: Dani | January 25, 2007 at 12:02 PM
Ditto. My bear slept in her swing for 4 months. She would SCREAM when laid on her back. At first, we kept the swing next to our bed. Then we moved it into her room. Later she would fall asleep in the swing and then let us move her into her crib for the rest of the night. Finally, she went to sleep in her crib. It was a process.
It might have been a minor reflux. Never diagnosed. The ped wasn't concerned as she kept growing like crazy. Maybe she outgrew it as her tummy developed?
Moxie is right about the magic of music. The tunes on the swing still make ME sleepy !
Posted by: Karie | January 25, 2007 at 12:03 PM
For the first 10-11 months of his life my son slept just about anywhere BUT his crib. Now, he's 15 months old and sleeps like a dream in his crib. Hang in there!
We had a "whatever works" policy for the first 6 months - when he hit 6months, I started consistently putting him in his crib for naps. I'd let him for maybe 15 minutes, then would pick him up. Gradually, he fell asleep in there - which of course frightened me the very first time. And now, here we are with an awesome crib sleeper. I'm still in amazement sometimes that we made it here.
You know your child best - go with your instinct, it's probably correct.
Posted by: cagey | January 25, 2007 at 12:06 PM
From about 3 or 4 months until 6 or 7 months, my son would nap only in the swing, with it swinging (though in his case, for some reason he didn't seem to have trouble sleeping in the crib at night). I worried about how to transition him, especially since, at 4 months, they start telling you that motion sleep isn't good sleep (though he seemed very well rested - he took solid morning, afternoon and evening naps in that swing every day). At 7 months I just started experimenting with the crib (and we also did some traveling where a pack-n-play was his only option) and for some reason he just started to be more willing to nap there.
The lesson from all this - I tend to worry about 'habits' he has at a given time, and how we'll ever change them, but often they just end up changing on their own through circumstances, stages the child goes through, etc., and in the end my worrying is often for nothing. Granted, sometimes there are transitions that are tough, but we might as well wait and see what happens when the transition becomes necessary before worrying about how it will happen.
Posted by: Katy | January 25, 2007 at 12:18 PM
My 13 week old would only fall asleep in the swing or on me for most of her first two months - most of it on me! To transition out of sleeping with/on me, we started swaddling her and putting her in the swing to fall asleep. Once she was asleep, we would move her to her crib to complete her sleeping until she woke for her next feeding. We would do this every time she slept, day or night. After a few days of this, we started putting her into her crib without the swing. It took a few tries but eventually she started falling asleep in her crib without the swing. I think the key for my daughter is the swaddle. She will wake herself up if she isn't swaddled by the movement of her arms or legs. When she's swaddled, she is able to sleep for hours at a time. We use a traditional swaddle using a swaddle me blanket currently but we are thinking of trying the miracle blanket soon since she's now strong enough to wiggle her way out of the swaddle and get her arms free.
As Moxie and the other commenters have noted, the fact that your child is getting sleep is the most important thing. Your child will transition to the crib when she's ready, I promise!
Posted by: CaliJen | January 25, 2007 at 12:36 PM
I agree with Hedra and Bhuvana as both a doctor and a mother of a baby with bad silent reflux - spitting up isn't necessary for a baby to have terrible pain when lying flat or even slightly inclined.
Again, like Moxie I'm not saying Shannon's baby definitely has it, but it can be very erosive and damaging and need medication even with no or little spit-up.
My baby slept in his car seat for a bit, and we really wanted to get him out of it. We transitioned him to a Tucker Sling/Wedge and so far so good. (http://www.tuckerdesigns.com/) They are pricey but really work to keep him comfortable. And he's on prilosec. Good luck!
Posted by: Jenny | January 25, 2007 at 12:38 PM
Sorry, the previous link didn't work:
http://www.tuckerdesigns.com/
Posted by: Jenny | January 25, 2007 at 12:39 PM
I'm a new mama to a 5 month old, so I know what you're experiencing - you want to know a) if what you're doing now is okay for NOW, and b) that it won't set you up for problems in the future that could be avoided if you came up with another way of doing it.
What I am sloooooowly learning from my daughter is that giving her what she needs right now is more important than trying to foresee all potential future disasters. And a lot of the time, she grows out of/transitions out of whatever pattern/"habit" she's been in all on her own!
You're doing great. A lot of the time, it's okay to listen to your baby instead of the doctors/books/well-meaning friends. Good luck!
Posted by: Amy | January 25, 2007 at 01:10 PM
My kids loved the swing and it was a sure-fire way to get both of them to sleep. With the second I never even really tried to get him to sleep anyplace else (except also the bouncy seat, which he loved, too) for the first couple of months.
I think where people run into trouble is when they decide that's the only way the kid will sleep and they never try anything else. Just make sure that you keep trying different stuff. Can you move her when she's asleep? Have you tried bouncer? That gives the same cozy, close, semi-upright feeling as the swing, with the added bonus that you can pick it up and move it different places. For awhile, at night, my younger one slept in the bouncer which was placed in the cradle. When he woke up, I could rock the cradle with my foot, which was sometimes enough to soothe him back to sleep. Eventually we started letting fall asleep on us and then putting him directly in the cradle. He'd stay there until the first night feeding and then usually do the rest of the night in the bouncer.
I think it's all about making small, acceptable transitions (but not forcing it on them) until they're sleeping the way you'd like. It's fine for her to sleep in the swing while she needs it, but make sure you check to see if she still needs it, if that makes sense. Don't just go, oh, well, that's how she sleeps and keep putting her in there until she's two.
FWIW, my daughter (2 1/2 and happily sleeping in a big girl bed) slept only in the swing at the babysitters, because that's what worked, what got her to nap, until she was way past a year.
Posted by: Jan | January 25, 2007 at 01:10 PM
Dear Shannon,
Clearly you are among friends here at Moxie's site! I thought my kid was going to be dragging her feet on the ground as she slowly grew to be a middleschooler in her swing. It started creaking ominously from overuse, and I was annoyed that they only make them for use with D-batteries and not with an cord/plug. I kept re-reading the section in Harvey Karp's Happiest Baby on the Block book, feeling nervous that at 5.5 months she still showed few signs of growing tired of it (I think he says like 4 months should be it). BTW, if you rule out silent reflux, you can also try other Karp techniques (google Karp's website or his Video DVD is very fast and helpful) that mimic the sounds and feeling of the womb for little babies (and I would say bigger babies too!). Swinging, loud shooshing/whooshing sounds, swaddling (my baby loved the tighter the better). 0-3 month olds often really love and truly need you to replicate the womb feeling to relax, since that is the way they have been traveling for most of their existence.
No transition on my part was needed: at close to six months, I found she would sleep flat in the bed with us after nursing for longer and longer periods. She also began to find the swing an amusing toy (sitting up and grabbing the sides to stop it) rather than a soothing sleep inducer and the swing became a favorite spot for the cats
Posted by: jesse | January 25, 2007 at 03:05 PM
Second the recommendations to a) not worry about it too much and b) consider swaddling. There's actually a larger size SwaddleMe for the 14 lb+ kiddo. Mouse slept in one until she was about 5 months, when she started to sleep just as well (or badly) without one. Definitely check out the Happiest Baby On The Block stuff--doesn't work for every baby, but it does for a lot! Also worth looking at: Elizabeth Pantley's The No-Cry Sleep Solution, which has a ton of suggestions, and is written in the style of "try this out, see what works for you".
Your baby will start sleeping better in a few weeks, more than likely...and then something or other will happen and she'll sleep horribly again for a bit...and then she'll snap out of it again at a higher level of good...and then she'll regress again for a while...and then she'll have a good phase. I'm fairly convinced that kids will do this no matter what you "do" about it. Here's one individual history (my Mouse):
0-3 months: nurse several times during the night, sleep only swaddled, nap only if held
3-5 months: one awakening around 5AM to nurse, nap in stroller or sometimes allow self to be put down in crib
5-7 months: 5-6 awakenings/night, nap in stroller or car if you're lucky
7-11 months: 1 awakening around 5AM, nap in stroller, in crib if nursed down, or at daycare
11-13 months: sick and teething, no freakin sleep
14 months-2 years: sometimes an awakening or two at night, always several if teething or sick, nap at daycare or in stroller or if nursed in crib
2-2 1/2: weaned, awakenings only with nightmares, sickness, or emotional events; naps at daycare only
2 1/2 to now: only occasional naps at daycare, almost always sleeps through unless sick or freaked out about something (i.e. the first couple days she wore panties to school)
Hang in there!
Posted by: Charisse | January 25, 2007 at 04:37 PM
My daughter slept in the swing as well until 5 months. The transition to crib was not bad at all. We started by letting her fall asleep in the swing, turning off the motion, and putting her in the crib. Eventually she just went down in the crib. Also consider that she will just grow out of it as she gets bigger and if you keep trying the crib (or other place of your preference) eventually she'll just do it. I definitely agree with the other posters that it's nothing to worry about.
Posted by: Tess | January 25, 2007 at 05:37 PM
I agree with Katy - worrying about them forming big, bad habits is often for naught. My baby would only nap in the sling or Moby wrap for the first four months of his life (he hated the swing - weird).
And everyone I encountered told me he was "addicted" to the sling and "what are you going to do when he goes to daycare - they won't put him in that thing".
I worried myself sick -- and thought that if one more person told me I was spoiling him I was going to kick them in the shins!
And you know what - he eventually started sleeping in his crib. We tried it occasionally at home and at daycare they would bounce him in a bouncer and sometimes try the crib. Eventually, he just decided he didn't want to be bounced anymore.
So please trust your own instincts -- you know your baby better than anyone else. Keep the faith - the swing phase will pass.
Posted by: Scotti | January 25, 2007 at 05:44 PM
We still put Jack in the swing in the mornings to get an extra hour or two our of him. It's right next to our bed and when he tries to sit up and roll around after I nurse him at 5-5:30 a.m., we stick him in the swing and he's out.
He's a year old next month and over 20 pounds, but you'll have to pry that swing out of our cold dead hands before we will give it up!
He napped in the swing exclusively from about 2-5 months, then I got him into the crib. He always did overnight sleeps in his bassinet, our bed or his crib from birth though.
I say do what you need to do to get sleep now. Worry about the future later!
Posted by: SprengBlingBling | January 25, 2007 at 07:27 PM
I'm joining the crowd here. My son (9 mos) still naps in the swing & I too am starting to wonder what to do when he outgrows it (soon). In the beginning, the swing could be counted on to knock him out like Nyquil! So when nothing else settled him down, we put him in there. But he would sleep in the crib at night if swaddled, which we did until 5 mos or so. I'm hoping that, along with everyone else, he just starts napping in the crib soon. It's almost like he knows it's not nighttime, it's not dark & he doesn't belong in there!
Good luck!
Posted by: lisa | January 25, 2007 at 07:50 PM
what everyone said, but particularly this poster:
"...giving her what she needs right now is more important than trying to foresee all potential future disasters. And a lot of the time, she grows out of/transitions out of whatever pattern/"habit" she's been in all on her own!"
We've found this to be true for our son as well. First 5 months, he slept on me or in the bouncy seat only. Then, as he neared the age to roll over, he transitioned to me/the cosleeper. Then slowly to the crib for naps. Then me/the crib. (Night wakings varied from 2-8 depending on age/stage/teething/etc.) Now he's most of the night in the crib, waking once or twice, 2nd time comes to bed with us. At one year, he naps really well in the crib, and we can handle the 2 wakings at night.
The only additional advice I'd give is to have your baby spend some daily fun time in the crib/cosleeper/wherever you'd like him or her to sleep eventually. We played a lot of crib peekaboo before that transition, and still do some fun crib time before nursing to sleep now and then.
Oh, yeah - another vote for undiagnosed minor reflux. In retrospect, that was probably why T. preferred being upright the first few months.
Posted by: Lisa | January 25, 2007 at 08:25 PM
Completely agree with everyone: do what works for your little one now, and everything will sort itself out later. My son (5.5 months) slept in the swing or bouncy seat until he was 4 months old, when he outgrew the swing (length-wise!). I was pretty much sure he would never sleep again!
How did we transition him? Elevating one side of his crib. Also, lots of rocking in the rocking chair, putting him in the crib and putting my hand on his tummy and rocking him gently until he was asleep. Over each day, I rocked him less and less in the crib (literally by 1 minute each night), until he "got it." Now, 75% of the time, I can put him down in the crib drowsy. He'll pop his thumb in his mouth and drift off. When your little one is ready to be transitioned to the crib/co-sleeper/bed, you'll be able to do it. It will take a while, it will take repetition, it will take patience. But you will be able to do it.
Posted by: Joyce | January 25, 2007 at 08:47 PM
We had the exact same thing happen with our son. He would only sleep swaddled in his swing until we transitioned him to his crib when he was three months old. It really only took a couple of difficult nights and then he was comfortable sleeping in his crib (or in our bed some nights) and has no issues with reflux. He continued to have MANY sleeping difficulties but they started to iron themselves out by the time he was ten months, and he is an excellent sleeper now at twenty months. Good luck and remember that eventually the sleepless nights will end!
Posted by: Katie | January 25, 2007 at 11:12 PM
DS sleep in a swing from 2 months to i think 4 or 5 months. it was the only way he;d sleep for 6 hours. He loved the swing so much we had one in the living room and anoteher in the bedroom. my mom thought it was awful but inlaws all said do and sleep and get rested. a happy momma makes a hapy baby.
we transistioned him tby moving the swing into his room adn eventually my hubbby did the cry it out method. i hated it but i worked. within a week, he'd go to sleep within a few minutes and by 6 months he was sleeping 10-12 hours a night in the crib. i had the aquirum mobile and i'd hit that on with some tunes and light show on when i put him to bed awak but groggy. as he got older he hit the button himself for intertainment and woul fall back to sleep.
Posted by: Michelle | January 26, 2007 at 02:29 AM
yeah, what they said!
Henry slept exclusively in his swing for naps and nighttime from about 2 mos - 5 mos (the first two months he slept only in our arms.). At one point, I had three swings--one upstairs in his room, one downstairs in our living room, and one at the grandparents' house. We transitioned him out of the swing when it became clear he wasn't comfortable, and it was possible for him to roll out of it. This was at about 5 mos.
The transition took about 2-3 weeks--first week we had him sleep his his car seat (which mimicked the snug feel of the swing) placed in the crib, then we moved him to a SnuggleNest in the crib propped up at one end and "stuffed" with a rolled towel to make the space even smaller (he has excellent head/neck control so we weren't worried about him getting tangled up or other breathing issues), then we dropped the SnuggleNest flat and got rid of the roll. So now he's in his SnuggleNest in the crib, and seems to like it just fine.
None of these machinations had any effect on his sleep, however--he's 6 mos old and still wakes up like clockwork 2x per night, and I nurse him back down.
Do whatever works for you.
Posted by: Tricia | January 26, 2007 at 10:28 AM
Yeah my guy eventually outgrew his carseat but still loves to sleep in the car. He is not a crib kind of guy, never was and at 18 months sleeps with us or in his bed. He will sleep laying down and sleeps through the night
He was also a swing sleeper too. Hang in there. If you are getting sleep more power to you!
Jo-Ann
Posted by: Jo-Ann | January 26, 2007 at 11:06 AM
I just wanted to second the Amby baby hammock recommendation. We used ours through two kids and they can be used for quite a long time -- our daughter spent 10 months in it. Our kids were toddlers and trying to climb out of the thing before we went to a flat crib with them.
It has a nice motion, up and down (it's on a heavy-duty spring) or back and forth, and you can adjust the ties so that it's on more or less of an incline, which your baby seems to like. Also portable, and safe and all those good things.
Or you can just let her sleep in the swing -- if it's working, it's working -- and nine weeks is still young enough to just let them sleep where they need to. Good luck!
Posted by: cori | January 26, 2007 at 11:38 AM
I heart what Spreng says! If someone had tried to take that swing away from me, they would have had to pry it from my cold, dead hands. My daughter, who had a gassy belly and who was admittedly small (only 16 lbs at one year old), was still occasionally starting her naps in the swing at 14 months old. Yeah, I said 14 MONTHS old. (We never violated the swing's weight limits.)
I took the transition slowly because I valued the rest too much to rush it. For us, the transition went a little like this:
1. Tot napped in swing with the music playing and I got some rest and felt guilty I was letting her sleep in the swing.
2. On days I felt rested enough to gamble the nap, I'd let her start in the swing and I'd move her to the crib when she hit the limp limb stage of sleep. I left the music playing. If she awoke, I either tried to help her get back to sleep, put her back in the swing, or let her get up from her short nap.
3. As time passed, I got better at knowing when in the limp limb stage to move her and she got better at staying asleep through the transition. She started staying asleep more reliably overall.
4. I began moving her earlier than limp limb stage, leaving music on.
5. Near the end of the transition, I'd either lay her down directly in her crib while the swing's music played. Later, I skipped the music.
It took a long time and I think the only salient things that changed were that I quit caring (as long as she napped) and that she grew. Somewhere along the way, she learned how to settle herself back into sleep better and her tummy straightened itself out. Those two things don't happen on anyone else's timeframe, and that is ultimately what we are bound to. Good luck - you're doing great!
Posted by: amy | January 26, 2007 at 01:52 PM
This isn't advice so much as commiseration/encouragement. Right now my 11 month old son is asleep in his crib where he fell asleep on his own. Last night was the first night I was able to let him cry through his normal first awakening at 11pm, he cried 10 minutes then went back to sleep until the morning.
I just wanted to say that we are a LONG WAY from where we were in the begining. We too used the swing for what I recall being months, then he slept in bed with me for months after that. We switched to the crib at some point and finally over the past month the night wakings have been settling down.
I just wanted to let you know that things REALLY DO get better and I honestly can hardly remember HOW, they just did. I read all the books and worried worried...but here we are almost at age 1 year and things seem to be going okay for now.
The one thing I do remember is that ROUTINE works wonders, but usually not until the 6th month.
Good luck and hang in there!
Posted by: Jenn | January 27, 2007 at 10:04 PM
I just wanted to chime in on the idea that reflux doesn't have to involve spitting up to be severe enough to need treatment.
I thought my first child didn't have bad reflux because she rarely spit up like the first two had. Several doctors brushed off my inquiries, saying her behavior was normal. But it caused her to choke and gasp, aspirate fluids, scream inconsolably, and barely sleep for the first year or more of her life.
Putting her on medication made a huge difference--for her and for the whole family.
Posted by: Purple_Kangaroo | January 28, 2007 at 03:57 AM
Oh, I also wanted to mention that people should be cautious about having babies sleep in things like swings and most especially car seats. If the recline is not right, it can cause airway restriction.
Posted by: Purple_Kangaroo | January 28, 2007 at 03:59 AM
You are not alone. My daughter who is now almost 5 months old, just started sleeping in her crib. She would only sleep in the swing. She didn't have reflux. She just like the swinging motion. She loves to move around and be rocked. What I did was build a routine Bath, Bottle, Bed. While she eats I rock her in the chair and we are in her room, with her lovie. Once she gets done with her bottle I burp her and rock her some more and she gets nice and sleepy and that is when I place her in the Bassinet. If she woke up in the middle of the night and needing a feeding I would give her bottle and then put her in the swing. Now that she sleeps in longer intervals her swing time is less and less.
So, when she tranistioned into her own room. ( Lots of tears for mommy none for Sammi) We started her on her crib. And continued our routine. Like I said, now she hardly ever sleeps in her swing, maybe for naps, everyone and a while, but I always try her bed first and then if she wakes up and I know she needs more sleep into the swing she goes.
I felt like such a babd mom letting her sleep in the swing so much, but I figured she needs sleep too. So, why worry about it. Trust me you are doing s great job. As a first time mom. I worry all the time about it!!!
Good Luck!!!
Posted by: Felicia | January 28, 2007 at 12:06 PM
Don't overlook the Moro (sp?) reflex - the one that makes them feel like they are falling when on their backs. This was a major issue for our daughter well past the 3-month mark. Once she learned to roll over she started tummy sleeping and it was like a whole new world. Until then, she HAD to be very tightly swaddled in a miracle blanket.
Posted by: kelly | January 29, 2007 at 02:34 PM
I realize a ton of people already commented on this but I just wanted to say that I understand this anxiety completely! I was so worried that mine would get "addicted to swaddling" and, she did but guess what.... At five months, we broke that addiction and she learned to sleep without it. It only took two nights, not even. Yes, she cried but at that point I was completely used to the crying and I could tell that she wasn't really in "distress" from those cries--- yes, I really could, and that she just had to learn how to sleep without it.
They change from week to week, believe me, and she may just decide randomly one night that she doesn't want the swing at all. For a while mine would only sleep in the car seat and then it simply stopped! I used to be worried about creating dependency through cosleeping and now she won't have it-- she refuses to sleep in our bed.
My heart goes out to you about the anxiety of what is to come but it is simply unknown. The future is uncertain and they change so much. You love your baby and that is what she really needs. You will do great!
Posted by: Beth | January 30, 2007 at 09:33 PM
My grandaughter was born March 25th and spent the 1st week in the hospital. She had ingested maconium? not sure on the spelling, her one lung collasped and well she had a pretty rough start. She is now at home with her parents. The problem they are having with her is whenever they go to lay her down either to sleep or a simple diaper change she just screams. She is only quiet when held upon someones chest and even then she doesnt sleep like a newborn should. I have had 3 children and never experienced this, even with a little collic I was still able to lay them down. She is now going on 3 weeks old has had her first doctor visit and he didnt seem all that concerned. I was just wondering if you have seen this before and would applaud any knowledge I could pass on to my daughter.
Posted by: Pam | April 11, 2007 at 12:42 PM
There's one thing I don't see mentioned here.... and it's my biggest concern with my now 3 mo son who spends many hours a day in the swing.
What about too much pressure on his spine in an unatural way? And sometimes I find him with his tush a bit too low. This is my big motivation to move him out of the swing ASAP.
Great suggestions re Lovies, wedges, swaddling (which we do but will check out the Miracle Blanket - thanks!), and falling asleep in the swing but moving to a crib.
Thank you for all the great tips!
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