The truth is that this happens more often than you might think. Even babies who are considered “good sleepers” have occasional off-days and nights where they only want to sleep in someone’s arms.
Sleeping in arms
Remember that this is very normal and natural for your baby to want you. You may be in “survival” mode right not- trying to get sleep where you can.
“Just do what feels right to you, feed to sleep, cosleep, do what you can to get the most sleep and least crying… They are only babies for 365 days which will pass in the blink of an eye. Do what you can to enjoy it while it lasts” ~Rebecca
If you aren’t comfortable co-sleeping, remember that it only takes three days to break a habit.
Three days!
One thing that helped me was to put my baby down in the crib and then time how long he cried. I know this sounds nuts and a little cruel, but what I found was that it was always less than a minute. It seemed like an hour! But when I actually timed it, he cried for less than a minute and then would sleep longer and more soundly than if he was in my arms.
Preparing the Crib
Try making the crib warm by placing an electric blanket on his sheets for 10-20 minutes BEFORE you put your baby into his crib. Remove the blanket right before bedtime (you never want to leave it in the crib). It will warm the sheets, which will make sleep come easier. (Think of it like this: you are a warm body, so if he is resting on you and moving to cold sheets, a drastic change in temperature can be startling)
Try putting a crib beside your bed and hold your hand in on your baby’s belly until he/she falls asleep.
Try a co-sleeping bed or crib (many stores sell these)
Positioning Baby for Success
If you want your baby to sleep on his back, hold him on his back when you are snuggling him. It will make the transition easier.
How to End Co-Sleeping
If you have been co-sleeping and need to make a change for some reason, here is Sherry’s story that is encouraging and real:
“I couldn’t even get out of bed to brush my teeth and he’d start moving & crying! At four months it was becoming challenging because he would wake up every 30 minutes all night and all day I also have a three-year-old and it was very hard to co-sleep and also get her to bed! My husband and I decided it was time to get him out of our bed at 4 1/2 months… a few rough nights of crying and going in to comfort him to show him that his crib is where he sleeps and he’s been doing wonderful!! He’s now almost six months old and sleeps 11 hours in his crib!!! You have to do what works for you and not worry about it!! I thoroughly enjoyed cosleeping but it was definitely our time to end it.”~Sherry McQuay
Try placing the baby in their crib while you are awake, to avoid them temptation to co-sleep due to YOUR sleepiness. A good way to do this is by starting at nap time.
Start as you mean to go
I probably repeated those words a million times when my kids were little. Start as you mean to go. Start as you mean to go. Start as you mean to go.
I read this is a book that I loved (The Baby Whisperer) and it holds true for every situation. Don’t do something that you don’t intend to keep doing.
You are training your children one way or another.
It helped me see how what may seem small and inconsequential on any given day actually builds up over time in baby steps to the bigger picture.
Routine! Routine! Routine!
Put him down for naps and bed at the same time each day. You may need to wake them in the morning to try to keep this schedule.
Keep a structured routine, so his body becomes used to sleep at the same time.
Tips for Getting Baby to Sleep
Try making a “sh, sh, shhhh… sh, sh, shhhh…” sound as you keep your hand on his chest. This sound reminds them of being in the womb.
If he cries when you try to put him into his crib, pick him up until he is calm and then immediately place him into his crib again.
OMG. This too shall pass, my friend. I remember going through this with each of our four children. I remember it like it was yesterday, but it does get better and easier.
You are tired now, but you will get sleep again.
You can find more solutions and ideas here at Kids Activities Blog where we share real mom solutions every day!
What have you found works with your newborn, baby, toddler, 1 year old, 18 month old, preschooler?
Source: https://kidsactivitiesblog.com/79301/baby-will-sleep-arms/
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