Help .... will only sleep on me!!

[Jodles]

Can anyone help? Lottie (15 weeks) is finally starting to take short naps during the day for the first time since she was born. Which in some ways is great, as I'm hoping it will make her less overtired and maybe sleep better at night.

However, she will only sleep on my chest. As soon as I try to put her down in her crib, she wakes up and starts to scream. I have tried so many techniques to try and settle her, but nothing works. The moment I pick her up though, she instantly goes to sleep.

Now we are starting to see the same pattern at night, which is a bit worrying. She used to be quite happy to fall asleep on me after her last feed, and I would then put her to sleep in the crib with no problem. But for the last few nights she has woken up screaming the moment she is in the crib. Again, I've tried all the things people suggest (hand on chest, etc.etc). Last night I started trying to get her down at 8 pm and eventually managed it at midnight.

I'm worried that we are starting to get to the point when she will only sleep on me, day or night, and I will give in to her just to get a couple of hours' sleep myself. But that's a habit I desperately don't want to get into. Since birth she has only ever averaged about 6 hours sleep out of 24 (the books say they should average 15-18!!!), and for all our sakes I know she needs more than this.

Please can anyone help????

Jo xx

 

[Jen & Her Men]

First of all hun There is nowt worse than sleep deprivation!!

Have you tried putting one of your nightdresses or dirty tops in with her? Sounds minging i know but if she can smell you it can work to settle them as it gives them the impression that you are still holding her.

I know its really tough - especially in the first few weeks and months.

 

[newmum]

Again, I've tried all the things people suggest (hand on chest, etc.etc). I'm worried that we are starting to get to the point when she will only sleep on me, day or night, and I will give in to her just to get a couple of hours' sleep myself. But that's a habit I desperately don't want to get into. Since birth she has only ever averaged about 6 hours sleep out of 24 (the books say they should average 15-18!!!), and for all our sakes I know she needs more than this.

Please can anyone help????

Jo xx

I tried the hand on chest thing but it only started working when she was older. I had the same issue, so used to warm the blanket with a hot water bottle a bit, then when I put her down, I had to kind of lay my head on her chest . Worked though, and as she settled, I gradually swapped it for my hand and then could leave her.

I was also worried that she would get into bad habits etc but tbh now she is nearly 1 and she hasn't kept any of the habits she had when she was a newborn - 9 months.

And... she didn't sleep much either until she was about 10 months old. But about every 2-3 months she changed her pattern and sleeping hours, gradually getting longer.

 

[loz]

Have you tried putting her in her bed repeatedly? I have had the same thing with Emms and I find that if I pick her up when she cries, comfort her and then put her back, keep doing this several times, eventually she will sleep in her basket! Worth trying to see if it works.

 

[Bee]

I had this problem too

No advice really

Finlay has all of a sudden stopped doing it and will only sleep if he is put down in his cot!

 

[Teej]

for you i can totally sympathise.
Sam will only sleep 20-30 mins unless on me or on me in sling, i've been trying naps in the cot and is hard work to get him down then he only lasts 20 mins...arrrrrggghhhhh. Bless him he just doesn't want to miss anything i guess we have clever babies
Am trying the Baby Whisperer pick up/put down method at the mo iwhich is very much hard work
(http://www.babywhispererforums.com/index.php?board=30.0)
all i can suggest is a lovely sling so you can get stuff done while he sleeps on you, mine is my lifesaver.
Good luck

 

[maria1976]

We had the same with Ruby and ended up co sleeping just to get some sleep!! I am still co sleeping now she is 10 months, but she is now in her cot for naps and at night until i go to bed.
Are you breastfeeding?? I found that feeding her lying down on the bed she dozed of eventually then a quick pick up then in the cot did the trick?

x

 

[NIE]

We still have this problem. We co slept so that we could get some sleep and now we still do it for part of the night. He sometimes goes down in his cot and ends up in bed with us a few hours later.