Bassinette Problems

[~Belinda~]

Hi

My little one is having problems going down in her bassinette unless she has been held for a long time or really groggy after a feed, even then it's hard. She just loves to be held. Sometimes I sleep with her through in our bed through the day just so I can get some zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....does this get better? Do they eventually go to sleep in their beds? She isn't really interested in being wrapped anymore.

Thanks.

[Ezz]

I have been having trouble with DS's day sleeps & went to Karitane yesterday to get some help with settling/sleep. Since then, DS has had 5 successful 2 hour day sleeps. I can't tell you how excited I am!!!

Anyway, here are some of the things that I have found helpful:
1. Wrap bub even - even if he protests - it really does help (so that his arms don't fly around and startle him awake)
2. Set up some consistent sleep cues - eg. dim lighting, soft music, same location each time, dummy
3. Watch for tired signs (jerky movements, grizzling, clenched fists, yawning, rubbing eyes, cranky face - wrinkled forehead) - as soon as I see these, I wrap him up & put him in the cot.
4. Stay with him until he is asleep. Hold him until he stops crying, then put him in the cot. Settle him to sleep IN the cot (eg. massage his tummy in clockwise direction to remove any wind, rocking him by moving hand back & forth on his tummy, patting his tummy, stroking down his forehead to encourage him to close his eyes, hold in dummy, making rhythmic SHH-SHH-SHH noise, hand on his hands to keep them still).

Hope this helps! I know it's so frustrating & exhausting when bubs doesn't sleep. At first I was prepared to just carry him around during the day - but I wasn't getting much done & was so exhausted!! If you can persist with the settling in the bassinette, it really does help!

[Snacks]

I remember finding those first few weeks quite tough in that regard too. I must admit, for a long time I rocked Natty to sleep in my arms, but she tended to transfer pretty well, so I'm not sure what else to suggest.
Ezz makes some good suggestions, re the settling in the cot. But that can be hard when bubs doesn't find any of those things soothing... Hang in there and try a few different things - she will get the hang of it, and you will discover what works for you.
PS, both Madeleine and Calvin are just gorgeous!

[Charlyfrog]

This might seem a bit extreme but at this particular moment I remember being desperate! After holding DD#2 for so long before popping her in the bassinet, I started thinking that of course she would wake as she was warm against me and her bassinet was cool.............so I put a warm wheat bag on the mattress for a second just to take the chill off then laid her down..............I told you I was desperate!! LOL!!

A friend would put a t-shirt or the like in with her bubby so bubby could smell her scent as it were............

But I tend to agree with Ezz about consistency, that was the overriding thing that worked in the end for me and baby. I'd pop bubby down when it was nap time or sooner if she had already started to show tired signs and the room would be darker. Even now I go quieter (ie whisper) and I still hold her for a few minutes just to calm her and help her pick up that is indeed sleep time. I was and still am ok with letting her have a cry/grizzle especially if I have eliminated all other potential disruptions (ie wind, dirty nappy, hot/cold etc etc) and then just pop in every 10mins or so just to have a check if she is still being noisy. Then a quiet snuggle and straight back down..............

What really really worked in the end for me was me being persistent so DD caught onto the rhythm of the day/night routine and being consistent (with the odd desperate moment as mentioned above! LOL!).

hth lovey and trust me, it really does get better! Promise! Just take it one day at a time, work out what you want and what you think is best for your little princess, coz mummy does know best and your a fab mummy!!

[Ezz]

Charly - I have a friend who regularly used the wheat bag trick - because her bub would sleep in her arms then always wake up as she went into into the cot.

[Charlyfrog]

Oh Ezz! That makes me feel so relaxed coz I do remember thinking at the time that I was a nutter and a bad mum coz my baby wouldn't sleep in her bassinett! Even though it was only a once or twice off, I remember the moment feeling a complete noong! I think more girls need to hear of all the weird and wacky ways that many have settled their babies! Get rid of that false impression of what a super mum is...........not a woman who has a baby who seemingly does everything right but a TRUE super mum is a woman who has a child/children who feel so much love and security because of their parent/s.................

.....hehehe....ok so waaaaaaaaaaaay off topic now so getting off my soap box (woah! Tad high too! )

[Annikas_Mamma]

Something I found helpful, when I went to Torrens House with Annika, was patting the mattress in time to my heartbeat - as she slowly got drowsier, by patting slowed down.

Also, many babies are sothed by rocking the bassinette.

Another thing that my midwife told me to do is if it is the daytime, place a muslin wrap over the bassinette - but not so that it falls on the baby - so that you can decrease all other areas of stimulation whilst you are trying to get bubs to sleep.

Have you tried playing any soothing music? I know you can buy 'womb sounds' CD's these days. Your baby may like those. Or, I've heard from many people that toys like the Fisher Price Aquarium, and the Tomy Starlight Projector work well for settling. They didn't work for Annika, but so many other people have said it makes a difference, I just thought I'd throw it out there.

[KatieRabbit]

Hi Bindy
I have had three weeks of the exact same issue- sleeping in arms but not basinette. Currently I hold baby till she settles from crying, the put her on her tummy and rock the basinette gently. I also hold my hand fingers open on her back so she feels like she is being held. Once asleep (20 mins) I turn her onto her back. She is only a month old and if she is really crying as opposed to grizzling I pick her up and start over again. Also, I would still wrap her. Sometimes I leave her hands out of the wrap so she can lie with them above her head if she goes straight on her back. I dont wrap hands if I start her on her tummy. It really seems to comfort her dropping off on her tummy but I make sure her head is to one side and nose and mouth free and I dont leave the basinette till I have turned her to her back.

[~Belinda~]

Thanks everyone, there's definately some good advice here.

I have now been putting a wheat bag down before I put her in bassinette and she doesn't wake up...seems to be warm and working anyway.

Good luck Deirdre, keep me posted how your Bub goes, mine is only 1.5 weeks old...