Hi hissychick, I know what it's like! My DS used to only sleep in the day if I held him, otherwise he would wake after 10 minutes or so in his cradle. We bought him a hammock when he was 10 weeks old and it took him next to no time to get used to it. I used to bounce him for a while until he dropped off to sleep. It sounds like it is harder for you as your DD gets hysterical, but I think it is worth persevering with. Our hammock changed our lives!

We only used the hammock for daytime sleeps, but it was great to pop him into it in the middle of the night when he was unsettled. It is up to you whether you want to use it for daytime/nighttime sleeps, it doesn't do them any harm if they are in it all the time and there are no reports of SIDS with any baby in an Amby hammock (that's what I read anyway).

In answer to your third question, I personally used to go in as soon as I heard my DS stir and bounce him back to sleep in the beginning because he wouldn't self-settle and would get too worked up to go back to sleep. Eventually he learned to bounce himself back to sleep!

I wish you all the best with getting your bub used to the hammock!

Trish