Baby Hammocks # 2

[~Trish~]

Hi Janie, I used an Amby hammock for my first DS and I know it sounds bad, but we used it up until he was nearly two! He never tried to get out of it himself and never rolled over in it so he was safe and he fit fine in it. He learned to resettle himself in it by bouncing it. The only way to find out if it will work for your DS is to try one out. You can hire them from Hire For Babe, I noticed you're in Melbourne, I am from the eastern suburbs and if you aren't that far away you I can give you the number of a hire place in Vermont. Just PM me if you'd like me to forward it to you.

[Lucy]

Janie, my gf (also called Jayney, funnily enough!) swapped to her hammock when her DS2 was 6 months. Her DS2 was big for his age too. He is now 13 months and still in the hammock and sleeping wonderfully.

So it might be worth a try?

As Triash says, maybe hire one? They are only about $15 a week to hire....which is nothing if it helps you all get some big deep sleeps?

[Melody7]

Hi,

Our baby is 5 mths old now. We co-sleep with our bubba for the majority of the night. I feed him to sleep and put him in his hammock next to our bed and bring him into bed with me at about 12.30/1am after he wakes for a feed.

For day sleeps I've found that feeding DS to sleep on our bed and then moving away after he's fallen asleep is working really well.

However, tonight has been different - he wouldn't go in the hammock and so I've fed him to sleep on our bed like I do during the day. I have no idea what my night will bring!

My question is this: I think our DS is outgrowing his hammock, or at least not feeling comfortable in it - he's often really hot when I pick him up and seems to sense when I go to put him down having been on the boob. What have others done when their baby's outgrown their hammock? I don't own a cot, and have no desire to buy one either. One thought I've had is to buy a cot mattress and put it on the floor so I can settle him to sleep for the first evening stint and then bring him into bed as usual. Has anyone done this? Is putting a cot mattress on the floor for my DS at this age too dangerous?

[jackrose]

Hi Melody,

I can't really help you as I am sort of wondering the same thing, in anticipation.
I have a 3month old and she is still really happy in the hammock, it is proving to be a sleeping wonder, 12-13 hours a night sleeping with one-two dream feeds. We are also like you in that she is put to sleep in the hammock and then spends the rest of the night with us co-sleeping after a 4am feed. However I am worried about what I will do when she grows out of it... I too have no desire to buy a cot.

With regards to your question, maybe his fussiness in the hammock is just temporary? (hope so!) Maybe his hotter temperature is due to the warm weather... you would have considered this I am sure, I guess I am hoping for my sake that your boy will remain happy in the hammock so I feel assured that my girl will too!!
I wonder whether your boy, sensing he is being put into the hammock after being fed to sleep, would be the same if you put him down into a bed rather than feeding him to sleep lying next to him? ie its not the hammock but the realisation that his much loved boob is no longer attached!

I would hope he hasn't grown out of it as I have had friends sing the praises of the hammock when their child reaches about 6 months and learns to self settle by moving around and rocking themselves back to sleep.

Hope you can work your way around this little hurdle!

[dusty]

My pg sister wants to get an Amby hammock but doesn't have a big budget for all the baby items she will need. Does anyone have any thoughts on whether this is something she could get second hand? Are they easy to keep clean etc?

[~Trish~]

Hi Dusty, I bought my hammock second-hand and it is so easy to keep clean. The whole fabric section and foam mattress can be machine washed. If she is worried about the mattress she can buy a new one directly from Amby. The owner Ambrose is really helpful. I sell second hand baby goods and have bought new mattresses and spare parts from him before. TBH I didn't buy a new mattress for mine because it can just be washed in the machine.

Tell your sister to look on eBay for one or even contact a baby hire place because sometimes they sell their older ones (that's how I got mine )

HTH

[Lucy]

Hi Dusty,

I have our hammock that I have been looking to sell, if it is any use to you?

We have the frame, the mattress, 2 hammock slings, some sheets and a new canvas holdall that it all fits into.

It is all in white/calico. It has seen a lot of love (all 3 of my babies where in it for a fair while each) but it is very clean with loads of life left in it.

PM me if you want more info.......

[Melody7]

Hi Jackrose,

Sorry, I only just found your reply in my inbox. Thanks for your thoughts. I'm glad to report that my bubs is now happily sleeping in the hammock again - you're right - it must have been a stage - and lack of boobie

He'll sleep for 3-4 hours to begin with and then has a late evening feed and goes back in the hammock for a few more hours before coming in with me. I can't say that he's soothing himself to sleep just yet, however that may (or may not) come to pass.

He looks pretty snug in there, however I'm thinking that it's actually quite comfy and may remind him of the womb. So take heart, I think he'll be in there for several more months (and he's 6.5mths now).

[2CheekyMonkeys]

i am debating whether or not to get a baby hammock second time around. had heaps of trouble with first who wasnt a good sleeper at all and i reckon a hammock would have suited her but by the time i realised i didnt have enough money (after all the other things i had bought).

the thing is... i sorta feel like i am gonna be different second time round and let the baby cry a little more than i did with first so i am wondering if a cot would suit second one.... or will i crumble again and be an ol softie and then leave the hammock unused and a waste of money?

also... is it then hard to move from hammock to cot when they are bigger?

[~Trish~]

Hi Hollo, I used a baby hammock for my first DS who was a bad day napper (only slept if I held him), it was WONDERFUL! I could actually get stuff done and he loved being in it. He would sleep in his cot overnight really well though. I didn't actually move him from his hammock until he was nearly two! When I did move him, he went straight into a toddler bed and we had no issues whatsoever. My sister moved her DS over from a hammock to his cot at 6 months of age with no problems either.

The other side of the coin - I tried my second DS in the hammock and he wouldn't sleep in it! It actually disturbed his sleep rather than helped it, much to my disappointment. Luckily he loves his cot so we don't really have any issues there.

Do you know anyone who owns one that you could borrow first to see if your bub likes it? Alternatively you can hire them so it may be worth trying one out that way. If you are worried about costs, you can buy them second hand on eBay for heaps cheaper.

Good luck with your decision!

[2CheekyMonkeys]

oh i never even thought of ebay. what are some good brands? how much for a bargain? how much (roughly) do they cost brand new? thanks!

[~Trish~]

I have an Amby baby hammock which is fantastic, they are around $265 to buy new (+ freight). On eBay they sell second hand anywhere from $100 - $200. I wouldn't pay any more than half the retail price, but that's just me! Also, make sure you check where the hammock is located because a lot will be pick up only.

There are other brands of hammocks that are probably just as good, I haven't tried any other brand though. Do a search of the word "hammock" under the "Baby" category and see what comes up

[Phteven]

hollo, I have just merged your thread with our existing thread on baby hammocks. I f you read back through the thread I'm sure you'll find lots of useful information

[jenjams]

I wish I had found this thread when DD was younger. I used to have a horrible time with getting her to sleep during the day. But as she has gotten older, it has been slightly easier. She now catnaps during the day. I am definately going to buy a hammock for the next child.

[aesthetica]

Hi hammock experts! I am hoping you might have some advice for me. I am a long-time lurker but this is my first post.

My LO has had an amby hammock since birth. Initially, she rarely slept in it, as she was very unsettled and spent long days and nights just sleeping in my arms (frustrating at the time but I look back on it now and think awwwww). We co-slept a lot for the first few months but now she only comes to bed if she is very unhappy and won't sleep, as my partner is a very heavy sleeper and tends to pull blankets up over his head without realising! Once she got to a few months old, DD was mostly pretty happy sleeping in her amby, and in the past month or two has mostly been self-settling in it.

However, she wakes up a LOT. I consider 4 wake-ups a good night and anywhere up to 6 is very normal. However, lately it has been a bit worse, and also she has been crying and crying when I try to put her down (both at night and for day sleeps). So I have gone back to feeding to sleep, rocking, picking up and putting down etc.

I know it is very normal for babies to go through periods of wakefulness, but for some reason I wondered if it has to do with the hammock - if maybe she was ready for more room and if it was time to make the transition. After being up with her 10+ times the other night, I cracked and thought 'enough is enough'.

She has been in the cot since yesterday morning. It has been taking a while to get to sleep, she's been catnapping during the day and woke 6 times last night, but not nearly as bad as I expected.

However . . . I am having huge hammock withdrawals!! I hate the thought of her sleeping in the cot, it looks like a cage to me and she always looked so happy and comfy and snug in the hammock. It breaks my heart to think her days in it are over.

So now I am thinking of moving her back! Am I crazy? Could I just put her in it for day sleeps and keep her in the cot at night (or vice versa), or should I stick to my decision so I dont confuse her?

She is just shy of 8 months, no idea of weight but is fairly skinny. Is pretty long, though.

I just always thought she would be in there for longer than this.

Should I just let it go? Am I being ridiculous to think of moving her back? Or was I ridiculous to move her in the first place, as her bad sleeping most likely has nothing whatsoever to do with the hammock??

For those of you who did make the transition, how did it effect your LO's sleeping, and how long did it take to get back on track? Anyone out there whose LO started sleeping BETTER?

And when did you recover from the transition yourself?

Thanks for listening. It actually seems very silly now I have written it down.

[Ozziehoffy]

Oskar was in his Amby until around 6ish months old. He was starting to become a little more unsettled because he wanted to move around and lay on his side and is now a tummy sleeper. It could be that your little bub wants a bit more freedom to move as she is older.

[jackrose]

Hi Aesthetica,

If only we had the benefit of hindsight when we are going through the difficult times! I know how you feel, with my DD I am going through a very similar thing:

to bed in the hammock happily then co-sleeping with me after the first feed successfully for the first 6 months

getting grumpy in the hammock at about 6 months and beginning a sleeping cycle of waking up to hourly for feeds

now back to 2/3 feeds at night but sometimes quite vocal when she wakes up and quite a protester when I put her down leading me to consider that she doesn't like the hammock

However, I have persevered with the hammock and it appears to me (there is that hindsight benefit!) That her trouble was more about changing sleep patterns that lots of babies apparently go through at this age, and about me letting her develop an attachment for the boob to settle rather than a dislike for her hammock.
We are now over the worst of her night time disruptions (I hope!) at least it is not as bad as it once was. She seems to sleep so soundly and cosily between wakes in the hammock and I, like you, don't really dig the idea of a cot. So based on my experience.... I suggest that if believe in the hammock, keep it up. HTH

Sorry, did I mention she is 8 months now... so same as you pretty much!

[aesthetica]

Thanks for your replies. I must confess that after 2+ hours of trying to get her to sleep in her cot last night, I caved and put her back in her hammock, and she did sleep much better. I got a 4-hour stretch -- it has been a LONG time since I had that much sleep in a row!! Not sure if it was because she prefers the hammock or if she was just so exhausted after barely sleeping for the past few days.

ozziehoffy - I have been thinking that maybe she wants a little more room. When you moved Oskar, how long did it take for his sleep to improve? Or did he start sleeping better straight away?

jackrose - Sounds like we are in a pretty similar position! Glad to hear you are over the worst of it. I've been reading the NCSS and trying to implement it for the past month, not sure how much success I've had, though. I guess the hammock was the last possibility, in the back of my mind was the thought that JUST MAYBE in the cot she would sleep through, and then sleep through every night for the rest of her life!! You've got to laugh at that sort of optimism (or is that naivety?? )

If anyone else has any advice or wants to share their stories about how they knew it was time to transition to the cot, and how they went about it, I would love to hear them.

Thanks!