Newborn wont sleep in cot

[Honeymoonbub]

Hi everyone!

I have a 12 day old son who is a wonderful baby - but just wont sleep in his cot at night. He was fine sleeping there for the first few nights, but the last three nights he wakes after 15 mins or so and wont resettle. He does have a head cold - so this may be causing it (?)

We have tried settling him in his cot, picking him up and settling him, and waiting until he has fallen asleep to put him back in - but either way he wakes.

He will sleep in his rocker, in his capsule, with us, anywhere but the cot.

We have the heater on so the room is nice and warm, music on, a night light, we wrap him.....I just dont know what else to do.

I dont want to continue with the rocker etc for fear of establishing the habbit - Or is he too young to worry about this, and should I just concentrate on getting him to sleep any which way now, and breaking the habbit later?


Any ideas???

[punkbaby]

Congrats on your new little man :)

TBH his so new, so little and the whole outside world is such a new thing for him so bear with him :) maybe he feels insecure in the cot although you say his wrapped it may just be that he doesnt feel safe in there. I dont think there is anything wrong with rocking a baby to sleep they are only little for such a short time. Have you tried putting him in when his asleep or after a change and a feed? Generally new borns tend to just sleep and feed and they arent awake for that long so if you had fed him and he was changed etc, put him in then when his happy, if his content even if his not sleeping he will get used to being in there, i would stay in the room though either next to him so he can see you or talking etc. Maybe try this for a 15 minutes or so a day so his used to the environment? Maybe his got too much stimulation and his over tired?

Just throwing a few thoughts around :) I just worked out why my 8 month old like sthe bassinette more than the cot, the bassinette is in a noisy part of the house (kids running around radio etc) so i have a radio down the back of the house now and she seems to settle really well. Nights are another matter.

The head cold could be causing it though or it may just be a little bit of the witching hour, does it happen every time? With his head cold if his a little snuffly if your feeding a few drops of your breast milk can help clear it, if not those saline drops work just as well (havent used the saline myself but heard they work), also you can put a tiny smear of vicks on his feet with socks and this also helps clear a stuffy head too.

Good luck with things, honestly though his so little so if he needs a cuddle let him have one:yes: or throw him in bed with you

[Honeymoonbub]

Thanks for your reply punkbaby!

I guess its just so hard when he is so little. You hate to see them cry and so i thougt we should just do whatever we can to get through the night at this stage, and then work on habbits etc later when he has settled into a routine.

I think its the constrictions of the rocker etc that he likes, as he loves being wrapped too - So I might look at getting a bassinete or something in the mean time.

Thanks for your suggestions too, I will definitely try them! And we got some saline drops for him today - so hopefully they work!

Thanks again!

[NibbleCurlynBub]

Just do what feels right for you and bub.

Your baby is just that: a baby. He will want to be close to you and surrounded by you and when you are not there he will think you do not exist.

That is a scary thing for babies. If they cannot see, feel, hear or smell you they do not think you are there and may feel abandoned.

Its nothing against you, but babies just do not understand that their place is the cot.

Babies are born thinking that their place is Mums chest. Wherever Mum is.

Your newborn will not sleep in a cot well no, because he will not understand that you are still there, or that that is his place to sleep.

He just wants cuddles and affection.

Babies, newborns especially, thrive on human contact.

[Myztik]

You could try getting a snuggle bed and putting that in the cot. I also used to put one of my tshirts or something that smelt like me under the sheet.

[punkbaby]

ohh another thought, sleep with a sheet then put that in bubs bed. we still co sleep nights, days she will sleep alone though

Those snuggle beds are awesome :)