The Story:
My baby is now 4 Months old. Before he was born we had ideas and plans of where he would sleep. We basically had the same plan that worked with our first son. Start him out in the Newborn Napper in the Pack-N-Play, transition him to the Pack-N-Play bassinet after a few weeks, and once he got too big for the Pack-N-Play, move him to a crib.Well, that plan was busted the first night in the hospital. I tried all night off-and -on to get him to sleep in the hospital bassinet, but no, he would only sleep on my chest. By 3:00 am, I gave in and did my best to sleep safely with him on my chest. (Yes, I know the risks and concerns, but this is reality when ideal doesn't work).
Night two at home and the rest of the first week went pretty much the same way. He only wanted to be snuggled, and anything less was unacceptable. By week two my friend lent us the Rock-N-Play. He loved it. Solved the 30 degrees upright sleeping issue to deal with his reflux, and made him feel snuggled, and tight. Plus, I could put it right by my side of the bed and rock him to sleep throughout the night. I could also feed him without picking him up out of bed, which assisted with getting him to sleep 6 hours straight from 10-4 am consistently by 1 Month Old. See my blog post, Switching Day and Night Reversal.Fast forward two months to when he was 3 Months Old, and we started trying to transition him to the full bassinet of the Pack-N-Play. We did this because I read babies at this age want to spread out and stretch. Plus, it was time to sleep train and get him sleeping longer and longer through the night. So, I started with nap times and put him in the Pack-N-Play. Sometimes he would sleep there and sometimes, no way. As we progressed closer to 4 Months of age, I would let him cry longer in the Pack-N-Play giving him the time to work himself to sleep and self-soothe. By 3.5 Months, he got smart on this trick and would scream, and scream, and scream when we would put him down for the night in the Pack-N-Play. After 30 minutes of streaming or when we couldn't stand it anymore, we would transfer him to the Rock-N-Play. Boom, happy and sound asleep in minutes.
You may just be asking yourself, why we don't just keep him in the Rock-N-Play in the first place. Well, he is out growing it. Plus, he loves to kick his legs and he is going to launch himself out of it very soon. Also, Daddy works late swing shifts and this baby is noisy. Sometimes, the only way we get sleep is when we put him in his own room.So here's my "Baby Hack" Ideas:
#1 - This brings us to today - 4 Months old. We are working on getting him content with sleeping in his Pack-N-Play (and future crib). I always try and follow the SIDS guidelines, but hence, the reason for this blog post - those recommendations don't always work and parents end up trying other ways to get their child to sleep that may greatly increase the risk of SIDS. Ok, no hate mail, as always, I believe you should do what is best for you and Baby while doing what you can to follow the recommendations for safety.
Long story short, here's a "baby hack" idea I stole from the hospital nurses, and it seems to be helping our baby who loves to be snuggled and cradled (but doesn't like to be swaddled). I took a blanket and rolled it up so that it could wrap around him in a U shape. Then I covered that with a blanket and tucked it down on the sides of the bed for safe SIDS sleeping. He seems to like this feeling of being cradled, and this seems to be working.
#2 - Baby hack number 2 involved tucking a blanket under his bottom and making a sleeping bag type fold. I only give enough material to reach to his chest, so nothing can go over his head. He is not rolling or moving much yet, so his bottom holds down the blanket and prevents him from pulling it over his head. This hack will only last a few weeks, but it is working for us right now. It is summer and too hot for a sleep sack, and he won't keep socks on. This hack may not be the best solution, and may not be 100 percent SIDS approved, but it is working and safer than other options I've seen.I wish you the best of luck with getting your baby to sleep.
