At what point do you put baby down drousy but awake?

[sil]

Right now my DS is 5 weeks old. I can only get him to sleep with 30 minutes of rocking/bouncing/pacifier, or if I am nursing him and he falls asleep.

I've tried putting him down drousy but awake and it just doesn't work unless if he is in his rock and play with vibrations on and sucking his pacifier. I don't want to create bad sleep crutches or have him hate his crib due to sleeping in the rock and play. Does it even matter when he's this young? When will they start relying on these things? It's hard especially at night - he has been awful during the witching hour, crying and often taking 2-4 hours to finally fall asleep.

He does sleep in his bassinet at night, but he sleeps much worse in that than he does when he naps in his rock and play. He grunts all night in his bassinet and wakes up more frequently.

 

[tulip1975]

I feel for you. Mine also grunted all night in the bassinet. I let him sleep in a swing most of the time when he was that age.

I don't think that you should worry about putting him to sleep properly this early. You simply need to survive for the first 3 months

 

[jodilee6]

You're doing better than us, DS2 is 4 weeks and will only nap on me, which with a 3yo as well is very difficult!

I'm trying on getting him to sleep anywhere other than me

 

[Larkspur]

This might not be what you're hoping to hear, but I think some kids just can't be put down drowsy but awake.

I tried everything with my son except for leaving him to cry, and the only thing that worked was nursing AND rocking until he grew out of it (8-9 months for the rocking and 14 months for the nursing). He had to be solidly out of it before I could put him down.

I've done nothing different with my daughter and she has been able to be put down drowsy but awake pretty much from day one (except for naps - she insisted on being held for most naps till 5 months).

Five weeks is still very young, so your baby may change of his own accord, but don't feel bad or that you're "getting it wrong" or "creating sleep crutches" if you can't put your baby down like the books instruct. Every baby is different and I honestly believe some kids just need more hands-on help than others.

 

[AnonymousCAT]

Maybe around 4 months but only if I put him in the swing to sleep... Before that he would only sleep on us. But by 5.5 months he was in the crib and would fall asleep on his own. It took about a week of rough nights to move from the swing to the crib when I thought he was ready. Just do whatever works at this point and keep trying every so often to see if he will go down drowsy and awake. It will work out as long as you are persistent when they are ready.

 

[Larkspur]

Maybe around 4 months but only if I put him in the swing to sleep... Before that he would only sleep on us. But by 5.5 months he was in the crib and would fall asleep on his own. It took about a week of rough nights to move from the swing to the crib when I thought he was ready. Just do whatever works at this point and keep trying every so often to see if he will go down drowsy and awake. It will work out as long as you are persistent when they are ready.

Tell that to my son.

 

[Beanonorder]

You're not creating any sleep crutches now.
I only started to put them down drowsy at around 4 months. With dd it was simple and no issues. She quite happily went to sleep in her own. I'm doing it now with ds and sometimes he will and other times he wants a bit of a cuddle. I don't believe they form habits til after 6 months so I'm not stressing about it.
I agree with larkspur that some have a harder time than others. But 5 weeks is still way too early to tell. Just relax and do whatever works for you!

 

[Loozle]

I've never been able to put my 6 month old dd down drowsy. She nurses to sleep and a lot of the time she also needs white noise. The only other way I can get her to sleep is to wear her in the woven wrap. I will do what she needs for as long as she needs me to. I honestly wouldn't worry about something like that at 5 weeks.

 

[MindUtopia]

Probably around 9-10 months. Until then, we laid down with her until she was asleep (sometimes feeding her to sleep, sometimes she would finish the feed first) and then snuck out of the room (we bedshare) or hold her hand in the cot until she was asleep. Then from probably 10 ish months, I could feed her, give her a cuddle and lie her down and she'd almost always settle right away. I still cuddle her until she's getting sleepy and then she gets in bed and I read her a story before leaving and shutting the door, but she's mostly settled on her own from then. She's 2.5 now. It just happened when it was time. I don't believe you can create bad habits doing these things as we're made to be cuddled to sleep rather than to sleep alone when we're little.

 

[CaptainMummy]

About 3 months with my youngest. I could never put the other two down drowsy, they would just wake right up and cry. We eventually did CC with them (not until alot older than your LO)

 

[Ashley1021]

I waited until 10 months, and I can now just go lay him in his crib for naps and bedtime at almost a year.

 

[modified]

I've never been able to.

 

[gingmg]

I agree with larkspur. Some kids won't go down drowsy but awake for a long time. I have been trying since 4 months, but he's almost 10 months and the best it has gotten is that I rock or nurse him mostly asleep but not out cold asleep and then pat his butt in the crib until he is in a deep sleep. And it usually takes multiple tries before that will even happen.

Most newborns need help falling asleep. I wouldn't worry about creating sleep habits now, just do what works. Around 4 months you will start to see your little one's sleep personality. Although I do hear of babies that will go down awake from day 1. I hope you have the kind of baby that just settles easy.
My pediatrician has said some babies settle as early as 4 months and some not till as old as two years. But don't let that stress you out now. There are obviously different ways to handle bedtime. Do what works. Every now and then just try to put your baby down drowsy but awake and you will see if your baby is ready.

 

[emyandpotato]

To be honest sleep habits change so much with the four month sleep regression that I'm not even bothering to think about it until them. As it stands my five week old will only sleep on me or OH, and only after being nursed to sleep. Our first was great at falling asleep alone as a newborn but then when the sleep regression hit it was rocking and singing and swaddling and he needed it every night until he was about 11 months old, so clearly everything we did before four months old was no real help in establishing good habits later on.

 

[minties]

I never could with Thomas, but Sophie always went to sleep ehen drowsy if she was fed and had a dummy.