Author Topic: How to transition a 3 month old to his own crib in own room?  (Read 5361 times)

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Offline heath

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How to transition a 3 month old to his own crib in own room?
« on: December 01, 2006, 13:10:14 pm »
Hi, all -

I've been reading the boards for a while, but this is my first post.  I hope you can help me!  My baby is 3 months old (in 1 week) and we've been doing "accidental parenting" in the sleep department.  He's been sleeping in the bed with me in a co-sleeper (Snuggle Nest, in the bed but his own separate space)  for nighttime sleep since birth.  He takes naps in his crib fine, normally being laid down awake and going to sleep on his own (although the past couple of days he's not wanted to do that - I think it's the 12 week developmental leap approaching!) and

I think he's becoming aware enough of where he is now that we need to move him into either his own bassinet in our room, or his own crib in his own room - otherwise I think we're setting ourselves up for an even HARDER transition down the road. 

He generally wakes 3 times in the night for feedings still; he has one 5 hour stretch at the beginning of the night, then twice 3 hours apart; he goes right back to sleep without much if any intervention from me at night - I just swaddle him, lay him down, and go back to sleep myself.   

Would it be better to transition him gradually (out of bed into bassinet but still in room with us, then into crib in a month or so) or is that making him and us go through TWO hard transitions instead of 'ripping the bandaid off quickly'?  I'm leaning towards getting him into his own room now, before he's old enough to be scared of being alone...

And how exactly do I do this transition?  Just prepare myself for 3-4 nights of no sleep and LOTS of PU/PD?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give - I don't want to make my accidental parenting worse than it already is, so I really want to do this right!

Heath

Offline rinajack

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Re: How to transition a 3 month old to his own crib in own room?
« Reply #1 on: December 01, 2006, 22:00:33 pm »
I am going  to move this to the General Sleep area.

I did this at about the same age as you are doing it, and I advise straight into own room.  Be prepared for lots of shhh/pat - it worked for me - if DH can take shifts with you that would be good, my arm got too tired and I would need a break, so we used to switch.

PU/PD is not recommended under 4months old, so shh/pat will be your tool.  Might be a good idea to read up on that either on these boards, or in your book.
Rina - Mum to Zara 29/3/06
                     Hugh 26/8/07
                     Bree 31/5/10

Offline NiknLily

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Re: How to transition a 3 month old to his own crib in own room?
« Reply #2 on: December 01, 2006, 22:39:28 pm »
Hi
My DD was in her own bed but in our room at this age, then we went on holiday in a static and there simply wasn't room for her in with us, so the very first time she slept in a room all on her own was in a strange place too.  She was 3.5months so I used PU/PD even though its says it doesn't advise it and it worked a treat, in fact she slept better on holiday than at home.  When we returned home she was still in our room until I had one really bad night and could bare it no longer so that morning before her first nap DH moved her bed into her own room and she went down no problem what so ever.  She slept so much better in her own room, I think in the same way that you sleep lighter when they are in with you, being disturbed by every sound they make, so to, you disturb their sleep with every noise you make.
I think in your situation I would see how he goes moving into a crib in your room as he is used to having your warm body next to him and this will be hard for him to get used to not having.  A good trick is to put some breast milk or something else that smells of you, on a muslin in with him so he has your reassuring smell their to soothe him.  Then I think I would try moving him into his own room once he has got used to not sharing your bed.  If all this goes on a while and as he approaches 4months you still haven't sorted it, then may be the time for cold turkey in his own room using PU/PD, which IMHO as a sleep training tool is so much more effective than shush/pat as it gives a clear message of  "I'm here to comfort you when you are crying but falling asleep is something you must do alone".
newmum x


Offline M2L

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Re: How to transition a 3 month old to his own crib in own room?
« Reply #3 on: December 02, 2006, 00:36:36 am »
I moved Lindsay from our bed to her own crib at seven weeks old and she went straight to the crib without any transitioning.  It took about three days for her to get used to sleeping in the crib.

Offline heath

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Re: How to transition a 3 month old to his own crib in own room?
« Reply #4 on: December 02, 2006, 00:51:53 am »
Thanks for all the advice!  So far shush/pat seems to do nothing for my little guy ;) (nor PU/PD, which I tried at a naptime a day ago when he wasn't going down alone as usual - but I'm sure that's b/c it was the first time I'd tried it and he didn't like it b/c it was different, and b/c he's not old enough for it yet.) 

I'm hoping some of the going-to-sleep-on-his-own problems are due to the 12 week growth spurt and will resolve naturally when he's past that.  I think I'll try him in the bassinet in our room first and see what happens - he might be glad to be out of our bed and to have his own space, and in that case the transition to the crib might be easy as pie!  (I often obsess and build up some future problem around something that doesn't turn out to be a problem - I did that when we gave him his first bottle of EBM.  I had a huge plan in place in case! he! refused! the bottle! - which he took like an angel, and has ever since.  :-\)