Hi there! I wanted to reach out to give you a little encouragement. I am in the exact same boat! I have a 6 week old DD (my 3rd child too). I can get her to fall asleep in her bassinet using shh/pat but she'll only sleep 30 max. Even though I don't have a solution for your (or my) problem, I wanted to let you know you're not alone. For me, just knowing that there's other people out there struggling with the same issues give me encouragement. I hope it does for you too. I get hung up on, "she should be sleeping in her bassinet," "Tracy says to 'start as you mean to go,'" "I'm creating bad habits," etc. Through the encouragment of friends and the ladies here on this site, I've decided to try and relax and go with the flow a little more. That's not something that comes easily to me. Thankfully, my DD loves to be carried around in a sling so I've been using that a lot. I still make a bassinet attempt for every nap. If she wakes up after 30 min. I throw her in the sling and move on. Is she sleeping where she's "supposed" to? No, but she's getting her much needed sleep and I'm keeping my sanity. Since giving myself permission to do this, I've found life has gotten a little easier and more enjoyable. I have 2 other children at home that I have to take care of so I can't spend all day in a dark room huddled over a bassinet. I know that she will eventually sleep independently in her crib/bassinet, but it just may take a little time. I really think there's some truth the 4th trimester theory. My encouragment for you would be to maybe take a step back and regroup. Is there a place your baby will sleep....sling, swing, bonuncy chair? If so, let her sleep there. You could still attempt napping in the bed for every nap, but maybe set a time limit of how long you'll do shh/pat. If it's not working....move on and put her somewhere she will sleep. Another bit of encouragment...you said your 2 others were better sleepers from the start so this one has sort of thrown you for a loop. My second was a good sleeper, but my first was TERRIBLE. She was a challenging baby to begin with made worse by the fact that I was a first time mom and had no idea what I was doing. I did EVERYTHING wrong. When she was about 4 months, I really started working with her and got her straightened out. So if I got her straightened out, I know I can get my new DD straightened out too. Unfortunatley, it just make take some time. She just may have to grow up and get a little older (I know not what you want to hear). You'll get there though. Keep being consistent and try to stay positive.
