When your baby is a newborn, she might not sleep in her crib because it is far from mom and dad who are her primary comfort sources during the night. And, it might seem too big compared to the womb, especially if she is not swaddled. In this case, you may have chosen to have your baby sleep in your room for her first few months. Your intentions were to then transition her to a crib once she is sleeping through the night.
Months later, now your baby won't sleep in the crib because, to her, it is the equivalent of you going to sleep in the guest room. It is only her bed because you are telling her it is her bed. She has no real sense that her crib or her room is a place actually for her. She does not know the crib as her bed or as a place for sleep.
This is where sleep associations come into play how you are putting baby to sleep and with the way she knows how to fall asleep. Does she need to move to sleep (via rocking chair, bouncing ball, or bouncy seat)? Does she need to suck to sleep (via pacifier, nursing, or bottle)? And, is she in a comfortable place to sleep? Up until now she has not slept in her crib, so why would that be a comfortable place today just because she turned 5 or 6 months old?
The primary goal in helping your baby sleep in the crib is to make it feel like HER room and HER bed. Here are a few tips you might consider:
• Consider putting your bed in baby's room for a few days.
• Make sure you spend non-sleep time in baby's room
• Have him sleep on his own crib sheet for a few days, so it has his scent
• You sleep on his crib sheet for a few days, so it has YOUR scent
• Give it time. Do not expect it to go perfectly the first day. It might take a few days to a couple of weeks, but the first few nights will most likely be the most difficult. Expect it to be rough and he might just surprise you, but do expect it to take work. Only some will have an easy transition.
Before transitioning your baby to sleep in his crib, be sure your baby knows how to fall asleep on his own. Otherwise, you are simply going back and forth from your room to his all night, instead of reaching over a foot or two. Even if your baby is sleeping great in your room, if she has trouble adjusting to sleeping in her crib, make sure you are sensitive to the fact that this is a new place for her and do not just let her cry it out. Some babies actually sleep better once they are in their own space, not smelling Mommy's milk or hearing Daddy's snoring all night long.
About this Author
Nicole Johnson is a sleep coach and the owner of The Baby Sleep Site (TM) (http://www.babysleepsite.com) specializing in baby sleep products and consulting services. She also works with Babble Soft (http://www.babblesoft.com), a premier baby software company, in order to further help new parents. Nicole is a wife and the mother of two boys. With a B.A. degree from UC Berkeley and an MBA from Ohio State University, Nicole has also received an honorary degree in "Surviving Sleep Deprivation," thanks to her son's "no sleep" curriculum. She has become an expert on infant and toddler sleep and has made it her mission to help other parents solve their child's sleep problems, too.
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