How to train infants to sleep in bed and in parent’s arms

Question

From 1st month of my baby, we practised him to sleep using cradle - now he is 4 months old.

Even if he is tired and sleepy, he refuses to sleep in bed (co-sleeping) and needs only cradle. We’re making him the comfort sleep in cradle, when we’re in our home.

On last week, we went to see our Paediatrician; he was sleepy, but still refuses to sleep in our arms and screams loudly.

Concerned how to make him to sleep; however, when we’re travelling back to home in car, he got sleep – not in car seater, but just in arms.

Can someone advice, how to help or practise infants to get sleep in arms and in bed as co-sleeping.

Answer 1

I wouldn't recommend co-sleeping in the same bed, there are dangers associated with it (http://www.parents.com/advice/babies/sleep/is-it-safe-to-let-my-baby-sleep-in-my-bed/), and it isn't a good long term solution.

You might look for a portable cradle of some kind which can fold up for easy storage or transportation. I don't know how large his current cradle is, but is it possible that you could put the portable inside the larger cradle? That might help him get used to sleeping in it.

Another thing you might try is to arrange his bed so that part of it is portable. Lay a blanket over the bed, and make sure he always sleeps with that blanket against him. Before you go on vacation, make sure he has slept on the blanket for a week without washing it, so that the scent of it is familiar to him. Babies are soothed by familiar scents (http://www.parenting.com/article/your-babys-sense-of-smell). So if you put his blanket down on whatever bed you are trying to get him to sleep in, it might help.

I was a little confused...are you saying that you want him to sleep in the car seat but he refuses, or that you want him to sleep in your arms on the ride home and he doesn't want to?

Infants are usually soothed by the vibrations when riding in cars...my sister and brother have a couple of kids who don't want to go to sleep so they used to drive them around in the car until they fell asleep, then they would carry the car seat into the house and place in the child's crib for half an hour. Usually then the child will sleep through a transfer to their bed.

Once you get your child used to sleeping in a car seat that will help with any kind of travel. We used to take our car seat with us when we went travelling, even flying. The familiarity of the car seat helped our daughter to fall asleep in a strange car, and we put her in it inside the crib our sister provided.

Answer 2

Usually parents have the opposite problem, but I understand your frustration and wanting to seek advice. All 6 of my kids would sleep peacefully in someones arms, but wake up the instant you laid them down!

I would suggest that when he is in your arms, constant movement as in swaying your body back and forth would help along with "shushing" sounds that emulate being back in the womb are the usual suggestions in getting a baby to find comfort. In addition if you are nursing, that will usually help a baby calm down and fall asleep in your lap and then once they are asleep, they generally sleep well. You could also try to carry him in a sling.

As far as co-sleeping goes, co-sleeping is usually accompanied by nursing on demand and this usually keeps baby quite content.