moses basket to cot?

[Jenarry]

my son is now 16 weeks old and i thought it was time to change him from sleeping in his moses basket to his cot. tried it last night and although the past few nights he has been waking up less last night was a very restless one.have i done this too early?for the sake of a less disturbed night should i put him back in the moses basket or persevere with cot?please help.

[lilacben]

Hi Jenarry did you put him in the moses basket inside his cot.? that is the best thing to do at first so they get used to it before you put him into the cot on his own. Brenda x

[boobesque]

my mum used to put us in our cots in our moses baskets for a couple of weeks so we got used to the bars etc, and gradually reduced the time spent in the basket (taking it out when we woke for a feed in the night) until we got used to it

[kitchenmares]

Hi Jenarry, ive got seven children, the youngest is now 13 and the oldest is 27! They were all well behaved when babies and must say i had no experience of moses baskets they all went into cots from the beginning. I use to roll up a soft sheet and place it under the base sheet to give a little soft support by the side of them or behind their back to make it a little like the womb. I had one set of twins and they slept like logs next to each other in the same cot. I think its a case of comfort as I notice the moses baskets are a little like hammocks. Persevere with the cot I would say...good luck.

[Curryfarty]

Hi Jenarry. I have 3 children and put them all into their cots at 4 months. The first few nights can be a bit restless as it is new, but it doesn't last. It would be more confusing for your son if you put him back into the basket. Persevere and he'll be sound. Guarantee it.

[Jenarry]

thankyou all for your answers.all very helpful.have just put him down into his cot and fingers crossed for better night tonight if not i will persevere.have also realised thru looking at some of the other questions that should him into a bedtime routine now so have started with this now too.

[Curryfarty]

Good for you! Listen to people's advice, but remember you will get a thousand different stories of how they did it. My two year old started sleeping 13 hours through the night at 8 days old. We were in heaven until she got en ear infection at 7 months and woke up 3 times a night for 4 months. I must say my family and friends were delighted!!!! If you are consistent he will quickly learn that he cannot mess you around (and believe me, they learn to manipulate within days of being born).

[mats01_99]

Hi Jenarry, our little girl is just 3 months old. We had her in a Moses basket until 10 weeks where she literally outgrew it!, When we moved her into the Cot we ensured that she was swaddled up to give her that bit of snug security she would get from the Moses Basket and it has worked a treat. I'm sure if you persevere she'll soon adapt. Good luck!

[boobesque]

curry farty is right about the confusion if you put him back in the basket after a night out of it, how was last night?

[Curryfarty]

Hi mats01_99. I don't mean to sound like i'm telling you off, but it is never a good idea to swaddle a baby as they can overheat. You are right that they feel more secure, but safety is better.

[mats01_99]

Sorry Curryfarty but I disagree, If you are sensible about it and use a light cotton or cellular blanket, keep an eye on the room temperature and check baby's temperature when possible then baby shouldn't overheat. Evidence has shown that a baby is less likely to be at risk of SIDS if swaddled as it encourages the baby to sleep on their backs. Also, according to a studies, swaddled infants may experience more restful sleep than unswaddled babies and awaken more easily in response to noise, a factor that may protect against sudden infant death syndrome.

[Jenarry]

had more of the same last night.very unsettled. and at bout 4am he was making way more noise than he ever usually does when he wakes during the night...altho cot is further away from bed than moses basket usually is,purely due to size, maybe i didn't hear and react to baby matthew as quickly as i normally would.i'm shattered! gonna stick with it tho!

[kitchenmares]

hi Jenarry, I so agree with Matso1-00, I swaddled all my babies, doesent have to be tight, with a cellular blanket and they slept so well, as I said before; its all to do with what they were use to in the womb. Of course, dont let your baby sense that you are at the end of your tether, they can be so crafty! But of course love conquers all X

[tracymort]

Actually babies are incapable of craftiness at that age (something to do with frontal lobe development is not at a stage yet to think about intent). Babies are very unfinished when born so this time is almost like the 4th trimester. We are not supposed to sleep apart from a baby (do you know of any other mammal who sleeps apart from their young?). Baby just knows whats best for him..which is you!
I could actually write an essay on it but as a mum of 3 (i don't have the time right now) I can say the best way of getting alot of sleep is with your baby..and the smile you get in the morning is fantastic. No they don't stay there forever. We've never had any crying at bedtime.
Whatever you do never try controlled crying...infant mental health groups warn parents about this..the damage excessive cortisol exposure from such a practise is lifelong ranging from depression and addiction to stress related health problems. It's not worth the risk!

If you want to read more on the subject this is a good start http://www.nd.edu/~jmckenn1/lab/aap.html

The Science of Parenting is a book you may want to look at too...but basically I don't think parents need books. Just do what feels right (and not what society thinks is right, we have very unreasonable expectation of babies behaviour..many unhealthy).

[Jenarry]

AT LAST.baby matt had better nights sleep last night(but i still couldn't sleep--go figure!)as for baby sleeping with us tracymort he does sometimes but only from 6am'ish when he has his last wake up he seems to settle better in with us.don't think i could have baby in bed with us all night. isn't that starting bad habits?

[tracymort]

Nope..research has shown it's very good for them. SIDS risk is high in babies who sleep alone but it's also been found even if baby is not crying that they are stressed when not with a parent. Stress releases cortisol and too much of this can seriously affect brain development. It's only in the past 5 year or so they've really known this. All that spoiling, manipulating stuff is just society having unreasonable expectations of a baby's behaviour.
If you read the book or site suggested above (Primal Health by Michael Odent also covers this and 3 in a bed by Deborah Jackson is very interesting) there is more info on it.
This article also mentions it
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-2 179265_1,00.html
Touch is also very important to create positive paths between the billions of neurons that are connecting up. How you treat a baby affects them for the rest of their life.
By becoming an attached responsive parent you create secure children who are then confident and independant.
I cosleep with my 3rd son who is 15 weeks now and get plenty of sleep, I co- slept with my middle son too. They don't stay in your bed forever..one day he just decided to go in his own bed. No tears and no stress.
Waking up too that yummy smile is a perfect start to the day too!

[kitchenmares]

Yes i do agree, about having the baby with you in bed at night and i did that quite often especially as i breast fed them all. The only worry i had was my being so tired sometimes i woke in the morning after having a great nights sleep and found my baby stuck to me with sweat and still attatched to my nipple! which was a bit worrying, but they all did well and i cant say i had a bad night with any of them.