Newborn Son Will ONLY Fall Asleep on Me

I'm going to agree with the other 2 posters on this -- I went thru it with my youngest. Tight swaddle and heartbeat bear. Worked like a charm.

My youngest liked to sleep in her infant car seat. I kept her next to my bed, and when she started to fuss I could usually just reach down and rock her back to sleep. You may want to try that :)

Well I am going to give a few suggestions, they may seem obvious, but maybe they will help! First, are you swaddling him? With mine at that age, I always swaddle them up nice and snug, lay them on their side and then put a tightly rolled blanket behind their back and in front of their stomach, they sleep awesome like this. Also have you tried a bouncy seat or swing? My first slept better in a swing sometimes. He did have reflux so getting him more upright helped him sleep. Has your little one shown signs of reflux? Does he spit up a good amount after every meal, does he start to fuss in the evening and go on for hours? Reflux could well be the reason in that case and if so that is why he can sleep upright on your shoulder but becomes immediately fussy when laying down. My first got on medication at a month and I also elevated one end of his bed, per my dr's suggestion and all sleep trouble was over. You are right that crying it out isn't an option yet bc his only method to tell you something is wrong is to cry, so try and get to the bottom of it. You will survive!!! Hang in there and congrats. You will get lots of help on here bc we have all been there!!

Ugh, my daughter went through this too at this age. Sometimes I could put her in her crib and just lightly lay my hand on her, then when she fell asleep, I would slowly remove it and she would stay asleep. It's hell on your back, but it was worth it to be able to go lay down right afterwards!

buy a stuffed animal that has a beating heart box in it, then swaddle him so he is nice and warm.

Little man is in what is called the 4th trimester. Google it and you will get some great info. He still wants/needs/craves the comforts of the womb while trying to get acclimated to this big new world. Your voice, heartbeat is really all he knows. And he knows that provides comfort and security. Some babies adapt to the outside easier than others.

Swaddle him then hold him till he is asleep. Keep him very close to you as you lay him down. I would practically be inside the crib with my kids staying close to them but it helps prevent that falling feeling that will sometimes startle them and wake them. I love the swaddle blankets that have velcro. Great for when baby moves a bit more. They can't kick out of it.

For daytime, I loved my mayawrap. Very versatile.

Also try to find a crib wedge. BabiesRUs carries them. It fits tightly under the sheet and elevates baby's head just a tiny bit. Great in case he may have a bit of reflux. But it's also nice to have if they get a little cold. The good thing is it fits tightly under the sheet and is the width of the crib so no worries about getting stuck under or between it.

Please don't let anyone tell you not to provide the comfort and security that your baby clearly needs right now under the guise that it will become a habit. There are no habits right now. Baby runs on pure instinct. And wise mamas listen to what baby is telling them they need.

in addition to the below suggestions which are all -great-, Graco sells a baby noise machine that has a womb sound in addition to other sounds (ie, it will grow with you. Womb sound for now, crickets later, or white noise or music later.....)

If you're not into co-sleeping, which I am not, I am so glad that you are asking for help. Not only are you tired, but you need to nip this now before it becomes a habit. Habits are so hard to change, as you probably know already with your other child.

Get a nice soft sling (I recommend the Moby Wrap) for day time. My daughter only took her naps in the sling, snuggled right up against me, and then my MIL once I went back to work. My son was willing to nap in one of those cushy sideways swings. Until each was 4 months old, we co-slept. It was the only way they would sleep more than 30 mins, and it was great for nursing. (Which is not to say I wasn't happy when they moved to their crib!)

Baby has spent more time in the womb, than out, and he wants to be with you. Once they turn 4 mos old, their brains change and sleep patterns as well, which makes it easier to put them in the crib. Its like magic. Its also the reason you don't have to worry about creating a "bad" habit.

I'd hold him and then try something like a vibrating bouncer seat or swing to see if he'll stay down for a bit. My DD slept in her swing a lot when she was newborn. Remember, this time will pass.

That's exactly how I wound up cosleeping with my first. It wasn't worth it to me to keep getting up, and we all slept soooo much better when I just accepted that he was going to sleep with/on me. I didn't go into parenting wanting to cosleep, and I never thought that I would, but life was so much easier when I stopped fighting it!

My first daughter went through this. I put the bassinet right next to our bed and I laid with my hand on her back until she was good and asleep. Most nights she slept through the night. If she started getting fussy I was close enough I could comfort her with a few pats and she was back down. This may not be the "proper" way to do this but it worked for me.

Congratulations on your new little one!

M.

My daughter was like that. She had colic for the first 3 months and would only sleep on my chest or in her swing. Each time I would get my daughter to sleep and try to put her down in her bassinet or crib she would wake up as soon as she touched the mattress and start crying again. I remember calling my husband one day because I was ecstatic that she stayed asleep for a whole minute after I put her in her crib. Crazy, I know, but at the time this was real progress. It took 3 months (I don't know how we got through it) for her to get over the colic and sleep in her crib through the night.

The only suggestion I have is to get a baby swing and put him in that for a little while to give yourself a break. I wouldn't use it all the time, because you don't want him to end up needing the sensation of swinging to fall asleep, but it can be a real lifesaver when you need a break. The swing we had was adjustable and it would swing forward and backward and side to side. We used the side to side movement most, especially when our daughter was younger.

You cant really do anything until they are older...Remember that they are use to a whole different type of sleeping and being held it takes time to get them into another "normal"

We learned after my last one since I was hospitalzed so much after birth that my daughter would not sleep on me at night since she was use to her daddy. It made the days hard at first cause daddy wasn't thre. I learned that if I took Daddy's shirt and put that on my chest she would fall asleep and stay asleep. Yep it had to be Daddy's smelly shirt from the day before. She needed his scent. You could give that a try...I wouldn't do cry it out this early!!

Remember you couldn't just start sleeping with your significant other over night and get a perfects night sleep. You had to adjust.

Okay my second kid was like this and it's rough. We had the bassinet next to our bed and if I was touching him, he was okay. Sometimes I would just give in (okay most of the time) and hold him and sleep that way. I know it was kind of dangerous and I'm actually not in favor of cosleeping as it's just not something my husband and I are comfortable with, but I had no choice. It went on for about 2 months and then finally at about 8 weeks I put him in his crib and he was fine. Once I couldn't hear him as well and he was a little older, it was just fine. Do what works for you, but you may have to hold him. He's still so little that you really aren't setting any precidents just yet. Hang in there, I do know how you feel!

I have a 3 week old with the same habit... and it's a biological design in newborns and babies to want to be next to and sleep with/on their Mothers. I am a huge advocate of baby wearing (my personal favorite, once you get the wrapping part down, is the moby) and co-sleeping and bed sharing. My newborn sleeps in the bed with my husband and I, just like my firstborn did. She's 6 in a week and only just now moved out because I had the baby 8/8.

Co-sleeping and baby wearing help with getting sleep, things done and allows easier access for breastfeeding on demand.

I could of written this 4 yrs ago! My son said M., madisyn was stuck inside you now she's stuck on the outside. He was so right! I was so desperate for sleep I layer in the recliner with thbr tummy to tummy and she would sleepy 6 hour at a time! Oh the glory! Guess what? Im still paying for it. My 4 yr old will not sleep by herself. I am desperate to get her out! It stinks but keep putting him in the crib. Learn from my mistakes.

My oldest son when thru this and did not fall asleep on his own until one year. At 4 wks I think you need to just adjust to it. I would bring him out to sit with me in the lazy boy chair. Kick out the feet, lay back, cuddle him in my arms and fall asleep....we did this for a long time until we deceided he was old enough to cry it out. Once fuly asleep we would very quietly sneek him to his crib. It was exhausting. Good luck.