Transitioning baby out of carseat sleeping...

[veronica44]

So... ever since I had to go back to work after my daughter turned 6 weeks, she will only sleep in her car seat at night. So she's been doing that for about 2 months now. She is a cuddle bug, and maybe the stress of me returning to work after being her main caretaker every day was too much for her to handle and she yearned for the closer and more comfortable sleeping environment of the car seat. She is also willing to co-sleep with me or with her grandma if we cuddle her, but we just can't relax enough to ever fall asleep in this arrangement.

Her pediatrician is OK with this as long as we rotate her head positioning each night using towels behind the car seat cushions etc. He also watches her a little more closely than usual for issues with head shape, and says there are no issues as far as he can see. So there are no problems with her head shape or anything due to having this habit, but obviously since car seats are only made so big we would like to get her to sleep in her crib.

Anybody else on here have this problem? If so, how did you transition the baby to a crib and when?

[mnmom]

Honestly, my last two slept in their car seats for months. They loved it, or at least slept better there than anywhere else. They are six and three now, and sleep pretty much anywhere, now! (Most of the time in their beds.....) I transitioned them both by putting the car seat in the crib and having them sleep that way, so they were at least used to the look of the crib. Good luck!

[veronica44]

Hi Lori, I was hoping you'd respond since I remember you talking about some of your babies loving the car seats! Do you happen to remember how old they were when they lost interest in sleeping so snuggled? Ava sleeps just like that now, with the car seat in the crib. So at least she's used to the view from there, and to the quietness in her room. I suppose I shouldn't complain, she is sleeping 8 hour stretches through the night now and many babies don't at 4 months. ;)

[mnmom]

Wow. You get 8 hr stretches?? You are so lucky. I would not rock that boat until she decides she is tired of the sleeping arrangement. I wish I could remember how old they were. We are now to the stage of staying dry all night, so my focus has changed a little.... I do remember that Jaden was over six months for sure, and he made the decision by waking up more and more and just looking uncomfortable. I do remember he would still start out in the seat, and when he would wake to eat, I would lay him in the crib for the rest of the night. But-I don't know that he ever gave me a full 8 hrs in a row. Lucky!!!

[trish]

Funny you should ask - I wish I had an answer!! But let me start by saying if it's working than no need to rock the boat!! And 2 months is nothing!! My first had reflux & slept in her carseat nearly every night until she was 13 months old. She would sleep, starting at 5 months, 12 hours straight in there! No way was I moving her with sleep like that!! My 2nd never had reflux & it was so strange for me to see her laying in a crib like a "normal" baby. LOL!

Now my 3rd - she's 26 months now & *still* sleeping in her carseat - yes, her infant carseat!! No, I'm not kidding. She doesn't sleep there every night but when she's congested (which happens frequently) she asks for her "seat". :( She had reflux pretty bad & slept there most nights for her first year. We were weaning her off it when she got RSV at 13 months & she had such trouble breathing we had her sleep in the seat to keep her propped up. Blah, blah, blah - sinus, ears, bronchiolitis, breathing treatments for RSV again at 20 months - somehow the seat never got retired. She'll go weeks without using it but then she's back in it for another month.

She's small (about 22.5 lbs & 31 inches) so it's not like she's *way* too big for it but it just doesn't seem comfy to me!! But somehow she still sleeps great in it & goes 12 hours straight through. And like you said - it seems like she feels "secure" in there & seems to want that when she's not feeling good. And if it helps - neither of my 2 seat sleepers have had head shape issues. But I sure wish I could "transition" her to the crib! Eventually she WILL be too big for the seat!!

Hold on, let me see if I can get a link for pics I took last week...She had EI, sinus & was on neb for her cough/breathing.
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff59/DueJan08/100_4660.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff59/DueJan08/100_4662.jpg

[mnmom]

Trish, What GREAT pictures! She looks totally comfy.

[veronica44]

Well, I think this week we finally did it - Ava at 5.5 months is no longer sleeping in her carseat! We had her sleeping in her car seat in her crib for about a month. Then a couple of weeks ago I attached her carseat fabric to her crib sheet and now she sleeps on that in her crib! So it looks like it was just the fabric she was used to! Eventually I hope to get rid of the fabric as well. But I am so happy she is finally sleeping lying down. She seems so much more comfortable now, doesn't seem stiff in the morning like she used to, and hasn't woken at night even once since we started this. So overall a big success. Thanks for all your suggestions.