So I bought him this bedfrom Ikea as his next bed. It is 1 m 40, or 4,5 ft long. Problem is, how do I know if the bed is still too large for him? I have put him in there for a couple trial runs. But he just squirms and caterpillars around in bed untill he wedges himself head-first stuck in a corner, the poor little fella.
Am I supposed to tie his sleeping sack to the bars of the cot to keep him in a comfortable position? But getting any sort of string or ribbon around him seems so dangerous in itself…
If he’s comfortable with his head wedged into a corner, let him be? If he’s not, or the bed is freaking him out somehow, I’m not sure what you should do. Mine’s now a huge strapping moose of a 16 year old, and I don’t remember any issues with moving him from the cradle to the larger crib.
But seriously … what we did was buy these wedge-shaped pillows, one on either side, which he found comforting. Though now I’d check with my pediatrician before putting anything in a crib, what you don’t want is to increase any chance of SIDS.
The first thing I noticed (aside from your cutie baby) is that with his first bed, he’s tucked in, all safe and secure–cocooned, if you will. (It’s very similiar to swaddling, but with a more open feeling.) With the other bed, he’s all out in the open and there’s none of the tucked in, safe and secure feeling. No wonder he’s pushing to the corner.
I’d suggest seeing if there’s a way you could get that “tucked in” feeling in his new bed. I’m not sure about the sleeping sack you referred to in your OP though, so I’m sorry I can’t help you with that. I would say there are things to AVOID: Tying a baby anywhere (Ropes, strings, etc. are just asking for trouble.), putting in pillows/stuffed animals/heavy blankets/bumper pads (he’s a bit old for risking suffocation, but why risk it?).
I think that with time, he’ll get used to sleeping in the new bed. I wish I had some good suggestions though.
What a sweetie! I’d agree, if he’s happy wedged in a corner then leave him be. Ikea have those protector thingies that you tie to the rails to cushion the head. I am sure they have a proper name, but it escapes me just now…
With Butterbaby, I made up the cot so that her feet touched the end of the bed, which meant the cover finished somewhere in the middle. It seemed to help having a part of her touching the foot of the bed.
Now she sleeps in a big girl bed and wriggles about until her head is wedged into the top corner… But she sleeps all night and doesn’t appear to be aching in the morning!
If he’s not distressed and he’s sleeping, let him sleep wedged into the corner. As long as you don’t have any bumper pads tied to the railings or any pillows or thick blankets in there, he’s fine.
It’s very common for babies to wedge themselves into the corner - for some reason, it makes them feel more secure.
I remember when we brought our preemie home (she wasn’t even five pounds) she looked completely dwarfed in her crib. It obviously bothered me a lot more than it bothered her, because she slept just fine in there. The main problem may just be your perception, and your baby may have no issue with the crib at all.
Am I right that the first bed is a hangmat? (And why don’t I speak english any more, arrrgh). If so, he is just used to sleeping in a cocoon like environment. You can either get him another hangmat instead of the traditional bed or you might try a smaller slaapzaak. In any event the problem probably is that he is used to being enclosed and associates that with safety. Indeed here in the south the slaapzaak does come with a sort of beltloop arrangement in the back which keeps baby from wiggling around – there are a couple of strap thingies which go through the loops on the back of the slaapzaak (and sometimes on the front, I assume for tummy sleepers) and fastens it to the mattress. It doesn’t go over baby but under.
I never used it because it was a little too much like bondage for my taste. I mean I realize you all are flexible in these matters, but that sems a little early for the whole tying up thing. No, really I never used it because I didn’t leave the slaapzak in the bed at all, I had it on the baby. But the moms here leave the slaapzak in the bed and pull baby out of it, which seemed to me to defeat the purpose but what do I know.
Sorry about the rambling. The other option is of course to tough it out and provide baby with a hot water bottle to warm the bed up in the meantime, he will almost certainly remain in the immediate vicinity of the warm in this weather, even while asleep. And in a couple days he’s sure to be used to the wide open spaces of his new bed.
Just wait till he starts jumping over the rail, lol.
I agree that if he’s not objecting, let him sleep all cuddled up in the corner. You can get breathable crib bumpers which might make you feel better, and will make it harder for him to stick his arm or leg out of the crib.
You’ll probably have to give him some time to adjust, which will suck for you but will be worthwhile in the end – that’s what we had to do with our son, when we moved him from sleeping with us to sleeping in his crib. It took a while, but now he sleeps better in his crib than anywhere else. Also – this didn’t work with my son, but maybe it will with yours – give him a lovey or blanket or stuffed animal or burpcloth or something that smells like you. I mean, make sure it’s safe, of course, but it might give him some comfort and help him sleep better.
Oh - does the Amby make noise as it moves? Maybe a white noise machine would help. We use one because our place is small and the baby’s room is right off the living room and kitchen, and there is just no way we could be quiet enough all the time he’s asleep.
