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I know you can't spoil an infant, but...
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Anonymous
| I'm wondering if I am setting up a train wreck down the line by allowing my 4 week old to sleep wherever and however he (and us) can get the most sleep. He hates sleeping on his back and so rarely sleeps in the bassinet next to our bed -- at most 2 hours at a time in a sleep positioner. Sometimes i will put him on my chest to sleep for another hour or two, or let him sleep in his carseat. Should I be trying harder to get him to sleep in his crib or bassinet so he gets used to it? I do want to move him into his own room in his crib once he has a more predictable schedule -- waking only twice or maybe even once a night for feeding. |
Anonymous
| at 4 weeks, you take whatever sleep you can get! don't worry about it now. I think around 2 months you can try getting him to sleep in his crib. I remember DD slept on my chest for about the first 2 months and then transitioned slowly into her crib around 3 months. |
Anonymous
No, you aren't spoiling him, you're building a great relationship with him and making him feel secure. I retrained my son to sleep in a crib at a year, fairly easily. IMO, do what comes naturally and don't sweat the details this early. 
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Anonymous
| I think for the first few months, you should do whatever keeps you sane and gives you the most sleep. Once the baby starts sleeping a few more hours straight, then you can start worrying about where the baby sleeps. |
Anonymous
| I think my son spent the first 3 months napping on my chest. Otherwise, he just wouldn't take a nap! I finally did start transitioning him to the crib but this certainly did not "ruin" him! I agree with a PP -- sleep wherever and whenever you can!! |
Anonymous
| agree with all pp. don't worry, you are doing great! |
Anonymous
| At that age, you can't spoil a child. Once they reach a age when they have a more predictable schedule (mine was around 6-7 months), I would try to establish a routine. It ends up changing a lot anyway in the first year and a half so don't stress. |
Anonymous
| you had it right when you started with "you can't spoil an infant" |
Anonymous
| Nope. Let him sleep, whenever and wherever and cherish every minute. |
Anonymous
| While you can't spoil a baby, you can create habits. If you are comfortable with the ones you have established, that's fine. If you are not, you should consider if you would be ready to break those habits now or want to hang in there and break them later. In my experience, habits become harder to break the longer you wait. However that's not to say they can't be broken and 4 weeks is still pretty young. I read somewhere that 4 months is usually the turning point for when babies become more aware and thereof routed in their habits. |
Anonymous
I agree with this poster. I created some very bad sleep habits with baby #1. Baby #2 we got a little smarter and broke the bad habits early. Just be prepared, if you choose to do it now, you could still be doing it a year from now... |
Anonymous
| When my DD was a baby she was such a poor sleeper that she would start out in the crib for the first stretch (3 hours if I was VERY lucky) and then sleep with me the rest of the night. This went on for about 3 months or so. At 4 weeks, anything goes. Once her sleep patterns are more regular, you can start transitioning to the crib/pack-n-play. |
Anonymous
| It is fine to do what you feel is best. I do think it's true that you can't spoil an infant, but I agree with PP's that even at this age they can develop habits that you will have to address later on. But no matter what you do, you will have some habits or routines that need to change. So the question is which ones you are OK with, and which ones you are not. |
Anonymous
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Just think - in the womb, he was close to you 24/7. Being born is a dramatic separation. It is totally normal and healthy, for them to want to be right next to you as much as possible. You can't go wrong by giving them all of the love and affection and closeness that you can right now. It will help his little brain wire itself to know that it is loved and safe. It is amazing how primordial it is....I remember with my little ones....they could be apparently waking up and all I had to do was speak softly and they would go back to sleep. They just needed to know I was there.
It is exhausting though....but totally worth it. |
Anonymous
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I agree with some PPs -- whatever you do in the first few months, can easily be changed around 3 to 4 months. Now, if a child sleeps with you for the first 18 months of his life, and THEN you decide this isn't what you want -- that's a lot harder to change. Just be aware. It IS possible to change sleeping habits etc., just gets harder as kids get older, and understandably so.
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