Newborn Baby Won’t Sleep In Crib – Why And What To Do?

Mom’s Question:

Why won’t my 5 week old sleep in his crib? He wakes up whenever I put him down.

Baby Helpline:

Newborn Baby Refuses Crib Sleeping

The reason your baby refuses to sleep in his crib is basically because he is 5 weeks old… :-)

It is very common for newborn babies to not want to be anywhere but close to mom, and particularly not in a wide, scary (in their minds) crib!

There are things you can do to make the crib a more attractive place for your newborn baby. You’ll find tips on how to help your baby accept the crib here.

But, being so young, your son is still adapting to life outside the womb. For daytime, get yourself a baby sling, so you can have him sleeping close to you and still have your hands free. For nighttime, try the above crib sleeping tips, but you can also consider co-sleeping in a safe way.

I hope this gives you some ideas.

Good luck and congratulations on your son!

Paula

More Babies That Refuse Crib Sleeping

Find comments below.

Comments for “Baby Won’t Sleep in Crib”
Jul 02, 2011 sleeping

by: Devon


With a baby that age, I wouldn’t even try to put them in a crib. I have always had my children sleep in a bassinet which is much smaller, closer to me. Also there is no problem with letting your infant sleep in a swing, or glider if it helps (I have even asked my pediatrician about this) since babies tend not to develop bad sleeping habits until about 5 or 6 months of age. You can also try getting your infant to sleep elsewhere and then transferring them to the crib. To this day my 9-month-old twins have a hard time falling asleep in their cribs, so I put them to sleep in their gliders and transffer them to the cribs where they sleep through the night.
Jul 20, 2011 Baby won’t sleep in crib….help!!
by: Anonymous
My daughter is 9 weeks old and she won’t sleep in her crib either, or her bassinet. She will only sleep in her swing or with me.I’ve tried everything by putting my t-shirt in the crib and waiting until she falls asleep then putting her in, but she always wakes up after about 20mins. What else can I do?
Aug 26, 2011 Crib Baby

by: Ryan


We were lucky and our son slept in a crib almost immediately after the hospital stay. And all the way through the night. Unfortunately, he is now in a phase of not going to sleep right away and thinking it is funny.
Oct 21, 2011 Sleep in crib

by: Anonymous


I have a 10 week old, she started out sleeping in our room in a bassinet. I have been trying to transition her to her crib for the last two weeks. I have started with nap time, no matter what every time I set her in her crib she wakes up. She will fall asleep in her bassinet, swing, or bouncer but not in her crib. I bought a sleep wedge and a different kind of sleep wedge and it doesn’t seem to help. Any suggestions, I was hoping to have her in her crib before I return to work in 2 wks. Let me know!
Thanks!
Feb 21, 2012 Baby hates crib..
by: Sonya
My son is 4 months now and won’t sleep in his crib either.It’s very frustrating because he will sleep fine in my arms or with me. I feel guilty sleeping with him but it seems to be the only way I’ll get a good chunk of sleep. I am scared that he will be like this for a long time and I won’t be able to put him in his own room. Though, sometimes if I am lucky he’ll sleep in his rocking chair. But that’s rare. I just got a bassinet today but I dont know if it is going to work.. here’s hoping.
Apr 08, 2012 Tired mom needs help!!!
by: Anonymous
I have a 3-month old that will only take 30 to 45-minute naps in her crib during the day….but that is usually after about 30 minutes of me going back in there to soothe her every five or so minutes. She sleeps fine in her swing at night (usually about 6 hours or so) but this is only if she is swaddled. She is getting to big to stay in her swaddle and wakes up every time she gets free. I know its time for her to transition to her crib but HOW?????? She has this banshee scream that rips my heart out every time I lay her in there. How do I get her to sleep in her crib all night if I can’t get her down for longer than 30-45 minutes during the day? banchy
Feb 21, 2013 Why does my 9 month old refuse her crib?

by: Elizabeth


My daughter used to sleep in her crib but we moved and now I lay her down and she screams. Does anyone know why????? She’s 9 months old almost ten.
Feb 21, 2013 9 Months Old And Refuses Crib
by: Paula (Easy Baby Life)
Hi Elizabeth,

At 9 months, a lot of babies start waking up at night, refuse to sleep alone, and are overall a lot worse sleepers than just a month earlier. What’s going on is a combination of several things. This age is a development phase. Babies are learning that they are separate persons from their mothers, which scare some of them. So they become clingy, terrified to be left alone, and often also afraid of strangers.

At the same time, this realization that they are their own person means expressing their own will stronger than earlier. They also learn to communicate and to move around…

In your daughter’s case, you have also moved, whích can make her feel even more insecure for a little while.

So it is simply a phase of huge changes for a little person. Even advocates of the cry-it-out method (which I am not) usually recommend against any kind of crying method to get the baby to sleep at this sensitive age.

Things are likely to get better within a couple of months. You can find some ideas on games to play to help you 9 month old understand that mom comes back here.

Paula
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This Post Has One Comment

  1. Cynthia October 2017

    Just lay him in his crib try putting on some music and let him cry for a little while. Also sometime in helps if there are no lights on so he cant see you leave. It worked for my son he’s been sleeping in his crib since he was 6mths old. Goes in awake and after maybe 5 mins hes asleep. Also try giving him a blanket or pillow that you and your husband slept with.

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