Infants can make life difficult at times because they don’t always react to situations the way we would like. For example, any parent would jump at the opportunity to go to sleep regardless of the position they had to be in, but babies often fight it. For some reason many babies fight plane surfaces and don’t like being put down in their cribs. The babies that don’t like sleeping lying down will usually wake as soon as they are placed in this position. There are a few things you can do, however, to help your baby get some sleep without having to hold him non-stop.
Incline the Crib
One idea is to place some books under the crib legs on one side, making it even and ensuring it won’t fall. This will give the bed enough incline that it might help baby feel comfortable and avoid the problem of sleeping completely flat. Babies with influx or ear infections will also benefit from sleeping like this.
Swing
Some babies won’t sleep lying down, but in a reclining swing they are comfortable and happy to sleep the entire night. Most babies that like to sleep in their swing are in the 2-6 month range and then they usually grow out of it. If you find this happening with your infant just go with the flow. Sleep is important for everyone and as long as your infant is safe it is okay.
Hammock
There are some baby hammocks that work really well for babies that don’t like to sleep on flat surfaces. These baby hammocks are safe, promote back sleeping, and move with baby’s own movement. This helps baby to learn to sleep on his/her own and to self soothe.
Co-Sleeping
Another option is co-sleeping. Even if this is lying down your baby will probably respond well to it because of the security of having mom right there. Many babies sleep extremely well in a co-sleeping arrangement and parents do, too.