Hellobee Boards

We really struggled with this, too!

First...check out this blog by Mrs. Blue: http://www.hellobee.com/2013/09/03/surviving-reflux-colds-angle-sleeping-and-crib-nests/
I found it way too late, but it's a fancier version of what we did, (we used the Safelift Universal crib wedge...http://www.amazon.com/Dexbaby-Safe-Universal-Wedge-White/dp/B00067AUP2...it wasn't great, but it was better than nothing.)

- It's probably not the most SIDS-proof thing in the world, but I would hang the t-shirt I wore overnight on the side of their cribs so they could smell me and, in theory, feel more secure. It wasn't 100% effective, but it helped a little!

Other tips:
- The Magic Merlin Sleepsuit (www.magicsleepsuit.com) was OUR BEST FRIEND. Unfortunately, the transition out of the sleepsuit wasn't the easiest thing in the world-- honestly, probably not much easier than swaddle weaning -- but it wasn't horrible, either. I wouldn't have traded it for the world, though, because it gave the babies a sense of being cozy and "protected" in that great big "bad" crib!

- Saw your reply about starting with night sleep...honestly, we started with naps for almost every part of sleep training. I figured it was better to give them a chance to "practice" during the day rather than to throw them in the deep end of the pool at night. I'll trade crappy naps for good night sleep any day!

- At first, they would only BEGIN their naps in the crib, then I would move them back to the RnP for the rest of nap. Sometimes they would cry the whole time, (I'd go 10 minutes or so with back rubbing and shhh-ing before transferring them), and other times they would fall asleep but wake up after 15-20 minutes. I tried to gradually extend the time they spent in their cribs until they went the entire nap without moving.

- Once naps were under control in the crib (that took 10ish days), we started doing the same thing at night. They would start the night in their cribs, (we were still putting them in their cribs AFTER they had fallen asleep with the bottle...not the best habit, but it was the best option for us before they were old enough to CIO...we broke it eventually!). Then, after Dream Feed, (or their first night feeding), we moved them back to the RnP to finish the night. After a few nights, we started putting them back into their cribs after the first feeding and just waited to see how far they'd stretch before needing to go back into the RnP. After a week or two, they went the whole night in the crib.

Sorry for the long post! This was honestly one of the hardest parts of our sleep training experience...we did the transition at 10 weeks, so they were too young to CIO. I remember feeling so defeated, exhausted, and frustrated, totally terrified of the many sleep training hurdles that still lay ahead of us. Once we had a plan and stuck to it, though, everything came together.

GL! Let me know if you have any questions!

This was a challenge for us, too. Here is what we did:

We started putting LO down in the crib for naps. We used the rolled up towel method since we were awake and watching her on the monitor. She was still swaddled at this point (working towards weaning from that, so she often had one arm out). We had some crazy set-ups initially, between the rolled towel and various swaddle arrangements.

After she was somewhat tolerant of crib-naps, we used the Magic Sleepsuit and began putting her down in the crib at night. I think the sleepsuit worked wonders since she still felt somewhat "cuddled" in it like she did in the RNP. Don't get me wrong, she still fussed at night, but she was able to stay in the crib overnight with some pick-up/put-downs. If she needed to nurse, I kept her in the sleepsuit if possible.

We also transitioned to using the sleepsuit for naps at the same time.

This all worked and got her sleeping in her crib fairly easily, BUT I will caution you that getting her out of the sleepsuit has been hell on earth. Baby Girl became very dependent on her sleepsuit, and I refused to buy the bigger size. It was also becoming a bit ridiculous since we only had one, and the thing was being toted all over the place and it needed to be washed at some point!

ETA: This is probably completely not what you want to hear, but if I could go back and redo the whole thing, I would have just transitioned her into her crib cold-turkey. We are going through all of the tears and crap sleep now after taking away the sleepsuit. I think it may have been easier to just get all of that out of the way when she was a bit younger and more tolerant of change. Good luck with whatever you decide!

We went cold turkey. 3 nights of hell and then it just worked. He still naps in his swing but sleeps well in his crib (5-6 hour stretch). We also would lay him in his crib during the day with us talking to him so he saw it as a familiar place. Our crib is on an incline and he has two hand towels rolled up around his bottom.

I had that problem. I waited a week to see if it would get better and then put rolled up blankets all around her, a huge SIDS no-no, but it worked. Something about making the crib seem smaller.

Siiiiiigh Just moved LO to the RNP after wakeup number 3. Too tired to keep trying.

@daniellemybelle: we were right where you are when we first tried the transition at three months -- not fun. After five days of reeeeaaallly awful sleep and it just not getting even a little better, we decided he wasn't ready and waited to try again in a couple of weeks.

The second time we tried, we just steeled ourselves for a few rough nights and were resigned to just being tired zombies until it worked. Some things that helped:
- kept him swaddled while he got used to the crib
- I put a boppy like a horseshoe around his legs (I suppose like a towel nest?) and had the sides touch his legs and sides (he was swaddled and nowhere near being able to roll/move so I wasn't worried about suffocation)
- started at night because he was better at nighttime sleep than daytime sleep
- really cracked down on a bedtime routine so that he started associating it with sleep

ETA: on your questions/points --

- Merlin suit: it is now our BFF! But we are considering it a tool to help transition out of swaddle and just started using it a couple of weeks ago with pretty good results
- bit by bit: we decided he just wasn't ready and went back to the RnP, and when we tried again a week or so later, it went well
- naps first: I felt like H was a crappy daytime sleeper anyway and so it wouldn't be a good judge on how well the crib transition was going...does that make sense?
- CIO: now that he's been in his crib for nights and naps, we are working on letting him fuss a while before rushing in. At this point, as much as we hate hearing him upset, it's more important to help teach him to fall asleep on his own. At four months old, we usually let him fuss for 10 minutes or full cry for 2-3 minutes before going in and rubbing his tummy and helping him. It's working pretty well!

We went cold turkey. Just put him in it one night (although we did it after he fell asleep) then he would wake up in his room- he got used to it. It took a little time- but eventually he got it. He is a pretty good sleeper now.

My sister has a little one and said that the transition from PnP to crib is made difficult because the crib is a flat surface whereas (I assume) the PnP is not a flat surface. Sorry if someone already said that.

@daniellemybelle: I think it is possible, because the swing is still inclined and more snug than the crib.

I would try doing naps first, if you don't want to go while hog. Naps were also key for my son's night sleep.