Sleep is an obsession for many new parents, and it'south easy to understand why: Y'all're not getting nearly enough, and however y'all have to recollect about information technology all the fourth dimension equally you schedule naps and promise that (just this once) you all sleep through the night.

And since babies modify and then much in the commencement year, it seems like as soon as y'all've got naps and nights nailed down, your infant outgrows her bassinet — and all of a sudden it's time to think nigh those sleeping arrangements all over once more.

The transition from a bassinet to a crib may seem daunting, simply don't lose any sleep over it. Hither are the answers to parents' near frequently asked questions about making the switch.

How long should my baby sleep in a bassinet and what age should I move her to a crib?

Many newborns start their sleeping lives in a bassinet or other bedside sleeper in their parents' room. This is convenient since you tin condolement and feed your infant in the centre of the nighttime without shuffling downwards the hall in the dark. Plus, it follows the American University of Pediatrics' advice that babies sleep in the same room every bit their parents — but not in the aforementioned bed — for the first six months and possibly up to a year.

If y'all're wondering at what historic period a infant stops sleeping in a bassinet, there isn't a hard-and-fast rule. It depends on a combination of your particular bassinet's weight limit and your kid's evolution (more on that beneath).

Non a bassinet fan? Newborns can certainly sleep in a regular crib from day ane. No matter what infant bed you choose in those early weeks and months, only exist sure that it meets the latest crib safety guidelines from the Consumer Product Rubber Commission (CPSC).

Where Should Baby Sleep?

How can I tell information technology's time to move my infant out of her bassinet and into a crib?

When your baby moves to a crib depends on several different factors. Hither are some questions to inquire yourself that tin can help y'all decide when to make the switch:

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How big is your infant?

Bassinets and other bedside sleepers are great for newborns, but they usually come up with weight limits. Some are as low as 10 pounds (which might just get y'all through the first month), though most tin hold a xx-pound babe.

Check the instruction transmission or the manufacturer's website to find the weight limit for yours. If yous can't find the weight limit, err on the side of caution and motility your little one to a crib when she hits xv pounds.

Does she wait cramped?

Even if your baby hasn't reached the weight limit of her bassinet, it might be getting simply a petty too cozy. Take a look the next fourth dimension yous put her down. Does she seem cramped?

If her caput or feet are bumping into the sides or ends of the bassinet, or she's waking up very oftentimes (or very suddenly), information technology might be time to give her a petty more space.

Tin your baby gyre over or sit up in her bassinet?

Hitting new milestones is heady, only the more than your baby can do, the riskier it is to slumber in a bed made for infants. Equally with cribs, lowering the mattress before a baby can sit down is a smart safety move, and then apply the same principle to bassinets. In fact, bassinets are often shallower than cribs, so a babe who'south rolling or most to sit upward could flip herself out.

How do I transition my baby from sleeping in a bassinet to a crib?

Some babies probable won't care much nearly the switch — they will happily slumber wherever you put them. But if y'all're worried the alter will crusade your little one to have trouble sleeping, here are few ideas to help with the transition to a crib:

  • Make the switch in stages. Let her nap in the crib during the mean solar day for a couple of weeks until she gets used to it. Then complete the transition and so she's sleeping in her crib all the fourth dimension.

  • Create a bedtime routine.If you oasis't already established some nighttime rituals (bathroom, book, snuggles, sleep), now's the time. All babies thrive on a solid bedtime routine, and then as you repeat these activities each eve, they'll start to signal to her that her crib — and slumber — wait.

  • Aforementioned room, unlike bed. Transitioning your baby to a crib might exist easier if it involves one switch at a time, so consider moving her crib into your room for a few nights. And so once she becomes adjusted to sleeping in a bigger space, yous can motility information technology back to its proper location.

  • Sleep in babe'due south room. Some other style to ease your baby into the idea of sleeping in her own space is to become with her. No, we're not suggesting you lot hop into the crib (that's dangerous for anybody and it would likely break), but if there's a bed or a couch you tin can slumber on or if you have an air mattress, spend a few nights bunking with baby.

  • Linger for a while.Don't only drop and dash — give your baby a chance to settle down and get comfy while you're yet in the room. 1 tactic to try is the chair method of sleep training. Have a seat or sit on the floor adjacent to the crib as she starts to doze, and then motion a little farther away the adjacent dark — and the night afterward that — until yous're out the door and she's happy on her ain.

  • Add some condolement. Until your baby is 12 to 18 months one-time, you're non supposed to put things (like stuffed animals or pillows and blankets) into the crib, but y'all tin can make the room more than comfy past dimming the lights and turning on some white noise.

Don't let the thought of transitioning your baby from your room to her own crib keep you up at night. It may take some time to adjust, just ultimately this change should exist good for the entire family. Your baby learns to sleep in her ain space — and yous can reclaim your room once more.