The Ninth Week (56- 62 Days)

Sleep

One time to dos:

🔲 ✨Know when to stop swaddling & move to the crib: As you and your baby may finally be finding your rhythm, significant transitions might be approaching— stopping the use of the swaddle and transitioning from a bassinet to a crib. Take a moment to understand what to watch for.

• When to stop swaddling: As soon as your baby shows signs of rolling, frequently breaks free from the swaddle, or reaches the weight limits for the Easy Swaddle, which usually happens between 3 to 4 months.

• When to move from a bassinet to a crib: This shift should occur once your baby meets the manufacturer's weight and height limits or achieves key milestones like rolling over, sitting up, or getting on their hands and knees, generally between 4 to 6 months.

💡 Learn More: AAP: How to Keep Your Baby Sleeping Baby Safe (Scroll to Swaddling Section) | Huckleberry: When to move baby to crib

🔲 ✨Decide how to stop swaddling: If your baby enjoys being swaddled, the transition might be a bit challenging. Understanding your options will set you up for success, even if you decide to change your approach midway. Many swaddles allow you to swaddle with one hand out; once your baby adapts to that, you can move to having both hands out. Alternatively, if your baby still has a strong startle reflex, consider using a transitional product like the Zipadee-Zip, which helps minimize that reflex. Lastly, you could forgo adding another sleep product into the mix and choose to go cold turkey and endure a few tough nights.

💡 Learn More: Happiest Baby: When to stop Swaddling Your Baby

🔲 ✨Decide how you will transition from bassinet to crib: The crib may feel like a new and strange environment for your little one! To ease the transition, consider starting with naps in the crib before progressing to nighttime sleep. Alternatively, you could make a sudden switch to the crib; just be ready for a few challenging nights ahead. Have faith that your baby will learn to adapt to this new skill!

💡 Learn More: Huckleberry: When to move baby to crib | Taking Cara Babies: Crib Transition: When to move your baby to a crib | Precious Little Sleep: 5 Reasons Your Baby Hates the Crib

Recurring to dos:

🔲 ✨ Get to know your newborn’s daily sleep patterns: Expect around 12-16 hours of sleep a day. It may be in bursts of 2 to 4 hours at a time.  It is now time to establish and perform your bedtime routine daily.

💡 Learn More: AAP: Getting Your Baby to Sleep | AAP: Waking Up Is (Sometimes) Hard to Do (How to wake a sleeping baby) | Happiest Baby: First Year Sleep Schedule | Precious Little Sleep: Are you keeping baby awake too long?

🔲 Try 1-2 (or all) crib naps daily: If you're about to start daycare soon or simply need a moment to yourself while your baby naps, it's a great idea to begin practicing crib naps. Whichever approach you decide to try, maintain consistency for 5 to 7 days, and then take some time to reassess the situation.

🔲 Follow safe sleep guidelines: Your baby's safety is top priority and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) can be a scary topic for new parents. The AAP has guidelines for safe sleep to help reduce the occurrence of SIDS and other sleep-related infant deaths. Take a moment to review AAP's website in safe sleep.

💡 Learn More: AAP: How to Keep Your Sleeping Baby Safe: AAP Policy Explained

🔲 Optional sleep helpers: Swaddles, sound machines, and pacifiers can be helpful sleep aids. Try these out to find what works for your family.

💡 Learn More: AAP: Sleep