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Hi Natalee,
It’s great that you have set up an ideal sleeping environment for your little one. I think it’s a great idea to take a gradual approach and start with the first nap of the day in the crib.
When you say you’re currently getting him drowsy and settled in your arms and then putting him in the crib, are you using the settling pyramid once you place him in the crib? If you are, I would expect that the first few days that you use this approach, your little one will need more help from you to fall asleep, as he is used to napping in your arms and is learning a new way to fall asleep.
In terms of how long to persist with this method, if you have the energy, I would try it for 20 minutes (as it can take babies up to 20 minutes to fall asleep). If he still won’t settle to sleep, then settle him to sleep the way you usually do.
To increase the likelihood of success with falling asleep in the crib remember the following:
– Make sure he is genuinely tired when you offer a nap. Every baby’s sleep requirement over 24 hours differs, so following wake windows alone isn’t always accurate. So remember to combine age-appropriate wake windows with your baby’s tired signs and the general pattern to help you figure out when he needs a nap. I often find that tired signs look very similar to ‘I’m bored’ signs. Sometimes, I find it helpful to switch up the activity or the scenery when you first see the ‘tired signs’ to help figure out if they are tired versus just bored. If he continues to fuss/complain after you have made these changes, then it’s a sign he is tired. If he stops fussing, it’s more likely that he was bored.
– Do a nap routine even if you plan for him to nap in your arms/pram or car. A quick and consistent nap routine will signal to your baby that sleep is coming and it’s time to wind down.
– Remember, any amount of sleep in the crib is a win! You should notice that the naps will get longer as your baby becomes more familiar with sleeping in his crib.
– If he wakes from a nap, you can try resetting him back to sleep, but this can be tricky. That little rest he just had might have taken the edge off his sleepiness, meaning he might not feel tired enough to go back to sleep. So if you’ve been trying to get him back to sleep for about 10-15 minutes and it’s not working, it’s okay to just to end the nap there and start the next wake window.
I hope that answers your question!
Emma