Q&A: My 9-week-old baby will not sleep in the crib. Help!

Getting your infant to sleep through the night can be a real headache for parents. Remember the most important point for your baby is that she’s sleeping in a safe position and in a comfortable place. According the American Academy of Pediatrics, that means lying down, face up on her back or side, with sufficient covers to keep her warm—don’t use heavy quilts or overbundle her. Also, leave toys and pillows out of the crib. Too many covers and toys have the potential to keep her from breathing properly at night. Beyond this, whether she is in a separate room or separate space in the parents’ room, whether in clothes or pajamas, with or without an intercom, is more for the parents' comfort or security.

While she is too young for the "Ferber" method (letting infants or toddlers cry for progressively longer periods until they accept a sleeping arrangement), she isn't too young to learn to fall asleep in a safe spot of your choosing. To teach this, you must help her to go from "sleepy" to "asleep" on her own. Instead of waiting until your baby is asleep in your arms and then transferring her to a crib, put her in the crib just before she falls asleep. She may awaken and protest at first, but if you are persistent and if she is sleepy enough, she should accept the arrangement. Good Luck!