Help Get My Child Sleeping in His Crib!!!

My now 16 m.o. son slept in his car seat next to my bed until about 6 months. It took a lot of crib shaking, bottles of water... white noise projectors...everything. Eventually, and slowly, he did it, and now it's the only place he will sleep. I kind of miss him falling asleep in my arms, and on that note, ENJOY THAT PART WHILE YOU CAN!! They grow up waaay too fast. Try the Homedics white noise projector. I love that thing sooo much. We have been through 2 of them, so try and shut it off after baby falls asleep * if you can* because after awhile, the disks stop spinning :-( Still works great though. I still lay my son down with it..and a NUK transition cup of water every night. Just some tips. Cry-out is very very very hard, but honestly, stick with it. It works. I did the same thing with bottles, and it worked almost over night. Good luck. I hope i helped :-)

Hi C.,
You are not alone my friend. I recently posted something similar, only my son is 9 months and started doing the very same thing a few months ago, only it's just gotten progressivley worse. He used to sleep ok in our bed (which i took him too after not getting him to go back to sleep in the middle of the night), but now he is up crying off and on all night, even in our bed..i have to hold him in order for him to stop...Needless to say, nobody is sleeping in our house and i have finally decided to try Ferber. I would suggest you get the book and read it(as i just did). Truthfully, i am a wreck at thinking of him getting so upset thru this process, but he needs to learn how to sleep.
Good luck...keep us posted.
L.

Congrats on letting him cry and giving your son (and you!) a good night's sleep. Of course they want to be in our arms, but what does that teach them for the next five months? I just wanted to say Congrats! Please keep it up! You are teaching your son how to start his independence and soothe himself. Also, he'll be a new kid with a night's sleep! Congrats! D.

My son, now 15 months, didn't sleep well in his crib until he could turn over. Since the day he turned over hes been sleeping soundly on his stomach in his crib. I don't think he liked laying flat on his back and even when he was sound asleep in my arms and I'd set him down as gently as I could (on his back) he'd wake up. The first few nights of tummysleeping, I was a wreck and harldy slept. The first night I even slept in his room, on the floor, next to the crib (WHAT WE DO, HUH!?) just so I could hear him breathing.
He still sleeps like that, fetal like- with his knees pulled up under him. He still falls to nap in my arms, usually nursing, and I just roll him out into the crib and he naps great. Just be patient, he'll get it. It won't take long if you stick with it.

Hello C.:

Please know that you are NOT alone on this one!!!! I am a first time mother of 7 month old twin boy's. They were born with reflux which kept them in our room in a co-sleeper. A week ago today, my husband and I decided it was time to put them in their own cribs. What a nightmare. The first night, my youngest screamed for 40 min. and actually threw up. I kept going in the room and either picking him up until he fell asleep or put the binkie in his mouth to soothe him. That only seemed to work for a bit. After talking to many mom's they told me that they are smarter than what we think and they will scream only because they know you will eventually give in. I thought I was going to be a softy, but I'd rather train them now then when they can call our names and cry. Every night seemed to get a little bit better. I had to learn not to in their room on "binkie patrol" and just let them "cry it out" its tougher on you than on them and for the first time last night, THEY SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!!!!!!!! It took a good week. I actually had to wake Michael up at 7:20AM from going to bed at 8:30PM & Jake was just about to stir when I went in to wake them both. There is hope at the end of the tunnel. My husband works in Boston waking up at 3:20am every morning and I also work full-time having to wake up by 6am. I felt like I was just home from the hospital. The worse thing you can do is keep picking them up, and going in to soothe them. Unless of course they are choking, vomiting etc. For the first few days I'd go in there, re-swaddle them; give them their binkie and rub their belly saying shhhh baby, its ni night time. Then just walk out, but you need to let them cry!!!! Do you have a bedtime routine? I usually give them baths every other night, but last night I tried a lotion massage after their bath's, hummed to them while dressing them in their PJ's and making their bedtime a bit later than usual but still down at a reasonable time. I hope this has helped!!! Hang in there, it will get better.... I keep telling myself "it just has to"

Take Care,
S.

I have 4 children. 5 mos. is still young, 6 mos is better. Put him in his crib at the "same" time every night. About 15 mins before his bedtime. Tell him it's time for sleeping and say goodnight to him just before you leave the room. He will learn the words. Play some soft music or something and let him look around. Leave the room and turn out his light. A big mistake is to let him fall asleep elsewhere and then put him in the crib. He will wake in a different spot and not want to be there. Routine is the key!! stick to it to the minute!! His body will get adjusted to falling asleep at the same time every night. He is not too young to read to him either. Read him a book right before bed and eventually he will use that as a sign of bedtime. Call it a bed-time story. If he wants to get up... Watch the clock or put a timer on 5 mins. and go in to check on him and reasure him that everythings OK. If you don't watch the clock...only a miunute seems longer than it really is when they are crying. Do this every 5 minutes for as long as it takes for him to fall asleep. Do not take him out of the crib. Kiss him and tell him to lay down when he gets old enough to stand. Night lights are not good...unless you use them in the hallway. He should get used to darkness in at night.

5 months old is really really young for a baby to sleep through the night. Plus they go through phases. My son slept through at a really young age but as he got older that changed and that is to be expected. He (now at 16 months) sleeps through most of the night but there are still times when he wakes up really early.

I never allowed my children to CIO as it is traumatic to the child. Ferber finally admits to this. Your baby sleeps better in your arms because he feels safe and secure. Have you thought of co-sleeping or having a sleeper attached to your bed so you can have space and him as well?

Their job as a baby is to keep their caretaker nearby and they feel safer when they are.

Good Luck, whatever you do.

E. P.

Hi C.. my LO did this around 6 months - she was going through a growth spurt and required food again in the middle of the night - even after sleeping through the night for weeks!
Then after about 10 days I realized it was becoming a habit. So I stayed with her for the next 3 nights (no feeding, no picking her up, just talking to her and rubbing her head and belly) until she fell asleep. She once again learned to sleep through the night. Those 3 days I stayed with her were not easy - she cried a lot, but she did not cry alone. I couldn't let her cry it out on her own, but that's me.
I think 5 months is a little young for CIO, but again that's me!

Good luck!

Been there done that! You most likely will have to let him CIO. I prefer using the method from the book Happy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weisbluth. Better than the Ferber method yet they are very similar. It worked for my now 24 month old and at 5 1/2 months I let him CIO in his crib and he actually slept better in a crib than the bassinet too once he CIO and started sleeping in his crib without a problem. He is the best sleeper now and when I ask if he wants to go to bed or take a nap he says yes and asks for his pacifier and walks to his room & points to his crib. I am so glad I let him CIO but I was against doing it but was at my wits end & so tired myself. But I am very happy I did it & would not change a thing. I now also have a 2 month old but he sleeps awesome in his bassinet but if I ever have sleep issues with him I will also let him CIO. Good luck!!!
FYI, don't get discouraged if it does not work for your child though. Every kid is different.