How to Get 6 Mo Old in His Own Bed.

oooo,this sounds like my predictament, only backwards. My son was first and the Ferber method worked great at 9 mos and now I am dealing with my 6 mo old baby girl. She is just so sweet and cuddly and sleeps SO good when she is next to me. :/ And how can you expect sweet little babies to sleep ALL alone when we grown ups moms get to sleep with our husbands in the bed?
LOL.
Anyway,what I've done so far is put her to bed in a pack in play right next to me. At first, it will only work for a few minutes before he'll start fussing and want to be next to you again. But keep putting him in,night after night,then it will move on to an hour,then longer. Finally(after about 3 wks) I am happy to say that my daughter now sleeps the entire night in her pack in play! YAY! Now, I've just got to slowly move her into her room and crib. :)
Oh, and a trick I used the 1st week was to put a recently worn tshirt of mine right under her(like a blankie) so she could smell me and think I was sleeping next to her. :)
Good luck!! Don't feel too bad about the "babying". They are,afterall,only babies once. According to my grandma,then they grow up and you become old news and you LONG for the days they were babies. :/

2 moms found this helpful

NO you are not babying him! Each cild is so different!! If this is not started earlier it is so so hard to do, if it gets done. I just could never have a baby cry like that and leave them ther. It tells them you are abondoning them. Try putting him in his bed when he is sleepy eyed and you lay on the floor by his bed. Each night you get a bit closer to the door till you are out. Hopefully something like this would help him.
Mom of 3 grandma of 5

Put a shirt or night gown that you have worn into the crib with the baby. This will make baby think you are still there. Babies sense of smell is very keen for mom.

This is what worked for me too:

1. Play soft music on a continuous play (repeating) CD player.

2. Swaddle baby when putting to bed (this simulates being held).

3. Turn on an oscillating fan in the room. The sound of the "shush, shush" is soothing and it keeps baby cool while swaddled. (My 11yo STILL likes to have his fan on at night.)

Hope it helps. :o)

Blessings,

P. <><

When you know he is sleepy , put him in his bed, read or sing to him and pat him, but lay him back down when he gets up. Put a soft teddy bear or something by him, leave a night light on. Maybe put a baby lullaby tape on after you have personally gave him a little bed time attention. It will take persistence, but in a week it will pay off big.

Seems like you know the right way to do it, you just don't want to! He's 6 mos old, he can't get out of his bed and into yours unless you let him! I'm not trying to be harsh, but if you did it with one, you can do it with him. If you don't want him to cry for 2 hours, modify the method. Do a normal bedtime routine (if you don't have one, create one). Then put him down. If he cries, let him cry for 2 minutes, then go pat him and tell him it will be OK. Then leave for 3 minutes. Keep this up until he goes to sleep. Try NOT to pick him up, however I find with my 6 month old, he gets so worked up that if I pick him up and calm him down I'm then able to put him back in the crib and he'll drift off to sleep. You can do it! Whoever told you it would be easy lied! (I say that tounge in cheek, you know it won't be easy and there is no easy way out, so you just have to commit to doing it, and it will be hard at first, but the benefits will be worth it.)

I think most kids go through the crying it out no matter what you do but the pack and play is actually a good idea. I would suggest rather than putting something in the crib with the baby just take the little sheet and snuggle with it for a bit, then the bed itself smells like mom.

If you try the crib, you can do that with the crib sheet too.

A 6 month old is a baby - your suppose to baby him!! After he falls asleep in your bed...pick him up and move him to his bed. Nothing is wrong with this. No one cries and it's easy. When he's old enought to understand - you can then motivate him to go night night in his bed with rewards.

my son is 22 mo old and he still sleeps with me, I love that he does and could careless to kick him out of my bed, for all I care he can stay there til he's 20 yrs old! However I realize now that the time to "kick him out" lol(what a funny exspression) would of been at your sons age. I agree go slower with him. Letting your child "cry it out" has never seemed a good idea to me. So start now and go easy on the lil guy even if he has to sleep in the baby bed and you sit beside him (without saying a word) at first. Hands down though it will be easier now then later when he can talk and really break your heart! Jo Frost "SuperNanny" has great books too I would get one. Good luck, please let me know how it goes!

OH AND someone said to put a soft bear in the crib while I agree its a nice thought he is WAY TO YOUNG to have ANYTHING in the crib with him, he can still get suffocated by objects in the bed. So leave the cuddles for later when he gets older!Sorry I wont sleep if I dont include this!

Yes, you are babying him! Sounds like you're already making excuses before you even try. Give him more credit . . . and just go for it. If it worked for your daughter it will work for your son, although probably not in the exact same way since he is a different personality. So don't get discouraged if he doesn't follow the exact path of your daughter. Trust me, your son will thank you in the end because he will be a better, more independent sleeper. Good luck!

The MAIN thing is the sooner the better! My pediatrician (that has a local radio show) recommends working to get them to sleep through the night at 6 months, since they are too young before that, so you are at a good age if you go for it now. It only gets harder the longer you wait. Not sure if he's napping in the crib, but if not...start with naps in the crib.

I had my 6 month old out of town on vacation and he slept in the bed most of the time b/c he was so sick. I'm a huge advocate of not having babies in the bed with you, but had to under the circumstances. Was frightened to get home and try to work on getting him to sleep through the night and back in his crib. He was the same with the crying and thought it would be so hard, but gave it a try and he only cried a lot the first night and subsided more and more each night and was sleeping through the night by the 4th day. I didn't expect it, so I'd say, just try and see just in case it's not as hard as you'd thought. Just be sure he has a night time routine that is exactly the same each night so he knows what to expect. Ours is bath, books, I hold him and sing to a nice cd with the lights down and put him in the crib and say prayers and sing. Knowing what to expect is big. I'd start with that for a week before moving him if you don't have a routine already. Sorry...didn't mean for this to get this long!

I'd try putting him in a packnplay next to the bed for a few nights. Then try moving him to his room and set up an air matress or something so you can sleep in his room for a couple of nights. Then maybe try leaving once he's asleep, and hopefully he'll get the picture. Good Luck!

Make sure there is nothing in the crib he can suffocate on. Put him in his crib and turn out the lights. Don't keep a night light in the room or they think it's time to get up and will won't be able to "learn" to go back to sleep, especially if they wake up during the night. After putting him to bed, shut his door. Use a baby monitor if you want. If you have to rock him before bedtime, that's ok too. A warm bath and rocking may help him wind down.

You answered your own question. Stop babying him. Treat him like you did your oldest.

I think it is only natural for babies to want to be close to their Mommy's. It is only in recent generations that babies started sleeping in different rooms and were made to cry themselves to sleep. Granted, all babies fuss from time to time (if they are overly tired, teething,not feeling well, gassy) when they are put in their beds but I truly dont believe you are "babying" him but simply letting him know that you are there. When you are finally ready to make the transition (this is up to you not others) you may want your husband to put him down and you go for a 20 minute walk. If you come back and he is still screaming than you could comfort him. I always remind friends that what is right and or works for one family does not feel right and work for others. You are a great mom and I know you will do what is best for your family!