Sleeping,naptime

You should go to Barnes&Noble or maybe try Amazon.com, look for the book The Baby Owners Manual. Its written out like an actual instruction manual and it is the greatest parenting book I've ever read, It only covers through the First year roughly though. It has a section all about sleeping. You may even be able to find it at a Library.

My 9 month old has done the same some days in the last few weeks. It's likely that he is either - going through a growth spurt, cutting some teeth, or starting to experience separation anxiety. For our baby girl - it was all 3! :) Just be consistent in trying to put him back down when he wakes up early.

As for sleeping in the crib, we had the same problem at naptime (but not at night). You can try several things - there's always the cry it out - but that's really hard. However, I've learned that my girl is just a drama queen and if I leave her alone, she'll settle down in about 5 minutes. If she doesn't - then she's probably lost her paci and a trip back into the room is necessary! My advice would be to establish your bedtime routine - doing part of it in his room (his last bottle, bedtime story, song, etc). Then get him drowsy - but not necessarily asleep - and put him down. If he crys, go back in every 10 minutes or so to soothe him (but not pick him up and hold him), lay him back down and try again. He needs to know that you're still there to take care of him, but that he's not getting his way this time. I would recommend doing this over a weekend as it will take about 3 days to really make some progress and you might not get as much sleep as you'd like. We did this with my son when he started with the separation anxiety and it worked. It took 3-4 days, but it worked. Consistency is the key. Good luck!

Hi!
I have a 17-month-old & a 4-month-old. With my older son, I went through the same thing in regard to napping spratically throughout the day. Just remember, they are babies, they need to sleep (what's the latest thing say) 18 hours/day? It may be frustrating, but eventually they grow out of that & will take longer naps. I had to run around like a loon & keep my oldest entertained so that he wouldn't take those dreaded short naps & now he'll sleep through the night, with a 2 hour nap during the day : ) BE PATIENT! DON'T STRESS THE SMALL STUFF & CHERISH EVERY MOMENT CAUSE THEY GROW UP FAST!
As far as the sleeping in his crib situation, I was in the sam boat.. didn't like seeing him upset so I let him get his way. It gets old quick & eventually you realize that YOU are supposed to be in charge of this situation & if you want him to sleep in his crib, he'll do it. The thing is, it's deceitful to allow him to fall asleep 1 place & wake up in his crib. Get him tired out, a bath, book, a little rocking in rocker... & let him fall asleep in his crib. He'll get used to it & you & your husband can reclaim your bedroom!
Best of luck!

Hi V.!! Up until my daughter was 6 months old, I had always rocked her to sleep. At that time, I believe it was in Parenting magazine, I read an article that worked so easily. It suggested lying her in the crib, leaving her (yes, she was crying), and checking back in 5 minutes just to let her know she was not abandoned. Of course, she was still crying, however, I stuck to my guns, and left her in the crib again. This time the wait was 10 minutes before checking back to let her know I was still there. Her cry had diminished some, and I left her once more checking back after 15 minutes. She was finally asleep. The first night was the only night she was not asleep after the second check. By weeks end, she barely cried at all, and would fall asleep in no time listening to her lullibies. It will be hard to leave your little one crying, but just stay strong and it will all be worth it...for you and him. Best of luck!!

my 8 month old sometimes has shorter naps, they range from 30 min to 2 hours. usually it is closer to 2 hours. he has 2-3 naps per day in his crib. this is how we do it. put him down when he is tired but not yet asleep. he may cry a little at first. give him anywhere from 5-15 min, what ever you are comfortable with and go in and talk to him quietly for 1 min. then leave, and repeat this for as long as it takes to get him to sleep on his own. after a few days he should be fine. but you have to be consistent. i read this on the internet as one method to use. my son was in the habit of wanting to be held while he napped, which had to stop so we did this and in a couple of days he was fine. and i never had to let him cry more than 5 mins. it will be very had to let him cry but it does work!

Hi, my daughter is 10 months. She was taking three 30-45 minutes naps! I felt like I was constantly putting her to bed. I read that sleep will get disturbed right before big advances like crawling, etc..Now she's crawling and taking two 1 hr. naps. That's a little better, but I'd like more!
N.

Dear V. W
Since my girls have been little, I have been fortunate that they lay down for nap easy. Mind you not all the time, and sometimes we have to have a little discussion. They are now 2 and 4. What works best for them that they are used to, is soft non-singing music. Something soothing. I let them choose one of their stuffed animals or a doll and tuck them in. Good Luck, SusieM

Try taking your son into your bed with you! Cosleeping on a couch is not safe, but cosleeping in your bed can be. Here are some guidelines for safe cosleeping: http://www.llli.org/FAQ/cosleep.html

mine went through a transition time like we do with spring from winter..his body will probably end up with a 2 hour nap once a day by the time it is over...whatever their little body needs he will do and you just adjust best you can..up earlier results in earlier naps...up later, later naps..it is all an adjustment..you can tweak it some with when you get up...or stay in bed later...work it best you can to your schedule slowly..that is what happened to me..but all are different maybe others can say what they experienced. C. ____@____.com

Hi V.. Well, first of all, children can change their behavior at that age quite frequently and it can be due to anything from teething to growth spurts and learning new things. They usually revert back to the original behavior or progress as they age into new schedules and behaviors. Just go with the flow. That is the best thing you can do when it comes to things like that.

Secondly, as far as getting your child to his crib, well, the only way I can suggest is to just cold turkey him. I understand your reasoning for having let him sleep with you early on, but he can't sleep with you forever. My children never slept with me, even as infants, unless they were sick. I made a vow I did not want to start that. It's been great! However, having had gone through times where our boys would not go to sleep when it was time and so forth, sometimes letting them cry is the best thing. It's not easy. My youngest used to hate to take naps and my husband would let him cry until he fell asleep and he would cry anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour. I know, seems horrible to let them cry that long, but believe it or not, they are smarter than we think. They cry b/c they know we'll give in. If we don't, they'll eventually learn. Parenting is not easy, but I am so pleased when I see the fruits of my labor coming through. We work so hard to teach our chilren properly and it can be long, frustrating processes, but eventually, they learn and prove our system to be correct.

You can try sleeping in his room (on the floor probably) while he goes to sleep in his crib for a week or so. That could help, but I don't know for sure. Just remember that it will not happen overnight. You will have to do these things more than once for sure.

Good luck! I hope I was of some help.

I had the same problem with both my kids. They are very attached to me and getting them in their own bed is very hard. Ecspecially after they are used to sleeping with you. What you can try is to put him in his crib and just let him cry. Eventually he will fall asleep. YOu have to be patient while doing this and just ignore the crying. It will be better for you in the long run. Although it is rather nerve racking doing this you know that he is safe in his crib as he will not be rolled over on and he can't hurt hisself in his crib. I hope this helps.

Quick response: Read the book "The Sleepeasy Solution". No joke, this book will change your life and your baby's sleeping habits forever!