Transition from Co-sleeping... Oh, Help!!!

get her some warm sleeper jammies with feet In case she gets cold but I think a light blanket is fine to keep her comfortable. Or have you seen the tiny stuffed animal(rattle size) that has a small blanket (about 5 x 7")for them to hold attached to it? they have those at babies are us and my daughter loved them to hold while she fell asleep

Go and get the No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley. You can order it on-line or get it at Barnes and Noble. It is a great book and will help you with transitioning. Goood luck!

We always used the back-to-sleep blankets that they wear until they were a year. That always kept them warm! :)
There WILL be some crying and sleepless nights at first, but it will END UP making it easier for everyone to sleep as time goes on. Good luck, and hang tough! :)

Hey M.,

I don't have any ideas about how to get her in her own crib, but I can tell you what we do with our daughter and she is almost 3months old. We will swaddle her in a lightweight blanket and put her in her crib to sleep and when she wakes up I then bring her in bed with us. So maybe if you tried putting her in her crib and then when she wakes up bring her in bed with you and maybe the time she spends sleeping in her crib will get longer, so she'll be out of your bed. Just a thoughht, but I thnk your fine with the blanket.

Re: Blanket
My son is now 1 but when he was an infant I swaddled him to the mattress with a fleece blanket. It kept him warm and in place. Being swaddled seemed to help him sleep.

Do whatever you need to do to get her in her own bed asap. I made the mistake of letting my son sleep with us and I finally just got him to sleep in his own bed (he is 3 1/2 years). I think the idea of starting by putting her in a pack n play to get her used to being on her own is a good idea. As far as a blanket sleep sacks are the best invention ever. I used them with both of my kids. If you have a TJ Maxx near you, they usually have them for a fairly reasonable price.

Good Luck!

my kids have always slept with a blanket in their crib. she will be fine with a blanket. I just check on my kids from time to time to make sure the blanket isn't over their face. I started transitioning with getting my daughter used to sleeping in the crib during the day and did it in baby steps.

I have co-slept with all 7 of my kids, and I don't feel like you HAVE to move them for thier health, but I can see why you might. A light blankie will be fine, I have given all of mine one around 6 months old. Here is a link to Elizabeth Pantly, it doesn't happen over night but I think she use's a gentler approach then most books out there.

http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth/advice/0071381392.php

I co-slept with my babies too, but I started transitioning them almost right away, I would let them fall asleep with me, nursing and singing, and then put them in their bassinet or crib and go to bed myself, when they woke up in the middle of the night I would bring them back to bed with me. When they got a little older I would also take them back to their crib after their night feeding, and let them sleep there until morning. My three year old will still occasionally wake up in the middle of the night and get in bed with me but I don't mind it too much because it is not that often and she has learned to go to sleep in her own bed at bed time (my kids streted doing that at about 2 1/2). I hope this helps, I know it can be uncomfortable co-sleeping sometimes but they will only be babies once and before you know it you will be missing that special time when they just wanted to cuddle up and sleep in your arms!

Start getting her out of your bed and in a playpen or crib in your room. You would be surprised however how well just a change a child can adjust. Sometimes these transitions are more stressful for us parents then the children. If you are calm about it she will hopefully follow your lead. Just do it!

Try just putting her in her own room and in her own crib at naps and see how she does. I had a lightweight blanket on my babies when they were 6 mos, one with holes in it but typically they kicked it off. Layer her, a onsie, then heavier feetie jammies should be warm enough for her or even a sleep sack. Don't assume she won't sleep well without her blanket. At 6 mos it is a great age to change things up as dependency hasn't kicked in like it will down the road.

You are giving her a big gift teaching her to sleep on her own, it is safer for her now to be out of your bed and I am a firm believer parents need a space all their own minus children at night! :)

Make sure there are no bumpers in her crib or anything plush and I am sure she will be fine, start with naps and if she really has issues put something in your room but if you get this over with now, it may be a few unsettled nights but in the long run it will save you a ton of stress later! Good luck.

I dont think there is a easy way to do it besides a few nights of crying. A light blanket should be okay in the crib or get those blanket sleepers if you are too concerned. We co-slept with our son from birth to oh lets see a month ago and he will be 4 come January. I do have to say it is great to have my bed back and he did it on his own so we didnt have the crying fits but he was in our bed for what seemed like forever. It will just take some time to get her used to it.

My husband and I do the co-sleeping with our daughter. We had her take naps in her crib. I also work full time so she sleeps in a pack n play at the sitter for all her naps. Around 5 months we started my daughter in her crib and then when she would wake up for a feeding I would bring her to bed, usually I would fall asleep. She is 9months now and she sleeps longer of course and we still bring her into our bed in the early morning and let her sleep with us until the alarm goes off. For example though we went out of town and took a pack in play and realized that the room we were sleeping in might be too cold for her in the pack n play so she slept in the bed with us. However, when we got home she had no problem sleeping in her crib. Hope this helps.

does she nap in her crib? you can start there... but I also highly recommend a co-sleeper.. I didn't keep mine attached to the bed, but kept it next to the wall just a few feet away. then kept gradually moving it until it was near the door of our bedroom then I moved my daughter to her crib. during the day I'd have her nap in there... so by the time all was said and done, it was a smooth transition... and I'd just get up and feed her in her room instead of in bed.

I also recommend swaddling or if she doesn't like that.. those blanket sleepers are great. and they have easy zipper access for diaper changes, etc.

No real advice here--although I know lots of co-sleeping families who say they really appreciated Elizabeth Pantley's "No-Cry Sleep Solution." I also love my Arm's Reach Co-sleeper, because my babies are close enough to nurse easily but not crowding the bed the whole night--they convert into a small pay yard you could use as a bed-side crib, so it might be worth looking into for you. You can see them at www.armsreach.com. I got mine on eBay for a deal.
I just wanted to say I don't think you've made a mistake in letting your daughter sleep with you; I think you are sensitive and responsive and she is probably extra healthy and happy and secure because she was able to use her calories for learning and growing instead of complaining about being alone. Every baby is different, but you know your baby best, and you've done what was best for her and helped you stay well-rested and sane. Whatever your answer turns out to be, congrats on being in-tune to your baby's needs. ;)

The Pantley book some others have mentioned is good. If it doesn't work for you (it worked for us for some things but not others), try "Good Night, Sleep Tight" by Kim West & Joanne Kenen (www.sleeplady.com).

She's kind of anti-co-sleeping, but whatever. Her technique works really well. If you're a co-sleeper odds are that you'll like her methods or Pantley's... they're much more AP based than the whole cry-it-out gang.

It took us maybe 11 days or so to transition my DS1 to his own crib and he barely cried at all. When he did I got to comfort him, so we were all happy. And we all slept just fine. :)

I'd skip the blanket, honestly. That risk of SIDS just isn't worth it. Blanket sleepers are pretty effective at keeping baby warm if she won't stay swaddled. I've heard the Miracle Blanket is great for swaddling "older" babies, but haven't ever tried it myself.

Best of luck!