Does Anyone Have Experience with Sleepy Planet

I co-sleep with my almost 2 year old, because it made it easier to breastfeed her at night and helped me sleep more. I put the bed next to the wall; I sleep next to her and my husband next to me (he moves a lot). I bought the fancy crib, but it is my regret now, because it has not found a use other than toy storage. I will transition her to a toddler bed when I am ready (sleeping with her helps me ease the guilt of working). My mom slept with all of us, and my sister sleeps with her two kids too (9moths, and 5) so far there has not been any problems. The trasition can be a challange depending on the childs persistance and the parents consistancy, but I do not know what methods work best for a baby. My mom transitioned us all out at 3 or older.

Good Luck!!

I don't have experience with Sleepy Planet, but your doctor is a fresh of breath air! Yes, co-sleeping is very common in other parts of the world *and* I suspect very common in the US, but no one wants to talk about it. We co-slept for three years. I got plenty of sleep and Rachel got plenty of sleep. When I went back to work, I adjusted my schedule so that we could all wake up at the same time. I got ready for work and my husband took Rachel to my mom's for daycare. It takes some adjusting, but I believe co-sleeping is good for the whole family.

About this age, sleep problems could be due to teething as well, and "separation anxiety" which my Pediatrician suggested.... a baby, even when sleeping, will wake to find you and want to see you and be close. It's a normal part of development phases. Or, when the baby is going through "growth spurts"...they may actually be waking more often because they need to feed/nurse more often. This is common. Growth spurts occur every few weeks, and they are just waking because they are truly hungrier. But yes, co-sleeping in bed CAN be dangerous... in my area, once in a while I have heard of a baby dying because a parent rolled onto them and suffocated or the baby fell off the bed and got a head injury etc. And yes, they should NEVER be unattended or left alone in your bed. One option, if you want to co-sleep, is to put a mattress or "futon" on the floor... then if baby rolls around they can't FALL down onto the floor etc. Parent can 'sleep' with baby on the floor mattress... then when baby falls asleep, Parent goes back to sleep on your own bed. This is what I have done. But for naps, my baby would STILL nap IN the crib. Or at night too...unless he had trouble sleeping due to his teething etc., then we would put him down on the floor mattress and lie with him until he fell asleep. This was his "routine" and he knew it. He would still nap and sleep in his crib on "normal' nights, with no problem. It's all a matter of ROUTINE and repetition. Hope this helps. Good luck.. nice to hear from a Dad in these venues! Good for you!
~Susan
www.cafepress.com/littlegoogoo

My son was split between sleeping in his crib and co-sleeping with us from infancy to about age 3. We never rolled over on him! When I got out of bed before him, I made sure he was in the middle of the bed (we had a queen size at the time) and placed two large pillows on either side of the edge of the bed, and he never rolled over onto the floor.

When we bought his "big boy bed" (a full-size bed) when he was 3, he very easily and enthusiastically stopped co-sleeping with us. No problem transitioning b/c we got him so excited about his "big boy bed"!

Just do what is best and easiest for you now and don't worry about the future until you get there, and I'll promise you, it's never as hard as you imagined it would be in the first place! I think it's better for parents to just relax and trust their instincts!

From the day my son was born he has never wanted to sleep in his crib. He didn't even want to sleep in the carts they had at the hospital, he liked to sleep on my lap in the bed. We have been co-sleeping for 16 months now, and have not once rolled over on him. He also just started sleeping through the night a couple of months ago. I have left in him our bed alone, to solve the problem of him rolling off, we just bought the siderails that go on toddler beds and attached them to our bed. You can find them anywhere, like Babies R Us. The only problem we have with co-sleeping is that our son is constantly rolling all over us, but it still doesn't matter. We all get a goods night sleep, and it definitely helps the mom, who doesn't have to get up out of the bed every hour or so when we have to grab the baby and feed them. It all depends on what feels comfortable for you. Hope everything works out.

In response to one mama's comment - do not use Hyland's Teething Tablets because it has been recalled for botulism...fyi.
Also - I have not tried that method; not sure what it says...but I transitioned my DD to the crib at 3 mos and she was fine until situations arose where I had to co-sleep with her for a while and she got used to it. I put her to sleep in her crib by rocking her or laying down with her and then moving her while she is asleep and then if she wakes while I am awake I will go in there and hold her hand but not pick her up until she is asleep again. If she stands up I will lay her down...and if she cries when I am asleep, I will wake up and lay her down in the guest bed with me (my husband is too dangerous and our bed is not against a wall). I never roll in my sleep and she will stay asleep all night if I am there. I asked my husband to make sure he didnt mind and his response was he didn't care because he was asleep any way (plus he snores!). You just have to do what's right for your family and agree with your wife...maybe try a few different methods and see what you feel comfortable with. :)

Hi P.!

Just a few words to say....
Get your baby back in her crib asap.
If you dont, you will have a little monster!
I did that with my first child, she always slept w/me.
I finally was able to get her into her own bed when she
was 3 1/2!!! Please don't put youself and your wife through
a horrible situation, i.e. letting baby sleep in your bed!!!!!

I did Sleepy Planet with my daughter and it worked wonderfully. It was a very gentle and easy way to train her how to sleep better. I started when she was about 5 months old and how she sleeps from 7pm to 6:30 am. The only time this changes is when she's cutting a tooth. Then she'll wake up in the middle of the night. Sleepy Planet has a book called "The Sleep Easy Solution" which I would highly recommend buying and reading. It's a great way to train your child to sleep without ripping your heart out in the process. You feel like although you are training your child to sleep and there is crying involved, you are doing so in a loving manner. Good luck!

Hello new daddy!
Welcome! I'm sure you will got lots of responses and ALL kinds of different opinions on this subject. We all have done what works best for our families and maybe some of our advice will work for you.
I've never heard of Sleepy Planet but just looked up the website. For me, I think its kind of silly to have to pay someone to tell you how to get your child to sleep. Parents have been putting their children to sleep for years without the assistance of sleep counselors, and without the added stress of paying for one. Hopefully some of the advice you receive here will help you...and for FREE! :o)
Children have all different stages of development that can wreak havoc on their sleep patterns. If she begins to sleep thru the night again, there will come another stage in her life where she will wake again at night. I have two boys, 5 and 3....and both still go thru certain phases where they either sleep all night, or sometimes come into my room for various reasons at night. They do go back to their own beds, because frankly, I have a hard time sleeping when they are in bed with me and I've learned that it is much better for them to return to their own beds because they will have a much happier Mama when I get a full nights rest. Sleep deprivation is an ugly, ugly thing. :o)
What has worked for me is a little method that I'm sure a lot of parents have used. One question though...is she teething? This could be keeping her up at night; she could also be going thru a growth spurt and her little body is restless. Maybe if you can narrow down what might be bothering her, it might be easier to get her back to sleep (Of course, if it were THAT easy, we would all have everything figured out!). A little pain medication (for teething..Orajel, Tylenol, there are also homeopathic teething tablets that dissolve on the tongue)
With my boys, if I knew they weren't sick or hurting...I would give them a little milk (formula) and if they started crying when I left the room, I would let them cry for about 3 minutes, then go back in their room, pat them on the back or bum and tell them "Its ok, Mama is here, its time to go to sleep". They would continue to cry, but each time I went in the room, I would increase the time between visits. I would not pick them up or turn on any lights, I would talk in a whisper.
I would start with 3 minute increments, then move it to 5 min, then 10 min, then 20 and so on. The main thing is, CONSISTENCY!!!!! YOU HAVE TO BE CONSISTENT!!! It will take a few nights for her to get the hang of it, but she will. You just have to be consistent. (of course, this is all my opinion and what worked for me.....)
Also, do you have a bedtime routine? Since my boys umbilical cords fell off, I started giving them nightly baths (didn't always use soap, warm water works just as well) we would feed them, read a story and put them down to bed. Of course, they didn't fall asleep quickly every night. Its also a good idea to put your child to bed when she is sleepy, but not all the way asleep, that way she can learn to fall asleep on her own.
If she has been sleeping soundly until now, I figure there may be something going on with her. I'm assuming teeth....that causes lots of sleep disruption and she's at the age to start working on getting some teeth in. Sometimes they get them right away, sometimes they can work on getting a tooth for a couple months. If she is going thru a growth spurt, she may need more food as well. Since my boys were little, I've always had a fan in their room. (facing outside the door if its wintertime and inside their room for summer heat) I think the 'white noise' helped them sleep. We have lived in apartments so it also helped with keeping OUR noises more camoflauged (if that makes sense).

I hope some of this helps. There are many different cultures and ideas out there, we just need to find what works best for us. You may have to try a few different ones before you find what works best. Just remember to BE CONSISTANT!!!!!!!

Take care and good luck!
S.

Hello,
I used the Sleepy Planet method and it worked wonders for us. Around 4 months of age, my daughter went from waking up once at night to waking up once every 2 hours... and it was killing me. So around 5 months, we bought the book and toughed it out for 3 nights. The first night, it took her 45 minutes to go to sleep in her crib. On the second night it took 11 minutes. On the third night it took her 3 minutes. The pain was well worth of it for all of us. She has learned how to soothe herself and after a week or so, turns her head when I place her in her crib and falls right asleep. The naps took a bit longer as the book stated but now she naps wonderfully. It has really changed our lives. And for the night weaning, we also followed the advice in the book and it worked for us too. Good luck with which ever path you decide to take. The sleepy planet method worked for us.

I do not agree with co-sleeping. I believe it doesn't teach a child independence. You become their soothing method. Not to mention it can't be good for a marriage not to have private time together. Also, I think it is very dangerous especially if you two are active sleepers and/or if you are leaving her alone in the room. When she is actively rolling around (my daughter was rolling around 6 mo) she will roll out of bed.

I tried the Sleepy Planet method with my 9 mo. old (she was 3 1/2 mo.) and it didn't work, she would get more upset when I was around. After a week or so my husband & I agreed to let her cry it out. After another week she was able to soothe herself to sleep & now she sleeps like a champ. It was the hardest thing for me to hear her crying but in the long run I believe she is a healthy, happier child for it. Having said all of that your daughter could be teething. It is very common for babies to wake every hour. The pressure on the gums is huge and being upright is the only thing (aside from children's tylenol) that relieves it. When my daughter's first two teeth came in I gave her tylenol when I put her down. During the day I would use hyland's teething gel. It worked out well for us.

Hope my point of view helps.

I don't know Sleepy Planet but would recommend "The No-Cry Sleep Solution" by Elizabeth Pantley, particularly if you or your wife aren't comfortable with the whole "cry it out" philosophy. As for co-sleeping, it can be done safely or not but is not inherently dangerous itself. In fact, there is a LOT of research that indicates it's better for babies (prevents SIDS, promotes bonding etc) when done safely. However it doesn't work for everyone. There is also research (Harvard did a study about ten years ago, among others) that crying it out can be damaging in the long run so if there's a way to get your baby to sleep without letting her cry it out, I would try that first. Good luck.

P.

Maybe you should check into a cosleeping bed. It is like a bassinet the fits right next to your bed. It gives the baby a feeling of being in her own bed but at the same time your wife is in arms lenght of her. I am not fimilar with the Sleep Planet way. But I do know that what ever method you decide to use it going to take consistancy and patience. I have three beautiful children and they all coslept wth me and it was not easy to transition them to sleeping in there own beds. I hope helped alittle and I wish you and your wife many blessings.

I totally agree w/ you. It's dangerous! Especially for heavy sleepers like my husband who could sleep thru a tornado! I am sure your baby will do fine if she is put back in her bassinet or crib to sleep. She may fuss a little now and then, but it's totally normal. Maybe she's teething and being close to mommy and daddy is comforting. My daughter transitioned from bassinet (within my reach every night) to her crib at about 3.5 months. She did it with no problem, and I never took her to bed with me, not once. If she fussed, I just held her in the rocker, in her room, and put her down when she was ready. It's of course not always that easy- there will always be some nights where it's difficult and baby wants nothing more than to be held - it's just part of the job. Do what you think is best, and your wife. Instincts are a powerful guide to what is right and wrong for your child.

P., I am not familiar with the Sleepy Planet program. Both of our boys were co-sleepers. We never had a problem with them rolling out of bed (they slept between us or we moved the bed against the wall). And we never rolled onto them; however, my husband and I are fairly light sleepers. They both sleep in their beds now (they are 3 and 4 years old) with a few exceptions once or twice a week when one of them will come in, in the middle of the night, and crawl in bed with us. I got a lot more sleep this way and would do it the same way all over again. Our peditrician told us it that co-sleeping was not a good thing and that we should transition to a crib ASAP to avoid problems later on (I haven't seen any problems so far). I asked around and did some research and it seems to me that a lot of parents are doing the co-sleeping thing. They just aren't admitting it unless you tell them you are co-sleeping also. It all comes down to what you are comfortable with. If it works for you, your wife and your daughter then go with it, if it doesn't then try something else.

I don't have experience with sleepy planet, but I want to highly recommend to you the book that we used for my two-year-old when he was little. This book taught us so many things about sleep, that I use that knowledge even today, and I have not had a single sleep issue with my child that I haven't known how to solve from the knowledge I acquired. The book is "Solve your Child's Sleep Problems" by Richard Ferber. Good luck!