I Want to Teach My Son How to Sleep by His Self

Hello i to had the same feeling. My little man will be 7 months. I didnt like to hear him cry for so long. This is what i now do. Around 7 i give him a full bottle then i give him a nice warm bath lotion him up put him in his sleeper i keep the light on in his room i rock him but not to sleep i talk to him ang sing tickle his toes i do this for about 30 min when i see his eyes start shutting and he is almost ready to sleep in my arms i lay him donw pat his but and he is off to sleep. This has worked very well for me i do this every night the first 2 days he cried for 5 minutes after placing him in his crib then on the third night he cried for i think it was maby 2 minutes, then on the fourth night he drifted off to sleep no problem i made this a nightly thing and he is now so use to it i think he looks forward to his bath and just time with me. I started doing this when he was 5 months and to this day i still do it and it is great he wakes around 3 for a bottle and falls right back to sleep. Try this just switch the time to when you put your liltle one to bed. Give it a try it just may work for you to.
A.

As a mom, you have to go with your instinct!! If you don't want to change the way you put him to bed, then don't. There is no right or wrong way to handle it. And if he is only waking once at night on a good night, that is awesome. You could just start rocking him for a little less time each evening, and as he gets used to less rocking time, he will eventually not need it. Take your time, don't rush it, it sounds like you're doing great!

Hi P.,

I personally do not agree with cry it out. In my opinion, I feel that my children will have plenty of years ahead of them to cry and if there is something I can do to help them now I will. As a Mom you need to go with your gut and do what's right for you and your family. If you feel cry it out is best then that's what you need to do. If you feel you need to comfort him, then by all means do it. The way I try to think of it is, will I have any regrets when they are grown? Will I wish I did something different? Good luck to you sweetie and I hope you get to see your family soon.

K. - SAHM of 2 boys, 5 and 2

Hello P.-

The best advice I can give you is this: read the book "On Becoming Babywise"- I had my son sleeping through the night by three months AND on a fabulous predictable schedule- it saved my life!! More importantly, the book taught me how to be a confidant Mom who is control (in a good way- that is healthy) and can make the right decisions for my child.

I am such a fan and believe in these books so much, I've read every one since- pre-toddler, toddlers, potty training, etc.

My son is 21 months old and goes to bed like a dream- and stays there! all night, almost 12 hours. He is a well rested happy baby.

Getting a good nights sleep is the key to a happy child and Mom- you must be strong and do what is good for you child. REad the book, also, Healthy Baby, Healthy Sleep Habits is a good one too.

Good luck,
A.
Potomac FAlls, VA

I can't help convince you. I think it is wrong to leave babies to "cry it out" because I believe if affects their trust. Crying is the only way they have to communicate that they have a need, and if they need to know you are nearby to feel secure, I don't think that is a problem--in fact, I think it is much more healthy for a mother to always respond to her babies cries. At 6 months, it is not manipulation.

The whole idea of "teaching a baby to sleep on their own" is also ridiculous in my book. Both of my babies went to sleep on their own when they were ready. For my daughter, she was around 11 months when she started going into bed awake and then going to sleep. My boy was a little older. Both of them are well-adjusted individuals who sleep on their own now (at ages 8 and 20), so I really don't think it hurt them to have me rock them to sleep until they were ready to sleep on their own.

For centuries, babies slept with their parents, in the same bed or at least in the same room. It's only the last 100 or so years that we've decided that babies have to sleep elsewhere--and that's primarily in the developed nations. If you aren't comfortable with something, go with your mommy instincts--they're much more reliable than books.