Switching from Bed to Crub

I don't know that our experience was easy, but not as painful as we thought. We transitioned Braeden at 9 months when I pretty much hadn't gotten any sleep for 9 months and was getting CRAZY! I fed him, put him in his crib almost asleep, he cried for a few minutes, well kinda screamed and kicked his feet and then fell asleep. The tantrum lasted almost 10 minutes the first night and now is pretty much seamless. It's only been a few weeks. The second night the crying lasted less than 5 minutes and now he goes to sleep after about a minute. It was hard, I cried, I felt bad, but he's sleeping MUCH better (almost 12 hours a night) and we are actually resting easier.

As much as you would L. it to be smooth, its is going to be hard. When I switched my daughter from the bed to the crib it was tough, but important to have patience and keep trying. Of course he will cry like hes about to die, but thats only because he is so used to mommy and daddy and this will be completely new to him. At first (what i did). I let my baby cry for 5 minutes. sometimes I didnt have the heart to even make it to the 5 minute mark. I would go in and assure her I was still there, put her pacifier back in and when she was quiet for at least 30 seconds I would leave again for another 5 minutes. Keep going in every 5 minutes (if he continues to cry). I would usually give it at least 1 hour (which is HARD) before I picked her up and rocked her to sleep then placed her in the crib. If he does stop crying at any point during the 5 minutes and stays quiet for about 30 seconds to a minute I would start the 5 minutes over again when the crying started up again. (i hope this makes sense!!) Eventually I was able to stand a full 10 minutes before going back in. Now I only have to go in once or twice before she falls asleep. Sometimes I dont have to go in at all. By the way... A mobile or something to look at really helped a lot! Sometimes when she was screaming I would just press a button on the mobile and she would become almost hypnotized by it and drift off to sleep just staring at it!
Eventually he will learn that this is his bed and you are not far away. A lot of reassurance will help him understand. Good luck with whatever you try :)

We have never used a crib, I feel they are detrimental to nursing and development and also dangerous.

We have 4 kids, 2 of which are completely weaned from but still welcome in our bed and 2 who still either always or often sleep with us.

My youngest is 6 months too. He nurses most of the night and if he did not I would be in trouble since he is with me all day, but I am working full time and it would be hard for him to get enough with our schedule. For him we simply have a low to the ground bed. I put him in the middle and rarely leave him alone in it anyway. When he sleeps during the day he is in the baby sling with me or in a basket near me, so no danger of falling.

We did much the same with all him siblings. His next older sib is 4 and she sleeps sometime in her bed. ( which is a high quality mattress laid on the floor) and very often still sleeps in our bed. She transitioned nicely to being able to get out of bed herself. When she was old enough to get mobile we explained to her the dangers of falling off of the bed and we took the mattress off of the frame so that it was on the floor, with the box spring it was still a bit high for some one so small, so we also taught her how to turn and slide down safely on her own.

She too rarely slept in the bed alone at the time, so not a really big deal. At 6 months your baby is still not aware of him/herself as a person separate from mom and still does not have a totally mature breathing mechanism, so being with you is safest emotionally and physically.

Notice that crib death is CALLED crib death, there is a reason, babies rarely have these issues with a parent next to them. Your Baby is a smart boy and knows he needs to be wtih his parents. We never used a swing, but the sling will do the same for you, leaving your hands free to do what you need to do.

I would recommend the book, "Night Time Parenting" and "The Family Bed" for more information on how to do a transition and other options you may not have thought of.

We transitioned our boys at 3 months and used a modified CIO method. We would put them to bed at the same time each night, awake. If they fussed we would wait 5 minutes and then go in to comfort, without picking them up if possible (ie, rubbing there tummie/back, singing softly, ect..). Once they were calm we would leave again, and if the fussing started backup we would again wait 5 minutes. I never had to go in more then once! Since you are starting a little later than I did it may take him a few nights to get the hang of it, but the sleep you all get in the end will make it so worth it!

ps.
I would also wait 5 minutes if they woke and stated fussing in the middle of the night, I never had to go in, they were always back to sleep in under the 5 minutes!

You could try this: on night one (and maybe two), take a mattress or just have some blankets on the floor in his room with the crib and let him sleep with you there. If he seems to do well with that, try moving him to his crib with you still on the floor next to him the next night or two. If he does well with that, try putting him in his crib and let him fall asleep with you still in the room but don't sleep in there the next couple of nights. If that goes well, let him do it alone.

Some kids, however, only have a harder time getting to sleep when they see Mom or Dad there and can't hold them, so he may not do well if he can see you but can't reach you. In that case, he may just need to cry it out.

My daughter slept in our room until she was about six months old. At that time, before we moved her to her crib, it was really difficult to get her to sleep and stay asleep, and she would wake every two hours to nurse once she did go to sleep. It was a nightmare for me! When my husband suggested putting her in her crib in her room, I was reluctant but very tired and ready to try it. That night, it took some crying for her to go to sleep (not as much as we thought), and then she slept the entire night through...11 hours! It was wonderful!

So you never know. He might really enjoy the change.

I'll give you the advice my mother gave me. It worked. She said to put the crib (it was a portable one) next to the bed and that the baby wouldn't fret. It worked for everytime she woke I would pat her on the back and soothe her. Within a night or two she slept in it. Later on we moved it to the foot of the bed.