Toddler bed sttn help

Jbosarge85

Hello. So intro my DD is 16 months old. We were bedsharing but I'm due in July, there is not enough room in our bed for DD and New LO (I know not sleeping next to each other). So I've been trying to transition DD to a toddler bed, I nurse her to sleep at 9 because it's so light out earlier she refuses to go to sleep. Then each night she wakes up crying at midnight, I'll go in rock her to sleep put her back and an hour later she's up crying again. After the second time no matter how long I rock her the moment I try to lay her down she instantly cries. I put her in the bed for naps, I don't know how to get her to sleep longer. I've tried not picking her up just patting her back but that makes things worse. Any advice would be appreciated.

ncbelle

Have you looked at the No Cry Sleep Solution (there's a toddler version).  There's not going to be a magic fix to get her to STTN but there are some tips there that should help.

I'd really encourage an earlier bedtime too - blackout shades can do wonders

Rrrrrachel

I also think an earlier bed time might help.

Jenny952

We are finally transitioning out of bedsharing. I tried moving her into a toddler bed but it didn't work.  So instead we got her a full-size bed.  I nurse still for a few minutes and then lay in bed with her while she falls asleep.  Then if she wakes up overnight, I sleep in bed with her for the rest of the night.  We're just a few weeks in, so eventually the plan is that I'll just go in while she falls back to sleep and then she can get back to sleep on her own.  So far it's working out well, and it's much more comfortable for me when she wakes up overnight.  

Jbosarge85

Thanks everyone, I hung up a thick blanket over her window tonight. Get her to sleep earlier, not as early as hoped only 15 min earlier but tomorrow we'll try earlier.

Mrs.AmyDylan

My DD is 16mo and finally sttn for the first time 3 weeks ago. We moved her to a twin bed in her room for naps around 13mo and at night about 14.5mo.

 

I really think the mattress on the floor is what worked for us. I slept with her entirely for the first week in her "big girl bed", the second week I nursed her to sleep and left until MOTN wake up and stayed. After that I would go in with any wake up, nurse her down and sneak out. Sometimes I still fall asleep with her, but it has really helped not trying to move her (which is why the crib never worked and why we bed shared). Good luck!

musicalsilver

Another vote for mattress on the floor (we just got blackout curtains, and I'm not convinced they're helping LO go to bed any earlier, so I don't know if it's a magic fix for all LOs).

Once my LO got to be too much of a restless sleeper for bedsharing with DH and I, we moved him to his floor mattress.  Depending on the kind of night LO is having, I either nurse and then sneak off after he's asleep, or if he's waking up a ton, I'll just stay the night with him in his room.  After a month or so of this, we got a glorious week of nearly STTN-ness.  We've regressed again (molars I think?), but I feel like this has definitely been the right direction to go in!

TiffanyBerry

early bedtime (with blackout blinds, and with using the blinds/curtains in your house to start to dim things).  the first full summer (around the same age as yours is) was tough, but now (she's four), it's easier to ignore that it's light outside.

is this a transition to a new room *AND* a toddler bed at the same time?  perhaps it's too much, and she needs to be in the toddler bed, but in your room.  Or you sleep on a mattress on the floor next to her bed in her room?

Jbosarge85

TiffanyBerry said:

early bedtime (with blackout blinds, and with using the blinds/curtains in your house to start to dim things).  the first full summer (around the same age as yours is) was tough, but now (she's four), it's easier to ignore that it's light outside.

is this a transition to a new room *AND* a toddler bed at the same time?  perhaps it's too much, and she needs to be in the toddler bed, but in your room.  Or you sleep on a mattress on the floor next to her bed in her room?

Well she was on the mattress next to our bed and then we started packing for a move and she regressed back to our bed. So once we moved I didn't want to force her In a new room, bed, and house. But we've been here a month now. So she has been sleeping on the mattress before but not in with the frame And not in that room. We don't have room in our room for her mattress.

BloomingMomma

Can a 16-month old understand the artificial boundaries of a bed that isn't crib-like or surrounded by mom or dad? Every kid is different, but our gal would never have transitioned that early... At 2 ish she was gabbing in full sentences, seemed to love the independence. Is this a milestone issue instead?

Jbosarge85

BloomingMomma said:

Can a 16-month old understand the artificial boundaries of a bed that isn't crib-like or surrounded by mom or dad? Every kid is different, but our gal would never have transitioned that early... At 2 ish she was gabbing in full sentences, seemed to love the independence. Is this a milestone issue instead?

She loved having her own space when she did sleep in her bed. And I'm happy to report it's almost 5am and she hasn't woken up once. I guess it just took time, and patience we'll see how it goes tomorrow.