Having trouble with getting baby to sleep.

heathertreat

My son will be 5 months July 6th... we've been troubles getting him to sleep. His pediatrician recommended I try CIO with him. I lay him down in his crib drowsy, he cries, I go in every 10 minutes and soothe him a little without picking him up... but he doesn't stop crying and he wont go to sleep. I got in the bad habit of putting him in his swing since I stopped rocking him to sleep. I want him to have independence with sleeping. I never wanted him to have to cry it out but I'm a first time mom and just never imagined it would be this hard! He cries so long about it being bed time that his voice gets hoarse. and I know he's tired. he's been going to bed at the same time for months now and this problem just started a couple weeks ago. what should i do?!?! if i keep rocking him to sleep or putting him in his swing will be become too dependent on that?

savedgracie

You could look at this :

https://www.troublesometots.com/weaning-baby-off-swing/

I haven't tried it, but it's what I'm thinking about trying. My lo is a motion junkie too and only sleeps rocked or in swing.

Tess024

I'm starting to have the same issue, I KNOW he's tired, but he refuses to sleep. I keep thinking "How hard is this? You're tired, close your eyes!" lol.

I would suggest doing a routine, and slowly winding down. In my house, it's bathtime, a little playtime with daddy, a story in his room, then into the crib he goes... maybe talk to him a little with some music or whatever, but only for 5 mins max.

Adjusting to a routine might be hard, but pushing through it is all you can do. We're with you!

TeacherVicky

You're trying to get your baby to learn a new skill, so he will likely need some help. You can help him by using a more gentle method, you don't have to let him CIO at 5m. 

Make sure you're putting him down at appropriate times and that he is not overtired. An overtired baby will always have a hard time settling into sleep on their own. 

What time is his bedtime? What does the rest of his day look like?

At 4m, they say a baby should nap 3x a day, but I found that DD still sometimes needed 4 naps because her naps weren't very long. I wouldn't let her be awake for more than 90-120 minutes at a time. At around 5.5m, I started pushing 3 naps a day. Bedtime is always between 6:30-7.