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Talk to me about Sleep Lady Shuffle

ladybug8510ladybug8510
in Attachment Parenting

I think I've read that some of you ladies have done this to transition LO from bedsharing to the crib.  DH and I have decided that we want to start with this technique to get DD sleep in her crib. 

So how well did this work for you?  Did you both stay next to the crib?  Just one of you?  Did you take turns? Did you do bedtime and naps at the same time? And how did you know when to nurse in the middle of the night and when not to?

I'm thinking that having DH there would probably be easiest on DD since she is used to me nursing her to sleep.  When DH puts her to sleep, he normally rocks her under the ceiling fan, or lays with her on the bed and rubs her back.  Both involve some crying. 

Part of me wishes that I had worked harder when she was smaller to get her sleeping on her own.  But I wouldn't trade the past 10 months of nighttime snuggles for anything. 

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Re: Talk to me about Sleep Lady Shuffle

  • kdg31684kdg31684
    Do it now!  We are bedsharing now and I am trying to figure out how to transition.  J slept in his own crib until 14 months, then we went out of town and it ruined everything!  I am reading The No Cry Sleep Solution (they make one for infants and one for toddlers).  We tried it for a little while but went on vaca so it didn't stick.  The way we did it was I'd put him in the crib and sit right next to him, and put a hand thru the slats of the crib so he could be able to touch me.  then when he'd wake up in the middle of the night, I'd take the same position.  He seems to be a really light sleeper so he wakes up a lot.  and I think he has some separation anxiety at night, cause he freaks if he wakes up alone.  But I think thats common at this age.  Good Luck!!
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  • Webbie3Webbie3

    We did it when DD was 15 months and it was awesome!!!  I can't recommend it more.  DD was taking more than an hour to nurse to sleep every night and still waking up 2-3 times per night to nurse, and I was losing my mind.  She sleeps through the night now and I can put her in her crib while she is awake, and she'll put herself to sleep without trouble most of the time.

    I was the one who did this with DD because I handle nap time and bed time, so DH wasn't really involved.  We went all in and did it with both naps and bed time.  I stopped nursing her at night about a week before we did the Shuffle in hopes that it would cut down on her night-waking, but it didn't help, so DD was already used to not nursing in the middle of the night when we started.

    What I did to make the beginning a little easier (maybe easier on me) is lay next to DD's crib instead of sit in a chair.  That way, she wasn't reaching up to me and crying to be picked up.  I talked to her and patted the mattress to get her to lay down.  She already knew the phrases "lay down" and "night-night," so I kept repeating those.  I started at nap time, and she cried on and off for about 90 minutes.  It was more of an angry cry than an upset cry, and she'd stop and lay down for several minutes at a time, so it wasn't as bad as I expected.  After that, it got much easier.  I was more gradual with the Shuffle and just moved a few feet further away from her at each step, so it took a little longer, but it worked great.

    Good luck!  Sleep trouble can be so frustrating, and I hope the Shuffle works as well for you as it did for us! 

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