Hi! My son is 8 1/2 months old and we are trying to transition from co-sleeping to his crib. As predicted by many, this has been a difficult process. I did not plan on co-sleeping; however, due to his difficulties with gas as a newborn and pure exhaustion on my end! it happened.
CIO will not work with him. His crying increases with intensity the longer he goes. Currently, I rock him to sleep and try to put him in his crib. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. He will also only nap if held or in car seat or stroller. I know I've created this, but there has got to be a way to undo it!
Re: From co-sleeping to crib...
I had to sleep train, because he was not getting enough sleep when he was in our room waking hourly. So we ready sleep easy solution, and moved him to his crib. It took about 3 days till things got great, and after about a week, no more crying when I put him down.
Sounds like you're not interested in using a CIO method, but when you tried it what method were you using? How were you comforting him? Were you comforting him at specific intervals? How long did you let him cry...It does intensify before it gets better. Especially when LO is use to you always coming when he cries. What was your routine before putting him into bed? Was he drowsy when you out him in his crib?
I did try CIO before I read about a specific method, and it did not work at all. When I read about the routine, the comforting, the intervals, and the average time to expect a baby to cry for the first few nights, it was much more successful.
I don't have much advice since I did use sleep training, but I hope it gets better for you.
I still get up with Chase at night, but he is sleeping in 3-4 hour increments instead of one hour increments, and he is much happier during the day and meeting milestones.
I like the baby whsiperer's pick up/put down and shush pat methods. Essentially you pat LO until drowsy then put in their cot. You keep patting them untilt hey're asleep. If they start to cry, you pick them up and as soon as they are calm you put them back in their cot, and continue patting. Rinse and repeat as often as required.
It can take a while, and if your LO is not used to sleeping in their cot at all then it will probably take longer than average, but your LO will go to sleep eventually, because they can't fight it forever.
We bedshared with LO until 8mths, and are now transitioning her to her cot at night. We're doing ok at the start of the night, but she wakes in the middle of the night. She's teething right now, so I'm just doing whatever to get by, but once she's through the other side of that I'll be more insistent on her sleeping by herself.
Elizabeth 5yrs old Jane 3yrs old
There were certain things he learnt to associate with sleep time .. a monkey that plays white noise, a tune and jungle sounds.. a glow worm that plays lullabys and also we installed a solar system mobile on the ceiling, the sun lights up and the planets orbit the sun and he loves that. He also loves having mamas and papas dream a little dream sung or hummed to him and that's another of his sleepy nap cues. Back rubs and butt pat also is a relaxation cue for him.
He will not sleep if he is too cold, hot or hungry or has gas, so if you eliminate all of those you may have more luck.
Usually we will cuddle him upright till he starts getting sleepy, then lay him horizontal in my arms facing me, then roll him so he is laid on his back in my arms and then when he is getting zoinked he is an easy transfer to the crib as he doesn't have that shift in position or sudden loss of body contact to jolt him awake.
Usually if he is just about ready to go as soon as you lay him down he rolls to his side and he is out, occasionally he wil take a pat or two or a back rub and then he is done. When that isn't working the glow worm comes into play and if a couple of rounds of that don't do the trick he gets picked up.. cuddle pat and as pp said.. rinse n repeat lol.
He isn't always easy to get down and will fight it but he doesn't throw a total fit at being in his crib like he did in the very beginning. I watch him on my android from work and he will goof off and play in there for a good half hour after he wakes up before he alerts daddy that he is awake and wants food NOW !!! I would totally try and get the munchkin to like his crib before expecting him to just go sleep in it.
You just have to figure out your lil ones comfort needs and work with that to make them feel ok about being in the crib.
Just don't leave the toys etc in the crib overnight while you are asleep, but if you can find a toy that they can activate themself.. like the glow worm or keyboard instead of one you have to turn on and off.. that may help as it gives them control over their comfort toys and sleep timing.
Our DS is also 8 months old and we are transitioning from cosleeping to the crib. His crib is in our room, squished up against my side of the bed. He sleeps there for naps now, although his naps are shorter than they were before. I also have him sleep there at night.
I nurse him to sleep, wait until he is super out (limp, floppy limbs), then lower him into his crib and place a hand on his tummy. Once he is super relaxed again I put a light blanket on him and I can leave the room or go to sleep my self. At night, he wakes up a few times (2-3), whereas he never woke up at night while cosleeping once we were past the newborn stage. I scoop him out, cuddle him for maybe 2 minutes while he falls back to sleep and goes all limp-limbed, then he goes back in the crib.
CIO is not for us, and I know he will fall asleep almost instantly if I pick him up, so I do. But if you are interested in sleep training definitely get a book, read it, and follow it (if you aren't consistent I don't believe it will work).
Good luck!