i just need some suggestions for getting my baby girl to go to sleep on her own.
She has a good schedule now. She doesn't fight sleep bad. But we have to rock her till she falls asleep. Then lay her down.
Ideally (since we are trying for #2) I would like to just have our bedtime routine. Then lay her in her crib. Kiss her goodnight. And walk out. But how do I get there? She would cry for hours if I let her. How can I make it gradual enough to where she just eases into it.
We lay LO down awake after her bath and a few books. If she fusses, after about five minutes, shorter if she's actually crying, I go in and ask if she needs some help getting to sleep. She has always said yes. Help is picking her up and cuddling her or rocking her for a few minutes while singing. No books and no toys. Then I ask her if she's ready and put her back in her crib. I can only think of one time she didn't go to sleep immediately. I have no idea why this works so well or if it will work for you , but it's worth a shot. My LO is pretty headstrong so maybe it's that she's making the decision to sleep instead of me.
I would find a routine that works for you and stick with it. Every night we do bath, books, bed. I snuggle him for a few minutes but lay him down awake.
I always rock Rhys for a little while but put him in the crib awake. I would try rocking her until she is SUPER drowsy, ALMOST asleep, and putting her down at first. Then, gradually decrease the amount of time that you rock her before putting her down. I can now rock Rhys for just a minute and put him down wide awake and he will go to sleep. There may be some crying... just do what you're comfortable with. Good luck!
Amanda
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Nov siggy challenge: animals eating Thanksgiving food
We follow a similar routine- bath (every other night), she sleeps in a toddler bed (no crib- that's for our no-named baby due in Dec), so I tell her to lay down- I read 5 books (not long ones) a mix of German and English, and we say our prayers, I give her a kiss and I shut the door. It took her 3 days to transition to the toddler bed when we came back from the States. Honestly you just have to see what works best for you and your routine. At first Raz cried - I would go back in lay her down rub her back for a few minutes and walk out. She has a blanket and teddy bear. She was dependent on me (and breast milk) to put her to sleep. Your baby has to learn that she can fall asleep by herself. Once they build that self confidence they will also be able to put themselves back to sleep if they wake up in the middle of the night. This is essential (IMO) if you want to have another baby. I didn't try to wean her and get her on a routine until I found out I was pregnant- then it felt like a countdown bc I really wanted a full nights sleep before baby #2 came along. Good luck and keep us posted!
Updates? I would love to know what you are trying. We did CIO (which broke my heart) so now I tell Jules it's time for bed, say my normal things, set her down and walk out. She will either play for awhile or go straight to sleep. Good luck
Re: Bed Time
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Nov siggy challenge: animals eating Thanksgiving food
Rhys - born 04.17.2013
Harry - born 04.18.2016