Ok Moms, I need help. I have a 8 1/2 month old that hates to be put in his bed to sleep. He takes his last bottle at bedtime and falls asleep I then take him to his crib and sometimes I can lay him down without him waking up and then at times he will wake up as soon as I let go of him. When I can get him to sleep in his bed, it is usually only for a couple of hours at a time. He wakes up and I will try and soothe him with patting or shhh, but that just seems to make him mad. When he awakes, it is like he realizes that he is alone and it makes him mad. I have tried to let him cry it out but then it takes me longer to get him calmed down as it would of me to just go in there and pick him up and get him back to sleep. No to mention, I dont like having to resort to that because I dont like to hear him cry. I can pick him up and he immediately will go back to sleep. Now you can bring him to our bed and he is out like a light and will sleep all night long. Several people have told me to try a white noise machine - which he has one in his room and we turn it on every night. Ive tried blankets, stuffed animals to try and give him the comfort that a boyd would, but he seems to be smarter than that. I know all babies sleep different, but my first son was not this bad. I definitely think he has seperation anxiety issues or something. I need sleep! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Well sounds like you are having the same trouble we use to have.
Try putting a small TV in the room and put on a dvd for him and maybe that will help him fall asleep.
My son doesn't like sleeping without a night light so maybe the room is too dark for you boy.
Hang in there!
Also try a sound machine you can get them at walmart. Something that makes noise to kinda sooth him!
Let me know if it helps
Sounds like your son is in control of his sleeping situation in your house. I had trouble with this at 6 months with my first son. His ped. told me to let him cry it out. I had my doubts and thought it was "mean" but my husband was not having it anymore and forced me to stay strong. It took about 4 nights of crying (1st night - 45 minutes; 2nd night - 30 minutes; 3rd night - 20 minutes; 4th night - maybe 5 minutes) to create a good sleeper. Some children have to be taught to sleep well. If you don't solve the problem now, you'll have to face a bigger problem later. Unless, of course, you like having your children sleep with you or taking hours upon hours to put a child to bed at night.
I suggest reading "Happiest Baby on the Block."
My sister-in-law once said to me..."if you won't let your child cry it out, then I have no advice for you!"
Good luck and stay strong!
M.
Hi L., maybe you could try moving him into a bassinet(or a playpen if he is too heavy for a bassinet) in your room. Get him adjusted to sleeping in the bassinet for a few weeks. Then move the bassinet/playpen to his room and let him sleep there for a few weeks(in the bassinet) until he gets comfy again, and finally move him into the crib.
We had to do this with one of my daughters, she was addicted to sleeping in a swing. We put the swing in her room and let her sleep there for a few weeks, then we removed the swing and started putting her to bed in the crib. It worked great for us, we have not had an issue since. Hope that helps. Oh by the way, she was 9 months old when she finally started sleeping in her crib LOL!
We bought a little toy aquirium and my daughter will turn it on if she wakes up at night. She will watch it and listen to the music. She is usually back to sleep within 5 minutes or less.
Put a heating pad under his blanket in his bed on low before feeding the last bottle of the day. Take a night gown or something that you have just worn and put it between you and him when feeding him. When you put him down in bed, put it over him as a blanket or close to his nose. The warmth will mimic body heat and the clothing will make him think you are there with him (they smell your "scent").
I used to do this a LOT with mine.
I hope it helps.
Blessings,
P. <><
I do not think you should let your sweet baby just cry himself to sleep. I am a true believer that our kids tell us what they need...we just have to interpret it correctly. Something is not right for him in his bed. A smell, a sound, the feel of it, whatever. When my boys went to their own beds it was difficult because they were used to the comfort of me nearby. My dad suggested that I play the Bible just loud enough to know it was there not necessarily to make out all the words. It worked like a charm. I would encourage you to pray with your baby and let him hear you requesting a peaceful night sleep for him. Even one so little knows the peace of our Lord. May God bless you as you try to work this out for your family.
It sounds like your son is manipulating you. It also sounds like he has not learned how to self-sooth and put himself to sleep.
I suggest changing the bedtime routine. Even at 8-9 months old, it always worked best for me, to put my son to bed 1-2 hours after dinner. We eat at 6pm and go to bed at 8pm. If you think he'll be hungry, feed him later, but allow some "down time" for relaxing after his dinner meal.
Try a bath, clean pj's, a story or just dim the lights and rock him for a few minutes. Whatever you want to do to relax him.
It's very hard, but you have to let the baby cry. If you go in to check on him, do not pick him up. If you can see he is OK, stay long enough to tell him "night night" and peacefully leave the room. If he continues to cry, wait longer before going in again. -- If you have any trouble listening to him cry, find someone (husband, girlfriend) who can sit with you or get a video baby monitor so you can SEE that he is okay. That made it so easy for us.
It sounds like this could take more than one night of trying, but it will be well worth it in the long run for all of you.
When you feed your son the last meal, get a blanket and lightly wrap him up in it and then feed him. When he falls asleep, put him and the blanket down in the bed. I like the idea of the heat pad heating up the crib and the tee shirt or nightgown with your scent on it. As for him crying, you have to let him build up his lungs and cry. Get tough, he won't break when he cries. He does this because he knows you will come running and pick him up. As for putting him the bed with you stop it and put him back in the bed. Get a noise canceling machine or something to drown out the noise. Routines are good for everyone as long as you stick to them. What time do you have dinner for the family? You may have to learn how to use a crock pot so that meals don't take forever to fix and not go to Wendys or such as they cost too much. Good luck to you.
Same thing here. Neither of my 2 daughters (now 8 and 6) ever slept in their crib! They slept in a bassinet in our room when they were little, and then after outgrowing that, my oldest snuggled between us. My youngest was just like yours-- screamed the second you put her down. When she outgrew the bassinet, we'd put her to sleep on the sofa with a soft blanket and soft pillow. She slept there for a couple of years.
Personally, I won't sit back and listen to my baby scream for an hour. I even tried it once, and it was heartbreaking. To me, if an infant is that panicked, then it is my responsibility as a parent to comfort the child. My kids are perfectly well-adjusted now and sleep in their own beds-- and on occassion as a treat, on the sofa-- they just took their time and made that leap when they were ready to. My advice is not to force it. If the child is comfortable sleeping with you and you don't mind, then cherish every moment... because 8 months turns into 8 years old in a blink of an eye! If you aren't comfortable having him in the bed with you, then try making him a special spot either in your room or in a room near you.
Good luck.
