7 Months Old Not in Crib Yet

You know what helps my son? I put a heating pad in his crib for a few minutes before I put him down so the crib feels more like body heat. And the sound of the vaporizer helps, too. (I guess it's the white noise or the "breathing" sound.)

The best book I ever read for stuff like this is Secrets of the Baby Whisperer by Tracy Hogg. That woman was a miracle worker.

Good luck!

I had to "Ferberize" both of mine to get them out of my bed. Dr. Ferber's method of getting kids to sleep in their crib involves a week or so of gradually letting them cry themselves to sleep. If you stick to his guidelines, it is a no-fail transition.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferber_method

Good luck!!

Well- first off my son name is Troy as well, I just had to say that. I'm not an expert on these things but your sonn is proubobly sleeping better in your bed because he feels your presence and is comforted by it. To help him sleep in his crib, sleep in a t-shirt for 2-3 nights without washing it so that it has your smell on it and when you put him down for a nap/sleep put it next to him so he can smell you. Also, is he alone in his room or is he in your sons room this may make a difference. Also, you could try placing a co-sleeper next to your bed which is like a bassinet that attaches to your bed. Little by little move it farther and farther away from your bed until it is in his room. If this doesn't work 3-4 hours a sleep for a 4month old is not bad and as he gets older this should get longer and longer on it's own. Hang in there and god luck. L.

I kinda has this same problem with my son. My son is 14 months old now and when he was first born he had asthma REALLY BADLY. So my husband and i decided to let him sleep in our room until he got alittle older but he was in a playpen at that point. I finally put him in a crib at a year old in his own room and he hated it....you just have to be persistent with the baby thats all. I have let my son cry for up to about an hour...and then if hes still not sleeping then i bring him back into our room in his playpen. But eventually the baby will realize that mommy and daddy want their own space and that he has a bed of his own now. it took my son 2 tries and he sleeping just fine in his own crib in his own room, with his mobile on and a few of his toys around him

i hope that helps : )

It will be hard at first, but you need to do it for your marriage and for your long term sanity. All in all, it is healthier for everyone for the baby to be in a crib.
Put a comfortable chair in the babies room to nurse in and relax.

When I made the transition from the bassinet to the crib, I put music on for my son (Baby Einstein lullaby melodies) My son is 25 months now and still listens to Baby Einstein every night. I found the best thing to do is to try and get a bedtime routine, so that your son will know it's time for bed.
Good luck!

Hi C.,

I just wanted to let you know that co-sleeping with your child IS HEALTHY, scientifically speaking. Do it for as long as you or your child like. Although, if you think that 5 months is right, that is what you need to do. I have posted links below the article about co-sleeping and transitioning into a bed.

Scientific Benefits of Co-sleeping
Popular media has tried to discourage parents from sharing sleep with their babies, calling this worldwide practice unsafe. Medical science, however, doesn’t back this conclusion. In fact, research shows that co-sleeping is actually safer than sleeping alone. Here is what science says about sleeping with your baby:

Sleep more peacefully
Research shows that co-sleeping infants virtually never startle during sleep and rarely cry during the night, compared to solo sleepers who startle repeatedly throughout the night and spend 4 times the number of minutes crying 1. Startling and crying releases adrenaline, which increases heart rate and blood pressure, interferes with restful sleep and leads to long term sleep anxiety.

Stable physiology
Studies show that infants who sleep near to parents have more stable temperatures 2, regular heart rhythms, and fewer long pauses in breathing compared to babies who sleep alone 3. This means baby sleeps physiologically safer.

Decreases risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
Worldwide research shows that the SIDS rate is lowest (and even unheard of) in countries where co-sleeping is the norm, rather than the exception 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. Babies who sleep either in or next to their parents’ bed have a fourfold decrease in the chance of SIDS 10. Co-sleeping babies actually spend more time sleeping on their back or side 1 which decreases the risk of SIDS. Further research shows that the carbon dioxide exhaled by a parent actually works to stimulate baby’s breathing 11.

Long term emotional health
Co-sleeping babies grow up with a higher self-esteem, less anxiety, become independent sooner, are better behaved in school 12, and are more comfortable with affection 13. They also have less psychiatric problems 14.

Safer than crib sleeping
The Consumer Product Safety Commission published data that described infant fatalities in adult beds. These same data, however, showed more than 3 times as many crib related infant fatalities compared to adult bed accidents 15. Another recent large study concluded that bed sharing did NOT increase the risk of SIDS, unless the mom was a smoker or abused alcohol 16.

(FOOTNOTES BELOW after my signature, if you are interested in the books)

Please feel free to visit these links for more info

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/10/handout1.asp

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/10/t130500.asp

http://www.askdrsears.com/faq/sl20.asp

Stay healthy and aware,
P.

1. McKenna, J., et al, "Experimental studies of infant-parent co-sleeping: Mutual physiological and behavioral influences and their relevance to SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome)." Early Human Development 38 (1994)187-201.
2. C. Richard et al., “Sleeping Position, Orientation, and Proximity in Bedsharing Infants and Mothers,” Sleep 19 (1996): 667-684.
3. Touch in Early Development, T. Field, ed. (Mahway, New Jersey: Lawrence Earlbaum and Assoc., 1995).
4. “SIDS Global Task Force Child Care Study” E.A.S. Nelson et al., Early Human Development 62 (2001): 43-55
5. A. H. Sankaran et al., “Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Infant Care Practices in Saskatchewan, Canada,” Program and Abstracts, Sixth SIDS International Conference, Auckland, New Zealand, February 8-11, 2000.
6. D. P. Davies, “Cot Death In Hong Kong: A Rare Problem?” The Lancet 2 (1985): 1346-1348.
7. N. P. Lee et al., “Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in Hong Kong: Confirmation of Low Incidence,” British Medical Journal 298 (1999): 72.
8. S. Fukai and F. Hiroshi, “1999 Annual Report, Japan SIDS Family Association,” Sixth SIDS International Conference, Auckland, New Zealand, 2000.
9. E. A. S. Nelson et al., “International Child Care Practice Study: Infant Sleeping Environment,” Early Human Development 62 (2001): 43-55.
10. P. S. Blair, P. J. Fleming, D. Bensley, et al., “Where Should Babies Sleep – Along or With Parents? Factors Influencing the Risk Of SIDS in the CESDI Study,” British Medical Journal 319 (1999): 1457-1462.
11. SIDS book, page 227, #162
12. P. Heron, “Non-Reactive Cosleeping and Child Behavior: Getting a Good Night’s Sleep All Night, Every Night,” Master’s thesis, Department of Psychology, University of Bristol, 1994.
13. M. Crawford, “Parenting Practices in the Basque Country: Implications of Infant and Childhood Sleeping Location for Personality Development” Ethos 22, no 1 (1994): 42-82.
14. J. F. Forbes et al., “The Cosleeping Habits of Military Children,” Military Medicine 157 (1992): 196-200.
15. D. A. Drago and A. L. Dannenberg, “Infant Mechanical Suffocation Deaths in the United States, 1980-1997,” Pediatrics 103, no. 5 (1999): e59.
16. R. G. Carpenter et al., “Sudden Unexplained Infant Death in 20 Regions in Europe: Case Control Study,” Lancet 2004; 363: 185-191.

I nursed both my boys (ages 2 & 5) and also was guilty of the family bed. Just make sure when you transition him to his crib it is on your own terms and not because of pressure from other people. My boys were not the best sleepers and found the book by Kim West to be a life saver... I truly recommend "Good Night, Sleep Tight". She even has a website www.sleeplady.com. It might be easier to make the transition now that he is young but my problem was keeping him in the crib when he woke up at night. Although in hindsight now I see the most important thing to teach your child in regards to sleep is that they learn to self soothe. I love that my kids feel welcome in my bed and feel safe in my bed.

Hi~ I guess I am wondering about why you ask? Do you need to take your little one out of your bed? If you are getting the sleep you need, then by all means, keep your baby with you. You can try pulling a cosleeper up to your bed. That might help. I guess the bottom line is why and what you are trying to accomplish by moving baby to a crib? I do not think I would be have gotten any sleep if my children were getting up every few hours. Cosleeping helped me. I would roll over and nurse in my sleep. I am now nursing baby #6 and cosleeping, sleep being the key word. Good luck and feel free to email with questions.
L.

That's wonderful that you nurse and co-sleep! why don't you just take the crib and push it up to your bed and take the side off it, so your little one has extra sleeping space? That has worked wondefully for us. Co-sleeping is so wonderful for our babies.

If your son is sleeping well and you are too, then no need to change anything. Whatever gets you the most sleep is good! Cosleeping babies eventually do go into their own beds, I promise! And not when they're 8 or 10 like some people might lead you to believe. Is he currently napping in his crib? I'd let him have some familiarity with it and try to transition him into it at night at another time - if it doesn't work now, try again in a month and every month after that if you need to. No need to do a cry it out thing with a baby who is sleeping well (or with any baby IMO)

buy the book - how to solve your child's sleep problems - it by Richard Ferber and they have it on Amazon - it worked great for me with my 2 year old - good luck

Hi. I am a mom of four. I nursed all of my children at least one full year and it was so much easier to have the baby in bed with me. You sleep better, the baby sleeps better and you feel refreshed and able to do your demanding job as a mom throughout the day. The official reccomendation by the American Association of Pediatrics is NOT to have the baby sleep with you for fear of suffocation and if you or your husband have had a drink or two or take sleeping aids, or other types of medications, it really is a bad idea to have the baby in bed with you. But otherwise, it is my opinion that having the baby in bed with you is a natural thing. Where in nature does the mother animal abandon its infant at night? Check out Mothering magazine for more natural parenting ideas. Just my opinion.

My son is 7 mos and not in his crib yet. If you are comfortable and get some sleep, why change it? I felt like that with my first baby - a big mistake -but with time I realized that every child is different and some kids don't need to feel close and they fall asleep anywhere and anyhow. My older son on the other hand would get histerical and after a few tries of different methods I just let it go. Now he is almost three, in his bed for almost a year and a happy child. There are many benefits to cosleeping and I saw other people asking about it so try reading their responses too.
the bottom line is - if it works for you and makes you and your children happy it cannot be a big mistake.

My son would not do the crib. Period. And I refused to let him "cry it out". He slept in our bed for the first year, then on a crib mattress on the floor until he got his big boy bed. We nursed at night until he turned two and it made for peacefulnights for everyone. If our son will go down in the crib, start him there and then just go with the flow. IMO It is possible to co-sleep and have a healthy marriage! It just takes a little effort. Good luck!

Okay, I am going to recommend you a book that was an absolute life-saver for me. I had the exact same problem as you with my second daughter, Josephine. She would sleep for a long time in our bed, but never for very long by herself - not for bedtime or for naptime. She kept getting worse and worse - at one time only sleeping for a half hour at a time if she wasn't in bed for us. I was determined to get my bed back, and to teach her to be able to sleep on her OWN (a very necessary life skill, I'd say). Two of my friends recommended to me a book called "The No Cry Sleep Solution" by Elizabeth Pantley. It was an absolute God-send for our family. I did the "cry it out" thing with my older daughter and it worked fine, but each kid is different and it was NOT working with the second baby. I was skeptical,, but at one point I became desperate and decided it was worth a try. I borrowed the book from a friend, and I tell you - it WORKED. It is a great resource for ANY parent. You have to read the whole book (don't skip to the middle!), and you have to follow all her steps, not just pick and choose, but if you follow the book, I promise you will have success. Go buy it today! Good luck!

It's a gradual process getting them out of your bed and into their own. I started around the same time with my son, but he wasn't completely in his crib until 6 months. By then, he was eating solid foods and able to sleep through the night. We kept the crib in our room and I'd put him in his crib after the first feeding, but usually by the second or third feeing, I'd be too exhausted and just let him sleep with us. Gradually, I'd increase the amount of times I put him in his crib. Also, I had to switch him to formula at 6 1/2 months, which probably also contributed to his ability to sleep through the night. By 6 months, not only was he in his own crib, but also in his own room. Just keep at it like you're doing. You'll know when he's ready to fully go in his crib. It'll actually be harder for you emotionally than it is for him! Good luck!
P.S. You didn't make a big mistake by putting him in your bed. I'm sure you were more awake and refreshed this time and able to take better care of your other son as a result. It's not as hard to get them out of the bed as you think, as long as you don't let it go on too long. It's completely worth your sanity!

There's no way to get around a few bad nights of sleep for your family, but it should only take about 3 days to get Troy to sleep on his own for long periods of time. I had to do this with all three of my kids! :-) Make sure you put him down at the beginning of the night awake, so he is able to put himself to sleep. If he has a problem with this come in periodically to pat him on the back, lay him down and tell him it's ok but it's time for night-night. Do not pick him up out of his crib to comfort him.
During the night when he wakes up let him know you're there either my calling out to him that it's ok, time for night-night, or you can go in if you have to and give him a little pat (sometimes that makes things worse). A lot of the time what he wants is you. If you can pick a Friday night (when dad doesn't have to get up the next day for work) to start, you can have dad attend to Troy instead of you, that may take care of things extra quickly when he doesn't get what he's looking for - YOU. LOL!
Hope this helps. It's a combination of some suggestions from Dr. Gerber book on sleep and a book I love called, BABY WISE.

Sweet Dreams!
J. Quirk

hey... maybe your 4 month old is used to your scent.. wear a shirt for a couple of nights or days and then put it in his crib.... see if this helps.. you could wait a little longer before answering his call.. good luck
J.

I would work at it a little at a time. To me getting sleep is more important then them sleeping in their own bed. My husband and I would start our son off in his crib at night and then we would bring him in bed with us when needed and you will find that over time he will start sleeping longer in his crib and less in your bed. My best advise is to start him off in his crib for the night and not worry about where he wakes as long as you get rest too. Sleep deprived parents do no one any good if you know what I mean.

It is not a big mistake to have your little one in bed with you. When everyone sleeps well. I would only push the crib issue with your little one if it is something you are ready for and I would be careful with the crying it out method at 4 months. I did not believe in letting your little one cry it out at 4 months to me that is to young for them to understand why mommy and daddy are not there.

You need to find out what works for you and do what is best for your family no matter what anyone says. Every child and family situation is different.

I know how hard it is but Troy will eventually get used to it. He knows that if he cries every so often, he will get what he wants. I am a mother of three boys, 3yo, 2yo, and almost 5 month old.I know how great it feels to sleep that long but those sleepless nights/small number of hours of sleep at night will be over. He may even cry and cry then do what has been suggested and it is the hardest, but that is when tough love comes in. Let him cry for 5 minutes and then pick him up gently and then nurse him or whatever may soothe him and the next night, let him cry for 10 minutes and then pick him up and keep going every night adding more minutes. He will learn to soothe himself. I'll pray for ya on that :) Let us know how it goes...

NIP IT IN THE BUTT NOW!! It may seem harsh, but he doesn't really know anything yet. You just need to put him in the crib and let him cry, going into the room every 5 minutes - up to 30 minutes, to reasure him that you are there, try giving him a pacifier. I did this with my son and it took just 4 days to break the habit. Good Luck!