First Time Mom Seeking Advise on How to Train 1Yr Old to Sleep in Crib

I want to tell you that you are NOT alone. I have a 14 1/2 month old that he just started to fall asleep on his own just 1 1/2 weeks ago. It started when he got sick w/a throat infection and teething w/his upper molars and not sleeping very much so he was getting tired from tylenol/Motrin i would give him. I also would put lullabyes very low and make it very dark w/a night light and i blankie with tigger, or some sort of stuffed animal attached and i also have a windup stuffed animal that he sleeps with(he just started that when i bought him a shamu from seaworld a week 1/2 ago as well)It also helped me changing his bathtime to after dinner shortly before it's bedtime. I would bathe him in Lavendar bath from Huggies and lotion him up in the Lavendar and Vanilla lotion from Aveno right before bedtime, that REALLY made a big difference and I lather him up at nap w/the Lavendar and Vanilla lotion for nap as well. After the bath and after dinner i would let him watch the baby einstein dvd's for about 20-30 min and then give him a cup of warm milk and then he jsut falss to sleep within 5 min.
He doesn't seem to have trouble fallin asleep, he just has a hard time staying asleep in his crib at night cause when he was 6 months he started getting really sick w/ear infections(lots of them 8 in 4 months) and fever so being a single mom it made it easier and better for him to sleep with me but now it's a habit and he wakes up everynight around 2am and wants to sleep with me.

My next challenge is getting him to stay in his crib at night.
Good Luck!
Michele

Of course my daughter was only 3 months when we transitioned her to her crib. We bought her a lovie (one of those that look like a stuffed animal with a blankie for the body). We let her sleep with it in our bed with use to get used to it and when we moved her to the crib I also gave her something of mine that had my scent on it to sleep with. Oh, we had the usual waking and crying during the night and that's typical. But I think the lovie and scented clothing of mine really helped. Dr. T. Berry Brazelton suggests that you not put any other toys in their bed that would distract from the lovie.

Another thng you could try, is moving his crib into your room for awhile. Place it right beside your bed so he can see you. It gets him used to being in the crib. For my daughter, it wasn't about being alone, she was just terrified of her crib! After awhile, we put it back in her room & she was just fine. It was just about getting used to having bars around her. Think about it, if after you'd slept in a bed & then had to sleep in a crib, you wouldn't like it so much either! Good luck-& do what works for you & your son.

hi

i am a mom and was a professional nanny for ten years. i highly recommend the slow exit method. you begin by putting you child down and then if they you go in and comfort them by sitting near the crib in a chair or on the floor so they know you are there. if the child is standing then you gently put them back down without making eye contact or speaking to them.

you stay where the child can see you and after they are calm then you move slowly twowards the door. then next nite you repeat this but after they are calm you sit abit further from the crib than you did the nite before and so on.

you stay close to comfort and then you slowly exit. this will take a few nights to a couple of weeks. this also works for trainging kids to stay in their own beds at nite. it has been very successful for families i have worked with and in our home. this way you don't have to torture you child and they feel calm and comfortable. we got a nightlight too because it seemed to make him feel better about being alone in his room.

Hi J.,

It's hard to change a one year-old's habits or routines. One thing you could do is get something of yours that has your sent on it and lay it in his bed. That may help him know he is safe. Also, it is better to let him fall asleep in his bed rather than your arms. He may wake up during the night and you won't be there and he will be scared. But if he can get use to going to bed on his own he will know he is safe in his bed and will sleep better. He may need some soft music and a night-light and a favorite stuffed toy. I do that for my 2 year old, but I turn off the light before I go to bed. It's better to sleep in the dark if possible.

You said that you were going to be returning to work soon.
I wanted to let you know that I take care of children in my home and I have an opening for full or part time. If you are interested please give me a call or email me
###-###-#### ____@____.com

Thanks,
M.

The previous moms advice (Tina) of sitting on the floor and each night moving further away really worked for me too. My son was 14 months when we tried this. No talking, no looking at the baby, but if he cried I would hold his hand through the slats of the crib. As I got further from the crib and couldn't hold his hand, i would say "mommies here" in a soft voice but that's it.It worked!

I am NOT a believer of letting kids cry it out. The one time I tried that, my son cried so hard he threw up all over himself, and i didn't know till i checked on him and he was lying in voment trying to fall off to sleep. I felt horrible and blessed that he didn't choke to death! Never again. The gradual moving towards the door really worked....Good luck.

I had that same problem, but at 13months I started letting her cry. I felt SO bad for doing it but it worked and it took about a week. Let the baby cry for about 5-10 minutes go in lay him back down tell him it is night night time and than leave, wait about 15 minutes than go back in and do the same thing. Eventually the baby will go to sleep and he is not hurting. It is hard but my daughter is now two and is sleeping in a queen sizes bed by herself. Good luck!!!

I highly recommend the No cry sleep solution by E. Pantley. They have a toddler version too, but I think a one year old would be in the first book. Fantastic reading especially for those who have co-slept for any amount of time. Plus it is very gentle. Good luck!

Hi J.,

I had a friend that needed to do this too. She was advised to first sit on the floor beside the crib and if need be place a hand on him for comfort but to not talk to him. The next night she was not touch or talk with him and then every night after that to sit closer and closer to the door until finally she was out the door and hopefully by that stage he would be happy to go off to sleep by himself. It did work but it did take a bit of time.

Good luck.

T.

I let my doughter fall asleep in my bed and then I move her into her bed....it's working!!!

I had sleep issues with my daughter, now 2 2/1, during her first year. I read 7 books on sleep problems, everything from the "cry it out" philosophy to the "never let your child cry" philosophy. My problems were different from yours but it sounds like you are looking for a more gentle approach to "crying it out." The book that helped me most was "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Marc Weissbluth. It's easy to read, a gentle approach, but requires a bit of firmness as well. Another book that takes a gentle approach and is a quick, easy read (you don't have to read the whole book to find a solution to your specific problem) was "The No-Cry Sleep Solution" by Elizabeth Pantly. You can get both books on Amazon.com and most book stores can order them. Good Luck!

I assume your son takes his nap in his crib. If this is the case then you are ahead of the game. I would start a good night routine like reading books in his room before he goes in to his crib. Put on soft music (we used the Fisher-Price fish bowl) that hangs right in the crib that plays soothing classical music. Whatever you do, do not start in your bed at night and then try to move him to his crib. That's just a big tease for him. That's ok that he cries for an hour before falling asleep, he is not in any pain..just wants to go to your bed and is hoping you will give in. Another thing is you can set up a reward system like when he sleeps thru the night you can give him a sticker on a chart or a little treat. And make it a big deal every morning when he sleeps thru the night. When he sees how proud you are of him and he feels like a big boy your sleep problems should come to an end...for the time being at least!