Seeking Real Stories About How You Got Your 7-10 Month Old to Sleep in Crib

nothing you do will involve a little bit of crying. he is used to sleeping with you in your bed and isn't gonna leave quietly. lol maybe try laying with him on a small couch or in a rocking chair in his room until he falls asleep, then put him in the crib. good luck

We kept my daughter in a co-sleeper next to our bed and when it came time to put her in her crib, she had a hard time. We tried at 4 months and she would just cry and cry. So, we converted the co-sleeper to a bassinet until she was about 6 months old and then tried again. Again, she cried and cried and refused to sleep in the crib. This went on night after night. I seriously was at my wit's end, but then my husband came up with the idea of putting her in the crib the other way (not lengthwise) and put a pillow next to her so she felt more secure. I just think that since the co-sleeper was so small she wasn't used to having so much room around her. Unbelievably, it worked and she went right to sleep. I was worried about the pillow suffocating her, but we put it far enough away that she was fine. We only kept it like that until she rolled over and by then she was too big to be sleeping in the crib that way anyway. I'm not sure if this would work for your son since he is already 9 months old and might be too big to lay that way, but thought I'd throw it out there anyway. Good luck!

The 1st time, tell him "It's bed time". Kisses and hugs. Give it 10 minutes, go in and say "good night" only! Third and any time after that...Avoid all conversation. Kisses & hugs of course and he'll eventually fall asleep. This may take a couple of days, but it should work. Just keep up with consistency. Good luck.

What seemed to help my daughter adjust to her crib was putting her in it to nap during the day. Once she got used to that, nighttime crib sleeping wasn't as much of a chore. Another thing that seemed to help was putting a few books in her crib and her favorite stuffed animal or doll. She played or read for a bit and the crib became a friendly place and not so scary. After a few days/week, she LOVED her crib. She is 2.5 years old now and still LOVES it! It is her safe-haven and place to sleep and do quiet activities like read. Hope that helps!

I'm very glad that my mother, my best friend, and an uncle warned me ahead of time not to let my kids sleep in the bed with me. They all explained that it was great when you needed to nurse every two hours but what a nightmare when it came to converting to their own bed. I feel for you and I know plenty of others that have struggled just like yourself. My sister-in-law is due in July with her second child and needs to get her oldest to sleep in her own room. Not working well because papi can't stand to hear her cry.

Unfortunately I don't believe there are many things you can do to convince him outside of letting him cry a bit. I made the mistake of keeping my oldest in her bassinette by the bed until she could barely fit at seven months old. She was so use to being next to me, me patting her little bottom at every whimper, putting a pacifier in her mouth and nursing her even when she didn't cry...that she had a horrible time going into her crib and her own room.

I slept on the floor by the crib for a few days holding her little hand through the slats. That was super comfortable. :)

Finally I just got so tired I couldn't take it anymore and I tried a method I read about. I laid her down on her tummy, patted her bottom for a minute and then told her night night and walked out. I would let her cry for 15 minutes or so and then go back and lay her down, pat her bottom and tell her that it was night night time. I would leave the room for 15 minutes or so and then repeat. I never picked her up. I always laid her down and patted her bottom and left. It took about five times the first night. Then maybe three the second night and by the third and fourth night maybe just one or two times. After that I might have to go in once a week or so and do it one time, but she did start sleeping on her own. She still isn't great about getting herself back to sleep if she wakes up for whatever reason, but she does sleep in her own room no problems. She's five now and she has a three year old sister that never had any of those issues really. Don't know if she was just different or I just didn't make the same mistakes. I rarely have to go into her room for anything. She lays right down and is out in two minutes and sleeps all night. She's been doing that pretty much since she was a few weeks old. Just nursing at 7pm, again when I got home from work at 11:15pm...and then sleeping until 5am and back down until 7 or so. Can't complain.

Maybe pick him up when he's already asleep and put him in the crib. Lay him down and pat his bottom until he falls asleep. sit beside the crib and hold his hand until he falls asleep. But once he's in the crib don't pick him up. Pat his bottom, gently lay him down and sing. Shhhh him and keep laying him down. Don't pick him up.

I guess what I'm saying is you have to be more stubborn than he is or he will always know he can manipulate you into giving in. And when they are 16 that is not good.

Hope you can get something out of this post...and good luck!!! I know how it is to go without sleep. Most of us mommy's do. We all feel for you.

At 9 months of age your son no longer needs to nurse at night- if he gets all he needs during the day- no more then 40 oz and no less then 21 oz. I use to rock my son to sleep and fed him at night until he was a year. I would not recommend it because it just got harder and harder. My husband and I spoke on what we wanted and made a plan. I put my son to bed at night.. let him cry 5 min then would go in keeping lights off and not picking him up and rubbed his back and shhhh he still cried (So did I) I would walk out and let him cry 5 min go in and repeat. I had to do this a few times until he feel asleep and then when he would wake up in middle of the night my husband would go in makesure there was no messy diaper and he was ok. my husband would come back to bed and we would hold eachother and cry together. after a few nights Michael learned to sleep on his own and thruogh the night. As a parent we can not but feel guilty but its ok.. they do not remember it. my son knows I love him and hes 7 now and still a Mamas boy. Good luck.