My baby has been sleeping in his swing for the past 5 months after having RSV. He is almost 9 month old and I need to transition him back to his crib. I know I should have done this a long time ago but better now than later. As soon as I lay him down, whether he's drowsy or wide awake, he immediately rolls onto his belly and starts crawling around his crib. Should I let him do that until he gets so tired that he lays down and falls asleep? I'm planning to use the approach of staying in the room and patting/encouraging sleep and slowly moving away from the crib until I'm out the door and he can fall asleep on his own. So if he starts crawling around should I do that or keep laying him back down? I'm afraid he's going to take so long to fall sleep that he won't sleep very long and then get over tired, which could lead to poor night time sleep. It feels like a vicious circle! Any helpful advice would be appreciated!
The Crawling is fine. I would just put him in and let him alone, he will figrue out how to go to sleep.
We have a homedics music box that projects stuff on the ceiling, we can set it to a timer or not.
If you do not need to be in the room, I would not be..he might learn to depend on you bieng in there to go to sleep.. see how he does with you laying him down and walking out.
I'd let him crawl around n get cumfy. I also wouldn't stay in the room unlessyou see a need to after you let him do his thing to try n fall asleep on his own. You may set yourself up to having to always be in the room n touching if you start off that way he is old enough to fall asleep on his own
I'd lay him down sleepy (not asleep), give him his lovey if he has one, a little rub on the back, and walk out. Let him move around and do his thing. If he's tired, he'll lie down on his own.
Be sure to get rid of all the light emitting stuff so he's not engaged by it and kept awake.
Crawling around is fine, he will find a position he likes. It would be best if you would not stay in there but since you have decided you will, don't take too long. Don't leave extra stuff in the crib. Do this now or he will be pulling up and falling backward later, screaming for you.
Yes, let him do what he needs to do in order to learn to fall asleep on his own. Can you imagine what it's going to be like at the point that he can crawl out of the crib? He'll be all over the house.
Leave him be so that he can learn a new way of sleeping while he's still in the crib. He won't get enough sleep at first. Let him be cranky. If you put him to bed at the same time every night and for every nap, and wake him up at the same time every morning and after nap, he will eventually get on the right sleep schedule. You go through this NOW so that he starts sleeping well and on a real schedule for the longterm.
Be 100% consistent. If you aren't, you'll both be on a see-saw with it, which is a painful thing.
I think it's fine for him to crawl around. He's just like the rest of us, gets to bed and has to get the "sweet spot" to go to sleep. And since he's not that accustomed to being in the crib, he's probably just getting a sense for it and should lay down with no problem.
The crawling around shouldn't be a big problem. He'll figure it out. Your idea to do the patting/encouraging while slowly transitioning out of the room should work.
It probably won't work the very first time (or few times), but eventually he'll get the hang of it.
I think if he's crawling around, you being in the room is just going to make it longer and harder for him to settle down to sleep.
You could try just putting him in his crib, saying good night and leaving just to see what happens. He may entertain himself for a while and then go to sleep without the need for you to pat/encourage sleep.
If he is trying to crawl around and you keep putting him back on his back, that may start him crying and then it will take you much longer to settle him and get him to go to sleep.
