Sleeping in Crib - Caldwell, ID

Hi my name is T. I have 10 kids and the thing I found is if the baby is closer to put a blanket or something that has the sent of who the baby likes. It worked for me.

K.,

I have been there and I know it is hard. Have you tried laying something warm in the crib to warm up the sheet like one of those bean things. I have had friends in the past try that. You lay it in the crib prior to laying him down and then of course removing it just before you put him down. Another thing we have done is to put something in the crib that smells like you. We have used the nanny approach as well where you stay in the room and slowly over a period of time work yourself out of the room. We also have played music for our kids. Even my ten year old loves to have music playing softly at night to relax him.

I wish you the best of luck my youngest will 9mo tomorrow. She is sleeping in her crib but, she was the first to do so without a lot fuss.

A.

Everyone has their own philosophy about sleep training and how kids "ought" to sleep. Personally, my priorities were simple. I wanted my son to sleep in his cradle or crib because I knew I couldn't sleep if he were in bed with me, and I wanted being in his crib and the whole sleep experience to be a positive experience for him. I believe that if he feels right, it will be all right much more long term. Sometimes keeping him in his crib without just leaving him there to cry took time, patience, and commitment, but to me it was a long term goal rather than one to get him right to sleep.

I think a bedtime routine is really important, so that each night as you go through the routine your little guy knows what it coming and is being prepared for it. Keeping naps and betime about the same time each day helps a lot too. Have a bath, say a prayer, read a book, rock for a few minutes, etc., and then lay him down in his crib. I would do what you can to make him feel comfortable so he can feel secure, relax and learn how to settle himself down. If he is unhappy in the crib help him relax- pat or rub his tummy or back, sing a song to him, and just be there with him. At 9 months I had rocking as the last part in our routine so if he just couldn't settle down we could repeat it- rock a few minutes again and lay him down again. Keep it consistent! Don't give up and just take him out of the room, try again later, nurse/give bottle, etc. The only thing that happens after consoling is right back to the crib. You're there for him, you're being kind, and he's learning that after rocking it's time to lay down and sleep, that it's ok and that it's the only option. My son often fell asleep during rocking, and then later during patting, but didn't object to being laid down. I think because he expected that, it's what ALWAYS happened every night and after everytime we rocked. And he didn't have to be there alone. I never gave up and did something differently and I think that is important.

Anyway, you have a lot of advice to consider and this is a long reply! I just wouldn't stress too much about how well sleeping goes and much as what the experiences he has about sleep and about his crib, etc., are teaching him about sleeping/being in his crib and whether his "bad" behavior gets him something he wants as opposed to what you want. You can leave a baby to cry until they sleep, but I opted for good experiences that taught my boy that sleep is comfortable, safe, and predicatable. We haven't had trouble with sleeping for a very long time (my son is 2 1/2).

Good luck,
S.

Hi K.!
Ok, I hope I get this right, if not, someone please correct me...If I remember correctly, it takes 20 minutes to fall into a deep sleep. Based on that, I used to do what it takes to get my little one asleep and then hold them an extra 20 minutes. Then, I would place the small one in the crib. I had this problem too and when I started this it worked for me. I just hope I have the 20 minutes right. Like I said, if I'm wrong on that, someone please correct me. Then, when my daughter got used to waking in the crib, it was much easier to put her to sleep in it. It took time and patience, but then everything in life does. LOL!!

Just Me!
S.

I think what helped me was the rubbing of the back and singing a little song until my son was asleep. And singing to my now 2 year old still calms him down when he fights his naps or at bedtime.

Try giving your son a lavender bath before bed it work for all
three of mine.

you need to find him a secruity blanket or something to cuddle. For my girls, they have these little blankets with a soft head that rattles on it. Its satiny on one side and very soft and velvety on the other. The downside to this is if its lost, they will freak out. (I have 2 of them) White noise, as someone has meantion, is a good idea too. I use a fan in the girls room. There is a bear that makes sounds of the womb that I have heard is really good too. It is ok at his age, as long as he can roll over that is, to lay him on his tummy and give him a little back rub to relax him. Good Luck!

You could try turning on some white noise or some soft classical music (wire choir drones tend to be a calming sound).

Was he sleeping in the crib before? If he was sleeping with you, then he may like that cuddled feeling and warmth. My dau. is a little like that and we doubled up the blankets on her bed. We also had dad throw one in the dryer to warm it up, then wrapped it around her before setting her down.

My daughter (who is now 6) used to be like this. When she went to sleep I would lay her down in her bed and she would wake up almost instantly. My solution to this was to lay her on her belly (I know it is not recommended) and rub her back until she calmed down and that worked well. Good luck.

We had a somewhat similar problem at 4 months- baby would sleep at night in his crib- but simply would not nap in his crib. We'd spend hours a day rocking him in his car seat, rocking seat, swing, etc. Finally, we just decided this is it. We came up with his soothing routine for naptime (usually a quiet activity or rocking in a chair, then breast/bottle depending on who was doing the soothing) then whether asleep or not, he was put in his crib. The first few times were hell for me; baby would cry and I couldn't stand it so I'd cry- but after 20-30 minutes, he'd settle down and sleep for like 2 hours. It took about 3, maybe 4 days to get the hang of it, but after that, he went down without a problem. At 7 months, he's still a good little napper and sometimes he sits in his crib a plays for a little bit, but doesn't cry and is usually asleep in about 10 minutes. For more advice- I swear by this book- "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child." I don't know where we'd be without it. But you know- each to his own. Good Luck!