How on earth do I stop?

[ChocolateMouse]

DS has just turned 6 months old and the only way that we can get him to sleep is to rock/swing him in his car seat then after a long while transfer him to his cobed.

It's starting to drive me crazy. I can't go on like this. DH thinks he can but my arms are starting to ache trying to rock/swing 16 lbs at every nap/sleep. DS cries and cries when he is tired but only falls alseep this way so far. I once tried the cry-to-sleep method and after that one hour of lying by his side decided I could never let him go through that again. I hate myself for even contemplating it

How on earth do I stop? I don't know where to begin to teach him to fall asleep by himself - is there hope for us yet?

Thanks

[meandmyjoe]

There is hope!!! My ds was the same, only ever went to sleep if I fed him to sleep or rocked him to music. It got ridicullous as by 6 months he was 20lbs, not good for my back!

By 9 months he couls settle himself at night if I stayed by his cot and kept laying him down and holding his hand. He's nearly a year now and usually settles if I stay in the door way and then leave as he's just closing his eyes.

Naps are still a challenge and require rocking I'm afraid! I got him so he would settle in his cot with just a minute of grumbling but hen he learned to stand up and it all went to pot!

There are lots of people in the same situation. Please don't, in my experience with ds and other people's children, settling themselves to sleep is something that they all learn in their own time. It is a developmental stage which will happen when he's ready.

I do sympathise though, it was very hard!

[ChocolateMouse]

Oh meandmyjoe, thanks so much for your sweet words of encouragement. Maybe I'm just rushing things; I didn't realise that it was a developmental stage which happens when he's ready for it. I somehow thought that it was something we had to try and teach them. It's good to know someone else has been there

Thank you - I feel more at ease now