Getting him to sleep : (

[devient]

heres my problem..
getting our 6 month old to sleep.
he'll fall asleep no problem in our arms or in our bed. but unless hes real tired we cant put him into his cot without him waking up and freaking out.
also we cant put him down in his cot when hes awake less we want him screaming.
once he is asleep..
at night sleeps like a baby
at day not so good 30 - 45 mins if were lucky
any ideas anyone..

[hamster]

I know it's harsh but the "controlled crying" technique worked for us.
Basically you have a set bathtime routine-such as bayth, bottle, bed. Then you put them down awake say your goodnights and leave the room.
If baby cries you return to reassure them after,say, 5 mins. Don't pick them up, just whisper and reassure that there is someone there. Then leave the room. Gradually lenghthen the time in between you going into the room.
It may take a couple of hours at first for him to get to sleep-but he will. Within 4 days of this my ds went straight to sleep, and has done since(7 months later).

The sooner you can get your baby to fall asleep by himself, the better all round it will be.

It is extremely hard at first, and you will have to listen to him cry-a lot, but it is sooooooo worth it....I promise.

I have to say though I don't know how to help with the day time naps. Perhaps he is getting all he needs. My ds has 2 30min-45min naps each day.

Good luck
xx

[honeybunny]

How about also trying some fun play sessions in and around his cot/bedroom outside of sleep time so that he associates it with happy stuff and not just the stress of mummy leaving him. Then have one or two comfort items associated with sleep, mine each have a fav soft toy and a posset cloth, dim the light, bring them out, have a quiet cuddle and then firmly to bed with said toys. Definitely go with the bedtime routine, stick to it rigidly so that ds gets used to it, and then the final night-night wont come as such a surprise.

[Louise1970]

Hya, My son never slept in the day until he was 12 months old, unless we took him out in the car. But he slept well at night, probably becuase he was so nackered. Try the car or a walk in the pushchair. Try to break this early for your own sanity.