If you rocked/cuddled your baby to sleep

[ScrunchyBook]

When could you stop?

9 month old boy/girl twins. We have always had the same bedtime routine with both - feed, then rock/cuddle to sleep, then put into cot.
However, our little girl doesn't need rocking anymore, and hasn't for a few months. We can put her in the cot, she rubs her eyes and off to sleep she goes.
We haven't done anything differently, she has learnt this herself, but our little boy no. He still needs the extra attention, which we don't mind.

I'm just wondering out of curiosity how long it took others if you carried on with the rocking and cuddling? Was it months, years?!

[CocoLoco87]

DC1 was probably over a year. DC2 still needs a cuddle to sleep but is only 7 months still. If it doesn't bother you, enjoy it while it lasts

[2014newme]

I was just about to say I couldn't have done this as I had twins, how do you rock two to sleep at the same time? When do you get anything done? I just put mine down awake asleep or whatever I wouldn't have had time for rocking to sleep!

[April241]

I have 8 month old boy/girl twins in the same situation, just the other way about! My son will go to sleep no problem in his cot but my daughter needs rocked.

[ButTheBearSnoredOn]

We're 8 YEARS on and she still needs a cuddle.

[Cutesbabasmummy]

I weaned DS off slowly in time for him starting nursery at 9 months because I knew they wouldn't do it

[RaeSkywalker]

Following with interest- DS is cuddled to sleep at 6.5 months. It would be amazing if he suddenly 'got it'.

[Babytalkobsession]

Our 11 month old DS2 has always self settled, we just put him down after his feed awake and he was fine with it.

DS1 however was tricky. We rocked him to sleep for so long but it started not working. He needed something but feeding & rocking weren't cutting it. I was advised that as they get older the rocking is too stimulating so we had to persevere with teaching him to self settle. We did this patting his bum lying down in his cot, and gradually doing less & less. Took a few months and now at 3.5 he still needs me to stay with him,rub his back or hold his hand.

I think some have a harder time going to sleep than others. He'll get there. They change a lot in a short amount of time.

[ScrunchyBook]

2014newme very very fortunate here that my DH finished work to be SAHP so there were two of us at home until they were 5 months (when I went back to work). Generally still do bedtime together when I'm not at work.
We can put him down awake but after he's stopped trying to crawl, play etc. eventually he'll start crying and we have to pick him up

CocoLoco87 over a year - I thought it might be something like that, strong arms then

[Astro55]

Never rocked mine to sleep - self aettl d really early - so go with it until your arms ache

[ScrunchyBook]

ButTheBearSnoredOn crikey

[KatyN]

Mine both got it at between 10 months and a year... mine was going back to work and no one else willing to cuddle to sleep!!
One thing I did was when they fall asleep in your arms just slightly wake them up when you transfer to the cot.. just a tiny amount. Then gradually put them in more and more awake.

My youngest is now 18 months and EVERY day at nursery they tell me how good she was at going to sleep. Every single day. Like it's something new and exciting. Bless them!!

[KatyN]

Oh.. can they self soothe during the night? If they can and cuddling to sleep fits with your routine I'd keep it up. Sounds lovely.

Can I come round for a cuddle with them too?

[DontBuyANewMumCashmere]

I fed DD to sleep til she was 19 months!
Then one night she just didn't want milk at bedtime. So we started rocking her to sleep, and I think it took us about 3 months to be able to put her in her cot and let her fall asleep.
She's now 2.5 and very occasionally needs us in her room to fall asleep but mostly we put her down and walk out and don't need to go in til sometime in the night when I need to cuddle her to sleep. In bed. later...

[MargaretCabbage]

I cuddled DS to sleep until about nine months, when he didn't like it anymore - he suddenly wanted his own space.

DD is eight months and is fed to sleep on my lap at the moment.

[stroan]

My DD was cuddled to sleep until around 9 months. Then one night, she wriggled out of my arms and rolled away so I popped her in her cot and that was that.

She's 18 months now and I still miss those cuddles.

[sphinxster]

DS started settling before he was 1 year but I still have a 10 minute cuddle before he goes into his cot though (he's 19 months). I dread the day the cuddles stop.

DD is 4 months and will only self settle at the minute. I hope she doesn't grow up thinking she was unloved - I cuddle her whenever she's happy to accept it and she sleeps next to me after her early morning feed.

[Eminybob]

Although DS goes off fine on his own at nighttime, I still need to rock him for his nap. He's nearly 3
Although he has his nap on his own at nursery so no idea why he won't do it for me.

[ScrunchyBook]

Ok so he might just grow out of it like his sister then. Its nice to hear that has happened to others

KatyN yes of course you can, I'm understandably biased but they are super cute
They will mostly resettle at night too.
I don't ​mind doing it, holding a sleeping baby is rather lovely, but it is good to know it won't be forever.
Some good tips to try too thanks everyone

[FartnissEverbeans]

DS is seven months. He self settled really well at first but now he likes to be cuddled and if he's really overtired he needs rocked.

Bedtime cuddles are my favourite part of the day and I think I'll be pretty sad when he stops needing them!!

[ScrunchyBook]

An update! A month later and we no longer need to rock him to sleep.
We put him in the cot after his bedtime feed and to be fair he does play around for a bit, but he starts getting tired after a while. All we need to do is keep lying him back down (he loves standing up) and rub his back/quick cuddle/put dummy in/shush noises. We then leave him to it and eventually he is falling asleep by himself thank goodness, a lot less exhausting for my arms!

[Moregilmoregirls]

Ah well done OP! Hope you're getting some good nights sleep!

[HotLadybird]

Looking back I can't believe I let it go on so long. I went into hospital for a week when she was 15 months and that broke the pattern.