14 month old's - how do you get yours to sleep ?

[poppy2133]

My 14 m.o. is generally a good all night sleeper. My problem is I have to rock him in my arms to get him to the point where he is ready to drop off before I can put him down in his cot to sleep. I feel I am still treatng him like a "baby" rather than a 14 month old ( plus he is getting HEAVY !!!). I've started a bedtime story while he drinks his milk rather than me giving him his milk but I still have to physically hold him in my arms till he's almost asleep. I don't want to still be doing this when he's at school !!! Is this normal & when will he be able to get into the cot himself & go to sleep. Also any ideas when he will go into a bed rather then his cot.

[flowerfairy]

Have you tried the retreat method

[TracyK]

my 15mo has most of his milk in the bathroom as he gets dried from bath, then has a quick cuddle and finishes the tail end of his milk in bed. But some nights I hear him chatting away for 10 or 15 mins before he goes to sleep.
I think he knows the routine, plus room is really dark and his little lullaby is playing.

[vicdubya]

I just posted on another thread with similar theme...

DS is 15 months, about 2 months ago I started putting him down for his nap without a BF, I just read him a story and then he goes in his cot, it took about 4-5 times for him to understand what was going on, he cried to begin with and I left him for 2 mins each time, never had to go in more than once.

He still has a BF before bed but now he is awake after I feed him (rather than he used to drift off to sleep while feeding) and again goes nicely in his cot & snuggles down.

I think at this age they learn pretty quickly.

I agree that now feels the right time, they are not babies anymore, they still need reassurance we are around, but they can understand that it's time to sleep and settle themsleves.

Since I did this and stopped BF except at bedtime, he is much more settled & rarely wakes at night, and I usually have to wake him in the morning!

HTH

[HappyHuggy]

My ds is 14 months and i just put him in his cot with his bottle and his dummy and he goes to sleep by himself.

[kbaby]

my dd is 13 months and we bath, then give milk and when shes dozy we put her in the cot, most nights shell roll over and go to sleep other nights she may be too awake and we have to stay in the room until shes dozy. Ever since she was a baby she would only nap if being held to sleep.

We decided that once she was put in her cot at night she would stay there and we wouldnt take her out. If she cries we do the below;
Go in and lay her down and say 'lie down'

[loulabelle222]

i put my ds (14m) in his buggy at about7-7.30 with his bottle and he goes straight to sleep. I take him up to bed about half an hour later.. trying to wean him off his buggy into his cot! but so far this works for me! He only seems to go to sleep if he is strapped in!

[QueenOfQuotes]

DS2 has his bottle downstairs and 'shares' (well sort of shares) a bedtime story with his brother.

Then they both go upstairs DS1 jumps into bed, and we put DS2 in his cot. And leave them. Sometimes (well actually quite a lot recently) they 'play' giggling at each other for 1/2hr or more - but they usually both just settle down to sleep.

[spots]

I always wonder what other people do too. I think this is an age where there's bound to be some remnant of babying to sleep - it's just unfortunate if it puts you out! My DD is 14mo and her bedtime routine is ok for us, but I suppose quite protracted. She has bath, then plays with Daddy just home from work, which invariably hypes her up and the winding down begins with a b/feed. Used to go to sleep from there but I heard warning bells ringing so now she brushes teeth and goes into her cot 'dry'. I have always sung to her and find this really useful, as she recognizes lullabies and associates them with bedtime wherever we are. This is the point where she will let you know if she's not tired enough but by that time there's no going back; lullabies defiunately mean time to sleep. If she's less tired a story gets slotted in somewhere before that point.

Sounds like your rocking is your equivalent 'point of no return'. Could you keep the warmth and contact going while he is lying sdown - say cuddling him with as much of you as can reach into the cot (!) and patting? I know singing's not for everyone but I'm sure there will be good lullaby CD's available - would it help to introducce a bit of gentle music for him to concentrate on as he drifts off? If you did it step by step, starting off with adding it to your currrent routine then gradually changing things until he can lie in his cot awake, perhaps with music as he drifts off, that might be a way forward?

what a long answer... sorry...!