Gentle sleep training for a 13 month old (currently co-sleeping)

[roarfeckingroarr]

Hi everyone,

Sure this has been done to death but I really need help with getting my 13 month old to sleep in his own cot. He's not a bad sleeper but he's in the king sized bed with me and still feeds to sleep. I know, I know, but in my defence I had no support from my now ex DP at night and I've been a single parent since he was 9 months old. I'm also back at work 4 days a week, so I've prioritised sleep.

DS was a velcro baby who screamed blue murder until he was sick if put in the next2me when younger. He's never gone down in a cot for me, but he manages to do if every day at nursery for hours and with his babysitter (who works at his nursery).

I'm soft as anything so I don't want to leave him to scream for ages, but I can handle a few tears now he's bigger and more robust.

PLEASE HELP ME WITH HOW TO DO THIS. I need to get him in his cot, ideally in his own room. I've bought a trundle bed for his room so I can sleep in there with him while he adapts. Has anyone successfully transitioned a co-sleeping baby to their own bed and you both emerged unscathed? We currently have a routine of dinner, bath, quiet play with blocks or other quiet toys (we read in the morning because he has zero interest at night) then cuddle and feed in bed and he goes to sleep quickly around 8pm.

When moving mine gently from my bed to their own bed I did a mix of own bed and cosleeping. So at bedtime I did the usual routine if bath, milk, story, then I put them into their own bed and stayed until they were asleep (which didn't take long at that age, I used to lie on the floor next to the cot and read on my kindle). Once they were used to this set up I started leaving at bedtime when they were almost asleep rather than waiting until they were fully asleep, then increased that so I was leaving when they were sleepy but still awake, and so on until I could put them down awake, have a kiss and a cuddle, and then leave. If they woke up during the night then they were allowed to get into my bed and cosleep from that point onwards and I just let them grow out of this on their own because they were starting the night in their own beds which was my main goal, all of them gradually stopped coming through on a regular basis by around the age of 3-4 although my youngest two (4 and 7) sometimes sneak in if they've had a bad dream or aren't feeling well.