Tips for getting baby in cot!

[chloecorey2013]

My 1 year old has co slept with me basically from birth. I didnt initally want to but he got poorly and it just carried on from there.

He is now too big for our bed but is a nightmare for sleeping on hisown! Weve just decorated his bedroom and put his cot in there with. A single bed for me too sleep in for now.

I was going to do the one where when he wakes i sooth him back to sleep then put him back in his cot. Tried it last week and he was up and down til morning!.

I this has worked for others then fair enough ill carry on. But what has work d for you personally?

I dont disagree with crying it out, its just hard and upsetting. But pros and cons are welcome for the best method please! Thank you.

We tried staying in the room with DS (10.5 months - co slept from birth) but after 1 night we realised it wasn't going to work so we did CC. He goes down no problem and sleeps 11.5 hours a night - apart from ill/teething.

Personally, I wouldn't pick him up when he cries. I would sooth him by srptroking and comforting him while he's lying in his cot. Then I'd gradually stop touching him and sooth him just by talking quietly. Then I'd do that from further and further away. That will all take several months though, with backwards steps when he's I'll, or sleeping g somewhere unfamiliar.

Thanks for advise. I really dont mean this in a bad way but that wont work! As soon as he wakes nothin will settle him til hes picked up i tried stroking his face talkin nice ect but he stand up and screams til i get him.

Its just so so hard. What exactly do u do with CC?

Well re reading your post i see you said it takes months i tried it for about a week and nearly ripped my hair out haha! Just cant seem to crack it hes just so clinglt at bed time.

You leave them in intervals, if you google there's loads of different ways. We went with what we felt would work - so we did 5, 10, 15, 20 and never left him for longer than 20 minutes and when we went in we told him that we loved him but it was time to go to sleep and lay him down. The first week is heartbreaking but overall it has been worth it. I tried the patting when he regressed and lay on the floor for 15 mins next to him but he would wake an hour later looking for me instead of putting himself back to sleep.

Actually, ignore my previous advice! I left mine to cry. Its hard, but they won't hold it against you when they're 18, and if you make your mind up to stick with it, you'll have him self settling in about a week.

Watching with interest.

How did you get him back to sleep when you were co-sleeping?

I'm currently doing my own version of gradual retreat. similar to pp I'm staying in the room whilst she falls asleep. Every 4th night I take a step back. If she stands up I leave the room and let her cry for no longer than 1 min then go back in. As soon as she sees me she lays back down. I repeat until asleep. The first night it took 1 and a half hours and we were up and down with her for 2 hours in the middle of the night.

tonight she fell asleep in 15 mins and I only left the room once. been doing it for 2 weeks now and every night she's falling to sleep quicker.

If she wakes in the night I'm only having to give her her dummy and she's back to sleep in seconds.

Would the cot fit temporarily alongside your bed? We have an 8mo co-sleeper and I haven't the heart for CIO. We've put her cot alongside our bed with the side off starting with the mattress set to the same height as ours so she felt she was still in with us but getting used to the feel of her own bed. I've now managed to drop the mattress level twice so it's on the lowest setting, and next is putting the side back on before moving it and her into her own room. It's not a quick fix but it's gentle and she hasn't minded each little change too much. She even takes naps in there now When she was born she was one of those who just would not be put down, she'd scream and scream and scream. She spent the first 3 weeks of life sleeping on my chest (not ideal I know, but it was that or hell and fury) so this is a stage at one point I never thought we'd see. It's working pretty well for us x

It's a pretty big transition for them at this age, so will probably take a bit of time. Going from co sleeping to CC is too much of a change for some and can backfire in you, making him more clingy.

I would start by making his room a fun and ok to be in the day, spend time in there playing games like peek-a-boo and generally making positive associations - read stories and do things he likes.

Then standing by the cot, start with rocking him to sleep at bedtime and every wake up, do this for a 3-4 days, then hold him standing still until he falls asleep for a few days (again at bedtime and every wake up).

Then hold him until he is almost sleep put him in the cot and pat/rub him to sleep for a few days. Gradually reduce the time you hold him so it becomes a cuddle and patting to sleep, reassure him you're there and help him drift off with sleepy time or whatever.

Once he's going down in the cot, keep patting but reduce it so you pat/rub a bit but end up just having your hand on him. Reduce the touch and start moving away.

I'm sure you get the idea by now! The aim is to then just gentle with draw and that would mean moving the mattress out the room until he can't see you.