Now baby can stand, how do you get them to lie down long enough to sleep in cot?!

[Trillian42]

I've posted lots about DD & her sleep - she's now 10months old & still co-sleeping & feeding to sleep. Now short of me getting into cot with her (and pathetic as it is, I have considered it but not sure if it can take my 8stone :(), we have a new task of trying to get her to go asleep in the cot while she can sort of stand (supported). She's very unsteady still and keeps falling over & we're worried about her hurting herself.

I think we should get a travel cot so she at least can't do damage to herself - DH thinks cot bumpers should be enough & that she'll get used to it. She's already in a gro-bag.

How did you all deal with it?

I've just spent the last 3 days doing the dreaded Alison Scott-thingy sleep training - though I've done my own gentler version (which includes dummy!). I just kept going back in when i heard him stand up, picking him up and lying him back down, saying "time for your nap, Sleepytime, night night" - probably far more often than the book dictates recommends, but it seems to have worked (please, let this not jinx it as DS 9mo has never to date slept in his cot during the day or all through the night without coming into bed with us).

Minimal crying, today none at all and no attempts at standing for the last 2 naps or bedtime last night. Though he's not made it through the night without waking, it's only been for a couple of minutes once or twice each night. And he's a wilful little chap, so I'm very surprised it hasn't been more of a battle.

Hmm, sounds suspiciously easy! How did you get on last night?

Did he fall at all the first couple of nights? That's my biggest worry - DD is a little too adventurous for her own good and does fall a good bit.

2 teeth came through the night before last, so I was up and down for 2 hours - not ideal! However, he did 8 - 7 with no waking last night. DP, my mum and I were all v suspicious of this method, but it seems to have worked. I haven't followed it slavishly - but I have to say, the naps in the cot during the day and the night time sleep have changed dramatically in a week.

He did fall over a lot at first, which actually was good as it tired him out more quickly - I lowered the cot as far as it can go so he couldn't reach the top rail, just the sides, which was harder for him to pull himself up inside the sleeping bag. I reckon bangs to the head are par for the course as a baby - he's had a couple of black eyes already from headbutting the footstool! I did have a cot bumper when he was wobbly as he was less mobile during his sleep, but it's only taken a couple of weeks for him to be able to stand for ages without falling, so I've taken it away as he does tend to wriggle up into the corners of the cot and press his face against the bumper/bars now.