crawling in cot

[suzi2]

DS (10 months) sleeps in a hammock. We bought a cot and tried him in it several times and he slept in it OK. He was always a bit confused when he woke during the night as he was used to rocking himself a bit in the hammock, but in general he managed OK.

So we went back to the hammock safe in the knowledge that the transition to a cot, when necessary, would be fairly straightforward.

He's got a bit wider recently so we thought we'd maybe make the transition to the cot. But since he started crawling, all he does is flip over, crawl to the side and stand up. He's shattered but can't seem to just let himself go to sleep when the opportunity to do some moving presents itself. He's a bad napper during the day and needs complete wind down and to be in his hammock in the dark, or the car seat or pushchair. He can't seem to "just fall asleep" when he's tired. He's never fallen asleep somewhere unexpected such as the highchair. he's 100% energy.

2 nights ago I persevered for almost an hour laying him back down etc. And then gave up and put him back in the hmmock where he nodded off instantly. Is this a phase that all babies go through? Or is it just becauase my DS isn't used to having freedom to move around. Is there any other tricks I can try? I guess one day we'll have to go cold turkey if nothing else works...

Hi suzi although Ive never put my children in a hammock I would persevere with the pick up put down routine when hes in his cot. I learnt this routine with my ds number 2 and ds number 3 when they were playing up of a night. You may need to do it for atleast 4 nights for it to realy work. Try not to talk to him either and dont rock him try rubbing his back in small slow circles till he stops crying then lay him gently down. Not sure if this will work for you but it certainly did for me. Good luck to you

My DS (also 10 months) did the same thing when he started crawling. I found that it was best just to leave him to get on with it and if he did cry to go in and lay him back down saying "night night see you in the morning". Eventually he would wear himself out.

I think once babies start crawling they find it harder to wind down. It can take my DS up to 30 minutes to actually go to sleep from when I put him down for the night. Like I say I just leave him, put the monitor on and unless he cries go back in when hes gone to sleep and rearrange him as he always seems to fall asleep the wrong way round! :)

sounds like it is too still in the cot, and he likes the movement in the hammock to rock him to sleep.
You will prob have to persevere with the controlled crying / pick up put down to let him find another way to fall asleep.

keep smiling

Thanks everyone. Had a teeny breakthrough... I tried to put him in his cot after his night feed and after 40 mins gave up. BUT this morning he took a short (25 mins) nap in the cot. Basically he was in 42mins and there were tears and crawling but he eventually zonked. Shame he didn't sleep long. This evening we didn't persevere as after 45mins he was getting nowhere.

He's always had trouble winding down and now it's even worse! I'm going to keep trying, but almost think that the hammock has to not be available to me at all or I'll end up putting him in it!

Rach32 - nice to know he isn't the only baby who does this!

My dd is in a cot but since she's started crawling she wont settle properly, she just pulls herself up on the side until she standing then just stands there and screams mmmmmmaaaaaa until I go to her, then she keeps watching to make sure I'm there and takes a good hour to go back off. I worry though about leaving her to cry cause she's only just 8 months!! Too little to be standing I know but we can't stop her. Suzi, the only thing that I've found that works is swaddling her in her cot which works great unfortunately it's now too hot to do it as it makes her all sweaty

I just can't let DS cry either Rosebea. About a minute is the longest I leave him when he's upset. I thought about swaddling... but he got out of a swaddle at 2 wks and a miracle blanket at 12 wks so I figure he'll just wriggle out. A straight jacket is what I need

Has he grown out of the hammock?

We did use controlled crying with DD1 and to be honest, it upset me so much that I took up smoking and used to stand at the bottom of the garden while she cried (only lasted a few days luckilly) I swore I wouldn't do it again as it broke my heart.(and aged my lungs ) At this age they don't understand why you're ignoring them which just makes them more upset. Now I've taken to taking my book up and just sit there. She's taking less and less time to settle now that we're doing this. I don't talk but I think it helps to know that I'm there.

techically no Hunker. But he's filling it width wise and I'm concerned that he'll be feeling a bit squashed soon. Another couple of months at the absolute most I think... it's just taken me by surprise how much his crawling is interfereing with him going to sleep in the cot.

I think you may have to go cold-turkey. With both of ours we went through a couple of hellish weeks - after they had learned to sleep through and resettle themselves during the night - when they learned to stand up in the cot but didn't yet know how to get back down again. I think that, and not the hammock, is probalby the crux of the issue.

Hello, i think you will have to go cold turkey too. My 11-month-old sounds similar in that he is very active and has never been one of those babies that sleeps much during the day.

We are beginning to regret not doing the controlled crying thing earlier, as now he can stand up we are a bit worried about leaving him in the cot as he often falls over.

He won't come to any harm falling over in the cot - he may bump himself or land awkwardly all scrunched up against the side, but sometimes falling down is the first step in learning to get down from standing up.

But if your child is pulling themselves up to standing in the cot you must must must remove any bumpers now.

I just worry that he is really going to bang his head and injure himself

We went cold turkey once he woke at 10pm. He took about 30 mins of grumbling, standing, crawling, and a few tears to get back to sleep. he then woke at 2:30 (not unusual) and 5 (not unusual either!). I don't know if he sat up in his sleep or sat up when he woke but he was sitting looking quite confused at the end of the cot! Again it took some grumbling to go back to sleep but he did so within 10 mins. This morning he took a nap in his cot with next to no fuss.

Hopefully this is the worst over! not as bad as I thought it would be!

my dp has always put ds to bed (he's out all day, it's his time with him) and he has always cuddled him till he dropped off. ds is very active and finds it hard to wind down too. i have put him in the cot awake before and he has done laps of the cot for about half an hour and then fallen asleep.....but now he can stand up the only way to get him off to sleep is to sit in the rocking chair with him till he drops off.

i have tried pick up/put down but he just rolls over, straight to the side of the cot and stands up again. and he does this for over an hour, eventually crying so much he is sick. i know i have to tackle this but just can't face it at the moment....he is on the go all day and by 7pm i just need to get him to sleep or my nerves are suffering. he is 10 months old........he's just learnt to stand and i'm hoping once the novelty wears off it'll be easier to deal with.

Help (sad)

Need help bad, have a 16 month old boy whom seems to think our bed is his. Everytime we put him to sleep in his cot he screams his head off and 3 Hours later he is still standing at the bottom of the cotbed crying.

Someone told me he may get better if we take the sides off as he may be feels confined. What age do you remove the sides?

Thanks

Anna