Teach baby to lie down.

[gigi556]

DS1 is 11 months and has been awake every hour after initial 3 hour stretch. He keeps waking up standing or sitting. I think I read a post the other day and @FateDestiny said you have to teach babies to lie down. How do you do this?!!! Help!

Ok, so I didn't put him in his sleeping bag. Could this be part of the issue? How long do you use them for? I find them a bit annoying but obviously it's no big deal to carry on with it.

I suppose you could try patting the mattress where you want them to lie, or lie down yourself to show them what you want them to do. But if they don't want to lie down they won't. Both of mine are stubborn. I didn't even bother trying to teach them to lie down, as I knew full well they were capable of doing it they just didn't want to! I either just keep lying them down myself until they're too tired to keep standing up or let them keep standing until they get so tired they eventually lie down themselves. Both options require a lot of patience!

Sleeping bag might help but mine could both still stand up when in a sleeping bag.

Firstly, can your baby sit down from standing and then lie down from sitting, both without help, during daytime playtime?

The first task is to teach and practice this during the daytime. Play lots of instruction following games, for example:

• can you touch your nose?
• can you stand up?
• can you lie down?
• can you sit on the rug?
• can you take this to Daddy?
• can you put this on the table?
• can you bring me the ball?
• can you turn around?
• can you roll over?

Big smiles, claps and positive praise each time he follows an instruction.

It's not unreasonable to expect a very young, mobile toddler to be be able up follow simple instructions like this and it will help no end if he is used to being praised for following your instruction.

Once that is all established, follow it through at bedtime. From the moment your DS can physically sit down himself and then lie down from sitting, you want to stop lying him down at bedtime.

Instead pilot him in the cot standing up and just like your instruction following activities in the day, make it a happy game with lots of positive praise for following an instruction.

So put in the cot standing and tap the mattress saying something like "Can you sit down on your own?". Praise when he goes, then ask expectedly if he can lie down on his own too? Massive smiles when he does.

Once lying down, you might want to lean over the cot and put your hand on him to help settle him. Well I did at this stage anyway. Then once settled move away.

If him.lyjng himself down becomes the norm, then just tapping the mattress and saying "lie down now" should become enough.

As for sleeping bags, I would definitely keep him in a fleeting bag until he moves into a big boy bed - so after 3rd birthday for us. You can get 18-36 month sized sleeping bags in most high street baby retailers. I continue to use sleeping bags for my (tall) 3y7m old. She's in baby sleeping bags for 3-6 year olds, and is happy still in her cot. So you can get sleeping bags for a long time to come yet!

Brilliant. Thanks for the advice! Fingers crossed for a good night tonight.