Tell me about your positive sleep training stories...

[gothefcktosleep]

18 month old has co-slept with us since 3 days old. We are now at the point where we are trying to transition her to her own bed. I also feed to sleep .

She slept in her own cot for 4 hours last Friday night when we had a baby sitter but she admitted to me she had to leave her to cry as she struggled to put her down (she’s her nursery worker). Husband had her on Friday night and said she did really well sleeping in her cot and we could start trying to get her in there. Last night I took her up, dimmed the lights and went to sit in the big chair to nurse her a bit before putting her down and we did not get that far. She went absolutely apeshit at me and threw the mother of all tantrums. It felt a bit like she hated her room and had negative feelings towards it now. Husband tried to take her and aborted mission because in the end she was shaking crying and I think the state she got herself into freaked him out.

Husband tried again tonight but I’ve just ruined it as he was trying to show her that I wasn’t in our room so she had to go to bed - but I cane up the stairs at the same time and she flung herself into my arms.

We’re not doing CIO as such, husband stays with her and strokes her tummy and face but she goes mental anyway. I think we’ll try after Xmas now, but any tips or advice welcome here. I am as hard as butter left out on a hot day so may need a pep talk about being tougher.

Can you change the cot to a bed? My DS doesn't go down and he certainly doesn't sleep during the night so sorry I can't answer the exact question you're asking.

However , the reason I ask is because we were in the exact same scenario. The more we persisted the more it became like a genuine phobia of the room / cot to the point if I put him in there to put washing away in the same room he would shake and scream. So we changed his cot to the lowest setting as a bed (it was a cotbed) and boom - total personality change.

He had co-slept with us all that time he must have felt like we were putting him in a cage. As I say he still doesn't go down perfectly or sleep through at almost 2 but he loves his bedroom and will climb into his own bed willingly and even tucks his beloved monkey in. Maybe just food for thought. Good luck

I suggested we do that! Husband said no so I might suggest again... besides the co-sleeping she’s a bright and independent little thing so I can imagine her enjoying having a bed instead of, as you say, the cage feeling. Thank you!

We did gradual retreat with patting then moving on to shushing, combined with pick up put down if she got really upset. My DD was a bit younger at 10/11 months but it worked really well although took 7-10 days and since then other than the odd bad night I can put get down awake and she goes to sleep

Yes change it to a bed! My very bad sleeper went from refusing to go near the cot to sleeping in it within the night. I did have to essentially lie in there reading stories until she was asleep but I could move away and she didn't wake too much.

CIO worked for us. if we stayed or went back in he just would not settle/started up again.

it was sharp, but very short. honestly he probably cried for 20 min at the worst (he was 15 mo and still bf, had previously been indulged with feeding to sleep) and within 3 nights he'd slept through the night and very, very rarely disturbs us now. now i just read books, lights go off, sing a song or 2, say night night etc and leave and he often protests but is quiet within 20 seconds of door being shut. he is SO good now i still can't get over it.

sadly(stupidly) i am days away from no. 2 arrival but this one won't be indulged anywhere close to no. 1, sorry pal.

(he still sleeps in his cot, i haven't pointed out to him he could climb out of it.. i don't know what will happen then!!! baby prison is admittedly i believe a key aspect of him not bothering to resist bedtime) (he does also sleep like a tetris block in a zero gravity zone so it's just as well really...)

My DD was the worst sleeper ever and it used to take ages to get her to sleep, we would stay with her and pat her but if she sensed you trying to leave she would go apeshit. One night I was broken and I just decided to see what happened if I left her (2 mins crying, then pop in say night night and back out again) it took 8 minutes!! I couldn't believe I had put it off for so long because of all the horror stories I had read about how awful it was going to be. It was fine, we were all much happier after it and it was so much quicker than trying to stay with her!!
She was about 14 months I think.