Any advice for baby who stands in cot and cries?

[yogamama]

My DD started crawling at five months and just turned six months last week. Two weeks ago she learnt how to stand up in her cot and now every time we put her to bed, she just stands up and cries/screams.

We moved house last Sat and now she has her own room (she was in our room before), so I understand that it is unfamiliar to her and maybe she's scared. She's never slept through the night and usually ends up in our bed at some point. But now she can stand - she cries and cries and we don't know what to do? We were doing CC at our last place, but that doesn't seem to be working here and I feel like such a cruel mummy . I have stuck to a routine of milk, solids, bath, story and bed by 7pm since she's been 10wks (only started solids at 5 1/2 months tho), but it doesn't seem to have made much of a difference now we're are at the new place. I saw in Junior magazine something about cuddling being the new CC - anybody read this? Any suggestions? Sorry for long question!!!!!

i have been lucky with all my children(3) but they do advise to let the child cry for about five mins(i know it seems cruel)but you have to be cruel to be kind.have you tried leaving the landing light on??i know you may not want to but its only while she gets used,it also dosnt help that she has been with you in your room,she will not understand that she has to go to bed alone.hope you dont feel i am rude,just want to try and help

Nightmare, poor you

Have you got one of the light and sound mobiles? My baby went through a phase of this, quite out of the blue, but the mobile worked. By the time it had wound down, he was asleep again - the music soothed him and the lights pattern meant it wasn't totally dark

Good luck

Thanks for advice.

We leave the landing light on and she has a night light in her room too. She was in our room for so long because we had a one bedroom flat and we've just moved to three bed house! So a big change for all.

With the CC we are going in 5 mins, 10 mins then intervals of 15 mins but everytime we go in she's just standing there crying. She hasn't quite worked out how to get down, so she just lets go and falls backwards into her cot - which makes her cry more. We've got cot bumpers tho - so she's not smacking her head on the bars - but it's still a shock for her.

It's a nightmare and I end up crying myself once she's gone to sleep because the whole bedtime stuff is becoming stressful however fun and routine-like I try to make it! Argh!

hi there Yogamama

my sympathies. My Dd (now 2) has never been a good sleeper. I remember she went through a similar phase when she learned to stand up and didn't seem to be able to get out of it by just lying down.

I wonder if you've tried cranial osteopathy? This has been the only thing that really worked for her. I think it just helped to de-stress her and get her out of the habit of crying.

Please don't think this has been the answer to everything - we have had to use CC too, it's just the cranial really did seem to help her relax and settle down. (In fact her sleeping has been awful again - taking her back for some cranial tmw - if that doesn't work you'll see my desperate post in a few days!)

hi there, sorry to hear about your dd.
have you tried the baby whisperer book by Tracey someone...sorry cant remember her other name,

briefly she does a technique which is a pick up , put down technique, when the baby is crying, you go in dont say anything but pick them up until they are calm, then put them down again. the programme was on discovery health. the first night you might have to do that loads so it might be a long one! but it seems to work. worth a try maybe.

i do sympathise... personally i couldnt do the cc thing, and, if its any consolation my dd1 (2.8) is a super sleeper and great at bedtime 95% of the time.

Good luck

Hi Redheadmum,

She's already had six sessions of cranial back in the early days because she had colic for three months. (Oh joy!) It definately helped - maybe I should take her back again.
Gosh, I sound like a right nerotic mum, I've already been to a sleep clinic regarding this, but I think the move has upset the balance again. Hmmm, will speak to DH about cranial - could be the answer. I'll do anything for a happy baby and a decent night's sleep!!!

secrets of the baby whisperer by tracey hogg, there are loads on eBay , i just checked!

thanks mrspink - I have baby whisperer book and No cry sleep solution and Gina etc - Think I should have shares in Amazon . will dig them out of the packed boxes and will try the pick up put down technique . . .

Hi, My 3 have all been brill sleepers but we moved when my middle one was young and he went thru that waking crying thing. I did do that leaving 5 mins, then 10 mins thing nd it's awful but DEFINITELY works. The other thing I always did with mine was buy a lullaby tape/CD and put it on softly when I wanted them 2 go 2 sleep. After a while they start lying down as soon as they heard it. Works for cars, afternoon sleeps, the lot and especially helpful for unfamiliar places eg hotels,etc. Hope this helps. lol

I've been to a sleep clinic too....

My Dd is always very upset by change to routines, and the sleeping is the first thing that goes.

For example, the reason we've had our latest bout of non-sleeping is that MIL came to visit and she had to give up her room this time and come in with us. Getting her back into her own room again and sleeping through the night has been a nightmare. The same for whenever we go away anywhere.

I'm hoping the cranial will give her a chance to relax and get out of her habit of waking (please......) it's always worked before. I've taken her at regular intervals - at 3 weeks, then 6 months etc etc more or less each time I've hit a problem.

I wonder, since she is in a new room etc, whether the 'gradual retreat' method might work for you? I think it works like this: you put her dowm calmly in her cot, and then sit next to the cot until she settles. Once she has got used to that, you then move your chair a few feet away, then a bit more, until eventually you are right by the door. then in the doorway, then out of sight, but call occasionally so she knows she isn't abandoned.

That's actually what the sleep clinic suggested at first just to get her to sleep in our room, but because she cried so much anyway - they said that we could try cc (even though she was quite young) as another method. Now she's older and in her own space, perhaps it's a good time to try the gradual retreat technique.

Just a daft question, but even though she can stand up on her own, does she know how to lie down again? I remember a phase when my dd could first stand in which she'd get 'stranded' and need to be helped down again.

Other than that my dd did this too except when she was much older, about 18 months. She'd just stand in the cot wailing and even falling asleep with her chin on the cot bar! In the end we resorted to cc but I wouldn't have done that when she was 6 months old, not that you can't, I just didn't want to until she was a bit older. She still stands up in her cot now, I say goodnight, kiss her, she waits until I've gone and then tucks herself up. She won't let me do it. The independent little minx! She's 2.4 now by the way.

I was going to mention that in my last post - my Dd seemed to get stranded and not know how to lie down,so we had to put her in the lying down position and kinda teach her what to do.

I was going to mention that in my last post - my Dd seemed to get stranded and not know how to lie down,so we had to put her in the lying down position and kinda teach her what to do.

So you decided to mention it twice instead, rhm?