Amy27 asked:
My son is capable of sleeping through the night & occasionally does. However, he usually wakes up in the middle of the night and refuses to go back to sleep until I put him in bed with me. I always try to get him back to sleep & back in his bed, but I usually just give up because I’m so TIRED and just let him sleep in bed with me until he gets soundly back to sleep, then I put him back in his own bed. However, if he wakes up again before morning and discovers he has been moved, he cries and seems to expect me to get him and put him back in bed with me. He has been sick this week so I have let him sleep with me more so I could keep him propped up so he could breathe. However, I know I’m going to pay for it with more sleepless nights. Does anyone have any suggestions (EXCEPT crying it out) to gently encourage him to sleep in his own bed? He is still sleeping in a crib (with a crib tent) because he is definitely not ready for a toddler bed yet.
My son is capable of sleeping through the night & occasionally does. However, he usually wakes up in the middle of the night and refuses to go back to sleep until I put him in bed with me. I always try to get him back to sleep & back in his bed, but I usually just give up because I’m so TIRED and just let him sleep in bed with me until he gets soundly back to sleep, then I put him back in his own bed. However, if he wakes up again before morning and discovers he has been moved, he cries and seems to expect me to get him and put him back in bed with me. He has been sick this week so I have let him sleep with me more so I could keep him propped up so he could breathe. However, I know I’m going to pay for it with more sleepless nights. Does anyone have any suggestions (EXCEPT crying it out) to gently encourage him to sleep in his own bed? He is still sleeping in a crib (with a crib tent) because he is definitely not ready for a toddler bed yet.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
I have nothing to say except cry it out. Sorry I know you didn’t want to hear that. Somethings in parenting are hard, but you have to do it for you childs sake
With me I just kept telling my son he needed to be a big boy and sleep in his own bed and I would just keep putting him back in his own bed. I also went to the store and let him pick out his own sheets for his bed to make it even more special
give him the classic..
rum and applejuice.
he’ll be out like an shaken lightbulb
Stock up on coffee! It may take a good week of sleepless nights, but don’t let him sleep with you. Keep putting him back in his bed. It’ll never get better if you give up so easy.
My son has the same problem. What I do though is I let him wear himself out so much that when he goes to sleep he is out for the night. He usually goes to bed about 10 but i keep him up til about 11 and by then he is out within 5 to 10 minutes and I put him in his bed, close his door and he doesn’t wake up again until about 9-9:30 in the morning and takes a nap at 12. You just have to slowly break them.
it sounds like he might be scared when he wakes up and does not see you. somethings that i did was the following:
I had put a fish tank in my daughters room, this served as a night light and some entertainment. Then I had moved her crib so that she was in our bedroom, after a couple of days i moved the crib closer and closer to the door. by the end of a week or so…she was in her crib all night, and then she was just around the corner and i was out of her eyesight..she learned to deal with it, and the night light helped too. Good Luck
You need to stop feeling the guilt when he cries. Do NOT let him sleep in your bed. The more you do it the more he learns he can get you to do it. He is testing his boundies. although you think he is not ready for a toddler bed he sounds like he is; just be prepared for him to get up and come in your bed. You need to put him back in his bed all the time, NOT in your bed. You need a place that is just for you and your other half. This will power will be tested for the rest of your lives. stick to your guns or you will regret it later. If he wakes up during the night, do not speak just soothe him silently and get him back to bed as quickly as posible. If you have to lay down in his room for a couple of minutes then do so but, set clear boundries and stick to them.
I would say cry it out, because thats really the BEST and fastest way to get it over with…(also teaches your son that crying wont give him everything). Or, you can put a TV on near his bed and have him watch it until he falls asleep. Especially if you have cable and access to all the “on demand” channels, all that childrens programming, your son will be talking up a storm!
I’ve tried both manuvers…on the same kid. I leave the TV on as well, so if he wakes up, he hears it and doesn’t think he’s alone. He’ll even occasionally stay in bed, silently watching after he’s woken up, giving me more mommy time.
Hope this helps. Good luck with your little one!
Are you sure he isn’t ready for a toddler bed? Both of my little girls started at 10 months sleeping in a tddler bed.
I used to put it next to my bed. When I moved them in their room, they did come in my room some nights. They went straight to the tddler bed. Eventually they stayed in their own beds,in their own rooms. You do have to be patient.
Well, I know you don’t want him to cry it out, but my daughter’s pediatrician told me that in order for a child to be able to soothe themselves back to sleep when waking up during the night, they need to be able to get themselves to sleep at bedtime. She told me to put my daughter in her bed at bedtime – do not let her fall asleep in my bed. I had a routine each night to let her know we were preparing for bedtime. She had a bath, and then we read a few books. When I put her in her crib, I would sing a couple of lullibyes then tell her it’s time for nite-nite and tell her I loved her and then quickly leave the room. She would often get up and cry out for me. It was very hard, but I had to be strong. I would wait 10 minutes the first time before going back in. I would tell her everything is okay and it was time for bed and quickly leave again. The next time would be 15-20 minutes before going back in again. The first few nights took about an hour for her to fall asleep, but within a week she was asleep within 15 minutes. She would usually sleep through the night, but if she woke up, I would go in her room and let her know everything was okay. I would lay her back down and wait a few minutes for her to calm down and then leave the room. Don’t worry about him not being ready for a toddler bed yet, I recently read that you should keep your toddler in a crib until around age 3. Be strong. You aren’t being a bad mom by letting your child cry. Babies need boundries and discipline. It’s part of loving them. You can show them affection, but it doesn’t mean you have to give it to them 24/7.
My daughter, 3 1/2, has had this same issue since she was a newborn… I would always just bring her to bed with me so I could sleep; however, we have a younger child and she was getting jealous because she slept in her bed. So I made a deal with the 3 year old… if she slept in her bed Sunday through Thursday then I would let her sleep with us on Friday and Saturday nights (without moving her). She has really taken to this idea because she no longer worries that I will move her while she is still asleep. We are now to only Friday nights! Good luck to you and remember, your child is not going to want to sleep with you when he/she is 16, so enjoy it while it lasts