I have been rocking my son to sleep since he was an infant, but now he is out of the crib and I need to help him fall asleep on his own. Before we switched to the regular bed I was able to bathe him, read a story, and we would rock for a min or so, and then I would put him in his crib and he would fall asleep on his own. That all changed when he started sleeping in his big bed. I have to rock him until he is asleep. When I knew he was tired I would rock him and then put him in his bed and close the door, he would cry for a min. then go to sleep. Now he can open his door and we just go back and forth. We are considering putting up a gate outside his door. Anyone tried this? Any suggestions to help him learn how to fall asleep on his own?
FYI- We will be bringing home baby #2 in about a week, so not sure what if any regression he will experience.
Thanks!
Thanks for all the input and suggestions. In January he did transition from crib to toddler bed and then beginning of March into big bed. He out grew his toddler bed, which is why we won't put him back in crib, he's a big guy. For now I'm just being flexible and going with the flow because it's so close to my due date. I know he knows things are going to be changing so I just want to enjoy the last week I have with him before we bring our daughter home. Once we get back on track I think we will try the door knob safety things, we think he'll pummel through or climb over the gate. I also think that when I'm in the hospital and dad and grandma are looking after him some natural changes will take place.
Thanks again!
I had this same problem with my daughter. We did end up putting a gate across her door. We told her that at bedtime, she needed to stay in her room. We often found her asleep on the floor next to the gate.
I used to rock our son to sleep and then I had to go on a business trip so my husband had to take him to bed. My son actually said "dada I want to go to bed and he walked himself to bed from that night forward. =)
As for the gate. A few months later he started climbing in and out of his crib so we had to convert it to a toddler bed. We did put up a gate so he can't get out of his room with out us. We also have a video monitor so we can watch him from downstairs to see if he's having problems. When we see him get out of bed we tell him to get back in bed and he does. Sometimes he goes right to bed and sometimes it takes a little bit for him to settle down. For a while we had to take the toys out of his room so he didn't have distractions. Naps were worse than bedtime. Our son did pretty good when we brought home his sister. Now 1 1/2 yrs later we still have the gate up (their rooms are upstairs and we are downstairs) and he gives her kisses and hugs goodnight and makes sure she's ok before I take her up to bed. He goes a few minutes after her and it works well. I hope that helps.
Hi V.!
Any transition we did with my daughter, Alyssa, was always gradual. So, when we wanted her to start falling asleep on her own without us rocking her (she was still in her crib), either my husband or I would sit in her room until she fell asleep. That way, we could tell her as soon as she lifted her head off her pillow, that she needed to lay down and close her eyes. If you catch your son before he even thinks he can step a foot out of his bed, he may break the habit of thinking he can get out of his room. Good luck!! Hope this helps :)
~J.
We had a "crib toy" that our daughter could push a button and music would play. It soothed her back to sleep each time. This was a fisher price toy that had other moving parts and a soothing light that came on and off while the music played. She was so dependent on that that when we would go on vacation for her first three years, we had to bring it along and when it broke I searched high and low for a replacement. It has its own weaning issues, but at least you can put him down and let him fall asleep on his own.
Good luck!
maybe he'd be better if he went back to the crib? was he climbing out, or did you move him into the big boy bed to make room for baby? 22 mos is on the early side for moving to a bed. i have daughters 22 mos apart, and several friends who have the same. my couple of my friends tried beds right before their #2 arrived and it worked for a couple weeks and then they had to go back. if you are worried about the expense of 2 cribs, you can get really inexpensive new ones or second hand ones, or borrow, but it is worth the extra sleep you will get if he does better in it. We moved our daughter to a bed right around her 3rd bday and still have encountered problems, and tried a million things. She was a great sleeper before the bed pretty much went to sleep on her own, and now she is just OK - gets up several times, wakes up earlier, etc. I say keep them in the crib until you just can't any more! :-) several sleep books i have read recommend waiting until closer to 3 yrs old and not doing it based on the arrival #2 child. good luck! i don't have much advice for getting them to stay in their bed, as every kid is different. there is the walk them back to bed silently option, the gate option (didn't work for us - she just tried climbing out the whole time), and locking. Each work different with different kids, when he is older rewards and sticker charts, etc might work more effectively.
I transitioned my son at 16 month to a toddler bed due to # 2 coming. We used a gate. The first few nights he cried at the gate, and fell asleep on the floor. We simply put him in his bed, and after about 3 nights he figured it out and started going to sleep in the bed on his own. Like everything, it is an adjustment, you have to teach him what is expected. If you continue to rock him until he is asleep, that is what you will train him to do in the future.
Hi V.,
In my chiropractic/nutritional practice, difficulty getting to sleep is someting I encounter frequently ...... the best (most wonderful!) solution I have found is to take a dose of liquid or powdered calcium just before bedtime. Lifetime (brand name) has several wonderful flavors .... the calcium just quiets the muscular system and quiets the yami-yami of the brain so a person just drifts into sleep. If not asleep within one hour, repeat the dosage and repeat the 10 minutes of any nighttime awakening. I teach one dose at bedtime and then one dose with any muscle spasm or heartburn or restless leg episode. If over 40, add one 648 mg. tab of hydrochloric acid to increase the absorption of the calcium. Usually any secondary dosing needed settles down within 1 - 2 weeks as the base of calcium increases. If more than one dose is taken in a day, loose stool might result as a physiologic action of the magnesium that is alway mixed with calcium (look for a 2:1 ratio of calcium to magnesium.) At 22 months, your munchkin probably only need 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon. You'll be delighted at how easily he goes to sleep.
S.
You don't need a gate just one or those baby safety locks that you put around door handles kids don't have finger strength to pushing and turn knob at same time
