Moving to the Crib

Just put him in the crib. he might cry, but thats ok
he is still little. my son is 15 months and I cant get him out of my bed. he freaks out when I lay him in his crib. so he sleeps with us. I know you think he will not be able to sleep with out you, but its really you cant sleep without him.. I know the feeling. I hope this works for you.
Take Care.

Get him broke as soon as possible! No matter how hard the battle is now. My daughter didn't want to leave mine until 12 years old.

what I did was bought a mommy bear and laid it beside him so he could feel the heart beat. I would stay close to him in a chair while he fell asleep again after he got done breast feeding. I would also move the chair futher from his crib each night so he would get use to M. being futher from him while he was falling asleep. With in like 2 weeks he was falling asleep on his own with the door cracked. He is now almost 5 and he still sleeps with the door cracked and hes never had a night light.

I've heard a lot of people put a mattress on the floor next to their bed, or set the crib up next to their bed, then gradually move the baby to his own room a few feet at a time. I think keeping baby in your room for the first year is a great idea, so you're more aware of him.

I tried taking a rail off of my son's crib, converting it to a toddler bed, & I pushed our bed up against it. I had to make sure each night that it was pushed tight so that there was no gap. I tried for awhile to put him in his bed like a co-sleeper, but I wasn't that commited & it didn't work. We plan to put an air mattress next to our bed at some point.

He still wakes a number of times throughout the night at 2.75. We still co-sleep, but since most of his waking is before I get into bed, I know it's not the cause.

Just remember that MOST parents report there is something they'd like to change about their child's sleep habits. The "slept through the night at 4 weeks" baby is a myth! The fact that babies sleep as they do helps protect them from SIDS. About SIDS - it is due to UNEXPLAINED causes. A baby can be overlain, but this is not SIDS. There are SAFE ways to co-sleep. You probably know all of this after 7 months, but the people in your bed must not be smokers, under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or obese. You have to be careful about the baby's temperature (not dressed to warmly because of your body heat) and soft goods (when Milo was small I kept my blanket carefully tucked under me so that what covered me was not long enough to reach him and I kept it low enough on my body that it could not reach his face - I wore long sleeves if I was cold. My husband used his own blanket. I was also careful to keep my head to one end of my pillow with the extra behind me so that it wouldn't get close to his face, either.) We kept our mattress on the floor so Milo wouldn't get hurt rolling out, and made sure there were no gaps against the wall at the head of the bed. I did not go back to sleeping on my stomach, since I 'd gotten used to being on my back or side while pregnant & I didn't want to unconsciously roll onto my stomach. Milo liked to sleep nursing on his side, so I always kept him against my body so that there was no room for him to accidentally roll onto his belly. I also kept his arm, the one against the bed, in front of him when he slept on his side so that it helped prevent him from rolling.

(BTW, if you want to try putting something that smells like you in his crib, as suggested above, I'd just sleep with his sheets for as few nights before I'd put something in his crib).

The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended against co-sleeping. Personally I feel this is not a medical recommendation but a parenting one, and I think it's out of bounds. Dr. William Sears, the Attachment Parenting guru, supports co-sleeping, which significantly influences breastfeeding. I find it sad that the AAP has stuck there nose in and made it essentially harder for moms to establish successful breastfeeding in a society where it is already challenging enough as it is to bf. Dr. Sears has a great website, askdrsears.com. Before Milo was born I heard Sears' son, another doctor, speak on co-sleeping. There are studies that show a decrease of SIDS in co-sleeping families because there is a greater awareness of baby. Even the AAP recommends that baby's crib be placed in your room.

If you're looking for reading material re: sleep, Elizabeth Pantley's "No Cry Sleep Solution" books are terrific (there is a baby version & a toddler version). I think Dr. Jay Gordon also has a well-regarded book.

Last thought - there is brain-based research that shows cry-it-out causes physical damage to a baby (you should be able to find this on the Sears site).

Good luck!
K.
Mama to Milo

Hi, S.! Wow, your son sounds exactly like my daughter Selah (9 months). I love co-sleeping with her, but I really wish she could stay asleep in the crib by herself for at least a few hours! With her getting closer to 12 months, I am starting to think about that transition. I read a blog called The Natural Mommy, and she has some posts about co-sleeping and transitioning that have helped for me. Here is the link: http://www.thenaturalmommy.com/2007/09/19/how-to-happily-...
I'd love to talk to you more, as it seems like we do things quick similarly!
-B.

Mom with one sweet 17 month old baby girl!

We all slept together until about 5 months. Kinda. I say kinda because there were nights when she ended up back with us and that was okay. She moves around at night so I wasn't getting any sleep. She was but I wasn't! :)

I would go to her room read her a story and then I would nurse her before I put her down in her crib. Usually I would let her fall asleep nursing. Eventually I put her down before that but...that's a hard one to break.

I would put her in her crib and let her be. At around 11:00 I would "dream" feed her and then put her back down. She would wake up but if we left her alone she would usually go back to sleep. The challenge is letting them learn to fall back to sleep.

Within days he will sleep chuncks in his crib, you just have to start putting him in there. It's hard but in the long run you and hubby will be happy. You both will get better sleep.

remeber to trust your instincts. It's good to listen and get outside advice but also listen to yourself. If you get a chance read Dr. Ferber. People call him the cry it out Dr. BUT when you read his book you it comes across differant.

Good luck!

Try starting him out with naps in the crib if you're not already. That way he doesn't have to spend an extended period by himself to begin with. I would also try NOT nursing him to sleep. If he is awake when you put him down, he will not be looking for you (or your breast) when he wakes up during sleep. Be prepared for a little crying at least, but don't worry, he'll get it. My little girl is almost 5 months and it really worked for her. Good luck!

I started my son (now 7 years old) taking naps in his crib. I also remember nursing him to sleep at night and putting him in his crib but then bringing him to bed with me when he first needed a nighttime feeding and then keeping him with us after that. He was fully out of our bed around 10 months old (mostly my husband's need for better quality sleep) and I think at the time it seemed to just work itself out, but now I wonder "what was my hurry?" Oh well, he still crawls in with us a few times a month at 3 a.m. A king sized bed helps, too!

This is easy, I know a lot of people like to complain about babies sleeping with mom and dad but it is a beautiful way to bond, so bring the crib even with your bed, lower the baby mattress even to your mattress then drop the side of the crib down all the way. Baby can sleep in his crib, you can sleep in your bed and still be close enough to breastfed, he will still be close enough to hear you and feel, just make sure the crib is pushed snug to your bed. i did this with my two and it makes it simple to move baby across the room later and then out to his own room.

Well, we made the transition at around 3 months, but she was not in our bed, just in our room. It was a little hard, because she didn't want to have anything to do with her crib. We had to try and put her in there for at least one nap per day (to get her used to it), and throughout the day I would stand next to her in the crib and play with her. Try and make the crib somewhere fun. Your baby should love his crib just as much as we love our bed, and feel just as comfortable as we do in our bed. It will probably take a while, but slowly easing him into it is probably best. Good luck!

S., I am sorry to say this, but most new parents make the mistake of letting their babies sleep with them; after a while has went by they usually realize that they would like their bed space back. I would start weening your son now from sleeping in the marriage bed. It will be hard, but not as hard as in six months or a year. I know at first when a new baby is brought home it is a lot easier to just let him or her sleep with mom and dad, but it eventually becomes a nightmare.

Maybe he wakes between 7 and the time you go to bed because he wants to be up later. Have you tried keeping him up later before nursing him to sleep? Nurse at 7, but not to sleep, then keep him up with a bath or more play until the house starts to shut down. All the others' advise about trying naps in the crib first and letting him settle himself down are good too.

Where does your son currently take his naps? If he takes them in your bed - I suggest putting him in his crib for his naps for a few days to get him accusomed to it. Then gradually move him to it permanently. Also - Babies R Us used to carry springs to go on the crib legs - in place of the rollers. This allows the crib to gently rock every time they move/roll over, etc - and lulls them to sleep if they wake up. Also - if they awaken - sometimes you can just pat their back while rocking the crib to get them back to sleep - without actually picking them up (which sometimes awakens them even more). Im sure you are going to have a few sleepless nights until he gets used to it. good luck.

I know that there are stuffed toys ( a bear?) that are made with a simulated heartbeat that is supposed to soothe babies to sleep. There are also toys that attach to the crib that shoot light-pictures up on the walls or ceiling to help babies settle into the crib. You could rock your child to sleep and then lay him in the crib. Make sure the sheets fit tightly and that he has a crib with the proper slats so he won't get stuck. You can try baby massage. My children loved baby massage and there are good books and classes for this available in Austin. You may try a pacifier. Different things work for different babies. You may cut the naps down to two naps and see if this helps him sleep longer in the night. J. K.

What worked for us, was I quit nursing them in bed and daddy took them to bed. It was amazing how they didn't fuss for him like they did for me. It took some nights of getting up a lot more on his part but it eventually worked. Be consistent that is the key with whatever method you use. ; )

My son is also 7 months and breastfed. When he was newborn he slept in a bassinet next to our bed and then we co-slept part time, usually bringing him into our bed when he woke in the early morning hours so that we could all get a couple more hours of sleep. We always did naps in his crib so that he would be used to sleeping in his room. At about 4 months we moved him from the bassinet to his crib. After his bath, we read a book and then nurse in the glider in his room then put him down in his crib. If he wakes up before about 4 am or so, my husband goes into his room and rocks or sings him back to sleep. If he wakes up in the 4-6 am range, he is allowed to come into our bed and nurse and snuggle. This compromise works well for all of us.

I would suggest transitioning your son to the crib by starting with a good bedtime routine. Then plan to have your husband go into to soothe him back to sleep if he wakes before a certain time--that way he learns that he can't expect to nurse every time he wakes and will, hopefully, quit waking up so much because it won't be "worth it." If you and your son both want and need sometime time to nurse and cuddle together in your bed, limit it to the early morning hours.

Hi S.,
My two girls slept in our bed as well. I had the same concers as you, but also was not ready for them to be in another room. We took the side of the crib off and attached the baby bed legs to the frame of our bed with a small rope. Then I laid a big blanket on the crib and on our bed to connect the two. We laid on that blanket so there would not be a space between the two beds. I nursed my girls to sleep and then placed them in their bed. I had easy access, yet we had our bed back. Then when I was a little more comfortable and she was not waking up to nurse during the night, we put the side back on the bed and moved it to another room or in our room away from our bed. Just an idea!!! It worked beautifully for us.
N.

The best gift you can give your son is to choose to let him learn how to self soothe and go to sleep on his own. It is a skill we all have to learn. Once he masters that skill, he will sleep better throught the night because he won't need you anymore. UUGGHH! I know that sounds harsh, but our jobs as parents is to guide our children in life so they can be independant. He will still need you for so much other stuff though, but baby steps are the way. If he wakes often in the crib, do not give up. Know that it will pass as all things do as soon as the crib becomes the habit. With small kids usually 2 weeks. Then it will all be worth the trouble. Change is hard for everyone. When he wakes, just go to him slower and slower give him time to work it out on his own. I recommend the crib being in a different room and a white noise machine on. Then when he wakes, it physically takes you longer to get to him. He learns to have his own space and time. I started with my daughter at 8 months and my son at 3 months. Both of my kids sleep in their own rooms the whole night through. Our bedtime routine starts with me asking them to clean up the toys. Then they go and strip naked and put their clothes in the dirty hamper. We then go and get in the bath. After the bath, we get on our jammies. then we go to the kitchen and take any medicines or vitamins and get a sippy of water. We then put whatever animal they want to sleep with in bed with the water and then we brush our teeth. Say goodnight with hugs & kisses. they turn off the light and get into bed i tuck them in and we say our prayer. Dad & I walk out saying love you and see you in the morning. That is it. It takes about 30-45 minutes. They know nothing else and so don't argue about doing it becasue that is all they know. Meanwhile, hubby & I have our marriage bed and usually an hour and a half in the evenings together to charge our batteries and enjoy adult things like reading, tv, internet, long quiet baths etc.. Parents need that to recharge our batteries.

He will be just fine. My son was the same way. We put his crib up in our room from about 8 months until he turned 1. after that, we move him to his own room. He fussed for about a week, well more like cried alot. But we would just go in after about 5 minutes and reassure him that we were still there. After a few nights, the 5 minutes turned to 10 and then 20....an so on for about a week. It hurt my heart alot when we were doing this, but for the sake of my husband and myself, we needed our time together. Now our son is 4 and is a doll. He still sneaks in on occassion to sleep with us, but it is better this way.

Hope this helps!!

D.

I'm particularly interested in this topic, because my 9 month old is also co sleeping, and nursing. I've been trying to lay him in the crib in our room, because I want to sleep without him in bed with me...and I don't want to worry about him falling off my bed during nap time.
Last night I nursed him. Tried to put him down. He woke. One of his siblings rescued him from the crib. Nursed him on the other side. Tried to put him down. He woke. Dad complained that if he was going to get up at 4 in the morning for work, baby was going to need to go to sleep quietly. I ended up bringing him to bed with me and nursing every couple hours. Which means I did get some sleep and won't be crabby for the day. Also is keeping that every two to three year spacing between children. (13, 10, 8, 6, 3 & 9mo.) Baby has got the bed to himself right now and probably getting the best sleep of the night. just woke running for the bed...so much for best sleep...that didn't last...he loves the time between 5:30 & 8am.
Anyway, I've been trying to sit up and nurse...transfer him to crib, hope he sleeps as long as possible and then cosleep until up in the morning. Will be looking at your responses for help on this.

This is my story too. My baby is pushing 4 months old and a breastfed cosleeper (which I love). However, the time is nearing when I need to put her in her own bed. Unfortunately, there will be some crying so don't start until you're committed to the process. I will start with naps, just as a previous poster suggested. Until she masters that, I will hold off do to the night. This is my plan (fingers crossed)...

When she turns 6 months old and is eating food...

Wake, breakfast, play, nap
wake, lunch, play, nap
wake, dinner, bath/books, bed

It just makes sense to me that when the routine is in place it's much easier to adhere a schedule.

Good luck!

Get a bassinet and put it next to your bed. He will smell you and have the same atmosphere at first. Then you can gradually move the bassinet farther from your bed.

I just did it cold turkey and put my kids (now 2,4,6) in their cribs. I used a baby monitor and nursed him when he woke up and cried. I did let him fuss a little when he got older and started eating cereal since he didn't need the nursing as nurishment...many times he would just go back to sleep till I had him sleeping through the night. Good luck.

Hi S.,
My advice is just do it! I made the same mistake till my daughter was almost 3 yrs. and it became a nightmare. She would cry herself to sleep. If people could hear they could have thought we were abusing her. The more or longer you wait the harder it will be.

Good luck,
Elisa

My daughter was 9 months olds when she started sleeping through the night. Before that, she woke up 2-4 times a night. I breastfed as well. I also went back to work when she was two months old. Our daughter always slept in her crib that was located in our room. We (husband and I) noticed that when I did not sleep in the room that she did not wake up as much. For a week, I slept in the guest room and she did not wake up at all. At this point, she was nine months old. So, we figured she must have smelled the breastmilk since I was close when she was in the crib in our room. We decided to move the crib to her room. She is now 12 months and has been sleeping through the night ever since we moved the crib to her own room. I think the night nursing was more comfort and security for her than hunger.

It may be time to transition your son to his crib in his own room. Due to the new surroundings, he will cry it out for few days. The crying will get shorter each night. I could not handle hearing my daughter cry so I gave my husband this responsibility. I went to my room on the opposite side of the room. So, I could not hear the crying.

My daughter loves to sleep in her own crib now. Now, I just lay her down when she is tired and she soothes herself to sleep.

My 6 month old still sleeps with us also. I figured out how he sleeps when he's in bed with us and I made his crib resemble our bed. We have a 2 inch memory foam and his crib mattress is hard. So what I did is I put a soft blanket under his crib sheet and put a small pillow that has been on me so it has my smell on it and put it in there with him. So far he has been doing ok with it. It will take me a few nights to get him used to it. But a really good idea is to put something that smells like you in there with him. Hope this helps! Take Care
Also...if your baby knows how to move his blankets and other things around if they were on his face or what not then, my experience, it's ok. Everyone is saying "No, no don't put anything in there with them" whatever. How else are they going to sleep comfortably? Anyway...just wanted to put in an extra input.

S.,
We have an almost four year old preschooler and we have been in your postion. So, I'm just gonna put it out there for you... if you want your bed back it's gonna take some work. We tried the "cry-it-out" method which only set us back tremendously when our little girl was about one. She became terrified whenever it was time to go to sleep and would begin clinging onto us for dear life. So, the sooner you start this process the better.

We finally had to move everything into our little girl's room (she was three when we were able to do this unfortunately). We changed her crib to a toddler bed (not something you can do yet, but could still do with the crib). Then, made a comfy palet (sp?) on the floor. We spent many nights on that floor. Everytime our dd woke up we would put her back in bed.

I'm not trying to discourage you at all, but it took us forever to finally get our bed back. And, she still wakes up, several times a night sometimes... although it's easier to get her back to bed now.

Whatever you do, I suggest you start it on the weekend, or when you've got a LONG weekend to devote more time to this. Otherwise, you and your dh will be exhausted by the start of the next week.

I'm sorry I don't have better advice for you. Good luck though! I'll send up a little prayer for you and the family.
K.

PS. Our dd was a premie and had some health issues for the first year of her life so that's why we took so long to move her to her own crib, which turned out to be her toddler bed. lol.

I have the same issue, but mine is 5 months and he sleeps in the swing for most naps and at nightime, and it's in our bedroom. I have been putting inside of his crib laying down looking at his mobile and he plays and falls briefly asleep, and if I'm in the room I seat him against his boppy pillow, prop it up from the back and he will watch his little activity toy. I'm just trying to get him used to it, esp so he will like it??? Good luck!!! Jules:)

Start with putting him in his crib in his nursery for naps during the day to get used to it.(you might want to cut back to two naps a day now) At night put him beside your bed in a bassinet or pack n play. After about a week of day naps in his crib try him during the night. If you don't have a good monitor I suggest a video monitor that you can hear and see him during the night. If he wakes up don't get him up but comfort him and try to let him self sooth and put himself back to sleep. I know there is a lot of debate about the book On Becoming Babywise by Garry Ezzo but I highly recommend reading it and getting some ideas from it. It focuses on getting your baby on a sleep schedule and nap schedule. I used it for my daughter who is 7 1/2 months old and she started sleeping through the night at 6 weeks old (8 hours) and now sleeps 11 - 12 a night. I transitioned her to her nursery from a bassinet by my bed around 10 weeks old and did the way I suggested and she did great!!!! :) Good luck.

He wakes up so much probably because 1) you nurse him to sleep so he feels that you have to nurse him for him to sleep- it's normal for him to wake up that much but not normal for him to have to be nursed....2) you and your husband move around in bed and that can cause him to sleep lightly.

Start putting him in his crib when he is awake but obviously sleepy. Reduce his naps to only 2, this should help him during the night. When you put him down, say 'Goodnight, it's time to go to sleep. Mommy loves you.' Then leave the room. He might fuss a little while, but try not to get him unless he's really upset. Eventually he'll be able to sleep on his own, which means when he wakes he'll be able to go back to sleep.

When he is taking naps well like that, in his own bed (which can be in your room right now, I don't think there's anything wrong with that!) start working on night time. And when he wakes during the night wait at least 5 minutes before going in to nurse him. Eventually he'll start going back to sleep on his own.

I am up right now because my 12 month old woke at 3:34. She whined and complained for about 15 minutes and then started crying so I went in (she's in her own room now) and nursed her back to sleep. She'll probably sleep until 9 or so, that's a good long night of sleep. But now I am up for the day. :(

happy thoughts and rested nights,
S. mom to four girls 5,4,2,1

We are in the same process! My son is 14 months. We have a convertible crib, so we took off the front like you would to make it a toddler bed, made it the same height as ours, and tied it to our bed, like a huge co sleeper. Now I nurse him to sleep, wait about 30 min. then move him into his bed, where he will sleep 4-6 hours. When he wakes up he rolls over to me and a nurse him back asleep. We are taking it slow and never forcing him to stay in his bed. He will when he is ready.

Personally, I think putting your baby in your bed to begin with was a mistake. He should of started out in his own crib. When you finished nursing him, all you would have to do is lay him in his crib not your bed. It may be traumatic and a lot of crying, but I would just put him in his crib for his naps and then after a week, put him in his crib at night also. He will get used to sleeping in his crib.

I would recommend reading, "The Secrets of the Baby Whisperer," by Tracy Hogg, front to back, before getting started. I read it a couple of months ago when my son was around 8 weeks, and started implementing the technique about a month ago. He is now four months, and has mastered self-soothing, and I have stopped nursing him to sleep completely, and is in his own crib. He is doing terrific! It is difficult at first, but you and your husband should be completely on the same page with whatever technique you decide on. Good luck!

We transitioned from our bed to a co-sleeper first, it was easier for all involved.

Since you probably do not go to bed with the baby at 7p, I would start laying him in his crib at that time. My husband and I compromised and our 5 month old son nurses and rocks to sleep and is laid in his crib about 7 or 8p. I put him back in his crib if he wakes at midnight or 1a to eat. If he wakes in the early morning hours at 4a or 5a, my husband (who gets up at 5a to get ready for work) changes him and brings him to bed for me to nurse and the baby and I sleep together until he wakes at 7a or 8a, with him nursing a couple of times for just like 5 mins each. At least a couple of times a week my son sleeps a full 10-12 hours and is never moved into our bed, which is what we are working toward for every night. You may have to get up every couple of hours for the first week or two after putting him in his crib, but everntually he will sleep in there for longer stretches. I started putting Ezra in his bed at 3 months and I put a blanket that we had slept with for several nights in there with him so he would smell that and not miss me as much. I even went so far as to warm the spot in his crib I was going to lay him on so he would not wake up b/c of the temp change from me holding him and then being laid on a cold bed. Just make sure he is out and has a really full tank before you lay him down at 7p and be ready to go back in there at 10 or 11p, 12 or 1a and 3 or 4a.

Good luck!!!

I see you've had 14 responses already, but I just wanted to share my experience with you.
I breastfed my baby till she was 8 mths old and like you, she also slept in the bed w/my husband and me because of our living conditions after moving cross state. When we finally got our house she was 7 mths old and I was afraid that it was going to be challenging getting her to sleep in her crib, in her own room. Well, I continued to let her sleep with us for a few more weeks. Then what I would do is once she was asleep, I'd take her to her crib. Eventually it got to the point where I would rock her to sleep in her own room and I would put her directly into her crib and it was no challenge at all. But, if she woke up in the middle of the night, I would give her her bottle and put her back in the crib. As easy as it would have been to simply take her to bed w/me to breastfeed her while resting myself, I had to do the hard thing of staying away from my bed in order to help her adjust to her own room and crib. My cousin on the other hand had a hard time because when she was trying to transition him to the crib she would bring him back to bed w/her to nurse him, so he got used to that and she had the hardest time and many sleepless nights.
Anyhow, like I mentioned earlier, I just wanted to share my story with you, and I wish you luck!

Y.

We went through the same thing. I moved the crib into the bedroom to start with and would put my daughter down in the crib after nursing. At first she would cry because she wasn't on the bed with us. I just had to let her cry it out. It only took a couple of nights. You just have to steel your self. My husband is the one who would relent while I was at work and put her back in the bed. Now at almost eight she still sleeps with us. Just hold to your guns and don't put him back in the bed. He should only cry for about and hour or so. I know it's hard but it has to be done.

I have had heard of mothers getting a crib that is bed height, so you can have the baby nearby without having to stand up to move the baby to the crib. One thing my aunt did was place the bed mattress on the floor with a crib pad (or similar) beside the mattress - the baby was close by but not in your way. Be accepting that there will be exceptions -- those nights when the baby is sick or scared and just has to fall asleep in your arms. Good luck.

Hi S. -

Go to DrSears.com and they have a lot of great info on this and more. Your baby will let you know if he is ready or not. You many want to have a crib in your room at first or place something in the crib that smells like you, next to him. He will either do well, or not - letting you know if he is ready for this. If he is not ready then you and your hubby can get creative and have fun with that - make it work for you rather than thinking of it as a negative and this will benefit you all until you sweet little guy is ready to sleep alone.

Alli

Hi, I am the mother of two girls. My eldest daughter was breastfeed and she slept in the bed. Her transition from my bed to a crib took place around 6 months and it wasn't as hard as I thought. I started putting her in her crib at naptime and we gradually moved her into her crib by 7 1/2 months. You have to really stick to keeping the little one in the crib for as long as they will stay. They may get a bit fussy which is okay, it is an adjustment.

The best method I have found in doing this is to begin with daytime naps. After nursing, lay him in his crib. You know how long he normally sleeps, so make that your goal. If he wakes up before then, allow him to cry for ten minutes then go in and cover him up and rub his back to see if he'll go back to sleep. Don't say a word to him....don't hum, don't "shhhhh" him, just rub.
Doing this during the day is so much better because you are awake and alert and have more patience. You can also distract yourself by doing other things. Once you do the daytime naps for about a week, try a night time and I'll bet you'll be surprised with the results. Be prepared to hear him cry, it's ok to let them cry themselves to sleep. They always sleep better when they do because they wear themselves out.

Good Luck,
K.

There is no easy way to transition your son from your bed to a crib once he is used to your bed and your smell, but it will have to be done. I would definitely put your son in a crib, it will take a good several weeks maybe a month to get used to sleeping by himself and in his own crib. It is better this way so you can have your own space and your son can have his. And for you and your husband this would be a very wise choice. Anything that is new requires getting used to but in the long run you all will be happier.

Well, I moved my little guy when he was about 2 months old because like you guys, we wanted our bed so we could get a good nights sleep. I just nurse my little man before bedtime and then lay him down. He sleeps all night and rarely cries. We did have a little season where he was fussy when I put him down sometimes but that was generally just because he was still a bit hungry so I would just nurse him and put him back to bed. Now because he is used to feeling you near him he may fuss a little but if you just give him a few minutes he will probably quiet down, if he cries for too long you can go in and just reassure him you are there and then give him some more time to comfort himself. I was committed to making it work in the crib and now he does just great. Good luck!

Congrats on your beautiful baby :) I have heard nightmare stories about co-sleeping & weaning for both sides. I am a mother to a 17 month old boy & my husband & I never let him sleep w/ us - too many adjustments later for everyone. We put our son in his crib two days before I returned to work from maternity leave at 7 weeks & that was the 1st night he slept all night long (or until 4 or 5 am) - and has every night since!! At that early hour, I would go in to nurse as 9/10 - 4/5 is a long time for that age (I think) so I knew he was hungry. So, in our situation, everyone slept better being in separate rooms - we didn't hear every move, squirm, toot or grunt & he didn't hear us shift around. It was great. We also feared smothering him :( I nursed for 13 months & b/c my son also loved the closeness, I always nursed in HIS room so he could get used to the surroundings until he was asleep then put him in his crib. Whenever I nursed at home, I nursed him in his room. B/c we were fortunate enough to not have to 'ease' into the transition, I felt the more time I spent w/ my baby in his room & describe it to him, he would come to know it as a safe place like mommy & daddy's room. We also (& still to this day) ALWAYS have the radio playing softly on the classical music station for calm 'noise'. And he loves his blinds being open. Right, wrong or indifferent advice/criticism you may receive, do what works for your family. I do think the longer co-sleeping continues, the harder the bond will be to break - it's like any habit! At the end of the day, you're his mommy & you'll know best! Good luck & God Bless! T.

I also co-slept with my 6 month baby. The way I transitioned him to sleeping in his crib was laying him in his crib,patting him lightly so he still felt my touch and hummed as i usually did to get him to sleep . I also had to bring the crib close to my side of the bed (actually right up against it to be honest. If he was to wake up I could reach over and lay my hand on his back and begin to pat him back to sleep.Little by little begin to move the crib away from you week by week. It was hard at first since he was so used to sleeping with me ,but it worked out fine and he is content in his crib. I still keep his crib in my room ,but it's no longer right beside my bed. At this point i'm still a little weary on leaving him in his nursery alone.

It is a matter of him learning to sleep on his own, which should eventually happen with your "coaching". Start out by putting a basinette or his crib in your bedroom. When he wakes, DO NOT put him in your bed, but comfort him so that he knows you are still there. I don't know if there is a "rule" on how long, but I would keep him in your room until he is able to sleep through the night for the most part. Then move the crib to his room and keep a monitor in your room. Go to him when he wakes up crying just so he knows you are still there in the house. He should start to learn to make himself go back to sleep if he wakes during the night. Good luck, he will do just fine. It is you that will probably have the hardest adjustment! They are very manipulative little people, so stay strong. I have 2 that are 19 and 17 years old.

Sometimes it helps and sometimes not, but I put one of my child's blankets in the bed with us for a couple of nights to get my 'smell' on it. When I put my son in his crib, I also put that blanket near him and he seemed to be content.

Good Luck!

Hi S.,
I'm Mom to three girls that were all breastfed. My two oldest never slept in our bed, their Dad would not allow it; thus I spent many sleepless nights nursing them in the rocking chair, and surprisingly not falling asleep and dropping one of them!! My youngest child did sleep with me and her Dad (second husband). We both loved having her with us, but both wanted our beds and intimacy back. She had a baby bed in our room, but NEVER EVER slept in it. She would always wake up when I tried to move her.
My solution? I took the crib down, and I made a nice comfy pallet in the corner of the room, putting a few pillows at the edge of the blankets. At bedtime, I layed down with her, she nursed and fell asleep, then I moved to my bed (if I didn't fall asleep too!). If she woke up, I'd lay with her to nurse, then go back to my nice roomy bed and my husband. She slept like that for quite awhile ... maybe 4-5 months till well beyond a year. Good luck to you and your family =)

I am a child care provider and have been for over 20 years. But I am also a mother. I we to a SIDS/Shaken baby class just a couple of weeks ago and let me tell you, please take the baby out of your bed. Not only for you and your husband but for the safety of your baby. You would not beleive all the stories that we heard about babies getting trapped between parnets and unable to get air, trapped between bed and wall, and just blankets getting rapped around them and over heating until death. Girl if your baby cries they will be fine, it is when they arent hear to cry that is truely sad. He will wake up a few times for a while, but that is what babies do. And please don't put anything in the crib, just the baby nothing more. If you email me I will give you the information for the man whom gave us the class, and i can promise you after talking to him you will be more then willing to let your baby cry it out in the crib.

____@____.com

try putting the crib in your room (if it isn't already there) and place the crib closer to your bed so he can see you. I have three children and I would let them fall asleep with me before placing them in their cribs. By the third kid, I always had him in the crib and he never cared to sleep with us.

You have to be firm and just work through the rough times with him. Belive me, if you keep him in your bed with you now, it will be harder to try to get him out later. Believe me, I know. My daughter had just turned 7 (last June) before she started sleeping in her own bed. I thought it was alright becuase my husband worked at night but when I wanted and needed my space, I couldn't have it becuase she was there. She still sleeps with us when he's home 2 nights out of the week. So, try to move him now. It may be hard and it may take a little time but it will be well worth it.