What are your suggestions to get baby to sleep in his own bed?
By puppynut
@puppynut (370)
New Zealand
January 11, 2012 2:51am CST
I have co-slept with my baby since birth and I am now in the painful process of getting him to sleep in his own bed. Tonight I put him in his cot and went to sleep on a pull out bed next to him. Though he cried and protested for about half an hour, he is now sleeping soundly while I have got back up and carried on with my evening. Hopefully he doesn't protest much during the night. Have you got any good tips for this transition?
1 person likes this
9 responses
@boyuancy (1708)
• India
11 Jan 12
I suggest you do what my mom did to get me going to school on my own:
So, I wouldn't go to school without my mom. What she did was, she dropped me of to my school bus and said that she will be coming with me in a bit.
So I left, and she didn't. I cried for a day or two but then got used to it.
So you sit near your kid and try telling stories or something to make him comfortable. Once he gets sleepy, you can leave him on his own right?
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@prasadpoikavila (17)
• India
15 Jan 12
Naturally the baby always sleeping with mother, slowly slowly when the baby started growing by the age automatically will sleep separately, or can make a separate bed for them....
Do not worry about this and do not make any issues on that ....
@peavey (16936)
• United States
11 Jan 12
I think you're starting out right. It will take awhile for him to be able to sleep alone, so take it easy and let him learn that it's okay to be alone now and then. Does he nap during the day? You don't sleep with him then, do you? What do you do to put him to sleep then?
Also, get into a routine and stick to it. Put him to be at the same time each night and turn out the lights. You may have to stay with him long enough for him to go to sleep, but then leave.
I know that having the baby sleep with you is popular nowadays, but it's much easier to start them off in their own crib as soon as you can. It's a transition for both of you and harder to do the longer you wait.
@CJay77 (4438)
• Australia
11 Jan 12
I don't have a child yet, but my sister in-law's baby were starting to sleep in his own bed when he was just few months old (I think 3-4)but not exactly sure! I used to look after him sometimes and I was amazed how easy to put him down in his cot! I just say to him nyt-nyt and then close the door, within few minutes he is asleep! I think you have to create a routine for them to follow and maybe with a little bit help of they called tough love! My Sis inlaw would read books while he's having his milky and then she'll talk to him that it's time to go for nyt-nyt and then she'll give him a kiss! From my understanding, children are different as well and they also go through phase! Just lately my nephew would make some noise or cry after the Mum put him in bed, she'll try to ignore him for few minutes and then he'll stop and go to sleep! It's never been easy for my Sis in-law to hear her son crying, there are times that she can't bare to ignore those few minutes and sometimes, we tell her to just wait few minutes!
@webearn99 (1742)
• India
13 Jan 12
Having raised a couple of boys I have had the same experience. Out of this experience, I know it is the waking up which matters most. Let the child sleep with you, once in sleep, transfer him to his bed. He may cry on waking up, but your motherly affection can take care of it. Once he wakes up praise him as though he has won the Nobel prize.
It is good that you have kept a watch on him when he is asleep.
When it is his bedtime, announce to the whole world that he is a big boy and sleeps alone, louder the better. Get him to say this too. This positive affirmation will fire up his imagination to make him believe that he has grown up and he can sleep alone. All this will take a couple of weeks for him to get used to sleeping alone.
Again, keep watch till both of you get used to this momentous step in your lives.
@Maggieb47 (12)
•
12 Jan 12
Well, wow, it sounds to me like that went really well, comparatively speaking.
I saw on a nanny show one time, there was a child who slept with his parents till he was 3 or so and each time they tried putting him to bed, in his own room, he would scream bloody murder and eventually get out of the bed, over and over. The nanny suggested they simply pick the child up and without saying a word, return him to his bed. They did this over and over for the better part of the nite for 1 or 2 nites (must have been a weekend, lol) and then he just gave up, I guess and eventually just stayed in the bed...
Another time I saw a program where they did what you did, the parent stayed near the child to start, and each nite would start out just a little further away but still in the room; the last nite, they sat at the door for a few minutes, and then left. Took a bit of time, but wasn't too traumatic for either the child or the parent.
There'll be plenty of old-school folks who'll tell you to just let him cry, he'll wear himself out, and eventually get used to it...and that's it's actually harder on you than the baby.
Anyway, a half hour of fussing isn't bad at all...let us know how it goes.
@rivengodwind (369)
• Philippines
11 Jan 12
I think that's a good idea, i.e. accompanying him first before leaving at a later hour. The only point here is to create an experience for him that is still comfortable even if you're not in the same room. I do suggest however that you keep a night light near his bedside so at least he'll not be too surprised when he finds that you've already left the room.
@SIMPLYD (90722)
• Philippines
11 Jan 12
Of course at first your child will fret about it. But he will get used to the situation and outgrow his fondness to sleep with you.
Well, since a baby, our daughter has her bed inside our bedroom, until now that she's 21 already.
Our bedroom is big so it could accommodate her bed , our queen size bed, tv , sofa and all. She grew up sleeping in our bedroom, in a separate bed though.
Now that she's older, we don't want her to be in a separate bedroom, because i am thinking that we might as well enjoy her company in our bedroom whenever she comes home for a vacation from school in a far city. In a matter of 5 years or more, she might get married already so i deemed it best that we have her bed with us always in our bedroom. ![](/Content/images/emotes/thumbup.gif)
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