We’ve been really lucky, up until recently, in that Babito has had no trouble sleeping through the night in his crib since he was a mere two months old. But over the past week or so that hasn’t been the case, and we don’t know what to do.
Let me explain our ritual that has been going on for many months. Around 8:00 I would take Babito upstairs to our bed and lie down with him until he fell asleep. I like this arrangement because I control the TV (Sports/Cops/Family Guy vs. Lifetime/Ugly Betty/Oprah/TLC, I’m not complaining that I have this role.) After he fell asleep I would carry him to his crib and he’d be out for the night, unless he needed a diaper change or lost his baby or binky. If one of these things happened you’d just go in, resolve the issue and he’d be back to sleep.
Now he’s waking up around midnight for no readily apparent reason and nothing will soothe him unless you take him back into bed with Mommy and Daddy. That puts him right back to sleep. If you try to move him back to the crib after that he always wakes up and screams right away.
Any advice? Has anyone else gone through this? Please tell me it’s just a phase!
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#1 by Nick on October 12th, 2007
Yes it’s a phase, but like all phases you can either discourage it or make it worse. If you want him back in his crib you will have to endure him screaming and crying for you to respond over the course of a few nights until he re-trains himself that he can not expect you to respond at this time of night. It works, but is difficult to accomplish. You must remain consistent, no exceptions….until this phase is over. This form of sleep training is more properly thought of as teaching him to self-console. Self-consoling is a very important skill to learn, and now is the time he is asking for the chance to learn it.
#2 by Daddy Dan on October 12th, 2007
Hey Nick,
Thanks for the information and advice. I had a feeling that we’d have to do something like that. I know it’ll be hard, because he’s upset, and gets more upset the longer it takes for someone to come get him. Who’s going to console me while he’s learning to console himself? =)
#3 by happyworkingmom on October 15th, 2007
The most common and book answer? He can’t fall back asleep in his crib because he’s used to falling asleep in your bed.
Of course I got this all the time with my kids. Even if it is true, I valued the time I had with the kid/baby with me in my bed more than actually getting the problem resolved. Now that they are older, however, and they have been getting up 5 times per night, hubby and I are trying 2 weeks of not watching tv or anything in our room with us…our room is mommy and daddy’s room. But then again, they are 4 1/2 and 2 1/2, and when they were babies, I did the same thing as you!
#4 by Daddy Dan on October 15th, 2007
Last night he fell asleep in our bed and I moved him to his crib and he made it through most of the night. When I went to bed I actually missed having him in there with us. He decided around 3:00 that he wanted to come in bed with us. Actually he insisted! =)
#5 by becky on October 16th, 2007
im still going through this lol. i finally threw in the towel. hannah is sleeping with us until she feels she doesn’t want to lol. we’ll put her to bed in our bed…kiss her, turn out the light and go back downstairs. she goes to sleep just fine. we’ll sneak back in later. she will NOT go to sleep at all in her own bed. its just a battle i’m not willing to have anymore! good luck with babito!
#6 by Daddy Dan on October 16th, 2007
Thanks Becky! It’s not so bad, I guess. Actually, he slept in his crib all night last night for the first time in a while. Our fingers are crossed that he keeps it up.