going to bed routine

[tlpcrpjjp]

I have a 19 month old son that I am still holding and rocking to sleep. What is the best way to start putting him in the crib and letting him fall asleep on his own- should I let him cry it out, that seems so cruel????

[saffyj]

you dont have to let him cry it out as such.you should start a nightly routine of giving him a bath, explaining it will soon be bedtime.put him in his crib, sing him a lullaby, read a story, then repeat that its bedtime again.when you leave he will cry, but wait a little while, go back and repeat that its bedtime etc, but dont give in if hes still crying.walk away again. you will have to repeat this a few times over a couple of nights or so, and its hard to bear and he will cry himself to sleep at first.but beleive me it does work if you're consistent. going back to reassure him while remaining firm at the same time is important, just leave longer gaps each time.he will settle eventually and you will just have to suffer the guilt trips in between like we all do!

[sense4all]

part one Pretty much the same as above,consistency is the key here.In the begining I would use the SAME things to give him the clue that this is the end of his day. Cuddle while you sing the lullaby, then put him in crib, (this is why mobile things drive you mad with the monotony of their song) but for wee ones it punctuates the proceedings. Also I bought the lowest wattage light bulb I could and placed the lamp well away from the crib, but somewhere that let me peer in the gloaming at how the events were unfolding so I was not continually strobing the hall/ or room light just as the kids were starting to settle, and setting them off again.

[sense4all]

part two One of my little darlings was very attatched to mummies boobies as the source of all that was good in life.Was still feeding at the time we wanted to sort bed time out. So for them I had to make sure that my husband could be avaliable to break the night time dependancy cycle.It took less than a week to do this.A single friend had to get her sister in ,to help her do the same.Make sure that whoever is your helper will be up to the job of popping in to re assure junior that he is not alone. Oops nearly forgot that we used a kind of baby soothing cassette during this time as the boring song on the mobile did not last long enough to soothe the child (aka bore them into submission) Good luck!

[tradey]

my girls 2yrs ive tried everything she still wont go to bed on her own has to fall asleep on me shes in a routeen so thats not the problem its drivnig me mad last night i was up 8 times putting her back into bed she kept getting out it was like that most of the night

[sense4all]

Did either of you catch this weeks supernanny? It dealt with a bedtime probem but with yanks.... anyone in your circle of friends record it,if you missed it?

[The Tiggster]

I swear by The Baby Whisperer Tracy Hogg. She uses what she calls Pick Up/Put Down method (PU/PD) which is hard work but well worth the effort. It involves putting the child to bed without any stimulation like rocking, picking them up every time they cry, calming down & putting back down. This pattern can go on for hours/days at a time but it does work. You may have to (if you have one) ask your partner to do the routine if your child won't settle for you after trying for a time.

Her book "The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems" is excellent (UK retail price �10.99 from Waterstones) or try her website forum, there may be tips you can use straight away. http://www.babywhisperer.com/forum/

One last thing (honest!) if you have Sky set the video for 5.30am on Sunday & Monday as they are repeating her programmes.

Good luck!