My 18 month old son never had a problem falling asleep on his own whether it be for his nap or at night, but that all changed a few days ago when a hail storm frightened him, causing him to climb out of his crib for the first time. Since then, everytime I put him down in his crib to sleep, he screams and cries like never before. I've tried to soothe him and as a last resort, I've let him cry it out too but he won't stop until I pick him up. During the night, he'll wake up once or twice screaming for me and eventually I give in and bring him to my bed where he falls asleep instantly. I really don't want to start a bad habit of bringing him to my bed but I have no idea what to do to get him to sleep in his room again.
He might be too young to understand this, but can you try getting him a small Storm Scarer doll? Ask him what a storm might be afraid of, and get him that. (My little bro. was afraid of elephants, so my mother bought him a squeaky mouse toy. Problem solved...for him.)
Good luck!
This JUST happened to me too! Sunday night my 21 month old daughter was a freaked out by the storm. She cried that she wanted to see the rain. But then the next 3 nights she woke up crying and calling for me to take her out and see the rain (even though there was none).
For the last 2 nights when I put her to bed I told her that she didn't need to cry for me if she wakes up in the middle of the night. Everything is that same as it always was. She is safe in her room and at night and everybody is sleeping. She can press the button on her soother just like always before and there is no need to call for me. I just went on and on and on and asked her if she understood and agreed....
She still cried after I left, but once she fell asleep last night, she didn't wake us up for the first time all week. Hopefully it will last. But anyway, my advice is, just talk to him and remind him that he always slept in his crib and it was always a nice cozy place to be. I told her she has her blanket and her bear with her always.... just say that kind of stuff and check with him that he knows what to do if he wakes up to comfort himself and go bakc to sleep.
Hope that helps.
This might sound cheezy and be completely off the mark, but hey its worth a try.....My 20 month old son climbed out of the bed a few weeks ago. We were also worried that he would be afraid to go back in. But we noticed that when my husband and I got to him and he finally calmed down, he re-inacted the whole story for us "Boo Boo, Right There!!" and showed us where it all happened. He walked us through exactly what he did and showed us exactly where it hurt (he was not really injured in the fall). And then we all talked about it. We told him it was really dangerous to climb and we just repeated ourselves over and over in really simple words, talking about the boo boo and that it was because he climbed out of the crib. But you know I really think that he got a little bit of it, he hasn't tried it again and still many mornings or naps he will still wake up and point to where he fell and say "boo boo!" because he remembers everything.
So maybe you could really try talking to him about the storm, looking out the window to show him that the sky is clear when you put him to bed. When he wakes up in the middle of the night, do the same thing with the same words. I find at this age that my son undertands alot of stuff, but that repetition of three to four words over and over and over is the best way to get him to understand. In time his memory will of the night will fade and this will get easier on its own. And if you feel like he is just going to try it again for different reasons, I agree with the other moms who said get a crib tent.
Good Luck!
My daughter was like that at this age too. What I did was to sleep in her room on the floor once a week. It seemed to calm her down.
Now that she is almost 3, I let her sleep in my bed once a week and still sleep in her room once a week.
I haven't had any problems with her since I started doing that. It's like a sleepover....lol.
Nanc
First of all, buy a crib tent! If he can climb out, then you need a crib tent! And while some moms have great luck with toddler beds at this age, I think most 18 month olds are still too young. (My guy would just get out of the bed constantly.) And a toddler who can climb out of his crib can also fall out of his crib! :(
Have you tried a night light in his room? This age is rough, because they're so much more aware of everything than they used to be. My son is going through a similar issue, but it's whenever we go to my parents' house. They have a great bedroom set up for him, crib and all. And he's always slept great there! But now, he cries and screams and gets so scared. So I take him to my bed and lay with him quietly, just gently soothing him. Then when he's getting very, very sleepy (but not completely out!) I gently take him into his crib. He still cries, but he stops after a few minutes. The same thing happens when he wakes in the night (which is also brand new). I soothe him in bed, and then take him back to his crib.
It's ok to soothe him gently now. He just needs to feel safe and comforted, after such a scary storm. Once he gets back into sleeping through the night, you can go back to sleep training.
He'll figure it out- just follow your gut!
Sounds familiar to me... I ended up putting my 18 (almost 19 month old) into a toddler bed. It worked, if he would need me in the middle of the night, he would come to me. I would do the transfer.
Whenever my kids had nightmares or were sick I would always go to their room instead of taking them to my bed. I would sit next to his crib and let him know you are there but do not take him out. You can rub his back, put some music on, and just reassure him that you are there until he falls asleep. Each night move the chair closer to the door until you are no longer in the room. Eventually he will realize you are not going to put him into your bed and start sleeping on his own again. Good luck!!
Not sure if your son already sleeps with a favorite toy, but if not, consider letting him do that. If you think it would help him feel safer, you could tell him that his toy will protect him. Hope you find something that works for you both. Good luck!!
I hate to say it, but your son is now in the habit of coming into your bed. You may want to try going into his room and rubbing his back and talking quietly to him until he falls back asleep. Does he have a night light or something that he can turn-on when he wakes up? I know that we use a crib soother (Fisher Price). When my son wakes up in the middle of the night, he crawls over and turns it on. It provides light and sound which he likes.
Also, if he is able to climb out of the crib, you might want to consider a toddler bed with rails.
