Bad Middle of the Night Habit... Seeking Advice

uh...for starter's the "cry it out" method is going to take well over 5 minutes...more like HOURS or days depending on how well, YOU set the boundaries for her to "get her way" what i did in the cry it out....put her down in her crip, rub her a bit, and walked away, shut the door, and got that wonderful thing called baby monitor, and listen to her throw a fit on low volume, to hear and make sure she didn't hurt herself

took a while but she's a great sleeper, and when i say bed time....it's bed time, no questions

i wouldn't even go in there every 10 min like sherry says.....every time she see's that you see her or she see's you regardless if you see her, it'll start ALL OVER just flat out ignore her as long as she' not getting hurt

Honestly, I don't blame her. Babies and toddlers thrive on routine. It provides them comfort and security. Traveling a lot makes it hard for her I'm sure at times. And she's telling you that right now. I don't really see how providing love, comfort and security is a bad habit. You are giving her what she's telling you she needs right now. We traveled back and forth quite a bit while my husband was in school and it was *very* tough on our son when he was a toddler. It would take a week to get him back on track after just a long weekend away.

If you aren't comfortable with her in your bed try getting a small cot ( I got one at wal-mart.com for about $25 or $30) and setting it up next to your bed. It folds up pretty small and comes with a travel bag.

It will take more than 5 minutes. But just go in every ten minutes or so and pat her back and say night night. don't take her out of the crib and don't take her to your room. Just keep saying night night. pat her and go back out. but stretch the time in between the patting longer and longer. she will get back to her routine.

Aw, sweet thing has learned the joy of snuggling with mommy and daddy. Much warmer and cosier! I am certain that I would have done the same thing you did though. You might have to stand in her room, rubbing her back until she goes back to sleep for a few days until she learns that you aren't going to put her in your bed on a normal occasion. You might consider letting her snuggle with you in the morning when everyone is first waking up. You can tell her that in the morning she can come into your bed with you, but not at night. Then, follow through. Little ones are pretty smart, and they understand a lot. Best wishes. I love that you are such a gentle, soothing mommy!

You might try staying in her room with her and just not giving in to the crying and pointing. Keep patting her back but don't talk to her, get her up or otherwise engage her. It takes only 3 days to create a habit and 30 days to break one!

I used to put a small electric blanket in the crib so that I could heat up the sleeping spot. I would turn it off and then lay my daughter in the warm spot. The comfort of that made her very happy and her sleepiness would win over. If you do not like an electric blanket (we have a small one, about 1 foot x 1 foot maybe) you can also fill a tube sock with rice and tie a knot in it. You microwave the whole thing for about 2-3 minutes (1 minute at a time) and then you shake it to distribute the warmth. It stays warm for a good half hour.
Good luck.

Can you have a temporary bed in your room that is next to your bed and then pull it away over the course of a few weeks? My kiddo still sleeps with us after he wakes up but we do not have an issue with it yet. Our rule is he has to fall asleep NOT in our bed.