Co-Sleeping - Hamden,CT

it may help to put her to bed a little later or wait until she is so tired she passes out. this way she is too tired to wake up in the middle of the night. then put her in her bed. it will take a few nights for her to get used to it. all four of my kids were sleeping all night by age 5 months. although i'll admit when they are sick or scared i love the cuddles.

It is time for that precious 15 month old to sleep in her crib. Think about this, if she screams when you put her in the crib, it'll tire her out, and maybe she'll stay asleep. If she is "controlling" you now with the screaming when you lay her down ,the message she is sending you is; "when I don't want to do something, I can scream and get my way". The message you are sending her is; Scream, and I'll give you what you want... It only gets worse as they get older. LET HER SCREAM! You and your husband deserve to have your bed to yourself!(?). Trust me, she's screaming for the bed, next it'll be everything, and I mean everything she wants. LET HER SCREAM! You can also re-direct that behavior, put alittle cd player in her room with Bedtime songs playing, and walk out. The only way for that behavior to change is you and your husband have to change yours...Good Night...

C.,

Have you thought about a toddler bed pulled up next to yours? That way she can still nurse at night, and she's got you right there, can even reach out and touch you, but isn't crowded or overheated from the two adult bodies around her. It may be the warmth, if she's laying on top of the covers, or moving away from your head and torso area. Typically that's where we are warmest, and it may be making it hard for her to sleep.

Jess

My daughter always slept with us, as does my son now. Everyone always sleeps better when baby sleeps soundly. My daughter wouldn't sleep in a toddler bed either. I tell you though, as soon as I got her a single bed, it was a night and day difference. She sleeps in it no problem. We had to talk it up as a "Big girl bed". Your daughter is still young, and you said she tosses and turns a lot at night, so make sure you get her one of those rails for the side if you decided to move up to a big bed.

Please I know its hard but she needs to sleep in her own bed. Not only is it affecting you and your husbands sleep. It has been noted but professionals that it is not good for her. Speak with for pediatrician.

hi C., i know it is hard, and though most people will tell you to let her cry, since you are into attachment parenting, you probably wont do it. i dont either, i never did. its a personal decision, and not a very popular one, i have found, but its what i believe, too. plus, it is very hard to have your kids sleeping out of the room when you are still nursing, i never even tried until i was done nursing. i think the idea of pushing a toddler bed next to yours is a great idea. meanwhile, my almost 4 year old still sleeps with us most of the night many nights, he goes to sleep in his own bed but comes into ours at some point during the night. and most of the time it is like sleeping with a bucking bronco, i instinctively sleep with my boobs and my belly guarded! really, i dont care, im used to not sleeping. they grow up so freakin fast i could just cry looking at him, and i know that soon enough i woulndt be able to pay him to snuggle with me that long! so ill take it while i can get it. i hope you have a king size bed, it makes a big difference. other than that, if you do want to get her to sleep on her own, i think its a great idea if you can do it. we originally got my son to go to sleep on his own by me sitting with him, next to the crib. i would read and talk and sing with him until he fell asleep, holding his hand through the bars. though it was tiring, it was really so sweet, and i still think back on it. its a precious time. gradually i would interact for shorter and shorter time, but still sit there, then when i was down to 2 or 3 short stories, i would start to move my chair a little further away from the crib each night as he fell asleep. dont kid yourself, it takes time, get a comfy chair and a good book for yourself. im doing it with my daughter now, and its just as much of a process, but its working. and not only do they start to go to sleep better, but once they are falling asleep in the crib (rather than being put in asleep), then they are learning to put themselves to sleep, so when they wake up at night they can put themselves back to sleep, which is the biggest sanity-saver of all, and necessary for them to learn. we all wake up a few times during the night, its natural, but we put ourselves back to sleep and usually dont even know we were up. they need to learn this. if you do want to let her cry, i know it does work, thats what most of my friends did, and seemingly my parents' entire generation. IF you do decide to let her cry, you have to be committed. if you let her cry for a while and then give in and go get her, you are just teaching her to cry for as long as it takes, you will end up with an even worse problem. once you start, theres no turning back, but lots of my friends said that it didnt take too long. i dont know. its up to you, everyone has to do what works for them. if i was unable to be home and still had to get up at 5 am to get to school, this would all be a very different story im sure... anyway, my daughter is 18 mos, and when i first started putting her in the crib a few weeks ago, she freaked out immediately and wouldnt even lay down, so i would lay her down while saying "lay down" so she learned what the words meant, then after a while i would tell her "lay down or i go bye bye" and i would lay her down and if she got back up i would tell her im going bye bye and then leave. she cried for a minute or so, i would come back in and do it again, she got the idea really quick. once she started laying down and staying down, the rest came pretty quick, she is calm, i can read to her, and she will fall asleep with me standing there. now i just have to get out of the room. ive started reading one book right next to her, then the last ones from the other side of the room. its working, just very hard because my son shares the room with her, but thats a whole other story! best of luck to you, D.

I think that it is time for her to sleep by herself. She needs her space - toddlers thrash around a lot! Also if you don't her out of your bed now - you never will. I suggest you just put her in her crib and let her cry it out. I have been there - the first couple of nights are rough but it is worth it.
Good luck!

Jenn Smith
http://jennsmith.stayinhomeandlovinit.com
http://www.cbc.ca/MRL/clips/rm-lo/mesley_cleaner030311.rm

Well i would think its a good thing she wants to sleep by herself. I'm not sure what attachment parenting is. I do know it has to be hard for you & your spouse to have romantic time alone with a toddler in middle. All kids cry for the most part at that age on going to bed in time she will calm down better. i wish you luck

although i did not nurse my son that long he did sleep in the bed with us until he was about 18 months. the he too started to sleep restlessly. since his crib was convertible we took his crib and pushed it against our bed with one side of the crib off. that left it opened and he still felt like he was in the bed. then slowly i began pushing the crib back to create his own sleeping area. finally once i was pregnant with our daughter, we graduated him to a true toddler bed in his own room. i think they do need their own space after a while and that wild sleep takes away from my own sleep.

Try putting a toddler bed, space permitting, in your room. She's still near you but has her own space.