Getting My Child to Sleep

I don't think that rocking her or allowing her to fall asleep in your bed are horrible habits. Co-sleeping can be a wonderful choice and make her feel more secure. We've co-slept for 2 years and my dd is just starting to decide to move into her own bed (for most of the night). She doesn't associate bed time with something bad so she's fine with going to sleep. Don't worry-- your child will learn to sleep on her own when she is ready to. Read Dr. Sears books on attachment parenting!

I also had this problem with my daughter when she was 13-15 months old. We were also rocking her every night and bringing her to bed with us just so we would have some relief and get some sleep! Finally we decided it wasn't good for us or Taylor and we implemented a plan- let her cry it out. We started with letting her cry for 5 minutes then we would go in and soothe her (by rubbing or patting her back) without picking her up. Then when she started to cry again (as soon as we left the room) we would wait 10 minutes then go in and soothe her again. We continued to do this in 5 minute increments, upping the minutes every time we went in. After 2 nights of this she no longer cried, she is a very happy and healthy baby and is sleeping 12 hours a night (straight through!)since that second night. It was very difficult at first, but hopefully this strategy will work for some other parents out there. My daughter is now 17 months old so this worked for us and I was mad at myself for not trying it sooner

I would also try putting her to bed a little earlier. Maybe a 1/2 hour or so. They may seem odd, but I am reading "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby" and it awesome! More sleep actually helps you baby to be more rested, They tend to go to sleep better if you put them down before they're too tired.

I have been recently told about Kim West, also known as The Sleep Lady and the author of Good Night, Sleep Tight: The Sleep Lady's Gentle Guide to Helping Your Child Go to Sleep, Stay Asleep, and Wake Up Happy. I have not read it yet, but it seems to have a gentler approach. Good luck. P.