How Do I Get My 20 Month Old to Sleep in His Crib and Not My Bed?

Have you tried the Ferber method? It worked very well for my cousin. Also try not to allow him to play in his crib only put him in it when he sleeps. Good luck!

Unfortunately, you are just going to have to let him cryit out. Do it now or it will only get worse. Just
be prepared for hysterics and do not give it. It is hard
but in the end it is worth it for all involved.

Hi A.,

My firstborn was like this, too. It became dangerous when he would climb out. We bought a big boy bed and put inflatable rails on it. Now, the problem was that he could easily get out of bed all on his own! I just picked him up and carried him back in. No sweetsie talk, because that would encourage attention. I was not stern, though, either. I did not want him to associate anything negative with bedtime. Did I have to do this twenty-plus times every night? Yes. Did it last long? About a week. Eventually, he got the message. Best wishes!

do this http://www.freewebs.com/sidecarcrib/ to your crib and bed. then both your husband and baby will be happy

I just want to say that it is unfortunate that you were providing your baby a with exactly what all babies need...to sleep with their mother, and now that your husband is home your baby is not welcome to sleep with the person who he trusts the most. If you let him cry it out. He will lose trust in you. You are breaking a very close bond with your baby. A baby's needs always comes first. They become independent before you know it and before long he will want to sleep by himself when he is ready to sleep on his own. The western culture is the only culture that useses cribs for their babies. In all other cultures the baby sleeps next to the mother. Sort of like in the animal kingdom. I would suggest you get "The Baby Book" by Dr. Sears. It is very helpful in giving you advice on what's best for your baby.

One person suggested using a blanket with your son while he sleeps with you and then transitioning him to the crib with that same blanket. My suggestion is similar. Take your shirt or pajama that you have worn for a few nights and put that into the crib with him. It will have your scent and should help him to feel a little more comfortable being there on his own. You could also try sleeping on the floor next to his crib for a few nights. Then, you are close by but not actually sleeping with him. Good luck!

I suggst making him nap in his crib,

If you work and tis isn't possible, then there are very few things you can do to correct this habit,

One, keep doing what your doing, except wait til he falls asleep and transfer him back to his bed,
as many times as necessary, but most importantly is to have him actually wake up in the AM in his own bed.

he needs to do this as many mornings as it takes.

which basically mean NO SLEEP for you.

TWO, have him cry it out, its difficult for both you and the baby and the rest of your family to tolerate this,
And I suspect you wouldn't do this anyways.

three, try the father away thing, where you put him to sleep in his own bed, and the every day move further away.

this probably won't help him from running back into your bed in the middle of the night tho.
but who knows it just might.

This is about all I can think of.

Good luck

M<

HI! I woukld suggest getting a play-pen/pack-n-play/play-yard for him to play in during the day so the crib is just bed. I had issues with my son waking up in the middle of the night for me -I would just sit next to his crib, hold his hand and sing to him until he went back to sleep. I was exhausted for about 2 weeks, but it finally stuck! Good Luck and CONGRATS on #3. I have 3 kids too!

I agree with Debbie completely. You do not have to get angry just be consistent. I would start on the weekend so you have Saturday and Sunday to catch up on the sleep loss. If you are willing to sacrifice a few nights sleep eventually he will get the message. After all as you said you contributed to the habit so it really isn't his fault. Good luck!!!

I am in the same situation as you are in. I bought my twin girls toddler beds thinking they would want their own space but that did not work. they still fall asleep in my bed with my 4 yr old. When they are asleep i put them in their own bed. At first they would wind up on one of the toddler beds together. Now they just past the other twin to get to me on my bed. This morning all three of my girls were in my bed with me which I am use to but i usually let them go back to sleep and then put them back in their bed. I mean it is a quicker way to get back to sleep for us moms I think. And i really dont think I can do it the SuperNanny way especially since we all share the room due to uncontrolable circumstances. I look forward to your responces because that was a great question. Take care and good luck!

It's pretty simple. Stop putting him in your bed. You got him used to being in your bed. Break that habit and get him used to a new one...being in his own bed. It's gonna take some time, but well worth it.

Nanc

I wish you luck! I have 2 1/2 year old twin boys who are now in their toddler beds, I have gotten one to sleep in his bed through the night, but the other ends up wandering through to our bed between 11pm and 2am. Since he is still in his crib and its you who is bringing him through let him cry a little, I didn't when the boys were younger just to get some sleep myself, but now they are bigger and take up more space and it gets harder for them to sleep by themselves. I wish I hadn't given in so much when they were little, I loved the snuggling and with 2 not sleeping through the night it was rough, I am now regretting it and its a good night when they both sleep in their beds most of the night, we all get a better night's sleep. A "sleep sheep" or sound machine also worked for me to get them back to sleep when they awoke in the night. I would go in and cuddle them, make sure they were all right and then put them back in there cribs w/ the soft noise. You also might try putting a shirt in his crib that you have worn, just having the smell of you close by might comfort him back to sleep, that worked for the one that is sleeping.

Hi, A.:
We went through the same thing with our son. Our solution was to move him into a "big boy" bed at around 22 months (we were also moving to a new home and wanted to transition him before we did so).
We bought a full-size bed (knowing one of us might be in there with him for a few nights while he got used to it :-)). And we bought Thomas the Tank Engine sheets since that was his obsession at the time. Maybe your son's into something similar.
He saw that bed--and the sheets--and couldn't get into it fast enough.
Yes, there were nights when he'd come into our room in the middle of the night, but we never allowed him back into our bed; instead one of us would bring him back to his bed and lie down with him there.
Eventually, the visits stopped and everyone was happy :-)
Good luck.

he could be gearing up for a big boy bed! Those were the signs my son showed (he's 2 now) so we set up a big boy room for him. (had to anyway with another baby on the way.)

maybe that will work!
Good luck!
Lynsey

Hi A.,
A 1 1/2 year old who has always been allowed access to your bed is not going to suddenly stop expecting it. This is what he has come to expect. Your choice is to leave him in his crib and let him cry if he cries, or to continue taking him into your bed. There is no other magic solution to just break him of a habit that you started. There is nothing wrong with allowing your baby access to your bed, but if you do it over the long term, it does cause a habit.
I would also not allow him to "play" in his crib while you are doing chores. By allowing him to use his crib as a play area, he sees it as just that, and not a place that he is to sleep or needs to stay.

You can try using a nice blanket with the child in your bed for a few nights then have him go in his crib with that same blanket. He may learn to associate the blanket with sleep. I also would NOT use the crib for anything but sleep. If he is in the crib for playing he will associate playing with the crib and not sleep. I've heard sleep specialist recommend using a bed for sleeping ONLY for those who have sleeping issues (adults also). They say that if you have difficulty getting into sleep mode while in your bed, it will be worsened if your body is associating your bed with reading, watching TV or for a child, playing. Good luck!!

Hi There,
When my daughter transistioned to a big girl bed at age 2, we put a doorknob safety knob on the inside of her door. She was no problem at night and rarely would get out of bed, however, she would get out of bed to play sometimes at naptime, so we implemented it so she had to stay in her room, with few toys for quiet time if she did not sleep (and for safety if she woke up and wouldn't go downstairs herself etc.) You could use that or a baby gate to prevent him from leaving his room, but you would always have access to get in if you needed to. He still may need to cry it out, but by not being able to get access to your attention/bed during the middle of the night, he will eventually learn that his room is for him to sleep in. Just be consistant and set a calm bedtime routine and don't give in. Eventually he will learn new habits!!