How to Get the Baby to Go to Bed??

First, I don't think you can spoil a baby at this age. You are just loving him. I also think most kids prefer having a schedule (keep this in mind when working on fixing this problem). I did not have this specific problem, but I did have problems getting my son to sleep in his crib (at 5 months). We used the cry it out method & though it was very hard on us, it only lasted a few days. Now he sleeps great in his crib, actually he prefers it now to anything else. I think you should wake him at the time you want him to get up in the morning. Give him each meal & nap at the time you want him to take it. (If he naps now he will need a nap. If you skip his nap it will be harder for him to sleep at night. Just try to move it to the time you want it.) Also you need to give him cues that it is time to sleep. My son has a blanket in his crib (his doctor recommended it at 5 months). The doctor also recommended giving him a small stuffed animal to sleep with. (We didn't need to do that). We do have a music/light show player which we put on when we put him down. He seems to like it. For naps...put him down at the time you want him to nap. Give him whatever cues you feel comfortable with (or that you've already developed at the 1am sleep time). Allow him to sleep/play/cry in his crib for the length of his normal nap time (again at the time he "should" be napping). Then go get him. Then at night, follow the same routine at the time you want him to sleep. Then let him cry it out, if necessary. It may take a few days. Possibly as long as a week. Be strong. It will be worth it in the end. And good luck.

ROUTINE is key! At least for the most part, do the same activities in the same order at the same time. That way he'll know what to expect. For example: bedtime snack, bath/massage, pajamas, story, lights out, rock/cuddle/milk, lullabye, lay down.

Try following the guidelines outlined in the book, "The Sleep Easy Solution." It worked for us at night--still battling naps though.

Change the approach!
I am the first one to say I share in your frustration...check out all of my posts on sleep! lol However, we found a way that works for us...WITHOUT CRYING. Fussing, yes, but we never my daughter's side, but we also didn't pick her up and helped her "learn" how to go to sleep.
In my view, the "Cry Out" methods lead to negative sleep associations. I have babysat babies who shriek and cling as soon as they are brought by their cribs.
Here is a good link, and I suggest EVERYONE read it....
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/10/handout2.asp
Now I am not exclusively into "attached parenting", but again, cry out methods lead to insecurity. It doesn't feel right to you because it is unnatural. There are alternatives, that work just as well. Pantley's "No Cry Sleep Solution" or what we did was make the "Sleep Sense" program INTO a no-cry approach! Let me know if I can help in any way..
p.s Your hubby wants you to be the"disciplinarian" of and EIGHT MONTH OLD? Please have him read some child development books, honey, he is quite off track...you trust YOUR instincts...you are on the right one! :)
pps Check out this article on babies and discipline:
http://parentcenter.babycenter.com/0_the-discipline-tool-...

Sleep is a really hard one!

I don't agree that you can spoil a baby. Of course the world revolves around them - that is their survival instinct for the first couple of years.

My son is a great sleeper, and I attribute that to his daytime napping and his bedtime routine. He enjoys knowing what comes next, and we're very mechanical about all the steps leading up to bedtime. Our bedtime process takes about 30 minutes, and starts with going into his room and closing the door. We do everything in the same order: play, dress, read, hug/kiss, into bed, vitamins (he LOVES his vitamin, and this intially was how we lured him into his crib), we say goodnight to his stuffed toys, turn on the sound machine, turn off the light, and close the door. He's asleep around 8 (sometimes he'll play awhile, but as long as there's no crying/calling, we leave him), and up by 7 the next morning.

I am a big believer in consistency, and I see the way my son thrives knowing what to expect next. Children feel secure when they know what's going on and can make predictions.

Naps were harder for us when he'd move from 3 to 2 to now 1 - it was sorting out the right timing. Way too early to really use it, my ped recommended the book Healthy Sleep, Happy Child, which was where I got the philosophy of a baby needing daytime sleep to sleep well at night. I also got the idea to lay him down every 2 hrs because of this book (which is how he developed his 3 nap schedule as a small infant). Now he just takes the 2-3 hr afternoon nap (sleeps from 1 until 3 or 4).

We also stick to a meal schedule, to help him clock out his day - breakfast is ready when he gets up, lunch is between 11:30 and 12:30, and dinner is between 5-6 (start times).

I know a lot of people swear by Ferber, or a milder version of leaving a baby to cry for 5 min or so, so I can't say anything against it, except that it never felt right for us, so we don't do it. My son cries/calls for us, and he gets us. He doesn't do it often. A couple times a month he'll call for us in the night, and it's usually for his dropped blanket, he wants a drink, or he's lonely and wants you to sit by his bed as he falls back to sleep (which we'll do silently, in the dark, without touching - to give the message that it is time for sleep and nothing else).

My advice is to decide on a routine, and stick to it for a week, then assess the experience. Maybe there's something your son will show you that he wants to add/change. At 8 months my son only got 1 story, and I'd sing songs with him (now singing is too much - he sings along, wants to get musical toys, dances around - not appropriate for quieting down at bedtime).

Good luck!!

Hi :0)
I would say follow your heart. You're his mama and you know whats best for you and him. My son is 21 months now and I started out trying to do what people would expect me to do, but realized that when I followed my son's needs and my maternal instincts-everyting else seemed to just fall into place and work themselves out. If you're ok staying up until 1am, why not give him some more time...he'll maybe surprise you and find his way into your routine-rather than you having to force and feel badly in the meantime and with most likely failed results. Just enjoy the moment..the rest will take care of itself.
I know b/c I'm a perfectionist mom who has learned to relax, settle down and my son and I are much happier for it!
Good luck!
A.

HAHAHAHAHA- well this sent a chuckle my way, Thank-you.
Yes, while being a first time, you will soon learn that life isn't a bowl full of cherries and your husband will need to know that too. Putting a child to sleep is no easy task, especially a child that young. Yes, I agree with mom, you need to set the times and it will take time for your son to learn just the same. Though I will admit, I could never put my kids down at seven at night and have them up at six/seven the next morning like my sister in law could do, but every one is different and so is every child and that too will change throughout their life.
But I will suggest no matter the pattern of sleep, the methods from the book...."Getting Your Child To Sleep and Back To Sleep" by Vicki Lansky has yet to fail me. (knock on wood) I have used this method, time and time again with all of our 4 children. It is a basic method, even "supernanny" on the hit abc TV show uses it.
Hubby needs to remember ....like all hubbies....children are little people not robots.

Mom of 4 also the disciplinarian! hahaha.

change the approach. turn the lights out at 9:30pm. put him in his crib and leave the bedroom. he may cry five minutes or so but then he will go to sleep. he needs to learn how to self soothe. get the book on becoming baby wise(giving your infant the gift of nighttime sleep). It is by Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam. You can buy it in Borders. My son is almost eight months old and he is very good about going to bed at night.

A.,
It's tough with the first/only one. We do tend to spoil them (sometimes intentionally, sometimes not). Without knowing your nighttime routine, it's hard to say what you could or should change. I know that we spend too much time in front of the TV and have done so with both of our small children but I've noticed if we turn off the TV or don't even turn it on, give warm baths, read books and have some quiet time in their room instead of in front of the TV, we've had better success. Our 2 year old slept with us for almost 15 months so it was a challenge getting her to sleep before we went to sleep, and our 11 month old is a little easier but still a challenge with our current routine. I read so many books on all of the how-to's with children, but a nighttime routine that winds them down makes the most sense to me. Good luck!

I had the same problem with my second daughter. She didn't stay up that late but when she as around that age she started giving me problems going to bed. I would put her in her crib say at 8pm, which is normal for that age, you could even go to nine. I would leave the door open and sit right out side the doorway where she could see me. I would look down, read a book, so that she couldn't see my face. She would cry for awhile. After about 3 night it was easy! I couldn't believe it. It might take some time the first couple of nights. say 30 mins or more. You have to be ready for it too. It hurts to hear them call your name but just think of the end of it all. It will work out just fine. If you know he will cry for awhile have a book with you to read or at least to have to cover your face. You want him to see you but not your face. Hope this helps.

M.

Hi Alice,

I am also a first time mom. My son is almost 14 mos old and fortunately for me he has always been a good sleeper. However, I will say that he needs a routine on a daily basis. Some babies do not, but I strongly recommend a nightly routine for your baby. Start off with a calming bath around the same time every night, then follow it with p.j.'s, and something else you know you/husband/mom will follow on a nightly routine and then end it will a bottle/breast whatever. The key is really consistency...it works, I promise. It may take a week or so, but trust me, consistency/routine is vital to a healthy sleeper.

I hope all goes well.
M.

I'm a mother of two boys, ages 3 and 6 now, and I can not TELL you how important sleep training was for my sanity! Like you, we were very hesitant to enforce anything with our first child, and he continues at age 6 to have less than ideal sleeping habits. Now...when our second came along, we started to sleep train by 6 mos...kind of a mix of the Ferber method and the CIO method (cry it out). The first night was the hardest. Repeated trips in every 5, then 10, then 15 minutes over a 1.5 hr time period. Most important thing for US (again...I feel every kid is differnt, just sharing what worked for US!) is that we NEVER picked him up or talk to him. We would rub his back, lay him down, and soothe him other ways...just NEVER pick him up! The second night only required 2 trips back in, and the 3rd night only 1, and after the 4th night...he would whimper himself to sleep after about 3-5 minutes. That laid the foundation for him to become a DREAM sleeper...I could literally rock him for 3 min., sing him a song, lay him in the crib at 8pm, and walk out and not hear a peep from him for 11-12 solid hours! My husband travels a lot with his job, so this one decision alone in our parenting experience was probably the most helpful in my stress level when he was gone, and the amount of "me" time I was able to squeeze him for my own sanity!

I know hearing them say ma-ma, da-da is hard...but it only gets harder...once they can speak in sentenances and are saying..."I wanna hug..." or "I want you..." etc. So...doing it now will be much easier than later. Trust me...been there, done that on both sides of the spectrum! Good luck!

LJ

I have a 19 month old who wants to stay up until my husband and I go to bed. He has always been our problem sleeper but each time he starts his not sleeping tricks we resort to the same thing and it works. The first time we used it on him he was about 10 months and we have used it twice since when we had major life disruptions, a new baby and a foreign exchange student who took over his room. We use a modified Super Nanny bedtime routine. We do our normal bedtime routine, pjs, prayers, snuggly hugs, and a song then it is lights out. The first time he gets up we give him an extra hug tell him we love him and that it is time to go back to sleep. The second time he gets up we ONLY tell him it is time to go to bed. The third time and any time after that we ONLY lay him back down and cover him up. No words, no extra pats on the back nothing. The first time we ever used this it took a good hour and a half for him to give up, and since then it has gotten quicker, now he rarely requires the third time. It worked for us, we couldn't stand the cry it out method, it broke our hearts and we wanted him to know that we were there for him and not ignoring him when he was upset. Best of Luck to you and your mom.

Try the 2-3-4 method. First nap two hours after he wakes up, then 3 hours after he wakes up from his 1st nap, he goes down for a 2nd nap and 4 hours after he wakes up from that is bed time.

Our bed time routine is milk( in your case bottle or BF) bath and story. This has worked very well for us.

I was never strict to a schedule and my 3 did ok. Once they start school they would follow a stricter schedule for bedtime. My sister did the crying thing with her kids...it took about 3 days and it worked ...they are very scheduled.
Of course your husband wants you to be the bad guy...who wants that job. Your baby is 8 months...he will not remember the reason he cried was because you made him go to bed. Put the bugger to bed and turn the tv up....you will keep your sanity in the end. Sleep deprevation....I think that is a form of torture in some countries. bon

Hi A., Sorry to say, but the only thing you can do is have a firm bed-time routine, and put him to bed at the same time & the same calm way every day. If he cries, go in pat him down and walk away (Don't say anything, don't pick him up!) And keep doing that until he falls asleep. Stay tough, plan on getting little sleep for a couple of days, but if you stick with it all your bedtime worries should be taken care of in just a few nights. I might even suggest that if Grandma is going to be in control of bedtime soon, ask her to come over and work her own routine with him for a few days before you return to work (you might want to take a walk while she's putting your son down) it might be easier for your son to have Gram's change his routine than you. Good luck

Hi A.,
I can totally relate to sleep problems at that age. One book I read that transformed our lives was
Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth. You can buy this and all the other books suggested for CHEAP (case you don't like 'em) on Amazon used, or at you r local bookstore if you're desperate! It really and truly worked for us and was nice because it worked for a variety of ages, not just the wee baby. Good Luck!

my 9 month old has her own schedule. I have not forced her to sleep when i think she is tired. She sleeps when she is tired. She sleeps through the night in out bed and I roll over to breast feed her 1 or two times in a night.

She generally sleeps between 9:30/10pm to 8:30-9:30am. Then she takes 1/2 nap around 11-12:00. Then another 1/2 hour nap around 3:00-4:00 then another 1/2 nap around 7:00pm. Lately she has been fluctuating her schedule and skipping the last nap. I think she is weening herself to 2 naps a day. Therefore she is falling asleep earlier at night. If she is sleeping and I or my husband need to go to the store, with in reason, we pick her up and take her with us. If she falls asleep in the car seat on the ride to anywhere we take her out and let her sleep on our shoulder or she wakes up and goes about her day. We do not change our life much to fit her. She is happy living along with us.

I hate family members that think you are spoiling the kid because you haven't trained them like you trained your dog or cat. We were able to make our schedules work with each other and we are all happier for it.

As for your bedtime issue my thoughts are this: It sounds like your baby has derived his own sleeping schedule based on your previous schedule. He has done this over the past 8 months. You can't expect that this will change overnight or even over a week. Maybe skip the last night if her starts to get tired kind of late at night like around 7 or 8 try keeping him awake. He will probably be a little grumpy which you have to respect because he's tired. His body works just like yours. As he gets tired if he doesn't sleep eventually he will get over that hump and become more awake to a point where he no longer wants to sleep. It will not be until the next cycle that he will be able to go to sleep. Our bodies work on waves of tired then awake and then tired all day long. Most people get a little tired around 3 in the afternoon etc. It all varies but regardless the cycle lasts around2-3 hours for each person.

Maybe try a new routine. A hot bath in the tub or sink or a shower to calm him down just when you think he is just starting to begin his downward sleep cycle. Chamomile in the tub is relaxing. Now that he is slowing down put on the pj's dim the lights slightly, don;t have music blasting and the tv and cooking and multitasking like we all do. Just have the tv on or just have slower music playing or just one toy to play with, Stay in just one room. Mu point is to slow down the pace. Bond with the baby have them with you and lay down and he can crawl on you and play with your belly button etc. Then I would breastfeed a little then there attention might take them somewhere else but the warn nurturing keeps them slowing down. Not a full feeding because a full feeding will be done to put him all the way to sleep.

If this is not working you can;t get mad just let them walk around holding the couch or let themselves out a little more. Sometimes i hold Kamryn, my baby, and just walk around the house slowly or with a slight bounce. I've also tried facing her out while laying her on her side in my arms and doing basically squats of bounce. We have never let her cry herself to sleep. Never ever. We help her go to sleep every night and it isn't a big deal. She is close to the point now that she almost falls asleep while playing with stuff. When she gets tired she typically goes to sleep.

Hopefully this helps. I hope in all of this i have actually answered something for you.

My daughter is going to be 3 May 29th and when she was your son's age she was very difficult to get to sleep, well ever since she was younger than 8 months. I used to have to hold her until around 1 am and then I could put her in her crib and she would stay asleep. My salvation was the rocking chair and ottoman that I had received as a shower gift. Everyday she would get up, eat, play, take a nap, get a bath, then I would read her a story and rock with her until I knew she was in a deep sleep. It sounds like it won't work, I thought the same thing, but she went out like a light. She also became aware that she had/still has a schedule and to this day she knows that when she comes home from daycare and my husband and I come home from work that we eat dinner, she can color and play for about an hour or so and then its time for a bath...after her bath she jumps right into bed!

My son was ten months when we had to really buckle down with bed time!! He was playing and throwing his binkie out of the crib just so I would come and give it back to him. After several nights of several trips up the stairs, my husband and I decided to let him cry it out. It was 30 to 45 minutes each night for five nights. IT IS NOT EASY, but IS WELL WORTH IT!! It lets your child know that you are in control and that you mean what you say. My son now goes to sleep right away at 7:00-7:30 every night. It's also important to have a nigthly routine that signals bedtime. We do jammies, yogurt for snack, brush teeth, kisses and read a story. Then I lay him down with many more hugs and kisses - my favorite is our kiss through the crib slats!! I kneel down and he puts his little lips in between the crib slats and gives kisses!! Bedtime is a great time for us now. The short term sacrifice is worth the long term gain! Blessings on your family.
M.

A.: I'm the mother of two little boys and had a similar situation with both at the same age as your baby. There is a book called something along the lines of Solve Your Childs Sleep Problems by Dr. Ferber. Dr. Ferber has a technique that allows your child to cry and eventually cry themselves to sleep, but gets them to sleep without you being there (you may feel awful and feel that this is a barbaric technique, but it works within three days--trust me--your child will be sleeping through the night like a champ). Follow the book's advice and let me know how it goes.

I am the mother of twin boys, who are now 4. Starting at birth we really didn't have a nap or bedtime schedule, so I never really knew when they would nap or go to bed. When they turned 1 year old I had enough. The first night we put them to bed at 8:00, my husband went into the bedroom and turned up the TV, and I went into the basement and ran on my treadmill. It took about 5 days of that and each time they cried less and less. They actually took longer naps and were more scheduled. It was one of the hardest things we had to do, but we wondered why we didn't do it sooner!!! I actually felt like I had my life back!!! Good luck.

Wow, you're in a tough situation! Commitment is the key. I used a book by Jodi Mindell called Sleeping Through The Night. She is actually a Professor at St. Joe's and I think she's giving a talk around here soon. I'm not sure where or when.

My son was a preemie and was on a totally wacked out schedule when he got home (the nurses would play with him at night! They were just trying to give him love, but he was all confused when he got home!) After 6 wks I used Sleeping Through the Night and he is still a great sleeper 6 yrs later!

My 3 yr old was never a problem because I had a routine. Toward the end of the evening there is no wrestling, maybe even turn off some of the bright lights. Bedtime is at 8. Then a massage on the changing table, keep him warm while you're doing it, and low light. I also had lullabyes on the CD player. Then jammies, last bottle on the rocker, a book maybe (same one, they like the predictability). A little cuddling, you make the call if you put him down awake or not (probably best awake, but I can't say I always did it that way).

It may seem like a long process, but it takes about 20min. Don't start anything now that you don't want to continue indefinatly. I still do most of this 6 yrs later. Get your husband on board. No staying up to see him. Your son's schedule is *paramount*! Naps at the same time, in his crib. Consistancy is key.

Wow! That's a novel! Read the book, it gives you a better idea how to deal with the curveballs your son will throw you! Good Luck!

A.,

I can completely sympathize with you about your hear breaking when your son is crying and calling your name. My daughter, who is now 16 months old, had a hard time going to bed also when she was around your son's age. My husband and I just learned to toughen up and let her cry it out. It may sound mean, but we realized that we were doing it for her own good. We would put her to bed while she was still awake and she would of course cry. We would let her go for up to 20 min and if she still hadn't stopped, I would go up to her room, pick her up out of her crib, give her a hug and kiss and tell her I loved her and then lay her back down again. It took about a week of doing this and she eventually learned to fall asleep on her own. Now, her bed time is between 8-8:30pm and we have absolutely no problems! I am also supposed to be the "disciplinarian" during the day because I stay at home and I know just how hard it can be. But, stand your ground when it comes to things like this and you and your son will both be happier!! Good luck!!

A. D.

hi there! i am not about to act like a specialist, but i do know how important MY sleep is and i feel for you! :)

i don't have a strict bedtime b/c we do go to church regularly and other things come up that keep us from always being in bed at the same time. i do try stay consistent with our bedtime routine, no matter the time. i almost always give a bath at 8:30 or so, using the bedtime lotion after, then we are still nursing/snuggle to settle down. then daddy kisses goodnight (he doesn't want to be the "bad guy" either!) and i take her up to bed. we also have a "sunshine symphony" that has a series of songs with a light display (soft enough to sit in crib with baby) that i turn on. it works nearly every time. of course, the few times we've waited too long or something, i use the "let them cry" method, but only for about 5 to 10 mins. then i try to soothe and start over. we also run a fan on low to drown out our noise (small house) and of course, a nitelight.

i would highly recommend the "sunshine symphony" if you don't have some type of music or crib toy. my mom found it second-hand and i've used it for both babes, taking it with me anytime there will be sleeping/napping involved. you can order it online... made by aerosmith (not the band! i don't think!)

good luck! would love to hear of your results in a while!

Hi,
Do yourself a BIG favor now and let him cry it out. It really does get better in a couple days. I have a 4 1/2 yr old dtr and 18 month old twins and had to do it with all of them at one point or another. It came down to me needing to get some sleep!.. It really should take a hand full of days. let him cry it out for about 10 minutes and see how he does - go back in to comfort him - but leave the room soon. With my son, he screamed for about 1/2 hour the first night. Just close the baby's door and your door.!

good luck!

I know how you feel. I'm the biggest sucker alive. My little boy is 14 mo old now and he has maintained his bedtime-- between 8 and 9 for a good while. My trick is to get him playing, then we start slowing it down to reading, having his last drink/snack of the night and then laying on the couch and reading and talking about his day. I guess I bore him to death :) so he just crashes out on the couch. Then, I can carry him to bed and he's out for the night. I always think that it would be scary for them to lay there in the dark and wait for sleep, especially if they're not that tired. I know I like to kind of wind down at night and I think that Jason likes that, too. It's rare that he's awake past 9:30. VERY rare. I dont think you need to be tough in order to get your little guy to go to bed. I think kids should be treated like small adult people. I try to see things from his side, and we talk about what we're doing and how it's time for bed. He responds really well to that. That said, every little guy and gal is different.

PS: I suck at discipline. My husband tries to do it, but then he laughs and the kid rules us! :)

what is your nighttime/bedtime routine? Do you follow it consistently?

My DD is 5 months old now. Around 3 months, it was starting to take 2+ hours to get her into bed. After a few nights of not getting to bed until midnight or 1 AM, i decided to start a nighttime routine. Ours is nothing elaborate. When she starts showing signs of sleepiness or is just incredibly fussy, she gets handed off to daddy while I get ready.

1. warm bath (99 degrees - she's like her mom and likes it toasty warm)
2. get dressed and lotioned
3. say g'nite to daddy
4. go upstairs to bedroom
5. attemp to read (I try once in a while, she usually just screams at me so we don't try it every night)
6. turn off lights and nurse to drowsiness or sleep, sometimes she is awake when she goes into the crib, sometimes not.
7. transfer to crib
8. I turn off the lights and go downstairs.
9. repeat steps 6-8 every time she wakes up.

90% of the time she stays asleep when I put her down the first time. Then there's nights like last night when it takes 4 or 5 times. Sometimes I just need to go in and talk to her. But for the most part, it's an hour from start of bath to her asleep in bed.

Good Luck Mama.

Check out the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth, MD It is my bible= i have 3 kids ages 8,5,15 mo. and i followed this book for all and they sleep great. If there ever were sleep issues it was because i didn't do as he said. Check it out. Good luck

our son spent his first 5 weeks in the nicu. it is very difficult after a hospital stay,to be the enforcer.your just so happy they are finally home. but in the long run it will pay off. Have a bed time ritual. with our son he gets a bath ,his hair dried, and deoderant on (pretend of course) but he likes to be like daddy and mommy. on non bath nights he just gets jammies first .then we sit on the couch read a book and have his final milk bottle, we take him to his crib.smother him with fifteen million kiss.and always say the same thing to him. Here is your binki. here is your nite,nite, and here is your pooh bear( that is his lovey) Nite nite collin mommy and daddy love you. we then turn on his fish aquarium on the side of his crib and his cd of baby mozart.and leave the room. it took a few days of crying but now he lays there and entertains himself till he falls asleep. which doesnt take long. the music is a nice distraction from bedtime,because it is still a stimulus.but because we are sneaky parents. they dont realize it is a calming and relaxing stimulus.That is what works for us. best of luck finding what works for you. and for the husband who wants you to be the disipline giver. Its just because they are afraid we will see just how soft they can be,and that they are not always so tuff. he would probably cry along with the baby. good luck let me know if i can help any further.

Hi. When my son was only a few months old my mother told me to start a bedtime routine to get him to sleep earlier. So, each night I would do the same exact thing in the same exact order which included eating, bath, brushing teeth/gums, jammies, breastfeeding, and reading to him. I may be missing somethings but he is 8 yrs old now so it's been awhile. The first night he started to doze off after about 45 mins of reading and I put him down still groggy...he cried for a few minutes and then passed out. The second night it was 30 mins of reading and less crying. Each night it got easier and easier. After about a week, he was going to bed at 7:30pm every night without a problem and he is still a great sleeper.

I found that if I woke him early or if I didn't give him a nap he was harder to get to sleep that night. He would also wake up earlier if he went to bed too late the night before and he would be miserable the next day. I think you need to figure out how much sleep your baby needs and work from there. I hope this helps.

Hi! Please don't feel you *have* to let him "cry it out." It works for some people, and i'm not going to get into the debate on the psychological effects it may have. If it seems wrong for you, don't do it.

I agree that setting a before-bed routine may help. Snack/bottle (if dad's home), bath, books, boob (if i'm home)/walking rocking to soothing music (if dad's home) usually works for mine. I hear that setting regular nap times during the day aides in sleeping consistently at night.

When my son gets wound up while we're visiting friends and stays up until 1 or 2 a.m., it takes a few days to bring him back to a reasonable sleep schedule, but we get him there. We usually need to wake him up early, try to keep him awake until close to his usual nap periods, and let him fall asleep when he needs to at night. It a little easier now because he's a few months older than yours and his sleep needs are different, but it worked even at 8 months. Just took a few days longer. (Is this the Furber method? I don't know, sorry if it's what you've already tried.)

You have not "spoiled" him, you've just introduced him to a particular norm that is no longer valid. Of course he thinks the world revolves around his schedule; he's a baby and that's how they think. You just need to reteach him, not punish him.

The Dr. Sears website has information on getting your child to sleep in different ways. http://www.askdrsears.com/html/7/T070100.asp

Good luck! I sympathize; i work 3rd shift and it took some time getting Connor on a sleep schedule suitable for my husband (who works at 6 a.m.) but we got there. Hope things work out for you all.

This is a very sensitive subject and you will get many responses. I used to be one who absolutely refused the 'Ferber Method' but after many months of no sleep and giving in and creating a habit, at 7-8 months we did it as a last resort. The first nite killed us and my husband and I almost killed each other because we kept wanting to go in but knew that this worked. So we just had to give it a fair chance. He cried for a half hour and by the 3rd night he fell asleep on his own no crying. He is now 13 mo's and sleeps from 7:30pm till 6am (wish it was 7:30am) but we can't complain as he sleeps all night. If he is teething or not feeling well, we can tell and do not let him cry. Use what your instinct tells you to do. I needed sleep to be a better Mother and my son needed sleep for development. Also he is on a strict routine and that truly does work!
Good luck!
Chris

Hi A.! It may take time to adjust to the new schedule-a few weeks even, but usually not that long. Be firm! He is still young enough to learn who the boss is. He won't hurt himself crying, and don't let it break you heart-remember, you're only showing him that you are strong and dependable by not caving, and you are offering him a happier bedtime to go to sleep to once he gets the hang of it-so you're not being mean. Getting him up earlier will eventually cause the bedtime to work. He needs TWO disciplinarians ON THE SAME PAGE or life will be miserable for not just the disciplinarian, but everyone. Especially when he's older! At least be sure be sure your husband backs up what you say and doesn't cave when you have agreed on a rule. Good luck!