As I write this, my 15 month old has finally fallen asleep, but it took 30 min! What I usually do is go downstairs to his room, rock him and feed him a bottle. He will close his eyes and fall asleep either finishing the bottle or he'll push it away. I put him on my shoulder and rock for about 5 min. and put him in his crib. Sometimes he continues to sleep, other times he wakes and like today, I just leave and tell him that mommy will be back, I love you......problem is it took almost 30 min. for him to fall asleep and I know he's so tired. If I make a habit of leaving, will he get used to it and soon he'll get to sleep in 5 min. or is there something else I should be doing.?
Thanks for your help,
Jen
My doc says to leave them and they will eventually fall asleep, according to him, you need to be consistent for 5 to 7 days then it will be over. So no worries, you are doing the right thing.
Good luck!
He will get used to it, and it is so important for kids to learn to put themselves to sleep. I would recommend putting him down while he is sleepy but still awake.
especially if he is not screaming in there, its fine to leave him in there even if it takes him a little while to fall asleep.
I have been pretty strict about this with my daughter since she was a month old. (While we were training I never let her cry for more than 20 minutes though, couldn't take it. I would go in and soothe her, make sure she didn't need anything, and put her back down. She rarely cried for long if at all. I will let her fuss, but not cry) Now, I love that I can put her down when its naptime and walk away. Sometimes she falls asleep instantly and sometimes not, but I stick to the routine.
He is used to you putting him to sleep. You need to teach him to put himself to sleep. He should be put in bed when tired, but not yet asleep. He will learn how to put himself to sleep within a week or less, most likely. Create a routine, stick to it, and he will get used to it quickly.
Give him some toys and/or books. I always do that with my 12 mo. old, (have since she was probably 7-8 months old) and did the same with my now 4 year old at nap time. My DD sometimes fusses at first but then gets interested in her toys or books and plays with them until she gets tired and goes to sleep. Edited to add, I read 3 stories before nap and bed, (to both kids but separetely). My 12 mo. old has lots of those touch and feel board books and books by Sandra Boynton, all board books so they are fine to leave her with and she won't destroy them!
Is he crying during that half hour? If not, just leave him! About 6 months ago, our little girl starting having "her time" in her bed before nap. She talks, sings, plays with her dolly, and eventually she falls asleep for her much needed nap. She is 2 now. I think it's great when kids know how to hang out by themselves in bed, it's my daughter's down-time, without her loud brother, etc. If he's screaming the entire time, that's another issues, probably not fun for you or him. Don't have any suggestions in that case . . .
Good Luck!
He will get used to it. My 20 month old sometimes goes right down, sometimes plays, sometimes cries a bit. As long as you know he's okay (not sick etc) give him some time. I learned with my first that if you go to them too soon, they will start to depend on that - not a good habit. Trust your instict as to when there may be something he needs or that he's sick. You are doing the right thing - establish a routine so he knows naptime is coming and put him down and if you need to comfort him do so verbally, or at least w/o picking him up.
sounds like you're doing everything right to me. 30 minutes really isn't long... and he's learning to self-soothe and put himself to sleep, which is a HUGELY important skill that will effect how well he's able to sleep his whole life. Keep up the good work, mama!
One of the HUGE challenges of parenthood... but not quite as bad as what you'll face when he's a teenager.
Every child is different... what works for one will not work for another. Some fall asleep easier... others fight it tooth and nail. We strapped ours in his carseat and "drove him to sleep". Others set their kiddos on top of the dryer!
The goal here is to help him to learn how to put himself to sleep. So, it depends upon what "hurry" you are in... how long you're willing to spend in the transition... and what his needs are.
Read lots of books and/or get ideas from the internet. Try whatever feels right for you (you know your child better than we do). Just try different things but pay attention. For instance, keep doing what you're doing now and record the exact amount of time it takes each day for him to fall asleep... then see if the interval changes.
You could try putting him down earlier for a nap. Sometimes being overtired interferes with falling asleep.
Obviously, any consistency with "naptime cues" will help. Same time, same routine, same room darkness, etc. Some "white noise" may help. I always played the same (relaxing comforting) music for my son, to help suggest to him that it was naptime. (Hmmm... wonder if I play it for him now... he's an adult... will he fall asleep?!!!)
Keep trying... good luck!
I agree with the other posts. I really tried to stick to the EASY parenting - Eat Activity Sleep You. So I tried not to put them to sleep with the bottle or with rocking. I spent plenty of cuddling time during feeding time and throughout the day, but I did try to let them have some form of "play" before naps. Changed their diaper, cuddled a bit on the way to their crib and said, "Night, Night Baby...I love you!" and they went to sleep. That was with my second and third child! My first - well, I gave him a bottle, rocked him until he fell asleep on me - he would wake up as I was putting him in the crib and would scream like a banchee until I picked him up again and I went back to rocking him until he fell asleep and I would recline and let him sleep on me! He NEVER learned to put himself to sleep and still at nine is a poor sleeper. So I know all kids are different and sometimes it seems unbearable to hear them cry (mine would cry for 2-3 hours if I let him - grantid, I only did this once before going back to my rock/sleep on my stomach routine so I don't know if it would have gotten better! ;)) GL -
I agree with the last post that he'll get used to it. Some kids are just criers. My first cried 15-20 minutes every time we put him to bed until he was 21 months and my mom was staying with him. She asked him why, he didn't know, so he quit. My daughter does it until she hears her brothers go to bed, whether that's 5 minutes later or 30 minutes later. My middle never made a peep. I'd say within a few days you'll know his pattern. 30 minutes really isn't that long. GL!
The only red flag I saw in what you've posted is that you feed him & rock him to sleep. If that is what he has gotten used to, he will require that to fall asleep. The goal is to have him learn to fall asleep without you there. I find it works best to have a routine that may include rocking & feeding, but I make sure I put my child in his/her crib sleepy but still awake. After that, if they don't cry, I leave them alone. If they cry, I visit after a few minutes but I don't pick them up. I stay for a few minutes & leave. If they're still crying, I wait a few more minutes than I did the first time & repeat. Each time I stay out of the room for a longer & longer time. I've had great success with that. Within a day or 2 they start falling asleep sooner & sooner & within a week they are going right to sleep with no crying. Good luck!
