Need Tips on Moving 11Mnth Old to Her Own Room

It might be harder due to the age difference. My daighter at the age of 6 months slept through the night till she was 7 months and we took an inpromptu trip out of state and started all over with her waking up at night. we moved her at the age of 6 months to her own crib and she fussed the first night a little then the second night a little less... by the third night she was settled. Her sleeping through the night took over a week to get settled she was 13 months and stubborn... she would wake up asking for milk. we finally said no she wasn't even drinking an ounce. So a week and 2 days later she was sleeping through the night too. I will warn you though... it was very hard to lay there and listen to her scream.

If she is still breastfeeding (good for you), I wouldn't mess with the sleeping arrangement anytime soon unless you want less sleep!

Just like your child won't want to play patty cake when she is 16, she also won't want to sleep in your room when she is older even if she sleeps there now. These transitions don't need to be rushed.

-S.

I wouldn't move her until you are ready to go into another room to breastfeed her during the night. That would be sooooo disruptful to my sleep. That's actually what prompted me to move my son into our bed - I wasn't getting sleep getting him in and out of his pack n play, even with it in our room. I'd let your body and what you can deal with be the deciding factor. Good luck!

I did the same thing with my first child. It is going to be hard, but if you stick with it you will be happy with the results. I moved the pack and play out ever so gradually until she was in her own room. It just got about 5 feet further and further every night until she was completely moved. The first night was hard because she woke up to discover she was in different surroundings, but I stuck to it and after a few days/nights it worked! Hope this helps!

Hi D.,
I know it might sound crazy but you all will sleep better when baby is in her own room. I have a 3.5 year old and a 14 month old. With the first I was determined to keep her in my bedroom in a pack-n-play as long as I was nursing. Partly because I wanted her close to me so I could check on her and partly because we have a main level master bedroom and she would be all alone on the 2nd floor of our house. When she woke up during the night she would see us sleeping and cry to be held. I started putting her in her bed for naps during the day to get her used to her room around 6 months. Funny thing is she started sleeping longer in her bed during the day than she did in the less comfortable pack n play. We did this until she was about 9 months old. Finally I caved and decided to let her try sleeping in her own room to see if she would be more comfortable. I slept in the guest room upstair to be closer to her in case she needed to nurse. In only a few days time she was sleeping through the night in her own room. I cranked up the monitor and moved back to my own bed. I could hear her waking up sometimes but without the temptation of someone to play with, she learned to go back to sleep on her own.
The 2nd one was sleeping in her own room around 5 months and she started sleeping through the night as soon as we moved her, too.
I agree that there is nothing wrong with co-sleeping if you all enjoy it. My 3 year old is back now, too (thanks to the toddler bed). She wanders down to our room anywhere between 2 AM to 7AM for her morning snuggle. We have decided not to make a big deal out of it.
I hope this helps...

You might find she starts sleeping through the night after a few nights if she's not sleeping in with you. Our son woke up every night and ate good, but the Dr. said he was fine to sleep all night without eating. We found the first night he wasn't in our room, he didn't even wake up. I think he just wanted a party since that was the routine and he could hear us. It might be worth a shot.

I nursed up to a year. We decided the bassinet couldn't be comfortable to sleep in because she would hang her feet over the top and toss and turn all night. We moved her and she slept through the whole night. It was terrific, however she is baaaaack. She wakes up every night about 2 a.m. and crawls in our bed sometimes unknown. Either she has gotten very good at it or we are so used to her being there. The only time I notice her now is if she really gets in my face.

Give it a try.

Do it now. I breastfed and mine is nine months old now. He slept through the night as soon as i put him in his own room. It took maybe a day or two and then it was smooth sailing. Good luck

There is no reason to keep your child in your room simply because you are still breastfeeding. I have nursed all 3 of mine until they are almost 18 months, and they moved into a crib in a different room when they were 3-6 months old. I still liked to bring them to my bed to nurse while they still woke up in the night (this was 2 times per night at first, then once, then none after they are over a year old). This is easier for me, because I was so tired, and I didn't even have to sit up! Also, they would often fall asleep after they were done nursing and I could just carefully pick them up and take them back to the crib. A good rocking chair is also great for nursing in the baby's room. I have used this as well. You can decide what works better for you. I agree that because your daughter sees you when she stirs in the night, she may be waking up when she does not need to be awake. Moving her will probably help you all sleep better, as other people have suggested. At her age, she should only be nursing once per night at most. If she is up more than that, she is not getting the consolidated sleep that she needs (and neither are you!). Good luck!

My son is going on a year and still sleeps in our room (though we co-sleep). I love having him in there, personally. I love checking on him, seeing his face, and hearing him breathe. If you don't like it, then move her. If you like having her there, then keep her there. Just follow your heart!

Oh, and the whole sleep-through-the-night thing does happen! Remember, when Drs. tell you that a baby CAN sleep through the night at 6 months, the don't mean 10-12 hours, they mean more like 5-8! All babies are different and they sleep through the night when they are ready. Breastmilk goes through their systems very quickly, so they might wake up hungry. Just like us, some babies have faster or slower metabolisms too. She'll get there!

The longer you wait.. the harder it will be...get a good rocker and put it in the her room...it makes night time feedings a bit easier for Mom...

If it were me, I would start the transition now. There's a good chance she's not sleeping thru the night cuz you're all in the same room. Sometimes seeing & hearing you is all the reason they need when they wake up to nurse or play (we ALL wake up an avg of 5 times per night). I breastfed both my kids until they were 18 months old, but they stopped nursing in the middle of the night at about 6-9 months old. If she doesn't like sleeping in her crib at night - they maybe you could try sleeping in her room with her to transition her into her own room - then you can move out.

A friend of mine co-slept with her daughter until she was older. I know that's a little different than what you described, but the way she got her daughter to go to her own bed was by taking her to Build-A-Bear workshop where the little girl made her own stuffed animal. That night, mom put the toy in her daughter's crib and told her the toy would be lonely sleeping without her. My friend says that her daughter slept in the crib that night, and never resisted. Hope this helps!

There's also a really good book that helps with all kinds of sleep challenges. It's called "Good Night, Sleep Tight," and it's written by Kim West. I found a cheap used copy on Amazon.com. It's also a great book for parents who aren't comfortable with kids "crying it out." It has lots of strategies for gently teaching babies/kids to sleep on their own. It worked wonders for my 1st child. The second's sleep skills are still a work in progress, however. Hope one of these things helps. Good luck!