Toddler Will Not Go to Sleep Without Crying for 10 Minutes First

Hey Cia

I agree with Denise, he is learning to go to sleep on his own. I'm sure you will find that soon enough he skips the crying. I also definately agree, LEAVE him in the crib unless he is climbing out. I moved my son out when he was just over 2 to make room for the new baby and it was awful. He didn't sleep through the night for well over 6 months, he'd wander - ugh it was miserable! He was content in his crib and I wish I had left him until he wasn't...

Cia,.
He is learning to put himself to sleep and you will be a happy mama IF and WHEN he learns this lesson! 10 minutes isn't so bad. Keep a consistent routine (like you are) and put him in at the same time every night. He'll get it!
Also--advice on the moving out of a crib--DON'T unless he's crawling out. A whole new Pandora's box will be opened at the time you take away the crib. I wish I had left my son in the crib longer than I did (2).
Good luck to you!

My son is obsessed with being a big boy. Maybe if you do what my fiance does it can help he just explains to him that big boys close their eyes and baby's cry for mommy at bedtime and then ask him if he wants to be a big boy or a baby. Mind you we are not trying to put him down by calling him a baby we are just giving him options him being a big boy is really important to him so he goes right to bed.

HEllo, My daughter did this but earlier in age, she was about 15 months, and got to the point where she was basically petrified of her crib. She would scream and carry on for more than 10 minutes until we finally just moved her to a toddler bed. It was an adjustment at first, but she did very well with it and never threw the fit about it then, well not until now again atleast, but thats a whole other story. Hope this helps

Hi! I was wondering if you happened to try anything that worked for your son? I have a just turned 2 year old and we are starting the same exact things. He screams and cries so loud that it sounds like he's in pain! He is absolutely unconsolable. And then it's like a switch flips and he's smiling again. Then all of a sudden it starts again. Last night it lasted over 2 hours until he went to sleep. It's mostly around bed time but sometimes if he's having "issues" he throws a tantrum during the day that sounds the same as at night. I was searching the previous posts before I posted my own new one and found yours so I thought I'd ask! We have a good night time routine (dinner, play, bath, bed) and usually we snuggle before he goes to sleep...i'm wondering if that's part of the problem.

Put the bed in his room and dont take out the crib. Give him the option of getting into the bed or the crib. Eventually you can remove the crib.
A great bok that addresses your problem is "Sleepelss in America" by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka. Its awesome and gets you oiver any sleep problem you may encounter in a kind way to your child.

My daughter just turned 3 and she still will go through periods of a week or more that she cries herself to sleep. The crying never lasts more than 5-10 minutes. She says she is scared - first it was of the dark, then the closet, then the big teddy bear in her room. As far as moving to a toddler bed, we set up the bed next to her crib shortly after her second birthday and after about 2 months she decided that she wanted to sleep in it. I told her that she couldn't get up during the night and that if she did she would have to go back to the crib. Amazingly, she never went back to the crib.

Yes, like the others said, I would keep in the crib longer. I have been told to wait to at least three unless they are climbing out. In all honesty, 10 minutes is very little. My child does the same exact thing--throwing his pillow and blanket over the bed and then screaming. He repeats this several times. He is 25 months. Slowly, he is getting over that but still does it occasionally. I just go back in and give him his pillows and tell him in my most stern voice that he needs to go to sleep. No hugs and kisses--just give him the pillows back and stern voice. He then settles down. I also give a bottle or a sippy cup with cold water and that comforts him to sleep. He is getting over it--it just takes time and patience.