Baby 15 Months Will Not Sleep In His Crib

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Baby 15 Months Will Not Sleep In His Crib

by BabyBoy
(Upland, CA)

My baby is 15 months old and will not sleep in his crib. I have created a monstrous problem by doing this. What I've been doing (don't gasp) is I have been putting him in our bed. My husband's been sleeping in another room since our baby moves around a lot in his sleep. I know, it's bad! I promised myself I would never put him in our bed, and now he's so used to it that he'll open his eyes momentarily to check to see if we're there.

Another problem I have created is that he needs to be held to go to sleep (for bedtime and naps). So, basically my husband puts him to sleep for bedtime downstairs on the couch where the lights are dimmed, and then we take him upstairs. For naptime, it's the same thing - I have to hold him to get him to nap, and then I put him down.

I don't know what to do, where to start, and how to resolve this issue. I have heard about the cry out method but I can't handle my baby crying. I haven't tried it either though.

Also, when I have put him in the crib at night, he will sleep for like an hour and then get up and cry. Oh and I also have another problem I created - the crib is next to my bed. He will cry and cry until I pick him up.

Help me! I want my bed back and my husband too. I would love to have my son sleep in his own room.

BTW, he sleeps through the night ONLY on the bed though.

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Baby 15 Months Will Not Sleep In His Crib

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Jun 11, 2010

Nothing wrong and a few solutions! (Part 1)
by: Baby Help Line - Paula

Hey BabyBoy,

Hold your horses! I hear a lot of blaming yourself and guilt here. You haven't done anything wrong at all! On the contrary I think allowing your child to co-sleep as well as to fall asleep close to mom or dad is completely natural and usually very good for the baby. Babies are completely dependent on their parents, and as it takes until they are some 9 months old before they even realise that they are their own persons, separate from their mothers, no wonder that they sleep better next to mom and dad.

That said, of course the nights (and naps) need to function to some extent for all family members. So if you feel that there is a need for change, then there is a need for change.

You say you don't want the cry it out-method and I agree with you completely. It is one thing to have to set limits for a 2 or 3 year old that fully understands a situation, something completely different to simply abandon a baby at night (even if it is only for 5 minutes).

Instead consider a few different new arrangements. One is to get a crib where you can take off one side of the crib and place it next to your bed. That way you can slowly start teaching your baby to sleep there. You can still be close to him, cuddle and pat him, but not have him between you and your husband. (Just make sure that the crib is fixed to your bed, so they can't become separated.)

Another possibility is to get a toddler bed or even a big matress on the floor in your baby's room and start teaching him to sleep there. You will probably have to sleep there quite a lot in the beginning, but if he learns to fall asleep there both for naps and at night, he will start feeling safe in that bed too.

A third possibility is to get a bigger family bed and continue co-sleep. If you put the bed next to the wall (if possible) you can still sleep next to your husband and the two of you can take turns sleeping nect to your son.

Jun 11, 2010

Nothing wrong and a few solutions! (Part 2)
by: Baby Help Line - Paula

(Had to continue here, because the answer got too long for the characters limit of 3000)

Finally, you can teach your son to sleep in his crib a gentle way. It will take more time than cry-it-out, but he (and you) will feel better.

Simply start putting him in the crib for both naps and night, but not until he is quite tired. He will of course protest. When he starts crying, take him up in your arms, confort him and tell him this is his bed now and that he will sleep sooo well in it. Put him down as soon as he stops crying. Then repeat this until he actually falls asleep in his crib. You can pat him, sing for him or what ever makes him accept to lie down in the crib.

The first night it may very well take 200 times before he accepts the crib. But give it a (exhausting!) week, take notes on how many times you had to take him up, and I am positive that you will see great improvement in how many times you need to take him up. After a while he will simply accept to fall asleep in the crib. Since you have to do this at night too, it might be too much at one time. Then start doing this for naps. When they work, do it for the evenings and nights.

To learn even more methods to improve your baby's sleep without the crying, I can really recommend the book The No-Cry Sleep Solution. It was my life savior whn I was an exhausting first time mom!

Hope this gives you a few ideas.

Warm wishes,

Paula

Jun 12, 2010

nothing wrong at all
by: Nanthini

You are not doing any mistake making your baby sleep with you. My son is 2.4 years old and still sleeps with me. Infact here in India, the kids sleep with parents till they are at least 10 years old and there is nothing wrong at all. In fact this is better for the kids because if they wake up at night they wont feel afraid and its easy for parents too to take the kid for night time peeing. (We completely stop using diapers for babies once they are 1.5 years old and teach them to tell when ever they want to pee or wanna go motion too).

Why dont you try getting a bigger bed so that you, your baby and your husband all sleep together?

Or try getting camp beds and shifting to floor so that the baby gets enough rolling space too (my son will roll all over the floor while sleeping and sometimes i have to get him from under the couch or tv stand at midnight).

Or remove one side of the handle of the crib and put it attached to the bed so that if your son rolls, he will either roll into the bed or to the crib...

I seriously dont think that anything is wrong in having your kid sleep with you.

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