Okay.....as mentioned in a previous very scattered post, we are transitioning to a crib from the travel yard and the little one doesn;t adapt to change easily. He is having a hard time going back to sleep after he wakes up so he stands up holding the side of crib and crying so desperately. Last nigth when we woke up for the 2nd time I went into his room and just stood by him and the crib and didn;t pick him up - encouraging him to go back to sleep (modified CIO per Tracy Hogg - worked for us in the past). He just cried for an hour and then I couldn't take it anymore.....instead of picking him up and basically having made him cry for no reason, I climbed inside his crib and within minutes he was sleeping again........I was worried that I was going to break the crib (simple not the one that converts to toddler bed). Now I would like to put him in his crib when he is partially awake and possibly climb in there with him for the next couple of days until he gets used to the idea...and then I can just stand outside and lay my hand on his back and slowly not even do that - I know easier said than done!
The question is - do you think this approach will work and secondly has anyone broken their crib doing this????
thanks!!!!
I won't ever sleep there.......just get in for 10 minutes or less..............so no fear of suffocation.......
Thank you ladies ......it seems your responses were pretty unanimous in that I shouldn't get in the crb....feels like a silly idea now that you say it.....that is probably why I hadn't even brought it up to my husband :-) last night went pretty well so the modifed CIO from the night before worked. The little one (15 mos old) slept at 9:00 on the makeshift bed on the floor - fell asleep on his own though I was there....and then woke up around 5 (10 hours since his last meal) so I fed him and he went right back to sleep and woke up at 8.........works for me!!! I will certainly try to put him in the crib sleepy but not asleep and then put my hand on him through the rails - that sounds like so much more reasonable then getting in the crib!!!!!!
How old is he...year or so...all three of my kids slept in a twin size bed on the floor from 13mo and on...could you just do the same?
We moved so much when my son was younger than one that we went right to a twin mattress on the floor of his room. Baby gate at his door. That way, if I needed to cuddle him, I could fit on the bed. If I fell asleep, I was comfortable. I even put a crib mattress next to the twin so if he rolled out, he landed on the mattress. It worked quite well.
Holy Mother...I would NEVER climb into a crib!! We would end up in a pile of wood in two seconds flat!
I think it's a bad idea. Then he just gets used to sleeping in his crib with mom. Keep doing the modified cry it out.
L.
um no, he needs to go to bed alone......you will make things worse by going to bed with him.....even for 10 minutes, he will wake up when he realizes you are not there & this will be a vicious cycle, you are setting him up for failure
He will get used to you doing thing and cry until you do. Do not do it....If you have to lay on the floor and put your hand through the rails. He obviously needs to learn how to put himself to sleep...it is totally a learned behavior. You need to slowly move out of the room. You will regret it if you continue to give in. They totally learn that if they continue to cry...you will do what they want.
Get yourself a travel cot (like you would for camping) and put it next to the crib so if you need to rest next to him, you can do so. I used to sit near DD's crib and put my hand through the bars, just resting on her back. It's also easier to escape if you are not IN the crib.
ok so, I think so because my friends husband routinely did this. Personally, I think it's a little crazy. If you have to do this, then you probably need to try something else instead. I mean...think about it...you're in a baby's crib. With the baby.
Does he need to transition out of his play yard? If so, can you take the mattress, sheet, mobile, anything out of his play yard and put it in the crib? Sorry it's rough. Trial and error.
This is why we never used a crib. It is so easy to get them to go back to sleep when you're lying right next to them. They just feel so safe and secure lying next to Mommy or Daddy.
Have you considered skipping the crib altogether? You could place a twin size mattress on the floor. Our boys co-slept with us until they were about 16 months old, and then they slept on a twin size mattress on the floor. It was really nice because we knew they couldn't fall down and get hurt and we could snuggle with them until they fell asleep.
No, I wouldn't risk it...that would make him terrified of the crib if it collapsed with you 2 in it. Also, seeing you climb over rails will give him ideas you don't want him to have for a LONG time.
If the crib is not the kind that converts to an adult bed, I think there is a good possibility that you will break it. Take a look at the brackets that hold the springs. They are usually just stuck in a slit in the wood or attached with shallow screws. Your weight would cause the bracket to split the wood.
I would be more worried about suffocating my baby. It's not like a bed, where many safety measures can be taken. I would think climbing in the crib would be a very unsafe practice and not recommended, at all.
I wouldn't climb into the crib. The crib is not intended for the weight of an adult and you may be damaging the crib unknowingly. You don't want the crib screws to get loose or stripped because you are doing this and have it collapse when you are not there.
I did the CIO method at 7 months and my daughter is a great sleeper and was completely night potty trained at 3 years. Some people don't believe in it, but it only took 3 nights for her to understand her routine had changed and everything was ok. You cannot be in the room for CIO. They know how to work you and know you can't handle it when they cry.
Good luck!
Most cribs have weight-limits. I would find the instructions either in your house or online and check to see if you fit under the weight limit.
I think it depends on how heavy you are I suppose! Im sure there must be a weight limit on those cribs, probably a 100 lbs or so. If your child is old enough maybe you could get a twin bed
No, no, and no. Do not climb into the crib. And not because I'm worried you will break the bed. You are re-enforcing behavior you are trying to correct. ALL babies must learn to self soothe at some point, some babies take longer to master this skill. When my now 5 year old was a baby, he would not sleep in his crib very long without waking up and crying. He wanted to be held. What I wish I had done was put him into my bed with me (I'm not opposed to sharing my bed with baby) but instead I would take turns with my husband sleeping with our son, holding him in our arms out in the living room on the couch. We did this for several months and no, I am not a supporter of the CIO method but one night I had had about enough of this waking up every single night just to end up on the couch that I put my son back into his crib and I let him cry. It just about tore my heart out to listen to my poor baby cry....all because he just wanted to be held. For pete's sake, I could have put him into my bed, let him snuggle between his daddy and I, and we would have all gotten sleep. Hindsight is always so much clearer! In any case, you don't mention how old baby is. Baby could be suffering from some kind of separation anxiety. Maybe he needs a night light. My second child woke up every single night, crying for me and it was 6 months like this of this until somebody suggested a night light. It worked wonders! Turned out that she was waking up, realizing she was in the dark and was afraid. Try a night light, see if it helps. Crawling into the crib is a bad habit. It will be hard to break and it will not help your baby one bit.
What worked for us: Putting our baby down in the crib while she was sleepy but not quite asleep. Then I would sit on the floor next to the crib, reach one arm through the crib slats and lay a hand on her gently and not move, talk or engage her at all. She knew I was there and would go to sleep. If she woke in the night I would do the same and it was very fast getting her back to sleep. Its' important not to talk or engage, but to be in some physical contact; however I would not get into a crib with a child. That will make it much longer before your little one is able to fall asleep on his own. We did the "touch-to-sleep" for quite a while (maybe from about three months, when she left the bassinet for the crib, until maybe eight or 10 months? I can't recall) and it was special for me too, to be sitting in the dark with her little self there under my hand. When she went from crib to toddler bed we also did a phase where I would sit in the hallway outside her door; she could see me there but I wasn't in the room; I stayed until she was asleep at first, then I would stay for maybe 15 minutes and leave; then the times got shorter and shorter until she could get into the bed awake and stay there and go to sleep. No drama.
If you get into the crib for "the next couple of days" as you suggest I think you'll find you're doing it much longer than just a few days. I'd try the hands-on but silent approach and stay until he's asleep, for now. Do sit on the floor to do it --it will encourage him to lie down to be closer to where you are. If you stand up next to the crib, he likely will want to stand up IN the crib to be closer to your level.
Updated
What worked for us: Putting our baby down in the crib while she was sleepy but not quite asleep. Then I would sit on the floor next to the crib, reach one arm through the crib slats and lay a hand on her gently and not move, talk or engage her at all. She knew I was there and would go to sleep. If she woke in the night I would do the same and it was very fast getting her back to sleep. Its' important not to talk or engage, but to be in some physical contact; however I would not get into a crib with a child. That will make it much longer before your little one is able to fall asleep on his own. We did the "touch-to-sleep" for quite a while (maybe from about three months, when she left the bassinet for the crib, until maybe eight or 10 months? I can't recall) and it was special for me too, to be sitting in the dark with her little self there under my hand. When she went from crib to toddler bed we also did a phase where I would sit in the hallway outside her door; she could see me there but I wasn't in the room; I stayed until she was asleep at first, then I would stay for maybe 15 minutes and leave; then the times got shorter and shorter until she could get into the bed awake and stay there and go to sleep. No drama.
If you get into the crib for "the next couple of days" as you suggest I think you'll find you're doing it much longer than just a few days. I'd try the hands-on but silent approach and stay until he's asleep, for now. Do sit on the floor to do it --it will encourage him to lie down to be closer to where you are. If you stand up next to the crib, he likely will want to stand up IN the crib to be closer to your level.
I did that with my oldest a few times. It all depends on how much you weigh. I would have never done it with my youngest cause i was much heavyer. I would not do it too long cause the extra weight over time will weaken it but I would think it should be ok for a short time to get him back on track!
Good luck and God Bless!
I dont think you will break the crib. My child's crib is now a toddler bed, and I get in with her and my son - between the three of us its @ 180 pounds- and we are in there playing.
I think if you are happy with the arrangement, keep doing it. I wouldnt want either of my children to cry for an hour, even if I knew they would eventually give up and go to sleep. I went to both of my children if they cried more than 15 minutes, and now, at 2 and 3, they both go to sleep on their own and sleep through the night, no problem. I felt like my kids were babies for such a short time and I could suffer through a couple of extra months of interrupted sleep if it meant that they were not crying desperately for me.
Everyone has different opinions on what is "right" but it is really what works for your family and what works for you.
Do not sleep in his crib with him! That is absurd. Most likely when he cried for an hour he was on the verge of stopping and laying down. He needs to go in the crib when he is awake and then do a modified CIO. We did that with our daughter and it only took a few nights before she was sleeping on her own all night.
wow. where did you find a crib sturdy enough and big enough that a fully grown adult human can climb in and lay down? I'm just amazed.
