N.P.
Hi Lanta, what can I say...I've been exactly where you are right now!! I know how you feel. I kept my daugther in bed b/c I was breast feeding and it made things easier on me, it was great then. Then right around 9 months old it got to be too much on me. I had no space, she was moving around a lot, my hubby had no space...I was ready. So I spoke to friends to get advice...and finally started to put her in her crib at night. The only thing I can say is be strong. Change your routine to getting up to comfort her/nurse her back to sleep and then always lay her back in her crib. It is hard at first b/c your little girl will scream when you leave and maybe even cry for a long while. All you want to do is what you know works, you know that if you take her to bed with you she'll stop crying, she'll sleep and you will sleep too. She is upset b/c she is used to being right with you for the first 8 months of her life. You must be strong though, your doing this for you, her and your hubby. I used to use a little kitchen timer in my room and set it for like 10 min. I would let her cry it out for that long then I'd go back in and rock/soothe/nurse her asleep again, then lay her in the crib. It was not easy at first, but I think there were 2-3 bad days of this and then you re-train them. I also have a glider in her room and would keep the room pitch black (night lite only) when i would go in there to care for her in the middle of the night. The other great thing a good friend told me was, "The longer you wait to do it, the harder it will become." And that is so true! The older she gets she will be much more aware and much more against sleeping anywhere but with you, next to you. I remember dreading the day I would have to move my girl to her crib for night time b/c I knew it would be hell! But i am so glad i stuck it out and did it. now she is 16 months old and sleeps in her room. I guess she started to sleep in her room at about 9.5 months. Bear in mind it was not always perfect. We would have setbacks. Whenever we went somewhere on a trip out of town, her routine was gone, at a hotel for example, she would start in a porta-crib then end up in bed with us each night. And whenever we got back home from that trip the 1st 1-2 days back were hell again. But each time we stuck to it and she would always fall back into the crib routine like a champ. They need that reinforcement from you. They'll figure it out ...after they see you walk out of the room time after time. I am here for ya if you need any further advice...this issue has a special place in my heart b/c i was there not too long ago. **oh one other thing i did at first I took my pillow case off my pillow and laid it flat in her crib where her face went so she could smell me, or use a t-shirt whatever has your smell on it...it may help with her transition.