Sleeping issues!!!!!

[M155Chelsea]

Hi everyone- i'm in desperate need of some advice- my DD is 14 months old and every night she wakes at about midnight and wont settle unless she come into our bed. my partner, dd or myself dont get a good nights sleep and i dont know how to get her to sleep in her own bed the whole night. this has been going on for a couple of months..... please help i dont want my daughter being a teenager still sleeping with us!!!!

[becster05]

Hi :wave:

I am certainly no expert, my little girl is only 4 months old, but have you tried giving her a brand new special bed time toy? I imagine she likes coming into bed with you because it is safe, warm and snuggly and who wouldnt prefer that to her own little bed. I noticed with my daughter that when I started letting her come into my bed in the morning that she started waking earlier and earlier and then not resettling until I put her in bed with us. So I nipped that in the bud and she has been sleeping in her own bed since. I am a little sad because I liked it too, but it was teaching her a bad habit that I didnt want to have to undo later!!

I would probably try and give her a new toy and explain to her that it is bed time in her own bed and leave her. When she starts crying, go in and settle her and try again. That way she will know she hasnt been abandoned, and then try the process again. It sounds bad but it may come down to the last man standing but over the course of a couple nights it will get better. I tried this with my daugher. I hated her crying herself to sleep so I kept putting her in her cot, cuddled her when she cried til she stopped and then would put her back in and do it all over when she cried til she fell asleep! it worked and now she self settles and knows that her cot isnt a bad place to be. Now she actually lets us know by wiggling and kicking until we put her down to sleep! Good luck! :goodvibes:

[M155Chelsea]

thank you so much for your advice i didnt even think of giving her a new toy. she has a little comfort blanket that she loves to sleep with too.

[babygizaiah]

Hi :wave:

I am certainly no expert, my little girl is only 4 months old, but have you tried giving her a brand new special bed time toy? I imagine she likes coming into bed with you because it is safe, warm and snuggly and who wouldnt prefer that to her own little bed. I noticed with my daughter that when I started letting her come into my bed in the morning that she started waking earlier and earlier and then not resettling until I put her in bed with us. So I nipped that in the bud and she has been sleeping in her own bed since. I am a little sad because I liked it too, but it was teaching her a bad habit that I didnt want to have to undo later!!

I would probably try and give her a new toy and explain to her that it is bed time in her own bed and leave her. When she starts crying, go in and settle her and try again. That way she will know she hasnt been abandoned, and then try the process again. It sounds bad but it may come down to the last man standing but over the course of a couple nights it will get better. I tried this with my daugher. I hated her crying herself to sleep so I kept putting her in her cot, cuddled her when she cried til she stopped and then would put her back in and do it all over when she cried til she fell asleep! it worked and now she self settles and knows that her cot isnt a bad place to be. Now she actually lets us know by wiggling and kicking until we put her down to sleep! Good luck! :goodvibes:

:iagree: ds went through a horrible teething stage and would only sleep with us. once his first tooth came through at 10.5mths its been bliss.

he is 14.5mths old and sleeps from 6pm til 8.30am everyday. what I have found is:

- he has his bedtime stuffed doggy that is used as his pillow (lets him know its bedtime)

- to help with separation anxiety I put one of my t-shirts in his cot so he can smell my scent and he also has one of our pillows of our bed haha.... that goes on his right arm and then he has his elephant that goes on his left arm. he will not sleep in his cot without.

we also goes down with a bottle. thats the only time he has a bottle.

[NonnyMouse]

DD went through a stage of that and what helped was putting a hot water bottle in her bed while I fed her so she had a nice warm bed to go back to.

We also would put her down, then tell her we'd be back in one minute to check on her. After ne minute, we'd go in and soothe her again and say we'd be back in one minute...

We continued with this, gradually going from one minute, to 2, 3, 5...

Eventually she would settle on her own knowing that we would always be coming back until she was asleep.

[becster05]

DD went through a stage of that and what helped was putting a hot water bottle in her bed while I fed her so she had a nice warm bed to go back to.

We also would put her down, then tell her we'd be back in one minute to check on her. After ne minute, we'd go in and soothe her again and say we'd be back in one minute...

We continued with this, gradually going from one minute, to 2, 3, 5...

Eventually she would settle on her own knowing that we would always be coming back until she was asleep.

I guess this approach works on the same premise of what we did. I think it is that feeling that mummy has abandoned me in bed and is not coming back. Babies liked to feel warm and safe and want to know that mummy is close by at all times which took me a little while to figure out. Once bub realised that I wasnt just leaving her by herself and that I would always come back if she was crying, she started to self-settle and be happy to go in her cot.

As I said, I am no expert, but I would have confidence that this type of approach would work with kids of most ages...

[M155Chelsea]

thank you everyone. i think i have just been getting frustrated because its not happening over night!