Rocking to sleep

[simitude]

Okay so I rock my 7 month old to sleep. It's the only way short of feeding to sleep but he is also a catnapper so when I fed him to sleep I was feeding every 1.5 hrs. Anyway. He falls asleep within 3 minutes of rocking but then I can't put him down. He wakes, cries etc. if I try to settle him in the cot, patting whatever, he screams until he turns blue. Any suggestions/ideas why I can do! I have tried Cuddling him when he's in the cot. And he doesn't take a dummy. TIA

[breakthemould]

Hi, I could have written that post word for word about my 16 week old. We have a baby hammock (I made a Miyo style one) and its a miracle worker. Put her in it awake, bounce and sway it and she's asleep within minute - problem is that its still a sleep dependency so have to go and bounce it during sleeps and night sometimes but easier than picking her up and obviously means you aren't holding them all the time! If you are interested in the hammock idea I would suggest you google Happy Hangup Hammocks as apparently they can be used until toddlerhood! I'm in the process of buying one as ours is getting too small for DD.

[missie_mack]

Try wrapping her in a muslin cloth (not swaddling just wrapping) a lot of the time it is the loss of body heat that wakes them in my experience ;)

[simitude]

He is wrapped. I can getting to sleep no problem if I feed him, I'm just trying to find a way to break the sleeping in my arms association, IYKWIM.

[Lock and Lu]

How long are you waiting before putting him down? I always wait a few extra minutes to make sure DS is asleep before I put him down, so I know he's really, really asleep (my trick is to count slowly to 100). Then when I put him down I make sure I put a hand on him so there's still pressure there and continue patting/shhing for a bit longer.

My DS is rocked or fed to sleep for his naps/bedtime. He's 9.5 months and is starting to need less and less assistance. I am hoping in another month or so, he won't need help at all...

Other than that, I don't think I can help too much - sorry!

[Majestic Hiss]

Have you tried putting him down just *before* he falls asleep? I have found that to be most successful for us as he's too tired and sleepy to argue too much.

And have you tried a wheatpack or hot water bottle on the cot mattress? If he's going into a warm cot it might help?

Sounds like you have a determined little bubba who just loves his mum's arms! I still rock my DS or feed him for many of his sleeps but I can sometimes rub his back in the cot till he falls asleep.

[Stretched]

DD was a catnapper but good night sleeper and was nursed (til about 5 months), then rocked, to sleep until she was 1. For the record, after 1 she could totally self-settle for naps and bedtime - no patting etc, I stopped rocking because she was biting my arm when I did it.

For naps I would put her in a fisher price bouncer and bounce her to sleep - then moving her was not an issue. Also meant I could TRY to re-settle her once she stirred. But she was a super-catnapper and would wake with a smile and a giggle after 20 minutes ready for another 4 hours playing.

For night time I would do as PP said and just hold on to her until I really knew she was asleep - she'd usually let out a little sigh then go super-floppy. It took DH a bit longer to pick up on when she was 'really' asleep and he'd say to me "she's asleep, go put her in bed" I'd insist she wasn't really and sure enough when I tried to put her into her cot she'd scream and need to be rocked all over again.