Am I expecting too much??

**Manny** · 27-12-2011 16:56

Hi There

Just after some advice and experience please.

DD is 14 mths now. She has never been the easiest baby to settle, I dont have the baby that rolls over and goes to sleep. (In fact it simply AMAZES me when I see my niece and nephew do this and Im sooo jealous!!)
GENERALLY, we put her in her cot and she chats for an amount of time before dropping off. Sometimes she yells and whinges and we usually leave it, unless it sounds like she is upset - we go in and settle her and usually rock her off.

I would say 85 - 90% of the time she self settles herself. BUT, I never know how she is going to go down for her sleep and still at 14 mths I dont really like people being here when I have to put her to bed, just incase.

ANYWAY - last night we went to to MILs for dinner and 20 mth old niece was there too, we decided to put babies to bed before eating. Well we could not get DD down. (niece went to sleep easily!) DD was happy being rocked and sung to but cried as soon as we put her near the cot. She was in a strange room so I dont really blame her for that, and didnt want to leave her to whinge.
Eventually at 9.30 after dinner, I rocked her off in my arms and put her in the cot asleep.

Does anyone else have this problem and especially when you go out to peoples houses? Am I expecting too much that with a 14 mth old, surely I can take her to someonese house and put her to bed?

Sorry, my question turned into a big story.

I just thought by now we would have these issues sorted. We give her a milk before bed and we have her all calm in a dark room. And once shes asleep, she sleeps beautifully.

Thanks, look forward to hearing some other peoples experiences with this..

**mummaof4** · 27-12-2011 17:22

oh my gosh there is no way my kids would of slept anywhere when out and about past 6months unless they were absolutely knackered and would have to be in my arms.
i thought that was normal? lol

even now my 3yr old son would not handle a sleep over, he likes his routine and still wakes atleast once a night.

**jalibali** · 27-12-2011 17:31

I find it the other way around. All my kids have slept anywhere, till about 7-8 months. After this they become very aware of their surroundings and it is virtually impossible to put them down anywhere but their own cots.

We move all family dinners to 6pm, everyone comes at about 5, we eat, then it's all over by 8 pm. Then we change them into their pajamas, they will usually fall asleep in the car and then we just stick them in bed once we are home.

**Laksa** · 27-12-2011 17:45

My kids both needed my help to get to sleep until they were over 2

If I'd wanted to put them to bed at someone else's house, I would have had to either lay with them or go for a walk with the pram!

**Lock and Lu** · 27-12-2011 18:11

My DD was pretty good at rolling over and going to sleep at that age but always needed help if we were at someone else's house/new surroundings. There's no harm in rocking her to sleep and putting her down asleep-especially if she then sleeps well.

**Bubbles10** · 27-12-2011 19:09

My 20 month old needs help getting to sleep, and it was only last weeks that she first went to sleep at a different house. She was buggered, but i still had to lie with her and feed her to sleep. Normally, she will just keep going and going until we are in the car or at home.

Your LO sounds like she is doing fine.

**captainscaptain** · 27-12-2011 19:12

Ds is only 8 months but if I'm out or at someone elses house then its boob,pram or car. And even then he will wait until hes completely pooped. It used to embarass me but now I couldn't care less. No crying equals happy mommy