What age is best to start letting your infant sleep on their own?

Question

My husband and I co-slept with our seven month old until he was four mths. Then we let fall asleep with us and put him into his crib which was right beside our bed. Now we moved his crib back into his room and I was wondering if I should put him in his crib while he is awake and let him fall asleep like that or continue to just "put" him to sleep and then put him in his crib?

Answer 1

I know what you are saying, but eventually you will have to let them learn to fall asleep on their own. Before you know it they will be 2 years old and they will be saying, "I want to sleep in your room!" Believe me, I know that you don't want to mess up a good thing (your kid is asleep and you have time for yourself) but eventually you will have to teach them differently. I nurse mine to sleep and that will bring on a whole other set of problems when I wean. :-)
I would start a new bedtime routine. Maybe a bath, a book , and a lullaby and put them in bed awake. Do these things in the exact same order every night. The first night you probably will have a fight on your hands so make sure you don't start on a night that you are exhausted. Get yourself prepared. You should have 3 difficult nights and then they should start to understand the new routine. You didn't say how you were getting him to sleep now but if all it takes is tucking him in your bed, just tuck him in his crib and sit on the floor by the crib for a few days (after you do the bedtime routine)..eventually he will realize that book, song, etc... means NIGHT NIGHT! :-) Good Luck!

Answer 2

My son is 9 months old and he started falling asleep on his own at 4-5 months old. I never had his crib in my room, he's had his own room since he was born. During the day, I will still have to go in and tell him that it's time for night night and pat him on the back for a minute, and then I leave. I would definately start letting him go to sleep on his own. They say that some times when they have gone to sleep in the parents arms, and then wake up in their own crib, it scares them because it's not where they fell asleep.

Answer 3

All the experts I have heard say it is best to put them to bed awake. Let them cry for 5 min then go comfort with out picking them up, then 10 min. later go in, then 15, eventually they will fall asleep, but it takes a while. Usually about a week of no sleep for you. It is very hard to do. We put our son in his own room when he was 6 months old. It was hard, but we got through it. He is two now, and I can just put him down in his room after a little time in the rocking chair and he goes right to sleep. I also got the Ocean Wonders crib music thingy and played the same song every time I put him down to sleep. Now he turns it on himself for comfort and goes to sleep to it.

Answer 4

this will be tough but a very wise decision to put him in his bed now because the longer you wait the harder it will be to break start by doing it for naps and then at night pat his but and rub his back for 10 min then leave the room he will probably cry if he crys for longer than 10 min go back in but DONT PICK HIM UP,just comfort him let him no that its not a punishment .But for the first couple of weeks make sure that he is really desperate for sleep and by keeping him on a good schedule for naps and eating habit's have a lot to do with it also. then after that ween him to a time so he is prepared for it at 7 months 8-8:30 would be appropriate.

Answer 5

He is going to have to get used to sleeping by himself. I have 3 kids (21, 9 , 5). My 1st one I learned the hard way, I let her sleep with me until she was like 4 or 5. It was just her and I and yes she had her own room but it was easier not to fight with her about sleeping in her own bed.

My 2nd one, we let her sleep with us until she was like 2mths old. The only time that she slept with us after that was when she was sick or scared. She was diagnosed with Epilepsy when she was 2 so for the past 7 yrs when she has a bad night she comes and crawls in bed with me (my husband is a truck driver so again by myself with the kids, but no biggie cause I love em').

And last but not least my 3rd, was almost like my second but he doesn't have Epilepsy. If put him down in his crib at the same time every night he will eventually fall asleep on his own whether his bed is in your room or not. they have their own rooms now and are doing good.

Answer 6

They say that babies need to stay in their parents room until one year of age due to sids. I would start letting him fall asleep on his own because when he gets to be older it will be hell on you and him. He will probably cry for 3-7 nights because hes not use to it but he will get over it. I know a friend who let her first one sleep with them and he is nine years old and still gets in bed with her. With her second child she didnt make that mistake so her daughter doesnt crawl in the bed with them. When my son was six months old we put him in his crib in his own room and put him to bed when he is awake and now he just falls alseep when we put him in there. The problem is that we never let him sleep with us and now when we go out of town and he needs to sleep with us he wont. so we have to tote a playpen everywhere for him to sleep.

Answer 7

Let him scream and every 5 minutes check on him. Leave him in his crib and hes gotta get used to you not being there. I leave my 2 month old alone for at least 5 minutes and she'll fall right to sleep unless I can't get her to sleep because shes teething if its a stage in my life I hate, its the teething stage and she started way early than most babies.

Answer 8

My daughter is now 7 months old. She started sleeping in her own bed at about 4 months and by 5 months i was tired of trying to gently put her in her own bed after rocking her to sleep. The first few days were tough but after a week of consistency life was awesome. My daughter now lies down at 7:30 and is out no bottle or pacifier by 8pm. A great book to suggest is healthy sleep habits, happy baby. saved my sanity and my husbands

Answer 9

Why, why why do people sleep with their infants? I don't understand it at all. Put him in the crib, and let him cry. Say goodnight and sit next to the crib. DON"T talk to him, just sit there. Every night get closer to the door until you can leave.

Answer 10

Mine have always slept in their craddles/cribs in their room (their noises woke me up all the time) since day one. When one got older and wanted me to rock her to sleep or hold her or whatever, I put her to bed, but did not pick her up. I would rub her back, talk to her, etc. but NOT take her out. Yours is old enough to learn to go to sleep on his own. It may take time, but be patient.