Putting 2 month old to bed?

Question

i made the mistake of putting my baby in bed with us when he was a few weeks old, now he is 2 months old and i want him to start sleeping in his bed, but he dont want to, he cries..i feel like a bad mom for letting him cry. but is it ok to let him cry himself to sleep or what should i do?

Answer 1

Swaddle him and put him in the bed when he's almost asleep. Or you could try letting him sleep in a swing. I let my first sleep with me and she's just now starting to sleep in her own bed at 3. My second has been sleeping in his own bed and through the whole night since he was 6wks old. We just started putting him in there when he was about to go to sleep. Swaddled him and plugged him with a pacifier. It's nice. lol.

Answer 2

you are not a bad mom for letting him cry--and at least you admit your mistake in starting the bad habit of having him sleep wtih you. YOu MUST let him cry. Make sure his tummy is full, his diaper is clean, and he's sleepy. Then put him down after a short bedtime routine and don't go back till the next feeding (presumably he still wakes to eat once during the ngiht at that age, which is appropriate.) The harder part will be to REPEAT this process at 3am after the feeding--but you MUST do it if you are going to succeed. By the way, where does he sleep during the day? If he never ever uses his crib, you might want to start this whole crying it out thing for a NAP instead of at night; then when he's used to it during the day, perhaps it will be an easier transition at night.

Answer 3

It's really all about what you feel comfortable doing. If you are consistant and you put the baby to bed in the crib every night, eventually he will get used to it. If he cries for a while you may want to come and comfort him because babies that young need to know that they are secure. Some mothers are ok with the "cry it out" method and others are not...I think it's a personal choice. I do think that it's important not to really stress an issue this early on because the baby is still very young.

Answer 4

I wouldn't let him cry himself to sleep. Put him in his crib, make sure it's very dark in his room, and try to have some "white noise" in the background (we use an air filter). Every few minutes, go in and console him by patting him or speaking softly. Try to do this until he falls asleep. It's a lot of work and it will not work overnight, but it's much better than letting a little 2-month old cry himself to sleep.

You also may want to try a pacifier and/or swaddling. He's still young enough to try swaddling. Good luck!

Answer 5

Oh lord, we're having sleep problems with our 3 month old. I finally weaned him from our bed, but i let my son lead the way. Now i have to rock him every night.

So here's my advice: you can do whatever you want with your child, if you feel like you want to let him cry himself to sleep, do it. But be warned that you might not be able to take it and it might not be the best thing for your son. Our son cannot do the cry-it-out method. He screams for hours and throws up, which is not healthy. Unfortunantely nothing works for our son and we're forced to do what he wants (rock him to sleep, a pacifier, etc.). We just have to take comfort in the fact that one day things will get better.

What has helped is a bedtime routine. He gets bath, ba-ba, and then bed at around the same time every night. Even if he doesn't go to sleep then, he knows that after his bath and ba-ba, it's bed time.

This may not have helped you much, but good luck!

Answer 6

If you're unsure about simply letting him "cry it out," you could try a gradual transition. Start by letting him sleep in a cradle or even his car seat in your room, then move the cradle to his room or put the car seat in his crib after a few nights/weeks (whatever works). Finally, once he's comfortable in his own room, you can start letting him sleep in his crib (start with naps first, if he seems reluctant).

A bit of a routine helps as well. For our daughters, we swaddled them, laid them down, turned on the mobile, said goodnight and LEFT. Don't linger or keep coming back, or he'll never learn to sleep on his own.

This worked for all three of our children, each of whom slept in our room the first few weeks/months and then moved to their own rooms - and continued to sleep through the night -- with no problems.

Good luck!

Answer 7

Don't listen to the first answerer. Co-sleeping has no benefits, no matter what people tell you. It's nothing but a bad habit.

Second of all, you are NOT a bad mother for letting him cry! I hate to say it but the bad parents are the ones who never let their kids cry.

Lay him down in his bed and try to soothe him to sleep. He's only 2 months old so it should be easy (might take a few nights, but he'll get used to it).

The longer you let him sleep in your bed, the harder it will be to put him in his own bed. Good luck and God bless :-)

Answer 8

I think its important to make a distinction between abnormal and normal crying.

Abnormal crying times include: during feedings, immediately after feedings, and times when a baby wakes early out of a sound nap. Crying during these times requires attention, and child should not be allowed to "cry it out"

Normal crying times include: just before a feeding, when a baby is put down for a nap, and during the late afternoon/early evening period. The type of crying you are asking about is when going down for a nap. The duration of this type of crying is set by the child, but monitored by the parent. The American Academy of Pediatrics recognizes that: "Many babies cannot fall asleep without crying and will go to sleep more quickly if left to cry for a while. The crying shouldn't last long if the child is truly tired."

It is not unusual for a sleeping baby to occassionally begin whimpering or crying softly in the middle of a nap. Again, the words of the American Academy of Pediatrics are helpful in understanding what is going on. "Sometimes you may think your baby is waking up when she's actually going through a phase of very light slumber. She could be squirming, startling, fussing, or even crying--and still be asleep. Or she may be awake but on the verge of drifting off again if left alone. Don't make the mistake of trying to comfort her during these moments; you'll only awaken her further and delay her going back to sleep. Instead, if you let her fuss and even cry for a few minutes, she'll learn to get herself to sleep without relying on you." The Academy goes on to say that "some babies actually need to let off energy by crying in order to settle into sleep or rouse themselves out of it. As much as fifteen to twenty minutes of fussing won't do you child any harm. Just be sure she's not crying out of hunger or pain, or because her diaper is wet."

Identifying and knowing your baby's cry patterns and disposition (personal style) will hepl you learn to discern real needs.

This is for babies as young as a couple of weeks old.
Source(s):

"On Becoming Babywise" by Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam, M.D.

Answer 9

You could always have his bed by yours, so that if you're worried and he cries, atleast you knows he's okay, but yeah it's hard to hear them cry and not pick them up. You're not a bad mom, I'd do the same thing.

Answer 10

I DONT think you should let the baby cry..it can lead to popping the belly button and lots of stress...Why do it to a 2 month old? Time goes SOO fast and your child will be in their own bed and you will miss your baby not snuggling with you...It doesnt last forever,,,enjoy it while you can!!