any idea on how to get my seven month old to go to sleep in his bed without all the screaming?

Question

we always end up rocking him or something im tired of it my arms are killing me plz anything hell cry for more than an hour i tried letting him cry it out i cant handle it any longer than that

Answer 1

Step one: get him to sleep any way possible. Driving, stroller walks, rocking, Baby Einstein, whatever. Do the same thing every night and at naptime. Make sure he gets plenty of daytime naps, too. Sleep begets sleep.
Step two: Start an easy bedtime routine. Ours is pick up toys, bath, jammies, comb hair, snack, stories, brush teeth, get in bed. Do these things every night, in the correct order before rocking or however baby falls asleep.
Eventually, the routine will cue baby that it is time for bed and he will need you less at bedtime. Don't let anyone bully you into making him cry! You don't have to make him cry in order to get him sleeping in his crib. Good luck.

Answer 2

I do not believe in letting a baby cry it out ever.,but to each their own.Have you read the Baby Whisperer?I read it and the author suggest a method called pick up/put down.I was not a fan of this either but when my daughter started this at about 6 and half months i decided to try it.It works for me most of the time,not all.Even when she does not want to go for a nap but is very tired and the pu/pd method does not work I take her outside for about 2 minutes for some fresh air(as long as it is not too cold where you are)and then she will for some reason lay right down and go to sleep!I hope these couple ideas may help a bit!Good luck!

Answer 3

Please don't abandon your baby! He is so little, so new to the world, so dependent upon you. He is not trying to win, or manipulate you or control you--as some very misguided people are trying to tell you. He is a BABY! Crying it out is cruel and does actually hurt babies--psychologically and other ways. Try to think about it from their perspective. We are biologically DEPENDENT upon adults because we are totally helpless and vulnerable as babies.

There is a new study in a SCIENTIFIC magazine that shows that co-sleeping is beneficial, and actually the NORM around the world. It also asserts that crying it out can harm your baby. Check it out:

http://discovermagazine.com/1992/apr/areasonablesleep25

Also buy "The No-cry Sleep Solution". I am reading it now for this baby and I used it with my first baby. Lots ot good ideas for teaching your baby how to sleep, without abandoning him and ignoring his cries.

Babies don't know what sleep is, they have to learn. Abandoning your baby will not teach him good sleeping habits. It only creates fear, insecurity, mistrust, etc. You need to give him POSITIVE sleep associations--surrounded by love and comfort. Then you can gradually get him used to it.

There is a reason why breastfeeding puts our baby to sleep--it works well and very quickly! I highly recommend it for the first year of baby's life, and you can keep teaching him about sleep along the way. I breastfed, rocked, soothed my first baby to sleep and he is now almost 6 and DOES NOT control me or expect me to rock him to sleep now (as some people have said). He sleeps through the night very solidly and is a very secure healthy outgoing boy.

Your baby may be going through something right now--teething, growth spurt, some kind of anxiety, that is making him need extra cuddles and time with Mom. Just go with the flow and he will get better and better at sleeping.

Good luck!

Answer 4

that's what we do, my son is 15 months. i'm getting him very drowsy the two by making use of rocking or purely snuggling on the settee, then I lay him in his crib. If he fusses, I rub his abdomen or back, reckoning on how he makes a decision he's going to sleep, and tell him its ok. As he starts to nod off, I back removed from the crib a pair steps. If he wakes, I permit him understand i'm there yet that he desires to pass nighttime nighttime. progressively this technique takes much less and much less time and there'll be much less and much less tears. Its no longer particularly the cry it out approach and it kind of feels to artwork for us. If he cries for extra beneficial than a pair minutes, I generally %. him up and love on him, yet I permit him cry a sprint and love on him, yet i do no longer %. him up generally. good success

Answer 5

Don't let your baby cry it out. All you are teaching your baby is that their cries (which is the only way they can communicate their fear/ discomfort/ etc.) are useless. It diminishes their self-confidence in themselves and their trust in mom and dad. A baby's first year of life is spent developing trust in mom, dad, themselves, and others, and by letting them CIO, you are seriously hindering this development. You are also making bedtime into a "bad" thing.

What I suggest is, keep putting your baby to sleep. Sit in a chair and rock, so your arms don't get tired. Or, lay down in your bed with him until he falls asleep. After that, lay him down in his crib (which should still be in your room, according to the American Acadamy of Pediatrics). If he wakes, try patting him or rubbing his back to help him fall back asleep. It may take awhile for him to get used to it, but soon, he will just sleep in there on his own.
Another suggestion; try co-sleeping. My baby and I lay down at bedtime, she nurses, goes to sleep, and sleeps peacefully all night long. I can get up after she's sleeping and do whatever I need to, then head to bed when I want. I've put my mattress on the floor, and only use scant covers. Check out Dr.Sears website on safe co-sleeping www.askdrsears.com

Answer 6

But you MUST handle the crying for "longer than that" if you are going to solve this problem. By letting him cry for an hour and then GIVING IN, you are reinforcing the behavior you want to stop! You have to get the guts to let him cry till he falls asleep, no matter how long it takes. Then, each time after, it will take less and less time of crying until he is re-trained to go to sleep in his bed without bothering to cry at all because his bad habit will be broken. DON'T RESPOND. End of problem (in a week or two).

Answer 7

my son didnt sllep thru the night til he was 8 months old and i went thru exactly the same thing u r going thru. if u r sure he is not hungry, wet, dirty nappy, in pain etc then u are just gonna have to leave him to cry himself to sleep. it took my boy about 2 weeks of cryin himself to sleep every night. it was hell while it was goin on but it was the only way he was going to learn to sleep at sleep time. he is now 18 months old and finally sleeps all the way thru the night. Be persistant, if u have a partner take turns being awake while ur baby cries. go to another room so u can get some sleep. good luck with that.

Answer 8

Get him to sleep first then put him to bed, you may sit on the sofa, watch TV, and hold him in your arms while he drops off

Answer 9

try playing classical music or "baby" classical music (classic music that's baby friendly).....its very soothing and relaxing. i think that your baby is sensing that you're frustrated that he won't fall asleep. if you become frustrated, the baby will become frustrated. just be calm and relax....don't allow yourself to get frustrated. it may take some time for the baby to fall asleep.

for a while my nephew was the same way when he was a baby when he came to visit (obviously with my sister and brother in law- his parents). we decided to try the baby classical music and it helped. my nephew's now 3 years old and to this day, he still listens to the baby classical music.

Answer 10

My baby is 4 mo. old, and she was colicy the first few mo. after birth.
*lavender lotion/bath products
*sometimes you have to walk them, i know you dont' like it, but try...
* mylicon for colicky or gassy
*they like a bath to relax them before bed 1 hr before bedtime.
sometimes they just dont' feel good(ma and pa) so they need cuddles. :) but i find most of the above techniques work
Good luck