Our baby girl is starting to develop crib issues?

Question

She is almost 9 months old. She can sleep in the crib when she is really dead tired........but if she realizes she is being put in the crib, she wakes up right away and throws almost a mini-crying tantrum. She also fights going to sleep so much at night. Is there something that will calm her down a little before we want to put her sleep for the night?

Answer 1

My friend gives her son a nightly bath and feeds him right before bed. I guess the bath and food makes him sleepy for bed.

Answer 2

My baby is also nearing 9 months old. In some ways this is a good thing because it means that she's gaining the ability to foresee what comes next (i.e. first I go in the crib, then mom/dad leaves). So try to keep in mind that being able to anticipate what comes next is an important developmental stage.

First, I think you should try to avoid her being "dead tired" before going into the crib. At the first signs of drowsiness (for us that sign is crankiness) put her down in her crib awake and allow her to fall asleep on her own. I'm not opposed to letting mine cry it out, if you are opposed it may be a bit harder because there may be some crying. It may make you feel a bit better about cry it out to know that the American Academy of Pediatrics acknowledges that some babies seem to need to cry for a few minutes to help settle into sleep. Anyhow, at this point my daughter rarely cries for more than about 30 seconds before she calms.

At night, have a clear bedtime routine which may include some or all of the following: bath, massage, books, snuggling, singing, or other family ritual. Our night time routine takes about 30 minutes and does not include a nightly bath because our daughter has eczema, but we read 3-4 books and then snuggle and then place her in her crib for songs (since I'm in a sharing mood we sing "Me and You" by the Turtles, and Rod Stewart's "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You"). Nap time should include an abbreviated version of the night time routine to signal that nap time will come next.

I think one of the keys is not letting her get to an overtired state, that will only work to exacerbate her not wanting to lay down. When our son was that age his bedtime was 6pm, our daughter goes to bed at 8pm. So pick a time that works well for your child, including what time the family will wake up in the morning to allow for a long sleep period. Babies this age should still be sleeping 14-15 hours per day between naps and night time sleep.

Answer 3

First, it is clear she is calling the shots. You decide where she sleeps. Do you want that to be the crib? If so, that is where she sleeps.

You can try and reassure if she is crying, but giving in to her only shows her what a powerful tool she has.

Putting an asleep child in the crib is unfair to her. Can you imagine awakening somewhere having no knowledge of how you got there?

I like cribs and I believe in crying it out. If you agree with that philosophy, you may like "The Baby Whisperer" or Dr Ferber's book.

Ultimately, you need to come up with a plan and stick to it. You are now at the parenting part of the game. Good luck.

Answer 4

Well the one thing you dont want to do is bring her to bed with you because if you do you will regret it sooo much. I had the same issue when my son was 9 months and i was 2 or 3 months pregnant at the time and working and i was soo tried that i just didnt want to deal with it... now my son is 15 months and he will not sleep in his crib, or his big boy bed. He sleeps with my husband and I and its the worst thing ever. You never have husband and wife time at night in bed and you always have someone bugging you. Most of the ppl on here are gonna tell you to let her have her little crying tantrum's but i dont believe that...although it does work. Ive tried it but as soon as i brought him back in bed with me it was broken! GOOD LUCK

Answer 5

You could try a warm bath, and maybe a story in a dim room before bed. Try lying her down on her side, then rolling her onto her back after she's in the crib. That will reduce the falling sensation, and hopefully make it easier to lay her down.

Answer 6

My problem was when I was a baby, I would not want to let go of my mom. So my mom put her nightgown in my crib after wearing it for a good 15-30 minutes. Babies develop knowing who their mom is by recognizing the smell, you see? So try that and see what your wife thinks :] I hope this helps

Answer 7

We co-sleep- and it seems a few people who have answered haven't tried it. All of ours were in a bed of their own by aged 2. Our oldest- 2.5 years.

Use a bedtime routine- bath, story, bed.
Use music- our kids listen to beethoven and bach. There are some good lullaby C.D's on the market.

Stick to a routine and she'll get there.

Answer 8

try giving her a relaxing bath before bed. get her cuddled into bed and read her a story or play some soft music. or you can just let her cry it out. she knows now that when she crys you will come to the rescue. once she realizes you arent going to come running everytime she makes a peep she will calm down and fall asleep. it wont hurt her to let her cry. good luck.