I need advice QUICK! Putting baby to sleep!!!?

Question

My son is almost 9 months old. I've never really had much of a problem with him falling asleep. I always tried to put him down drowsey, so he falls asleep on his own. When he has cried, i try to check back every 5-10 minutes, give him a pat, and leave the room again.

How do I get him to fall asleep, other then let him cry it out?

What do I do so I dont feel so GUILTY for letting him cry? It breaks my heart.... PLEASE GIVE SUGGESTIONS!

Thanks to all who responded.
Finally.. he got to sleep.. after daddy rocked him.. i guess daddys chest just isnt as soft as mommys!
I will definately use the suggestions given! Thanks!

Answer 1

my son has NEVER been a good sleeper! Some of our best tricks are:

swaddling! - he may seem too old, but my son is 18 months and when he was sick a few weeks ago I tried it again out of desperation and sure enough it worked!

rocking with bottle
laying down with him
sing songs
read a story
let him take his fav stuffed animal to bed
white noise
ceiling fan - my son has a thing for them though...so may not work as well for your child

Good luck! I know how frustrating it is when the baby won't sleep!

p.s. I tried the cry it out thing too. All kids are different. It must work for some, but my son cried for 3 hours and was so hysterical he couldn't breathe. You know your child. Don't let anyone else tell you that you are parenting wrong because something that worked for their kid doesn't work for yours.

Answer 2

Try playing soft music in his room or place an interesting light (one with colors or shapes---even a lava lamp) within his view while he is in his crib---just make sure it isn't within his reach. Sometimes this is enough to keep a baby's attention until they drift off to sleep. You could even record yourself singing a song for him and play it when you put him down. If all else fails, you can do what I did and hold or rock him every night. I know this is against all advice that is written in the baby books and magazines but it is very hard to listen to your baby cry and not do anything for him. Besides, he will only be a baby for a short amount of time so why not make it as enjoyable as possible for the both of you. You really have to come to a point where you do what works for you and your baby---no matter what everyone else tells you to do. Good luck!!!

Answer 3

Hi! I'm a mom of 4 and I've always believed in co-sleeping when they need it. All the kids went through a stage of needing more cuddles before bed. Sometimes we'd have cuddles and then turn on the baby aquarium to distract from me leaving the room if I couldn't lie with them.

If you don't want to co-sleep, there are other things you can do. Routine is really good at this stage. Bath, reading/songs, and then I lie with them until they are drowsy. After awhile, there's no tears when you leave their room and they're still awake.

I've never been able to leave my child to cry to sleep. If they needed me, I was there. Many people argue that the kids are not independent then but my kids are independent... it depends on who you ask on this view. 9 months is really young - he needs his mommy for extra cuddles and security.

You might want to get a night light and perhaps some quiet toys that have lights. I have a little winnie the pooh lantern that has fireflies that chirp.

Answer 4

my son is almost 9 months and i STILL cannot use the cry it out method. his cry would start to sound like a hurt cry and i could not do it!

he usually just needed me to put him back asleep. i would lay him on the bed beside me and he would fall asleep then i would put him in the crib. sometimes i would just pick him up and he'd fall asleep then i would lay him down again.

try different methods but make sure you are consistent. at least a week. if it works thats great if not try something new. do what works best for you and your baby.

Answer 5

Sorry to everyone who says "crying out is the best way." I do not believe in letting a baby cry him or herself to sleep. Ever. That just sounds cruel! Would you like to be left all alone to cry? No we wouldn't, and we're adults!

With my baby, I have a routine, as so many mentioned above. But for me, I think the key is to adapt to the situation. If I can see that she is drowsy enough, I know to put her down and she can soothe herself to sleep. She has a favorite toy that she chews on, and this soothes her. But when she is restless or otherwise, I hold her, rock her, sing to her, nurse her etc. until she falls asleep. This usually takes only about ten minutes, so for me it is not a big deal.

I think you have to wean them from falling asleep on you, somewhat like weaning from the breast or bottle - gradually and appropriately.

Answer 6

Has your son reached a major milestone recently? That can interfere with thier sleep.

My daughter was great at falling asleep on her own. After her bath, pj's and book, I'd put her in her crib awake but sleepy and she'd roll onto her side and drift off. That is until she learned how to crawl (8 1/2 months). That milestone interferred with her ability to settle herself. I had to start putting her to bed asleep. Then that stopped working and for a few nights (when *all* else failed and my nerves were shot) I resorted to letting her cry it out and settle herself. I was lucky though; she was settled and asleep within 10-15 minutes. I did learn something while letting herself settle on her own though....she was able to calm herself when she laid on her tummy. Ever since then, she's been a tummy sleeper. So now, I still rock her to sleep but now put her to bed on her tummy and she's back to going to bed without a hitch (knock on wood).

I guess my point is that if you do have to resort to letting him CIO, pay attention to what helps him settle himself and see if you can incorporate that into your routine so that he doesn't have to CIO every night. GL.

Answer 7

What worked best for me was singing lullabys to my daughter or rocking her for about 10-15 minutes. Hope this helps! And your a mother, we always feel guilty leaving them to cry, but the first time I went back to pick up my daughter again (which she WAS sick and she couldn't get to sleep unless I rubbed her back) I ended up doing that for almost two years because she got used to it and would cry FOREVER (or so it seemed) and being a new mother at 18-what did I know! lol

Answer 8

You have to get a routine down. Like he eats, you take him into his room, sing a song to him and then put on some quiet music. And then leave. You may have to let him cry out a few times, but babies catch on quite quickly. He needs to get used to falling asleep on his own or you're going to have problems with this for years.

Answer 9

Nothing could ever make me okay with my babies crying. I would just let them fall asleep with me and move them once they were good and asleep. Singing them to sleep works nice. Don't worry - the two I have go to sleep just fine on their own now. Well... the 3 year old needs a bed-time story - lol. I am about to have my 3rd baby now and I fully intend on just dealing with it and not doing the "cry-it-out" thing - because it just does not feel right to me... I don't care what everyone else says.

Answer 10

I read in a baby yoga book awhile back to rub the back in a clockwise motion and tap the spine of the lower back (both gently) and tried it on my daughter. She's 19 months old, and it still works great (she has night terrors and sometimes that's the only way I can get her back to sleep).