Switching routines for getting my toddler to sleep?! help!

[breezykc]

Okay...our son will be two this May and for the first year he co-slept with us since he refused to sleep in a crib! Since Day 1, we have put him to sleep by laying down next to him and snuggling him until he's asleep, we still do this even though now he sleeps in his room on a queen mattress surrounded by pillows since 1 year old. He now finally sleeps through the night....but, it takes forever to get him asleep! It's just becoming too much to snuggle him all the way to sleep for an hour each night and at least 30 minutes at naptime! We want to be able to put him in his room on his bed and say goodnight and snuggle a minute maybe and leave him to go to sleep himslef! Many of his little friends do this great! Any ideas of how to achieve this? He gets out of bed, but can't leave his room due to a baby gate..... :?

[ChelleFish]

All I can say it ROUTINE ROUTINE ROUTINE...that is the only was we could finally get our son to sleep on his own. We got tired of walking iwth him until he was out and then putting him down.

We just began talking about night night and we'd dim the lights and change his diaper and get a few drinks from his sippy and then whiles my husband held him. I read Goodnight Moon and then we told him we loved him and put him down.

The first few nights, he cried...I think half an hour, then the next night 20 minutes then 10 and fianlly about 3 or 4 nights of five minutes of fussing, then he got used to the routine and it worked well.

I breast fed until amlost 18 months, so he'd still get up at night to eat once but then went right back down.

Now that he is older the routine is pretty much the same, but we now include a video of the Backyardigans.

[justmeNmine]

Routine is right; it seems my son will adjust to new routines as long as I stick to it- he had fallen into the habit of sleeping in my bed, while I was pregnant with his sister. I used our move as a chance to form a new habit- we have always done bath, teeth, bed, but we have added books to the routine, which we read in the living room- I just tell him how proud I am that he is a big boy (almost 3) sleeping in his own bed- he is also one of those reward-motivated kids so the first few nights I promised we'd make "cupcakes" (muffins) for breakfast if he stayed in his room. He's doing better with it- I just have to make sure I stick to it!

[breezykc]

Okay...routine I agree on...however, how do you get them to stay in their bed? He isn't in a crib and hasn't been able to be in one since 6 months due to being able to throw himself out.........

[KansasMom]

We transitioned our dd to a big girl bed when shew as around a year old. The only way I got her to stay in bed was through training...I say that because it takes time and patience.

We started off by placing her in her bed and then I would sit right beside her in a chair. The first few times I had to actually put my hand on her. Then we moved to me just sitting beside her without touching her. Then we moved the chair a little away. Then we moved it to the doorway, Then we moved it to the hallway, then I would just walk out.

Each time I would do her routine, then I would say it is time to go night night. I would place her in bed and then sit there till she went to sleep. If she got up, I would firmly say, "No it is time to go night night. Obey Mommy." and place her back in bed. Once I started moving the chair away sometimes I had to do this 10 times, but I was committed to training her to stay in bed. I would stay in the same position for two times, then move...so for nap and night night one day, and then the next I would move, but I wouldn't move while she was watching...I would have it moved before we went up there. Once we got to the hallway, I may have stayed up there a few days just to make sure she was really gonna stay.

After that, if she got up, I would just take her back to bed and say, No it is night night time obey mommy, and usually that was the end of it. But most times she just went to sleep.

I hope that was helpful, if you have any questions, or if Ididn't make it clear, feel free to ask.

[ChelleFish]

We did similar...he'd get up and we'd pick him up and say it's time for night night and put him back. The next time he got up, we said, go to bed and put him back. If he got up any more times than that, we'd just pick him up without talkingto him and put him in.

Yes, there wer nights we'd put him back 10-15 times...but he figured out we were serious and he started to stay.

[breezykc]

okay....tonights the first night ladies! Here goes nothin'! LOL....thanks for all the tips and advice! I'll let you know how it goes this week! Pray for us! :lol: