Family Forum / Pregnancy / Pregnancy / October 2007

My advice would be to put him to bed a little bit before you think he is
tired, because chances are he is overtired and can't settle down. Thus, why
the rocking, bouncing, walking doesn't work because he already
overstimulated. Put him down sleepy, but awake and let him settle himself.
If he cries, then go to him and rub his back and then leave again. Find
something that works for you and be consistent with it and in a few days he
will get it.

Like Sue said, try putting him down sleepy but awake. Also start, if
you already haven't, a structured bedtime routine - could be a nice
relaxing bath followed by a little massage while getting him dressed
for bed, a bottle and story, then down to bed. Leave the room and if
he cries just leave him for a short while (I personally never left for
longer than a minute when mine would cry... a minute to a seven month
old is a long time) then go in and sooth him but don't pick him up.
Keep repeating this every evening and he will eventually get that this
is what bed time is. I wont lie, it was near impossible to get it to
work for my first child but it is just something that we had to stick
with doing and she got the hang of it after four or five days. The
other thing the remember is that while starting this up its important
to do it every evening at the same time in the same way... even an
hour later can toss things up, missing the bath could derail it, etc.
Once my first got use to it she was pretty easy to deal with if things
weren't on time, by second was an emotional wreck! If things weren't
started by 7pm then it was the end of the world for him! Still is
really, and he is two! Some children take more comfort in things being
predictable and consistent. Good luck with it all!

-Jen

lori-anne wrote:

How has this been going for you, since your post?

I can relate to this.  I couldn't let my babies cry more than a minute
or two before I was in there soothing them.  Which after a point
didn't help!  I could see my barging in was not helping.  Eventually I
was able to resist the urge long enough (5 minutes?) that they were
able to quiet themselves and go to sleep.  And once they figured out
how to go to sleep by themselves, both babies were happy to be put in
bed awake.

Pologirl