Sleeping in Cot - Help Please

DS seems to have developed an aversion to his cot... I generally feed to sleep and was having no trouble putting him down in the cot asleep and he'd go about 40min to 1.5hours each time. But, for about 2 months now that hasn't been working. I'll feed to sleep as usual but everytime I lower him in the cot he'll wake up and scream the house down, but if I lay with him in my bed and slowly roll away and leave he'll sleep reasonably happily. But, he's wriggling around a lot now and I'm scared he'll fall off the bed and hurt himself so really want to get him sleeping in the cot again. It doesn't seem to be a problem with the cot as such as he will quite happily play in it, its just when it comes to sleeps. I've even resorted to hopping in it with him until he falls asleep, but that isn't exactly a great long term solution.
Does anyone have any suggestions?

Yup, tried that too. I had a blanket that we slept with for 3 days and had it between the two of us for every BF and cuddle then tried that in the cot, no luck.

Thanks though Emma

Can't really offer any suggestions is this is a major problem for us to(minus the feeding to sleep), although we are getting improvement......... so unfortunately all I can offer is and I will be watching to see what others might suggest.

Another idea, long term perhaps, if you don't mind co sleeping could be a safe-t-sleep but the bigger size that would fit around you bed as well, we got this size for going away but unfortunately for us DD hated it from the start and eventually learned to undo it but if you're keen then PM me and you can borrow mine and see how it works out.

Same problem here! DS is 9 months and HATES going to sleep. I think and hope it is a phase :-)

As you know, I reached the point where all of DD's naps were on my lap, which was lovely, but also a PITA! DH and I decided one day that she was to sleep in the cot or no sleep at all. Her first pick was the second option (sigh!) but she soon realised the second one wasn't so bad after all.

Basically I'd feed/rock her to sleep as usual, then as soon as she was asleep, pop her in the cot. She'd usually stir, realise she was going into the cot, wake herself up and yell and usually stand up immediately. So I'd pick her up, get her back to sleep again, and try again. The first few days were mostly me spending hours rocking her back to sleep, but as soon as she was asleep, in the cot she went. Basically I wanted to eliminate the option of sleeping on me (she wasn't sleeping if I left her in bed either). After a while, we got to she'd stay asleep for a bit, but then cry after a short nap - I'd pick her up again and cuddle her back to sleep and then back to the cot.

There were several times where I flat out couldn't get any sleep out of her in the cot, or where she'd have continued napping after her cot nap in my arms if I'd let her. So at those times, we got up. I did resort to going for a drive a couple of times, and also let her have the occasional nap in the manduca on my back while I was out and about, but I never let her nap in my lap in the rocking chair until she was a happy cot sleeper. (Now I do it occasionally for a short time).

The great thing is that it has worked - she goes down and stays down for the most part these days. But it was a pretty full on few weeks, and I did end up in tears to DH a few times. If you want to put something like that in order, I can give you my number so you can ring me in tears if you need to - cos I know how much it sucks to spend 5 hours carefully putting your baby into the cot to have them wake up every.single.time!

Hope you get something that works anyway xx

T-Rex, Its been a bit the same here at the moment. Day sleeps are generally had while in my arms. I can generally get 2hours out of him while I continuosly hold him and shove a boob in his mouth when he stirs, unfortunately its not much of a solution.

If I wear him he will still only sleep for 30min and once he's awake thats it, there is no resettling for another sleep, the little monkey.

 

I just can't let him cry at all. The minute he does I'm in there and holding him. I'd rather hold him and rock him till he falls back asleep than listen to him cry, whether I'm comforting him or not. I've tried it before, but he gets more and more worked up, its just not for me/us at all.

 

I have pulled the side off the cot and now have it pushed up against the bed, he's asleep in my bed at the moment but I have the bed pushed against a wall on one side and the cot on the other so that feels a bit safer. In my wisdom I thought I'd lower the mattress too, but now its too low so will have to put it back up to bassinet height and hope that fits alongside the bed better

 

Thanks for all the suggestions ladies

I really feel for you MamaT as we went through a stage with DD where she wouldnt go in her cot and would only sleep in my arms or in/on our bed -  and apparently I was the same as a baby - but it is so tiring and draining as you really need some time to YOU!

However only in the last few days I have become a bit firmer with DD and will hold her to sleep and place her very slowly into her cot and then I will place my hand on her tummy and rock her until shes in a deeper sleep but this has only started working in the last few days. Previously she would also scream when in cot so I would let her play in her cot with toys and we even play in her room a bit dunno if that helped her or not.

Hang in there it is so hard and I am like you and dont like leaving DD to cry and always rush in to pick her up and hold her!

Could it be that his nap times are possibly changing now that he is getting a bit older? Perhaps he isn't quite ready for a nap as he was before? Just a shot in the dark as I know that when my DS put up any sort of resistance it was down to me trying to put him down earlier than he needed to.

I don't have a routine per se, I let him tell me what he needs/wants and when, so if he is showing tired signs I'll get him to bed then but the going to bed part I do the same all the time e.g. shut the curtains, sing twinkle twinkle little star while wrapping him, a BF and then into bed when he's asleep.

He has cut a top tooth today, has just started crawling this week, and has had a cold and ear infection so the combination of all those things could be having an effect too perhaps?

 

I did manage to get him in the cot yesterday (which is pushed up against my bed with no side rail), but it only last 20mins and he woke up beside himself so it was cuddles and back to sleeping in my bed.

 

I will check out that link too, thanks Red.

 

T-Rex - I had every intention of going to LLL today, but completely forgot all about it until I saw your post just now. Hopefully there is another one before xmas...