Putting DC To Sleep At Night - What Method Do You Use

Whenever Ella wants to sleep she likes to be rocked to sleep. I have no problem getting her to sleep as long as she is rocked and I am singing softly to her.

Someone mentioned the other day that I am spoiling her in a big way I should let her fall asleep on her own. It's not like it's a battle to get her to sleep so I don't really see how this is spoiling her or she's developing bad sleeping habits.

What method do you use to put DC to bed and why? Do you think I am spoiling Ella by rocking her every time?

Message edited 7/25/2008 8:50:42 AM.

Re: Putting DD To Sleep At Night - What Method Do You Use

I wouldn't say spoiling I would just say a bad habit unless she can also fall asleep on her own but you enjoy this time with her.

Personally, for the baby, I nurse her and sometimes she is awake after, sometimes not, I just put her in the crib and she goes to sleep.

Same with my older one, after bath, book and pj's I put her in the crib and she falls asleep after singing for a while...I haven't rocked her since she was about 3 months old.

I prefer this so they are not dependent on me to fall asleep.

Re: Putting DD To Sleep At Night - What Method Do You Use

I have heard similar things, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. If your DD wakes up in the middle of the night do you have to rock her back to sleep?
Personally I rock and nurse my son right before bed, he's not always asleep when I put him in his crib but sometimes yes.

Re: Putting DD To Sleep At Night - What Method Do You Use

I rocked Lucas to sleep every night without a problem until about 10 months....I would have continued but he started having a problem going down and at that point there was no way I could rock him all night. Plus he started tossing and turning in my arms...so we tried CIO and had luck with it. Now he goes down in his crib awake and goes to sleep on his own.


My point is not to tell you to do what I did but rather that my son was able to transition at 10 months so no longer a little one at that point. I feel like they do things when they are ready to. If your daughter is fine this way then I would say why change it...kwim?

I still rock Lucas for 10 -15 minutes while he has a sippy cup and some cuddles. When he starts rubbing his eyes it's the cue to get to bed so off he goes.

I never thought we'd transition from rocking to independently falling alseep - but we did and shocked me big time that it went so well.

Re: Putting DC To Sleep At Night - What Method Do You Use

We rock Sofia in her chair everynight. Then pick her up to go to the crib. Sometimes she wakes up but she stays in her crib rolls around and passes out..

It works for you right Opal, like for us..
So I wouldnt worry

Re: Putting DC To Sleep At Night - What Method Do You Use

Re: Putting DC To Sleep At Night - What Method Do You Use

I give DS a bath, dim the lights in his roon, shut the door and read with him. Then I say "goodnight", put him in his sleepsak with two little blankies and I leave the room.

He screams for about 15 minues (sometimes he falls right asleep though) and then he is OUT

Re: Putting DC To Sleep At Night - What Method Do You Use

Posted by Theresa05

We rock Sofia in her chair everynight. Then pick her up to go to the crib. Sometimes she wakes up but she stays in her crib rolls around and passes out..

It works for you right Opal, like for us..
So I wouldnt worry

Re: Putting DC To Sleep At Night - What Method Do You Use

for naps I put DC in his crib amd he 'plays' for bit and goes down on his own.
For bedtime, I feed him a bottle in the glider and he either falls asleep in my arms or I put him down sleepy and he goes down.
If he wakes up in the middle of the night I put the pacifier back in and rub his back - if he is inconsolable, I will pick him up and rock him gently for a minute then put him down again awake.
I am *trying* to set up good sleep habits for him now. I love cuddling with him and we do - but in the mornings when he wakes up. Luckily, it has worked for us so far

Re: Putting DC To Sleep At Night - What Method Do You Use

I just put DD in her crib and rub her belly and her head and talk to her. Sometimes I will rock her and read her a book. We don't have a set routine...

Re: Putting DC To Sleep At Night - What Method Do You Use

We have a routine of bath, play, books, nurse, then we go in her room and I read her Goodnight Moon in her glider. She is usually pretty drowsy at this point and stays asleep the whole night (up until two nights ago!) If she was awake, she would just roll over get her pacifier and fall asleep.

Re: Putting DC To Sleep At Night - What Method Do You Use

Re: Putting DC To Sleep At Night - What Method Do You Use

#1 didn't and still doesn't sleep well. He's just changing now at 3.

#2 has been great to us (knocking on wood). A few books, a song, down in the crib, turn on the music, he is out. I'm not sure if I was more persistent, since #1 was such a bad sleeper - or #2 is just a good sleeper?

Re: Putting DC To Sleep At Night - What Method Do You Use

I say goodnight. Put him/her in their respective beds and kiss them and tuck them in and turn the light off, close the door and walk out.

Re: Putting DC To Sleep At Night - What Method Do You Use

We used to have to rock DD to sleep and have her be fast asleep for about 30 min before we could transfer her into the crib. Sometimes we'd be rocking for an hour and it just became ridiculous...So we tried CIO for 3 days. 1st night she cried for 40 min, 2nd night 30min, then the 3rd 20 min and now I nurse her...rock her for about 5 minutes, kiss her, tell her I love her, and place her in the crib awake and she falls asleep on her own.

She is almost 14 months.

Re: Putting DC To Sleep At Night - What Method Do You Use

I guess I created a bad habit too and that is bringing DD in bed with us...she chills between the two of us and will pass out when ready. we carry her into her crib where she sleeps though the nite.

I enjoy that time..its where I unwind and she just plays a bit with us and cuddle so i wouldnt change that part unless it was a prob.

Message edited 7/25/2008 9:48:35 AM.

Re: Putting DC To Sleep At Night - What Method Do You Use

Give her a bath, change into pajamas, bottle, bring her upstairs, put her in the crib, give her a blanket, turn on the mobile, say goodnight and walk out.
She talks to herself for a bit, and then goes to sleep.

Re: Putting DC To Sleep At Night - What Method Do You Use

Rocking/singing is not spoiling....it is just creating a habit. I never did that from the beginning so I did never had an issue.

I give DS his bath, PJs, bottle, hang out on the couch relaxing and then he goes straight in the crib to sleep.

I would like to add I used to read to DS everynight before he went into his crib. That was until he started eating, ripping at the pages and grabbing the book away from me.

Message edited 7/25/2008 9:53:41 AM.

Re: Putting DC To Sleep At Night - What Method Do You Use

DS is almost 16 months. We do bath, lotion, play, pray, book (sometimes), sleepsack and then I still give him a BOTTLE of milk in his glider. MOST times he falls asleep while taking that bottle and I transfer him to the crib. I hope I'm not doing the "wrong" thing either, but it works for us. Now lately he has been waking up when I transfer him and he fusses for a few seconds and then passes out. I TRULY don't believe there is a right/wrong way to do bedtime. I think it's what's best for you and your family that is the right thing to do, KWIM? This works for us, so I'm not sure if we should change that or not.

Re: Putting DC To Sleep At Night - What Method Do You Use

DD eats, then I give her a bath and put her pj's on. I take her out to get kisses goodnight from DH, then I dim the lights in her room, read her a story and put her in her crib with her pacifier and her lovey.

She usually cries out once or twice bc her paci falls out and we go back in to put it back in and then she falls asleep.

The earlier I put her to bed, the faster she falls asleep.

Re: Putting DC To Sleep At Night - What Method Do You Use

Yes, you are spoiling her because she haas now been accustomed to you rocking her, even if it's only for a short while....sorry Opal but that's what my doc told me when I started doing it.

He told me at 6 months is when they start to develop dependencies on things like that.

Since birth we have been putting Gavin to sleep awake in his crib with his mobile on. He stays awake for a bit and then falls right to sleep no problem. I almost feel like he's dependent on the mobile, but for now I'm OK with that.

I would maybe start weaning her, I knowit's hard, I didn't want to do it either, but fortunately Gavin decided for me because he won't let me hold him close after his bottle anymore he gets VERY restless..

I hope it goes smoothly for you.

Re: Putting DC To Sleep At Night - What Method Do You Use

I don't know if I'd say "spoiling" but you're definitely not allowing her to learn to fall asleep on her own. I used to always rock DD to sleep just because it was the easiest and surefire way for her to go to sleep. But I really started getting tired of it every night, plus then she started waking in the middle of the night and wanted to be rocked back to sleep. Now, before bed, she takes her bottle, we cuddle a little and then I lay her in her crib and kiss her good night. She falls asleep within 5-10 minutes usually. It took a few nights of her screaming when I lay her down awake...but SOOOOOO worth it in the end.

Re: Putting DC To Sleep At Night - What Method Do You Use

Bottle, a few books, put him down and put on music. he goes out most nights on his own.

If he really gets hysterical, I will pick him up and rock him to sleep. I've had some trouble getting him to sleep or back to sleep when he wakes during teething and it is mostly just during those periods that he seems to need the rocking.

Re: Putting DC To Sleep At Night - What Method Do You Use

I put Thomas in his crib after a bath and brushing teeth his teeth. Sometimes he cries a few seconds, but most nights he settles down quiety.

Re: Putting DC To Sleep At Night - What Method Do You Use

Most times my DH and I just put our DS in his crib and say good night tom him and then he falls asleep. If he is in a cranky mood and starts crying we let him lay on the boppy in the living room a little bit and then put him back in his crib. Lately he has been pretty good about just falling asleep as soon as we put him in his crib.