My son in his early months had alot of difficulty sleeping. He didn't sleep more than 3 straight hours at a time, which was usually rare, right up till 5 months. Finally, I was introduced to the ferberizing method, which worked like a charm. Now he's 1 years old and has been sleeping 10-12 hours through the night and 2 naps lasting at least 1 hour long through the day. He sleeps alone in his crib and room. It's like 180, he now just falls asleep on his own the minute you put him in his crib...
However, a new problem has arise... since he is so use to falling asleep on his own in his own crib, he will not sleep ANYWHERE else! When we're out for the day and unable to get home for a nap, he refuses to sleep in his stroller and even does not sleep while being held. We've been at friends houses and I try putting him down for naps, but it's just impossible without his own crib or room. We're planning on travelling this x-mas holiday, but I'm worried about the sleeping situation, as we will be in a hotel room and needing to share the bed with him. Any suggestions on how we can get him to sleep without his crib... Help please! Thank you for any thoughts.
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hi there,
you are not alone. mine is almost 7 months and it takes alot of effort to get him sleeping outside. in the pram, i must wheel him around while he screams until he eventually crashes out. attempts to hold, rock and pat him while outside fails too, he just resists it even though i know he is tired.
but because his naps are very regular now and it is great to catch up on chores during these times, i stay at home so not a problem for me.
for your trip, i suggest you buy a travel cot before the trip and train him to sleep in it. that is what i did for my UK trip last month. we bought a super brilliant lightweight one from phils & ted.
good luck!
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Thank you Wheelymate...
Where is Phils & Ted?
Did you have to put the travelling cot in a seperate room or was your baby able to fall asleep with you around? You see my son will not sleep when myself or anyone is in the room with him.
I feel exactly the same way about staying at home. I end up staying home all the time because his naps are so regular.
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http://www.philandteds.com/cat.htm
he slept in the room with us during the trip. he sleeps at 7pm so he falls asleep in the room alone. we join him later so i guess it doesn't make a difference to him whether there are people in the room with him or not.
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the travel cot helps but i do agree that once you reach your destination, you must expect that your child will need time to adjust. actually i got the travel cot idea from people like crj on this forum!
we were very tired on arrival to UK so for the 1st night, we made it a priority that we do whatever it takes to sleep well that night. so bub slept fine in his travel cot initially but cried in the middle of the night - we took him to bed with us so we could all have some sleep. subsequently he was in the cot alone.
for your holiday, i am not sure what your budget is but we will be staying a few nights at a hotel this weekend. i didn't want to spend too much on a suite but realise that i will need a separate space from baby while he sleeps - so we booked a room that has a nice big patio but us to chill out while baby is sleeping.
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crj
18 yrs ago
Hi
Here is what we do
Bed - either a travel cot as Wheelymate says or just bring sheets, bedding and favourite night time toys for the hotel cot.
Daytime outings - M-F, we work, and baby is pretty much on schedule at home. On weekends, it is family time, and we *try* to keep to schedule for the naps, but it isn't always possible. It is important to be sure baby has some sleep and is well fed, but it is also important to be sure you have a family life and do get out together as a family. We also feel the extra 'real world' stimulation is good for him and a major development factor since he is home M-F.
Travelling and Schedules - again, this falls into the *try* category for us, but we do expect some night wakings due to time zone or unfamiliar environment and accept this. We also plan for a few extra days (more like a week) at home to get back into the routine when we return.
Hotel Rooms - we just do whatever we can to separate baby from us - rearrange the furniture, put baby in the entryway, etc... We also take baby out to dinner with us in pram or car seat so he can sleep and bring him home then put him to bed.
He is good at sleeping at night, but agree with above that daytime naps are hard when baby is out in exciting world!!
Good luck!
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Many sources recommend using a comfort object when settling babies and putting them to sleep such as a favorite blanket. The familiar object helps the child to settle and sleep in new enviornments.
You may want to consider using a travel cot on holidays, if so, start putting your baby to sleep in the travel cot prior to the leave.
Continue all night time routines as per normal when travelling, such as bath, story time, milk, cuddles, quiet dark room etc.
Well Baby Clinic 2849 1500
Matilda International Hospital
Hong Kong
http://www.matilda.org
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cara: 2 out of 17...harsh!! i was close to tears on our first long-haul flight with bub..he cried nearly every other hour and we took turns to sleep with him in our arms!
Waikiki7377,
agree with crj's comments on real world and spending time with the family. we do that for weekends too - schedule is usually out of the window except for bedtime (i am pretty strict with that unless it's a really special ocassion)...friends do want to meet up for lunch with baby and i cannot possibly say meet up at 3pm after he wakes up at 2pm and is done with 2.30pm feed.
that said, i was pretty stressed out about time difference, sleeping outside, etc during our UK trip. but hubby was insistent that baby understands life isn't always about napping/sleeping in cot and going to the nearest supermarket/mall at the same time everyday. so i relaxed and tried to go with the flow (while keeping to some semblance of a routine) - watching baby have lots of fun with his cousins, grandma and relatives that he was meeting for the 1st time made it all worth while. we just had to be patient upon return to SG for him to re-adjust.
enjoy your holiday, it'll be fine!
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Thanks everyone for the great advice. I guess it's true, I do tend to over worry. Eventually, he has to sleep right?
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