Re: Would like my bed back!

November 22, 2009

SEARCH drSpock

my account | sign in

Toddler & Preschool | Sleep Issues

BACK TO: Sleep Issues |

PREVIOUS MESSAGE

NEXT MESSAGE

AUTHOR:

quercus

DATE: 11/09/01 4:44am

SUBJECT:

Re: Would like my bed back!

IN REPLY TO: Would like my bed back!
AUTHOR: Charisma

Hi! I may not have the best solution for you but it is a solution. I did not sleep with my young son in my bed but I would sleep in the same room. When I realized it was time to stop (about 12-13 months), I had to let him cry it out to go to sleep. Those were the hardest three nights of my life. The first night he cried 20 minutes, then it dropped to 10, then 5. He still cries for anywhere between 1 to 5 minutes every night when I put him in his crib and he is now 18 months. Some nights he will just go to bed with a small whimper. But he sleeps through the night. This issue is discussed in the Touchpoints book by T. Berry Brazelton. Check with your library to see if they have this book. You can just read the sleep section. It goes through all the steps and how to deal with this traumatic period.

It sounds like you need to make the break now or just accept the situation until your son is ready for his "big boy bed". The sleep issue is a difficult one. It still breaks my heart to hear my son cry in his crib but if I go in to soothe him, we get back into the cycle.

I think it is all about separation anxiety and your son just plain missing you! This period helps your son to gain more independence and learn how to put himself to sleep. Good luck and all the best. I know how difficult this can be. If you can make it through the first three nights, then you have made a huge jump in helping your son and yourself.

MESSAGES

Would like my bed back!

Charisma

11/02/01 10:04pm