How to transition to crib?

I have a 5 month old and he is currently co-sleeping with me. I know I’m gonna get a lot of backlash for that, but whatever. It’s the only way both my husband and I can get sleep. My question is, how can I transition my son to his own crib? I know most people will say “let him cry it out” and honestly I’m to the point where I will let that happen. The only reason why I’m not letting him cry it out now is because I’m afraid he will think he was abandoned which obviously he isn’t and it will cause psychological issues. What would be the best option?

26 Likes

you’re right about CIO causing a baby to think they’re abandoned. This is a good group to join Log in to Facebook | Facebook.

1 Like

When we did the cry it out method, we started by going in after 5 min, grabbing him and telling him it’s ok then put him back down and waited a little longer each time. Honestly I know people don’t agree with it, but my son cried once the first night and that was is it. We would sit in his rocker and give him a bottle until he was almost asleep. Now that he’s older, we read a couple books in his rocker and then lay him down and he’s fine!

2 Likes

Good luck! I co-slept/sleep… my child is 2 and never slept in her crib! I don’t believe in the cry it out method, it just breaks my heart too bad

9 Likes

Start with naps in the crib. That’s what worked for my daughter is napping in her crib, especially after I started working. Then she went down for bedtime super easily. And you’re not supposed to, but after brushing her teeth if she had a hard time going down I’d send her to bed with a bottle. Just gotta make sure you brush really good in the morning and don’t let it become a habit.

1 Like

My kds slept with me till they were about 2, don’t think its a problem

5 Likes

I started by putting my son in his crib for day naps then eventually started putting him in his crib for the night he tosses and turns constantly but he sleeps in there now :blush: his naps are sometimes hard to get him to nap in his crib now but he sleeps all night usually unless he gets up to feed around midnight !idk if that helps

People who give you backlash screw them lol! I have a 3 yr old who still sleeps with me… I always say if something were to happen i know he is safe with me! Its a tough answer to give you though… Every child is different on how they react to different things… My try would be put him in his room and you sleep in there with him , bring a matress for you to sleep on and him in his crib till he gets use to that room, and then slowly sneak out at night when he is alseep till he sleeps in there without you

3 Likes

Never co slept but I would try putting a pack and play in ur room and once he can sleep in that then try transitioning to his crib, good luck momma!!!

1 Like

You’re definitely right that the cry it out method is not healthy for babies. That being said, start with naps in the crib and slowly work up to sleeping in the crib at night.

1 Like

I didn’t get my daughter out of my bed until she was 5! :woman_facepalming:t2: Good luck!

1 Like

My kids co sleep with me from day one till around 3ish years old. Do what works for you and your family

1 Like

I used a co sleeper so my kiddo wasnt really IN OUR bed but if she needed me, i could just reach over. Then around 2, we switched the co sleeper out for a toddler bed right beside our bed. Now shes about to be 4 and been sleeping in her own room for about a year.

1 Like

You could try putting the crib in your room and get him use to sleeping in it and then move it into his own room once he’s more comfortable

2 Likes

Do not do cio. It’s an outdated practice that belongs in the past. It’s extremely damaging. I have bed shared with all of my kids. My daughter till she was 3. My twins are 2 and still in my bed. Please. Don’t do cio. Especially with him being only 5 months old. That’s way too young.

5 Likes

Does your child ever fall asleep on the couch? Leave him there. Eventually he will understand that he is ok to sleep alone. As well, sometimes children feel things parents can’t. So if there room is spooky, lay down copper rods at window, doorways and closets. Make ghost be gone spray. Give them a protective amulet.

Wait until the baby is asleep and then lay the baby in the crib so they are used to waking up in it. Then lay the baby in the crib for nap time. Then bedtime.

1 Like

When we stopped co-sleeping, it was just me and my son so I got a trundle bed. He slept on the bottom, we could reach out, hold hands if he needed to, and then after a while of that, I got him a portable cot that went to the other side of the room, and he slept just fine there. He’d wake up occasionally, but for the most part, he has an independent sleeper!

With my daughter we just started putting her in the pack n play around bed time and she would play for a bit and fall asleep

Put the crib in your room and when it’s time for him to go to sleep put him in the crib and stay in the room with him until he falls asleep

No backlash from me. Do it as long as you want to and cherish every moment of cuddles. I still sleep with my kids on the weekends, whenever they are sick

Good luck :joy::joy::joy: cause you will need it. I know of a few who co slept and still to this day their 7/8 year old still sleep with them

2 Likes

Cry it out hurts babies. Damages their brains. My 7 year old sleeps with me.

3 Likes

He is 5 months. CIO is useless. He’s an infant. Just start a routine. My daughter can sleep and cuddle with me on the couch and bed off and on all day then at night be do her bedtime routine and put her in her bassinet and she sleeps all night, about 9 hours. CIO sucks. Especially at that young of an age. :woman_facepalming:t3::unamused:

Cry it out is horrible… in my opinion. Baby steps, crib in your room, put him in the crib for naps during the day, etc…

Be there to sooth and comfort when baby cries but dont pick baby up. Keep laying baby down after youve checked not hungry or need a diaper, and be consistent with laying baby down. Its going to be hard after cosleeping but after a week bsby shoykd get the hang of it.

I bed shared with my oldest from the time we brought her home. I bed shared and co slept with my youngest. She didn’t like her pack and play or bassinet so I started bed sharing 100%. Try co sleeping, that’s when they are in their bed in your room. Good luck

I read this book it was a good book to read! It worked, also I started only doing naps separate at first and once she was taking naps alone I moved to bed time as well.

Its gonna be tough persistence is the key… co sleeping momma of 4

Take front plate of crib off put directly next to bed at same height as yours. Have him sleep in that for a week then put the front back on, sleep like that for a week. Slowly move crib away from your bed and keep doing it until it’s in his room. It’s not a quick process but it worked for me.

I was also given the advice of putting him in his bed and staying in the room but honestly I think that made it worse. He was so upset that I was right there and wouldn’t pick him up. He fell asleep much quicker when I would leave the room.

Norhing wrong with baby crying, no more then fifteen min i done it a couple time here there but i also make sure nothing wrong qirh whr amd yes i give her the bottle

What I did was start putting my daughter in her own bed, if she cried past 7 mins something was wrong but usually babies pass out after 4-5 mins. (Also wasn’t in the room so it wouldn’t be worse on me)

Start by putting the crib in your room so he can see u didn’t abandon him. Then eventually put the crib in his own room

I used one of my blankets and put it on like a sheet.

My son is almost 2 and has always slept in my bed. A couple months ago i bought a twin bed and just put it next to my bed. Now he sleeps on that and if he wakes up he crawls over to my bed. He’s been doing great with it so I’ll be moving the twin bed into his room soon and start putting him in there.

Hes 5 months. Too early for crying it out. Start with naps n then transition to bed time

He’s only 5 months old, so CIO won’t do any good at all. Start out by putting him in the crib for naptime and slowly transition him. Put the crib beside your bed at first and that’ll make it easier. It’ll be pretty easy since he’s still so young. I waited until my kids were all over a year old and it was hell getting them transitioned to their own beds.

Following my husband and I can only sleep when hes in our bed… what I’ve tried and it works was when I get him down for a nap I Normally put him in his play pin then when I get him to sleep at night put him back in it and give him a sippy change him n leave him in it unless he keeps crying then I’ll put him in my bed

Yeah crying it out is very psychologically damaging. :cry:

1 Like

Why doesn’t anybody ever try the “slowly moving the baby farther away method “ ?? You start with co-sleeping. 2 months you lay him in a bed right next to your bed. 6 months you put his bed across from your bed in your room. 8 months he’s going in his own room in his own bed. That’s how we did it and my 17 month old sleeps from 8 pm - 9 am in the morning in his own bed and room since he’s 8 months old.

We coslept with all 3 of ours. Our almost 2 year old is still in bed with us. We never bothered buying a crib. We do not believe in the cry it out method in our household. We use the if they are crying, they need you method. It works perfectly for us and our kiddos. Everyone will have a million different, conflicting opinions. Do whats best for you and your family. Trust your gut!

3 Likes

As long as hes not screaming and crying inconsolably, crying it out won’t hurt him.

One time my baby wouldn’t sleep and I got to the point I was frustrated because he woke up every 20minutes. I moved him into a crib… I literally took my shirt off and laid it next to him… he was out for the remaining night.

1 Like

I don’t know about everybody else’s kids but mine would stay in my bed forever it feels like, they still sneak in every once in a while. Put the foot down no exceptions and eventually you can have your bed back otherwise they’re going to be in your bed.

Let them cry till they are tired, then do your best to rock them to sleep. My girls always slept better if I pulled the shirt I wore that day and bundled it next to them once they were asleep. Hope you find a method that works for you!

We dropped the crib side and put it up against our bed with a foam wedge in the between the crib and bed. This way he got use to his crib but he was still close. Then we moved the crib away from our bed with the sides up then I to his own room.

1 Like

crying it out doesn’t harm them, depending how he is at nap times, during day, cot in his room??? could always just try one night in putting him in his cot right away in his toom… no harm in trying at least…
If not then try put him in cot next to you, in your room for a bit, but don’t jump at every sound or whinge/whine… don’t replace one bad habbit with another like rocking him to sleep, or. holding him till he sleeps… as he will continue to do it and become worse… don’t make a
fuss when you attend to him from the cot… in and out

I started at nap time then slowly kept trying it at bedtime she didn’t fully get in her own bed in her own room til she was almost a year old shes three now and still climbs into my bed if she wakes up

Make sure the crib is in your room. Especially since we have found that having them in tge same room for the first year is better. It could help to do things like get baby asleep in your arms while a heating blanket warms up the mattress, and then remove it, place baby down, and slowly remove your hand out from under. Also if your baby doesn’t mind swaddles swaddle them in one of your shirts so baby can smell you.

Omg i just got my son out tge bed and hes 5 yrs old plz dont be like me and my hubby the konger u wait the harder its honna be to get the bavy out the bed i… U just have to keep putting the baby back in its crib i mean yes the crying and whinning but if u sick to ur guns in a week or. U get ur bed nack and baby will be use to sleeping alone

Actually it will be ok of you do,this. I did this with both mine one after open heart surgery on me she slept with us at night for a few months but went to her crib when I could get up (yes my hubby helped out alot) but it didn’t hurt either of my girls they are now almost 14 and 15 and they turned out just fine. Sometimes that’s all it takes. He will get that he is to sleep there after a while. I didn’t think I would be that mom but my mil insisted and it helped a lot. Your not a bad person however you do it, your a good mom and whatever you do it will be best for everyone.

1 Like

Start by putting him in his crib during playtime. So he can feel it’s fun being there. I coslept with my baby girl since newborn. She is now 7m and since 5m i started her on a routine. Tummy time and playtime in her crib and playtime mat. Now at 7m since she rolls it’s best for her to be in her crib. She was sleeping Thru the night since month 4 . So that’s what I started her on. Playtime in her crib and nap time there too. She has a bath every night around 8 and by 8:30 she is fed and has a story read to her and she falls asleep and goes directly to her crib. She doesn’t wake up til daddy wakes up to go to work (around 5) she has her feeding and goes back to sleep at 6. By 7 we take her siblings to school and she loves her crib. Just have patience and make him feel secure in his crib and I’m sure you will do fine. Good luck :four_leaf_clover: to you

When I put my daughter in a crib I would let her cry it out for 4 minutes. Then I would go in and reassure her rub her chest or give her her binky then I would leave again.

I would start with putting baby in crib during naps times. And start them in crib at night and if have to bring them into bed with you later then ok but I would start with that.

We started with a crib next to the bed, to the end of the room, the hallway, and slowly into the other room.

1 Like

I don’t know how big you are…buy I always laid in the crib with my daughter…her dad wouldn’t let her in bed with me. Laying with her in the crib worked great. I would sneak away once she was asleep…or when her dad would come wake me up.
My daughter slept through the nights from 2 months old.

No the baby will not feel abandoned at 5 mos. When he falls asleep, gently place him in his crib, let him cry if need be, if you keep allowing the baby to sleep with you the harder the habit is to break.

Well you can start with making sure he naps there and that it’s dark when he naps so that when he sleeps there he is used to it being dark.

U don’t let a 5 month old cry it out !! They still wake every few hours to eat ! Just keep to a routine if they cry or fuss a little ignore it but don’t let him scream for a long time. Baby food , bath , book , bottle, bed

1 Like

Show tough love mama, otherwise you’ll be crying cause he won’t what you asking of him in a year or so. God didn’t let you have that baby to spoil and pamper the little man. toughen him up tough love.

My sons crib has one side off and it is attached to our bed. He is 11 months old and still nurses. I wake up entirely too early in the morning to be up and down all night. He pretty much fusses for a second, realizes I’m right there, comes to me, and then he nurses back to sleep. I just sort of roll him back into his crib when he’s asleep again.

I co-sleep and there’s nothing wrong with it…

3 Likes

I tried the modified cryout method. I would put him in his crib and let him cry for 30 seconds. Go in and sooth him. Put him back. After a few cycles he wasn’t crying immediately. Extended the time to a min and then 2 mins until he was content. Took like 3 days but was pretty easy. Just time consuming

3 Likes

DO NOT let baby cry or out it can lead to attachment issues. Lay him in his crib awake or asleep (how ever you prefer) if he fusses go in within a few min. Dont pick him up just pat his back to sooth him. It will be hard the first week but stay consistent and you will have your bed back in no time.

1 Like

Controlled Crying. This method teaches them that just because they can’t see you doesn’t mean you left them. With this method you don’t leave them to cry endlessly. It’s worked for all three of mine.

I put a crib next to my bed to start and kept him in there, giving him his paci and soothing him back to sleep multiple times a night until it was less and less and then moved him to his room. But he was around a Year.

1 Like

I would just like to say that all 5 of my children eventually moved into their own beds, by the time they were about 12 months. Only one of them ever spent the entire night with us, the rest were intermittent passengers. But all of them eventually outgrew it. It seemed to take forever, but I miss those days now. Even the sleepless months.

1 Like

Honey i co slept with noth mine they are 8 an 3 now an trust me its harder to transition once they get older we still working on my 3 year old sooner the better

I bed shared with my first until we had our second…so he was 4. Once new baby came big bither went to a mattress on the floor in our room for about 8 months. We then got him a dog and now he and the dog sleep in his room. Baby number 2 is 10 months and still sleeping with us and probabaly will until he is about 2 when he can safely bed share with his big brother.

Keep sleeping with him :woman_shrugging:t3: Transition when he understands what’s going on.

You can soothe him without picking him up. But you do want him to learn self soothing too so its a balancing act of being there and not being there at the same time.

crying it out doesn’t hurt keep going in to give him a pat on the back or dummy let him know Your around just don’t get him up he will get used to it after a while I have 6mnth twins n they self settle one tries it on I just keep giving him his dummy n teddy n walking out he falls asleep after about the 3rd time

I never did co sleeping so i never had this problem. Thankgod. My son slept in a crib by bed then a cot by my bed then his own room at 9 mths in a cot. Toddler bed by 15 mths. Never got out of his bed once until i went into his room to get him up… we were so lucky. Doesn’t sleep in our bed at all just comes in to our room when his alarm goes off and gets hugs. He is six now. I suggest cold turkey. Be firm.

I started with putting my daughter in the crib during nap times and slowly moving toward all night. I’d let her sleep with me for the first half of the night, swaddle her and make sure she’s warm, changed and fed then I put her in the crib and she got used to it. Sleeps alone now :relaxed: