From co-sleep to cot - help!

[dezzer]

I've decided it's time for my 4 month old bub to sleep in his cot. He has been quite colicky and would only sleep in the bed, and would only drop off whilst feeding. It's been ok, but now I really would like him to sleep solo. We have tried and it's scary - he throws fits and even after an hour is still awake. Any advice would be really appreciated- even if I get him to sleep then place him in the cot he wakes straight away - and gives me the LOOK.

[PetitFilou1]

Start off trying to get him to sleep there in the day (unless he is already)? Maybe he needs time to get used to the cot as an non scary place to be. Have you tried lying him under a Tiny Love mobile (or something like that) in there in the day for a bit - my ds used to love that thing and it made the cot somewhere he liked to go

[liath]

We did the transition at 5 months. Started putting him down in the cot for naps around 4 months, then put him there every bedtime - at first he would cry after half an hour & need retrieved but gradually stayed longer. Next stage was putting him back after night feeds. By five and half months he was spending most of the night in the cot and now I can put him down awake if he's tired and he'll go off himself.

Good luck! Just take it slow and steady.

[Jojay]

Agree with Petitfilous, start off by making the cot a fun place to be - use it as a sort of playpen for a few days - if he's had a couple of screaming fits in there already, he needs to start seeing it as a nice place to be.

Also, if he's been feeding to sleep, you're trying to tackle two things at once - to learn to go to sleep without feeding, and to sleep in the cot.

Maybe break it down and tackle the feeding to sleep first??

I don't know your thoughts on dummies but I found them a great help in getting my ds to settle on his own - we did this at 3 months and he only ever has it in his cot - it's become a nice sleep association for him, but he's never woken in the night looking for it.

[DaddyJ]

lol at the LOOK!
We had the same challenge around 4 months so
happy to share our experience with you.

Can you tell me, though:
On this one occasion (I presume you tried it only once)
you put him down awake in his cot,
what exactly happened during that hour?

Where you trying to let him cry it out,
or did you sit next to the cot?
Was he crying the whole time?

[RedFraggle]

I will be watching this with interest! My DS will go to sleep in his cot initially and after the first couple of night feeds, but then he won't sleep after that unless he is in bed with me, feeding. I am starting to switch him over to formula now and want him to sleep in his cot. he is 4.5 months old, it is a bit of a shock really as my DD was sleeping through, in her cot, in her own room by this age but DS is a very different baby!

[Cocobear]

Will also be watching this with interest. DD is four months, and she loves her cot as a playpen. But if you put her down to sleep there, it's THE LOOK. Just like yours, she wakes up the minute her head touches the cot mattress, even if she's been sound asleep.