How do I keep my son asleep?

Question

I have a 9 month old son that will (most of the time) fall asleep on me or in my arms when I rock him. He will be completely asleep! Trouble is, that when I go to put him in his crib he will wake out of his slumber and start to cry. I have tried music, a bath before, a moderately full stomach, massage, and most other methods described. Anyone have any suggestions?

Answer 1

I would start putting him down before he falls asleep.  Just go through your normal bedtime routine - bath, pjs, book, etc. and then lay him in his crib. Give him a kiss, turn out the lights and walk out of the room.  He will probably cry, but just go back in long enough to make sure he has what he needs and then leave again.  It may take a few nights, but he will get used to falling asleep on his own (and staying that way) rather than sleeping in your arms.

Answer 2

When lying him down, don't lay him flat on his back.......at first.  Hold him sideways and lay him sideways and then slowly turn him over on his back.  This worked for my little one.

Also, try to put him to bed when he is sleepy, not asleep.  Yes, he is going to cry at first, but only for a short period of time and will stop crying altogether in a few days.

If you are having trouble listening to him cry, remember that it is best for him to learn to go to sleep on his own.  Eventually he will get more rest and you will to.

Answer 3

try tucking him it to his bed, the tightness of the blankets may make him feel as if he is still in your arms, sometimes i throw my daughters blanket into the drier for a minute or two so i am not transfering her to a cold bed.

Answer 4

He's getting used to being in your arms.  I would put him in his crib and rub his back.  He may cry for the first few days, but it will stop and he should be fine.  Believe me, I spoiled my boys this way and realized that I wasn't getting enough sleep myself and needed to stop doing that.  I know it's hard, but he will learn to fall asleep on his own in no time.

Answer 5

My oldest son used to do this too.  We took a big thick baby blanket and made sure that he was wrapped in it loosely before we started rocking him to sleep.  Once he was asleep we carefully put him in bed, his blanket underneath.  We found that the thick blanket held the heat in for just long enough for him to settle in.  (he used to tell instantly that he was no longer being held because his bed was cooler than he was when we went to put him down.)