Question re sleep and big boy bed

[mrs_park]

Hiya ladies

So Isaac still co sleeps with us and I cuddle him to sleep in our bed, then leave the room til DH are ready to go to bed a few hours later. I know it's not for everyone but it's been working for us.

He's been a bit restless for the last couple of weeks and it's starting to drive me a bit batty. He wakes 2-3 times in the three or so hours between putting him to sleep and DH and I going to sleep. He will only settle for me and I have to lie and stay with him until he is in a deep sleep.

I'm starting to feel like his sleeping issues are getting on top of me again. He's always been a tough one to get to sleep but I persevered and he was doing well once we started co sleeping.

So, to my question...

We are going to try to put him in a big boy bed (we're doing up his whole room with a dinosaur theme which he will LOVE) and while we're going through the transition of going to the big bed I'm wondering if we should also break the association of being cuddled to sleep? It should I get him settled into his bed and then look at ways to help him self sooth (not cc/CIO though)

I want to get him sleeping better before baby #2 comes and I want these changes to feel normal well before the baby is born. My biggest fear is that he will feel rejected and pushed away from our bed because of the baby.

 

[sapphire1]

In our experience, the transition into a bed wasn't an easy one. Holly had always self settled in her cot, but the minute we put her in a bed, she needed someone with her or she'd scream the place down. So if your LO is used to being cuddled to sleep, I think it would be too much of a change for him iykwim. It has taken around 3 months for us to get to the point of her self settling in her bed, although we have an off day now and then. We never used CC or CIO. I should point out that we do co-sleep most nights too. We put her down in her bed, and if she wakes in the night, she gets up and climbs in with us.

 

[seoj]

I would suggest a slow transition- maybe continue cuddling to sleep in your room for a week- then moving him into his room asleep. Then cuddle to sleep in his room- then eventually cuddle till very sleepy, but not asleep- then eventually awake etc... just to give hime a little time to transition to each stage. Some kids take to it right off though- my LO never likes co-sleeping, we tried a few times, but she always did better in her own space. So ya never know Best of luck!

 

[seoj]

Forgot to mention- one issue with cuddling to sleep in your room first is if he does wake up, he might not know what is going on- especially if he wakes in his own room after going to sleep in yours- it works for some kids (for my friends daughter it worked well)- but not all kids fair well with that particular transition- so you might try cuddling to sleep in his own room from the start