[cherylcolin3]

Hello

Im new to this site but need all the help I can get.
I don't know whether my daughter is going through a phase at the moment but I have to rock her at night with her bottle to get her to sleep. This is getting harder now as she is getting bigger. Once she is asleep I can put her in the cot but within half an hour she starts shuffleing about in the cot and wakes up crying when she realise where she is and she's on her own.
I can tell it's a pretend cry just to get my attention and as soon as I pick her up she stops and goes back to sleep.This pattern has been happening about three or four times a night for about a week now and I feel I can't take much more as Im just so tired, I have started to put her in bed with me just so I can get some sleep before I have to get up for work. I know this is no solution, but I can't just leave her in her room to cry like the mifwifes say, as I have done this before and she cried solid for 2 hours which I don't think helped the matter at all.
Anybody been in the situation before or can give advise please do

Many Thanks
Cheryl

[posey_84]

Have u tried putting a story or music cd on quietly in the room with her so she doesn't feel so lonely? Xx

[cherylcolin3]

I haven't but I will try anything at the moment
Thanks

[stevetcg]

One thing we found that is if she falls asleep in the crib she won't fuss when she wakes up in it. Yeah, it might be rough for a few days getting her to fall asleep in it, but once she learns she'll be fine.

So put her in the cot when she is sleepy and let her cry until she falls asleep. Be prepared. The first night she might cry for an hour or two. The second should be less. By the 3rd night, she'll understand that the crib means "time to sleep"

Edited to add: I know its hard to let her cry. But think of it this way, what is better: 3 hard days or a few hard years?

[NowWhat]

It is very hard to hear your child crying. But, if you start a pattern of letting your baby sleep with you, it will be hard to break.
I think it is okay to hold the baby while she has her night bottle. But once that is done. You need to put her in her crib. Pat her back and tell her good night and leave the room.
She will probably cry at first. Let her go for about 5 minutes. Re-enter, lay her back down- pat her back and then leave. You shouldn't really talk to her because you need to let her know that this is quite time and time to go to sleep. Each time you have to go back in, increase the time in between.

Having music in the room is a great idea. Light classical music is a good choice. We did this with our daughter and it works great. She doesn't hear every little sound.

When you are going back in and picking her up - she got what she wanted. She has learned that if she cries enough, mom comes in. And she will cry a lot in the beginning - but you are the parent and you have to stand your ground. If she isn't getting the "pay off", this behavior will stop. And both of you will get your sleep.

Good Luck.

[cherylcolin3]

Thanks very much everybody for all your advise.
I need to start showing her who is the boss now. I will give it a go starting tonight

Cheryl