transition from bouncing/rocking

[livelovefly]

Our 11 1/2 month-old has been nursed, then swaddled (at this point partially swaddled), bounced (on a yoga ball) and sang to as a way to go to sleep pretty much since he was born. It has worked well for the most part but now we are reaching the point where he is getting too heavy to bounce and he wiggles and squirms quite a bit during the bouncing and singing phase. He still goes down, but it is hard on our backs and often on our patience too.

Have any of you made the transition between bouncing or rocking your child to another less back-breaking : ) method and if so, what did you do and did it work?

Thanks!

[mizzoh]

do you have a rocking chair? i was able to rock ds to sleep until he was 2.5 and just too big. once he was too big we would lay down next to him while he feel asleep. it was a gradual transition. i practiced first during naps, and then worked it into our bedtime routine

[livelovefly]

Yes, rocking chair is on our list of ideas. He rarely falls asleep next to us at this point, even while nursing. He seems to depend on the movement! Thanks for sharing.

[Beauchamp]

I need to figure this out, too. DD is getting heavy! Although she won't let us sit down with her in the rocker. She instantly squirms and won't lay down on my chest.

[NSmomtobe]

Lately DS only falls asleep in the mei tai, and I would also like to break this habit because it seems disruptive to the bedtime routine to be all cuddled up in bed, and then to have to put him into the carrier and walk around the house with all the lights dimmed for 30 min+ (he cries if I stop moving and he spurs me with his heels). Then I have to wait another 20-30 min before I can transfer him into bed without waking him. He nurses back to sleep after night wakings though, so I don't know why he is so difficult to put to sleep in the first place.

[SilverFish]

have you ever just laid him down without being fully asleep? i thought i needed to bouce/rock and sing my LO to sleep every night, wait until she was fully passed out, and then gently lower her onto her bed. one night i was just tired and dinner wasn't even started yet and i only bounced her for a few minutes, then laid her down still awake (we also swaddle, and use a pacifier)... thinking i'd probably have to start all over, but at least get the food on. lo and behold, she was fast asleep by the time i got back to her. and every night since then she's just gone to sleep without me actively doing anything. we still cuddle, nurse and sing, but only cause it's nice, not because she wouldn't fall asleep without it. she does kind of grouse and squirm in the swaddle for a few minutes, but you just have to wait until she's got it out of her system.

[livelovefly]

Hmmm...so far attempts at laying him down partially awake have led to crying, so we always end up picking him back up and bouncing until he's fully asleep, then laying him down.

[ChristyMarie]

We used a rocking chair so were able to go much longer than with a bouncy ball.

What we did finally do, though I think your DC might be too young, was read a book in the rocking chair then go to bed to sleep and with music and rubbing/patting his back he'd fall asleep. Took a while in the beginning.