transition from co-sleep to crib

[bella'smom]

:idea :confused: I need advice here! This is my first time visiting this site and from the looks of it all you mothers seem to be very inteligent and most important loving. Ok, so I've got an almost one year old who has been happily co-sleeping since day one. Aside from the challenge of getting intimate time with my husband we both truly love having her sleep with us. My problem is that I need to return to work soon which means that I will have to leave her at a day care center. I think she will do well socially with the other children and staff alike, but I'm really concerned about nap time. She simply wont allow me to put her down in her crib. I can't blame her, all the stuffed animals in the world arn't as comforting as mommy, but I feel like I want to help her make that transition before she goes into day care. I've been trying to ease her into the idea for the past few days. Today I put her in her crib when she started acting tired, but all she did was cry. I went in every 5-10 minutes and reassured her that she was alright and just needed to lay down and go to sleep, but she just stood there and screamed!:crying The whole time I just had to listen to her cry and it was breaking my heart. We desperetly need the money, so I have to go to work but Im afraid that she's just going to cry and scream. Any ideas?

[lisabc311]

That is a tough one. Hmmmm. If you wait until she is totally asleep can you set her down? Perhaps if you tuck all kinds of pillows around her sides so she feels like she is held?

I think it will take time. But since she never sleeps in the crib I think that putting her in there awake and leaving her will just leave her confused. She never sleeps in there, so how does she know what you want her to do? It would be like putting a crib-sleeping baby in the bathtub and telling them to go to sleep! ;)

I will keep brainstorming for you......

and :hug's

[seraph]

Babies who cosleep at home often transition just fine to napping at daycare without any extra changes required at home. Different environment, different expectations. It may take her a few weeks to get used to the whole change, but I bet you will find that daycare has no problems getting her to nap in a crib and you can continue cosleeping at home if you like.

[mom2jack]

Just wanted to say that I have a friend with a daughter in daycare and they rock her to sleep. If you have a daycare in mind maybe you can ask how they get the babies to sleep and then work on that. She may also be really tired at daycare and more willing to nap! I returned to work when DS was just over a year. For the first several weeks I only worked in the morning and came home in the afternoons (I only go into work 2 days/week).

[lauren]

She's getting old enough that perhaps you could try getting her to sleep another way. When my ds was 18 mos. old I was able to read him to sleep instead of nursing. I have no idea if this would work for you but maybe it's worth a try.

[angela&avery]

our kiddos nap on mats on the floor at the daycare.... well, the toddlers do, not suer about the younger ones, but if they do, they may lay with her and rub her back until she falls asleep, thats what we do with the toddlers......