Baby Sleep Help - Natalie's Response

Mum Zone's resident Sleep Expert Natalie of Sleep and Settle is available to answer some of your questions about settling your baby and more.

Topics include: Sleeping and settling, moving from bassinette to cot, cot to bed, breastfeeding/formula, solids, floorplay for babies and play for toddlers/children, wrapping/sleeping bags/dressing baby, behaviour/tantrums, what's normal? bedroom environments, music, lights, entertainment, mattresses, mattress protectors, sheets, unsettled babies and the 0-12 week afternoon arsenic hours, reflux/colic, teething, worms, toilet training, night terrors/nightmares, the older child issues 5-10 years and single parenting/separation/divorce.

Check out our Baby Sleep Help page or read another question now!

Reader's Question

Hi, my son is soon to be 2, he is still breastfed to sleep (we co-sleep). I feel now is the time for him to be a 'big boy' and move into his own bed/room, but am unsure how to do this?? Any ideas?? Thanks :)

Natalie's Response

Congratulations for still breastfeeding your son. He is very lucky. I have some suggestions for you below. Please consider that this will be a process and it will require time, patience, consistency, persistency and clear communication. Your existing routine is a well established habit for your son and he won't roll over and agree to the changes he doesn't want to make, easily.

• My first step is to have a great daily routine with a suggested awake time in the morning, 7-7.30am, a day sleep in a window around 12-1pm and a night time bedtime of 7-7.30pm.
  
  
• No TV in the morning just active play.
  
  
• Home made meals with fresh and protein in each meal. Morning tea and afternoon tea are snacks and lighter so they don't interfere with the main meals.
  
  
• Water as his drink of choice with whatever breastfeeds you wish to offer during the day, but not at or just before a sleeptime.
  
  
• Establish a 'going to bed routine' with some consistent activities that indicate this is bedtime for day and night. Such as stories, nappy change, sleeping bag, song, into bed, say goodnight.
  
  
• A sleeping bag is essential for your son, summer weight ones are available at www.babyshop.com.au as this is his blankets when he is no longer sleeping with you.
  
  
• I would go with a staged approach.

1. You may consider finding a self-settling strategy such as mine at www.sleepandsettle.com.au that you feel comfortable with and removing the breastfeeds from the settling routine, I offer you a choice of strategies and encourage as many cuddles as you wish. Continue to settle your son in your bed with the new routine until he is self-settling without your help. Ie: goes to bed awake and puts himself to sleep.
   
   
2. Then move a cot into your room and put it up next to your bed. I would have the side up because your son is so mobile now and I don't want him standing up and falling out of his/your bed. Use your self-settling routine again to help him feel comfortable going to sleep in the cot now. A sleeping bag will be essential for warmth, remembering he will not stay tucked in and blankets will be a SIDs risk.
   
   
3. When you are ready move the cot into your son's room and use your self-settling strategy to help him go to sleep in there. Consider tying a piece of your clothing that you have recently worn to a bar of the cot so he can smell you and cuddle the clothing, or tie it onto a comfort object for him to cuddle. Once you decide to do this stick with it otherwise you will confuse your son.
   
   
4. You could also try a soothing cd such as 'music for dreaming' on repeat overnight in your room leading up to you making these changes and then transfer that to his room when you are ready. It is lovely background music and very soothing.
   
   
5. Try some rescue remedy and give some to your son as well. It is a homeopathic remedy to calm and de-stress you.

You can move through the stages quicker if you feel ready, It is completely up to you, I have just provided you with the most gentle plan. I would advise against moving him into a single bed yet as he is too young and will get out of it and come into your room and bed overnight. In the cot he is in the one place making settling easier for you overnight.

Good luck.

Natalie

View more Baby Sleep Help Questions and Responses.

The opinions expressed on these pages are of a general nature and are by no means a substitute for professional advice. Therefore neither Mum Zone or Natalie Ebrill of Sleep and Settle are liable for any actions pertaining to the use of the supplied information.