In our old house we didn't have room to put up the cot (we could have done it in the lounge, I guess, but knew we were moving soon so didn't). So, since B grew out of her bassinet at six months, she's been having all her naps in her Ergo or stroller. Even when she goes to daycare they can't get her to sleep in a cot, so they use the stroller too. At night she's in our bed.
Now we are finally in the new house, we have put up the cot (in our room, right next to our bed), and tried putting her in it when she's sleepy - but she won't sleep in it! She won't even lie down. She just stands at the edge and looks confused, and cries if I leave her in there - even if I'm right next to the cot. She will sit and play with her books or cuddle a toy, but that's as close to sleep as it gets. And we can't put her in asleep, as she wakes up.
So, lovely BB members, here's what I want to know:
- is it just that she's not ready to sleep independently? How do I tell when she is ready?
- if she's just not used to going to sleep this way, how can I gently get her used to it? Should we work on day naps first, or night? (She still feeds overnight a couple of times, but if we could just get her to sleep in her cot for the first long stretch, she could come back for the rest of the night when she wakes for a feed.)
I'm ok with the situation at present, but she's getting heavy! And we would like our bed back so that we can TTC #2 before she's 5, IYKWIM...