Getting a 1 Year Old to Sleep All Night: Co-Sleeping Transition

Getting a newborn to sleep through the night is impossible, if not dangerous, because newborns need to be fed every 2 hours to sustain them. But getting a 1 year old to sleep throught the night should be easy...or is it? We used the co-sleeping method from birth to recently, and now, I want my bed back. It is time to make a transition.

As many of you know, I have been struggling to get my 1 year old to sleep through the night. My husband can't stand to hear her cry. My little genius has picked up on this little tidbit, and now has taken to wimpering (in her sweetest voice) "Da-Da. Da-da. Daaaa-da." Immediately, he jumps out of bed and runs to her, takes her out of the crib, and lets her cuddle with us. This wouldn't be so bad if she didn't jab me in the stomache with her foot and pull my hair all night. And since I have to be up at 5:30am for a long day of work, this is no longer an option for me. I have taken some of your advice and it seems to be working, so here is what I have been doing to get my 1 year old on track to sleep through the night:

Co-sleeping Transition Schedule

5:30pm: Dinner

6:00pm - 7:30pm: Play

7:30pm - 8:00 pm: Bath with Lavendar Soaps

8:00pm - 8:30pm: Baby Einstein Video, then short book

8:30/8:45pm: Sing baby a song, say prayers, and lay baby down to bed. I know you aren't supposed to give the baby a bottle, but I do. I am slowly diluting the formula out so that she will be drinking water, and then I will switch it out for her sippy cup, and then eventually nothing. One step at a time.

12:00am: Baby wakes up and cries out. I tell her "Shhh, lay down. You're ok, mommy loves you." I do this several times, but I do not rush over to her. She wimpered a little bit, but no big tears, screams or cries, so I didn't go over to her. Right before her daddy is about to rush over to her, she lays down. I say, "good girl." the whole interaction was less than 2 minutes.

1:00am: Baby wakes up and cries out. I tell her "Shhh, lay down. You're ok, mommy loves you." She lays down. I say, "good girl." This takes about 1 minute.

5:30am: I wake up for work. Baby's still asleep. daddy says she has been sleeping until 8:30am.

this has been going on for the last 2 nights. So hopefully, we can wean out the 2 night wakings, but this is what we have to do to get her accustomed to sleeping in her crib. Co-sleeping was great when she was tiny, but she is big and wiggly now, and momma is not on maternity leave anymore.