https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 09 Jun 2026 03:00:32 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teaching-baby-to-fall-asleep-independently#post-1522314 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 10:45:24 +0000 luckygirl 1522314@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our son, who is 14 weeks, used to be able to fall asleep at bedtime on his own sometimes. We'd nurse and then put him in the crib slightly awake. Then the last few weeks he always passed out completely while nursing, so he was going down already asleep. Now in the last week he wakes up and freaks out the moment he touches the crib. Lots of crying. So we are hoping to help him learn again how to put himself to sleep more independently too! He's a bit young for CIO, so we're not sure what to do either. If we figure anything out, I'll post about it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teaching-baby-to-fall-asleep-independently#post-1519711 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 11:09:52 +0000 Baby Boy Mom 1519711@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>With my first LO we sleep trained around 6 months, with my second we did not and he started putting himself to sleep around 7/8 months. If I had to choose, waiting it out was a better choice for us, but just do whatever you feel most comfortable with. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teaching-baby-to-fall-asleep-independently#post-1519701 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 11:08:15 +0000 Mrs. M 1519701@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>As she got older she did this more and more without a problem. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teaching-baby-to-fall-asleep-independently#post-1519694 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 11:06:33 +0000 edelweiss 1519694@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>we did CIO. LO was pretty stubborn about sleep and it was incredibly stressful trying to figure out other ways to get him to sleep. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teaching-baby-to-fall-asleep-independently#post-1519679 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 11:02:43 +0000 mrsjyw 1519679@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When DS found his thumb, he taught himself. We started giving him a "lovey" A+A security blanket at five months as well when he stopped using his thumb. And we've never had a "hiccup" as far as his ability to self-soothe/fall asleep.</p> <p>We nursed before bed at nighttime til we weaned at 12+ months and sometimes he'd be asleep or sometimes he'd be drowsy/awake when we put him down. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teaching-baby-to-fall-asleep-independently#post-1519678 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 11:02:42 +0000 hilsy85 1519678@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We did sleep training at 6.5 months to get away from nursing to sleep. It was pretty life changing! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teaching-baby-to-fall-asleep-independently#post-1519676 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 11:01:44 +0000 Turd Ferguson 1519676@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Madison43: Hahahah, I just made a post about sleep training and crib transitioning...I had a few days from HELL when I was trying to put her down in the crib...I'd have her out cold, then when I'd go to set her in the crib, as SOON as she touched the crib mattress, she'd jump SO hard and be WIDE awake again. After trying it over and over and over, and both of us in tears, I gave up for the week. :/ Hmm. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teaching-baby-to-fall-asleep-independently#post-1519662 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 10:59:05 +0000 Madison43 1519662@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ms.janedoe: I've followed a few of your sleep posts and feel your pain! We had 6 weeks of her waking up every 90 mins during the night and I thought I was going to go insane. We've just recently come out on the other side but drowsy but awake is now a thing of the past. She'll only go down if she's completely asleep when she goes into the crib. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teaching-baby-to-fall-asleep-independently#post-1519608 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 10:45:40 +0000 Turd Ferguson 1519608@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Ugh, we're struggling with this now at 4.5 months. I've been working on "drowsy but awake" for all of her naps (at the advice of her pedi) hoping it would carry over to nighttime sleep (as she wakes...a LOT throughout the night). Some days she's a champ at drowsy but awake for naps, and other days, like today, she fights it like mad. </p> <p>Pretty sure I have a bad sleeper and I don't think I did enough to help in the early days--I enabled the bad habits I think! We're going on vacation soon, and when we get back, pretty sure we're looking at sleep training. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teaching-baby-to-fall-asleep-independently#post-1519568 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 10:38:36 +0000 Meltini 1519568@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My little guy just magically figured it out one day for naps. Now if only he could do the same thing at bed time... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teaching-baby-to-fall-asleep-independently#post-1519470 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 10:20:15 +0000 Smurfette 1519470@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Chillybear: We did CIO, no checks, they just pissed her off, and R finally learned how to put herself to sleep. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teaching-baby-to-fall-asleep-independently#post-1519468 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 10:20:02 +0000 MrsH 1519468@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DD will put herself down sometimes - she just kicks and coos herself to sleep. Other times she needs to be walked around or rocked - it is a crap shoot and sometimes just depends on how she has slept. If she sleeps well she is more likely to put herself down. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teaching-baby-to-fall-asleep-independently#post-1519448 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 10:16:29 +0000 Mrs Green Grass 1519448@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'll share our experience. I read all of the sleep books and so I knew the importance of a baby learning to fall asleep independently, but my baby is very low weight, so I didn't want him to ever get really worked up.</p> <p>At the 4 month sleep regression, we started walking him (in a stroller) to sleep. It worked for us and it worked for him. I worried about it, but it made everyone happier. After a couple of months, we needed to do this less and less, so slowly he went to sleep without walking. At this point we would do bath, read+bottle, then sing+bottle, then pretty much put him down asleep.</p> <p>Eventually, we started putting him down more awake. By about 12 months, he was always awake. We still do the exact same routine, but once he start to "snuggle in" which is his sleepy sign, I put him down and most nights he doesn't cry.</p> <p>So in a nutshell, we just very slowly put him down more and more awake. We always do whatever we need to calm him. I think mostly we are blessed with a good sleeper, but I do think our process has contributed to bedtime (usually) being pretty easy. Think of it as a months long process. When baby is calm, put him down more awake, when he's upset, rock as long as necessary... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teaching-baby-to-fall-asleep-independently#post-1519407 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 10:06:12 +0000 Chillybear 1519407@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@blackbird: I'm having some sleep issues with my LO do you mind sharing the sleep training method you used </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teaching-baby-to-fall-asleep-independently#post-1519380 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 09:58:15 +0000 blackbird 1519380@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We sleep trained at 5.5 months. She's a pro at going back to sleep now. I can count the number of times I've rocked/walked/soothed her to sleep since on one hand. She sleeps with a wubbanub and can easily find it and stick it in her own mouth because of the big body, which was a game changer for us! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teaching-baby-to-fall-asleep-independently#post-1519370 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 09:55:02 +0000 autumnlove 1519370@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It just happened for LO 2 around 5 weeks but it took longer for LO 1....2 months for night sleep and a looong time for naps. Maybe 9-10 months. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teaching-baby-to-fall-asleep-independently#post-1519351 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 09:47:52 +0000 Madison43 1519351@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I feel like there are a lot of sleep threads today! For those of you who have babies that fall asleep on their own, was it something you did or did it just happen? My 5 month old is back to sleeping pretty good at night once she is asleep, but it takes a lot of rocking to get her there. I would like to teach her how to fall asleep independently, but I'm not sure where to start. The times that I've placed her in her crib awake, she usually talks to herself and rolls around for a looonng time - usually until she's pinned herself in the corner of the crib and I have to move her. </p>