Sleep Makeovers for Toddlers

futuredoc, my nearly two yo sleeps w/us half of the night. I feel why am I supposed to meet all his needs, both physical and emotional, during the waking hours but at night I'm to let him 'sort it out'. It seems to send mixed messages. Do what feels right. I'm going to say that in being a parent who IS always there you're instilling independence & confidence in your child because he knows he's always got you to love & support him.

My 18 month old will not fall asleep unless she is in my bed. Once asleep we do put her in her crib, but that occassionally doesn't last. We are guilty of giving in too easily...we have a routine, but it's just too time consuming and involves our bed. How do I start the routine in her room (and crib) without it being too drastic of a change for her?

this is for future doc, you should ask your self what your childs going to do when your not there. there will come a time when you wont be there to comfort him,be it a bully at school, later in life as a teen, these are the years you instill the belief systems they will use there life thru, be sure your doing whats best for him not whats easiest on you!

What I don't appreciate is when someone else bashes my way of parenting without offering an explanation or any scientific evidence to support their claims. They just use their words to hurt and confuse. My opinion is that babies should feel NURTURED AND LOVED AT ALL TIMES. Does that mean that I give my baby everything he wants? Absolutely not. I do not spoil my child. I provide security by nurturing his trust knowing I will always be there for him. There is no such thing as too much love.

Why is it "the worst thing" I can do when I sleep with my child? For the record I have co-slept with my baby son since he was born. (He is almost 15 months.) He is a happy, secure child, and I get raves about how angelic he is. I appreciate that there are as many different parenting styles as there are people. What works for me may not work for you. That's fine.

My 14 month old wont fall asleep without me and wakes up about 3 times a night. She's definitely fed well and has plenty of attention from us before bedtime but cant seem to put herself to sleep. I've tried to let her cry for 20 minutes or so but always give in. Additional complication is that she has periodic colds and ear infections -- i simply cant let her cry it out when she's sick. So its two steps forward, and 3 steps back, once she gets sick.HELP!

Mine won't fall asleep unless she is next to me. I can move her in her room after she falls asleep, but not before. Not only that but I am the only one she will let put her to sleep. If her dad tries, she cries until she falls asleep from exhaustion!! And then she still wakes up a couple times a night...

My 2 year old won't fall asleep unless I am in the room with him. If I leave he immediately gets up and screams and cries - sometimes upwards of an hour or more before he falls asleep out of simple exhaustion. It's mindboggling because I am with him all day long- he couldn't be more secure! And yet we have been having this same battle for months.