At 19 months old, bean STILL wakes in the night.
He can go phases of not (like last week) but the strikes up again. He has never had a long period of sleeping through - teething and illness ALWAYS disturbs this and then we're back into bad habits and find it hard to get back again. Needless to say, we're knackered. It's got better - then worse - then much better - then much worse - and now we're doing just about OK.
All I can say is that CC was never an option but we did do a mix of 'pick-up-put-down' and some 'controlled ignoring' - he was fine, chattering and having a whinge - but we'd leave him to it and keep checking on him, taking turns. For both afternoon nap and bedtime he gets himself off to sleep and has done for the past 6 months. Prior to that he'd be sleepy after a bottle / milk and go down half asleep.
So, things I can think of to help (not that we're the best example!):
With younger babies, try to make their moses basket cosy - roll up a towel at it's edges and put it under the cot sheet, so that they have something against them - (but nothing like a positioner or big rolls obv.)
Bean slept MUCH better on his side as a baby - he probably would have loved to sleep on his belly but I couldn't bring myself to try. It was a big enough decision to try him on his side for day time naps only!
Putting something that smells like you in the cot - safely, of course. Or sleeping with their cot sheets yourself for a couple of nights before putting them on fresh.
Music - lullabyes but honestly, anything that they like and has a beat. We have a baby montior (BT one) that we can plug the ipod in to aswell. It's very well used! We have Elvis, Mika, The Noisettes, The Wiggles, The Night Garden songs, Stevie Wonder... all sorts on there at present.
Bean now has a pillow under his head but also a spare pillow down one edge of his cot - I keep meaning to sew it up into more of a bolster / cylinder shape - as he kept rolling into the cot bars. Also he much preferred our bed and being all cosy and having something/one next to him, so this was a substitute!
He refused a dummy until at least 6-8 months but once he would take one, we tried it. It's not helped greatly but does soothe him somewhat! He only has it for bedtime / naptime.
Bean's always had a muslin when sleepy (following on from being younger and using one to breastfeed, so it smelled like Mummy...) and still does and likes to cosy up with it. Very handy as easy to wash&dry and he's not attached to one thing. Although one comforter / blanket / teddy for sleep time is worth a try?!
Ashton and Parsons powders - we can really tell the difference when using these!
Quiet time before bed - we have stories downstairs with supper (cup of milk & toast) then teeth, bath and then another story in his room just before bed.
That's all I can think of for now - it's not like we're the best example but a few things to try, plus we have had other factors going on that meant we got into bad habits (night feeds, for example) which are hard to get out of. Hth x
