7 Month Old Refusing to Sleep in Crib

Hi S.,
I do not have any advice on how to fix this yet I can share with you what not to do: All of the things I did! Your daughter sounds like my son..i just assumed that he did not like his crib and after buying him several different beds (co-sleeper, 2 bassinets), it was apparent that that was not the issue. He really just did not want to sleep alone. I would put him to sleep in the glider and then as soon as I transfered him over, he would wake up. He was super stubborn and we had issues with the cry it out solution. Needless to say my son is now four and i still end up sleeping with him for half the night. Don't give in is my only advice. I bought a book called the no cry sleep solution...i obviously did not read it :)

My DD was the same way. She would go to sleep at 7:30pm with no problem and then after 3-4 hours roll over and cry until I put her in bed with me (her crib was located in the master bedroom which was a big part of the problem). She is a child who does not like to be by herself in sleep or in play. For a week I slept in another room and let her cry it out. She'd wake up and I'd rock her, put her down, let her cry until on the verge of hysterics, go in and rock her again, put her down and let her cry. I never let her get to the point she couldn't calm down easily. A lot of it is knowning when she was really crying or just 'faking it' to get a response from me. The first few nights this would go on for 1-2 hours, she is a very stubborn child, but by night 3-4 she got the message and would go back to sleep after one rocking. I use a music box and wind it up everytime she goes to bed, so she knows what is coming next. It takes a lot to listen to them cry, but some kids need to work thru things on their own. Good Luck!

She could be teething or she is just not tired yet. I know, its exhausting to keep trying. So don't do it! Push her bedtime back an hour or two and then try to tire her out more during the day. It could also be just a phase but try a later bedtime and see what happens. Good luck and you are right, don't let her cry because its her way to telling you she is just not ready to go to sleep.

Consider the teething advice, and seriously consider putting the baby down later (try 30 minutes at a time). Worked like a charm for us :) Good luck!

She may not be tired enough to go to sleep. You have said after 3 or 4 attempts she will sleep in her crib and that is good. She may be teething which makes laying down difficult. You may consider putting something on her gums to soothe them.

Other soothing things for the bed could be powder on the mattress under the fitted sheet. The scent of lavender and/or chamomile are both soothing.

Make certain she gets plenty of activity and fresh air. This also helps with sleep.

You may need to wear her out before laying her down. Stay consistent and comforting. Try not to take her out of the crib. She needs to learn how to soothe herself. If she is sitting up on her own and rolling over too. You may want to give her a stuffed toy to hug while going to sleep. I introduced my son's stuffed animal to him when he was about that age. I would give him a bottle and rock him while he held the animal. I would lay him down while he was falling asleep but not quite sleep yet. I would put him in the crib, pat his back and let him hug the animal.

Hang in there and I hope this helps.