Baby likes to be rocked to sleep

[heycher]

Hi! Traveling March 1 for a 7 night stay at Animation, very excited! Random question I know, but for those of you with infants who like to be rocked to sleep, have you come up with any good ideas for vacation? The only thing I can think of is to buy one of those folding rocking chairs (like for outdoors) on Amazon and have it shipped there.....

My husband thinks I am insane... but I don't want our vacation to be all strung out tired because we cant get out 8 month old to sleep!

thoughts?

 

[3pletprincesses]

the baby centers have some rocking chairs for while you are at the park. my baby liked being in a wrap while on our vacation. She fell asleep in it in no time and she too liked to be rocked. Maybe you could try that

 

[brymolmom]

Sorry I've got to side with your husband on this one.

You have 1 month to break your baby of the habit. IMO (and I'm sure there are lots of other opinions on this) - It will make you all happier in the long run. I have a friend at work with a 2 year old who still hasn't slept through the night. There are many reasons for this, bad habits that were started early - but one of the main ones is that the toddler has always been used to being rocked to sleep. This woman can barely go through a meeting without nodding off as she hasn't had a full night's rest in 2 years!

Anyway - not saying your situation would end up the same - but it is great to teach your child the skill of sleeping on their own at an early age. ESPECIALLY for vacations!

Start now putting the baby down while still awake.

Good luck!

 

[DanaMark3boys]

I have a son who also needs to be rocked to sleep. Our last trip he was 8 months old and honestly it went alot better then i thought it would!
I just sat up on the bed and rocked him.
Believe it or not with running all day and being thrown all off schedules, they end up being so tired at the end of the day!

I don't think there is anything wrong with rocking your child. Enjoy it while is lasts they grow up way to quick. All 3 of my boys went to sleep this way.

 

[3Gsandme]

I'd do what PP did. Sit someplace and rock. It's not the best, but it works.

 

[BadgerGirl84]

You can rent a rocking chair from A Baby's Best Friend if you want. http://www.abbf.com/

They will deliver it to the room.

 

[MSSANDRA]

I loved rocking my babies and was certainly not happier when they outgrew it. One was a great sleeper in his own crib and the other a great sleeper in our bed and neither really had anything to do with rocking.

Anyway, when we traveled when they were little,I would walk them to sleep. They really preferred that anyway but it was not our routine at home. Sometimes I would also set on the bed and just rock in my arms. I would just be sure not to change anything else like the temp of his milk ect. My boys were often so tired that it took only a few minutes.

If you enjoy rocking, I would certainly not stop because of a upcoming trip. Believe me, it is over way too soon.

 

[megan10310]

I am rocking while typing lol. Try walking the baby around or holding him while you sway on the bed. Does he get sleepy in the stroller? You may be able to give him that last bottle and the lay him in the stroller and go forwards and back to simulate rocking.

I wouldn't want to rent something because I wouldn't want to cram it into an already cramped space in the hotel. My kids have always slept great on vacay. They are tired and get a lot of fresh air and sun. Then crash hard.

 

[Idreamofmickey]

We actually just bought one of those folding rocking chair in a bag. We will check it on our flight. I was going to rent a rocking chair along with the crib, but we thought space would be way to tight. This way we can fold it up in corner when not in use. Got mine from target

 

[ThreeBeans]

I would just rock baby to sleep by sitting in bed and rocking back and forth. Do it all the time and I actually have a rocker right here. I would not try to 'break' a wee 8 month old of a sweet and tender way to say goodnight. They are only babies once.

 

[jennyjinx3]

Hmmm...I agree with the PP who said to rent a chair. But if you really would like to change this PM me. I have experience with this!! It can be done!

 

[heycher]

Thank you all so much for your wonderful posts! I feel so much better having read your experiences.

My husband is driving our minivan down (baby and I are flying). I think I am going to buy that folding one on Amazon and just have the peace of mind. It is only $50 and it would cost that much to rent one.

She is my last baby, and I don't care how long I have to rock her for, I love it - it is a special time for both of us. Being at Animation in a family suite I know we have plenty of room for a fold-up rocking chair and so I think we will go that route.

Thanks again you guys are truly wonderful!

 

[samacita]

Rocking can be part of the bedtime routine without using as the exclusive means for getting baby to sleep. I still rock my 2.5 yo while reading bedtime stories. It's a great way to have the sweet tenderness, help baby start relaxing for sleep, and then still have the opportunity to learn the very important skill of getting oneself to sleep.

 

[christygobar]

DD is 2.5 and she and I still rock as part of her bedtime routine. We sing songs, talk a little bit, say our prayers, etc. But she has for a very long time not needed it to go to sleep.

When we are on vacation, there is never a rocking chair. She is fine just sitting in my arms and doing the similar routine. Our first vacation when she was 13 mo old and still slightly more dependent on it, I just backed off of the heavy rocking for 1-2 months ahead of time and then used a chair/bed to rock a bit.

I guess my point is that they often adapt and you may be surprised You can improvise a bit!

 

[Momma2PrinceNPrinces]

I am a firm believer in doing whatever works best when it comes to babies and sleep. I remember rocking my then 13 month old to sleep one night of our trip. I don't know about your child but any change in routine or scenery wrecked havoc on his sleep! And like others said, it goes by SO fast. I still lay in DDs bed until she falls asleep. She cannot go to sleep without me. She's 5.5 y/o but I figure I'm going to take advantage while I can! Before I know it she'll be 16 and hate me

 

[kandb]

You sound like a great mommy. Don't ever let anyone make you feel guilty about doing things that make you and your baby bond and/or have special time. People told me, just put your babies down, let them CIO and you will get sleep. No way for us, we did whatever it took to get our children to bed happily and they are the most attached, lovable children ever. Do what's in your heart.

 

[blessedby3]

I agree...I see nothing wrong with rocking an 8 month old. Heck, I rocked my 5 year old until she was about 4 3/4. It is such a special time. She still gets in my lap and falls asleep occasionally. I love it. She is my 4th and my last...and I have loved rocking all my babies.
We have taken numerous trips to WDW while she was still being rocked (ages 3 mos, 17 mos, 2 1/2, 3 1/2). I would either sit on the end of the bed rocking her, or the last few trips she would be so tired I could just lay down with her and she fell asleep.
I also didnt sleep for the first 2 1/2 years of her life (like the PP mentioned). This was not due to rocking, though, but because of horrible reflux. DD would scream out during the night when she was flat. We finally got it under control, but that was a long 2 1/2 years for an Advanced Maternal Age Momma She has slept fine for the past 2 1/2 years even after being rocked
Precious Times

 

[brymolmom]

To OP: Glad you made a decision that you're comfortable with and that it will remove any anxiety about your upcoming vacation.

That said, Seriously, not one person is going to write in agreement with my viewpoint here? I feel like such a scrooge and bad mother on this thread! LOL

To clarify - I wholeheartedly agree that rocking as a part of a bedtime routine is wonderful. That plus reading books and songs were definitely part of our babies' routines. I'm just not a fan when the child needs the rocking in order to fall asleep. For many reasons, one being it makes being in a different enviornment difficult and might upset things like vacations and also because I do think it's a great skill for kids to learn to put themselves to sleep.

I respect others' points of view here and to each their own. But most parents I've known in similar situations haven't been thrilled with it. For example my coworker who honestly should almost be fired because she can't keep her eyes open for 8 hours during the day. Also I've had so many friends and neighbors sigh and wonder aloud 'WOW - I wish I could get my kids to go to sleep like that' when my dh comes downstairs after 5 - 10 minutes of 'bedtime' with the kids and then coming back downstairs for adult time with friends who we are entertaining. And sitters LOVE getting a job at my house - super easy money.

Don't get me wrong - pros and cons both ways - but just wanted to present my pros and clarify that it is not because I don't want to cuddle with my babies - who are no longer babies but we still do plenty of cuddling, but instead because I think it is a good thing to instill in my babies.

Really surprised I was alone on this viewpoint...But it works for us.

 

[nchulka]

To OP: Glad you made a decision that you're comfortable with and that it will remove any anxiety about your upcoming vacation.

That said, Seriously, not one person is going to write in agreement with my viewpoint here? I feel like such a scrooge and bad mother on this thread! LOL

To clarify - I wholeheartedly agree that rocking as a part of a bedtime routine is wonderful. That plus reading books and songs were definitely part of our babies' routines. I'm just not a fan when the child needs the rocking in order to fall asleep. For many reasons, one being it makes being in a different enviornment difficult and might upset things like vacations and also because I do think it's a great skill for kids to learn to put themselves to sleep.

I respect others' points of view here and to each their own. But most parents I've known in similar situations haven't been thrilled with it. For example my coworker who honestly should almost be fired because she can't keep her eyes open for 8 hours during the day. Also I've had so many friends and neighbors sigh and wonder aloud 'WOW - I wish I could get my kids to go to sleep like that' when my dh comes downstairs after 5 - 10 minutes of 'bedtime' with the kids and then coming back downstairs for adult time with friends who we are entertaining. And sitters LOVE getting a job at my house - super easy money.

Don't get me wrong - pros and cons both ways - but just wanted to present my pros and clarify that it is not because I don't want to cuddle with my babies - who are no longer babies but we still do plenty of cuddling, but instead because I think it is a good thing to instill in my babies.

Really surprised I was alone on this viewpoint...But it works for us.

I totally agree with you! I always rocked my kids, but never rocked them to sleep. They went down to sleep on their own from about 2-3 weeks. I continued to rock them and sing songs, read stories, and cuddle for years. But it was wonderful to lay them down, walk away and know they were asleep for the night with no fuss at all

 

[angelmom27]

I do the same thing a pp mentioned. We babywear so if she has a hard time going to sleep I just put her in one of our carriers or wraps and she is out. Babys need mommys comfort to fall asleep. You are doing a great job. You are listening to your babys needs and taking care of them. I still nurse my 2 yr old dd to sleep. It is our routine and until she tells me otherwise we will continue to do what we do.