Throwing Lovey out of the Crib

[BlessedKylie]

My DD is 15 months old and has just started throwing her lovey out of her crib prior to napping and bed time.

She will go to sleep without it, but when she stirs and reaches for it and it's not there, she wakes up (usually around the 1 hour mark) - which means a crappy nap and a cranky baby (she only takes one nap).

Yesterday I went in right before it looked like she was about to fall asleep (we have a video monitor) and put her lovey back in the crib. I didn't talk to her, just walked it, put it in the crib and left. She grabbed it and went right to sleep (This was after 45 minutes of pacing the crib).

I did the same thing last night at bed time - although she was awake for another 20 minutes after I gave it to her.

I don't want her to think that throwing it out will get me to come in there, but I know that if she goes to sleep without it, sleep will not be good. I thought about sneaking in after she falls asleep, but I know that I will probably wake her up (creaky house).

As I type, she's been in her crib for about 30 minutes. She threw her lovey out about 15 minutes ago and is now whimpering and reaching through the crib for it...

Anyone else been through this or have ideas?

[Wilsmon]

Clever aren't they?  Things I would try.  Do as you did and just go in, don't make eye contact and put it back.  Maybe she will give up after a while if she knows you are not going to get her up or have any interaction with her.

Put more than one in, if you can find an identical one.

Or, if you think the creaky house will wake her (we live in an old creaky house also  run some white noise like a fan or something until she gets over doing that. 

[BlessedKylie]

Thanks for the advice. I guess I will keep doing what I'm doing unless it escalates to something more.

I do have a back-up lovey, but I think she will just throw that one out too, but maybe I can tuck the second one in a corner that she won't see immediately, but can find if she'll looking? hmmm...

I already have a white noise machine in there, but my popping bones and our creaking floors are unfortunately louder 

[NiknLily]

Hi, I also have a creaky house and DD door creaks as you open it.  She is also what I consider a light sleeper, in that if there is too much noise going on when she goes from 1 sleep cycle to another she will wake fully.  But what I have found is that if I go into her room after 20Min's and before 35Min's of being sound asleep it's suprising how much it takes to wake her.  I found this out doing wake to sleep on her nap and sometimes I have to practically shake her to make her stir at this point.

[fleadle]

Both my lo's did / do this, DD has grown out of it, DS is still doing it.

What i did was get some pram toy savers (kind of like soother savers) you clip one end round the toy & one round the cot....they are short so LO's can't get it round their neck at night/nap but the can't throw it out either.

No more throwing!....or if they do they can get it back themselves, so they end up not bothering because you don't have to come into the room for them!

[Layla]

Isabella did this for ages... threw her teddy out to get me back into her room. I used to go back... no eye contact, no talking, put it back in & leave. She got sick of it & it eventually ended .