6 mo transition out of shh/pat

[Rauchla]

I need help! My LO has slept well for six months but now I'm not sure where to go....
Shh/pat seems to be distracting him from going to sleep so I would like to stop but we have not completely mastered sleeping unswaddled.

He likes to sleep on his stomach so sleeping unswaddled has been a challenge as he is extremely mobile. He is almost crawling so if I try laying him in his crib unswaddled and not doing shh/pat he just does push-ups and tries to crawl.

How do you help a child fall asleep when they sleep on their stomach and are so mobile?

He also uses the paci but based on the book I don't think it is a prop as he doesn't wake up when it falls out. He also can put it back in on his own...not perfectly but he can do it.

Please help! I feel like we have a lot of things to try and change and I'm not sure where to start. It's also hard because he still sleeps well when swaddled, with paci on stomach so I honestly don't want to change anything...

[anna*]

If he's doing push ups and trying to crawl, I would just leave him to it, let him get some practice in, and only go in to shush pat once he is really crying for you.

At this age, lots of parents have to switch to pick up put down. What that means in practice is that you wait until he is really crying, then try to settle him in his crib for a minute or two, then pick him up for just a quick reassuring cuddle (no more than 30 seconds really), then lay him back down and continue to try to settle him in his crib.

Both of mine were tummy sleepers at this stage, I used to put a hand on their butt and firmly jiggle from side to side, seemed to work better than a shush-pat to settle them. Whatever method you're using, remember to only do it until they are calm, not asleep. Once they're calm, take a step away from the crib. You want to be out of the room before they fall asleep.

[Rauchla]

Thank you! It worked letting him crawl around so I really appreciate your input. Now he has started pulling up on the sides of the crib. We have lowered it as far as it goes so he can't climb out or anything, but again just wondering if you would just let him climb and stand until he is really upset? Then do up/pd?

I struggle with letting him climb and fuss on and off for a long time because so many times he goes to sleep so quickly...

[anna*]

Yes, the golden rule is that if he's not really upset, he doesn't need you there with him. If he's fussing on and off, leave him be. These kind of motor milestones always disrupt sleep - just be as consistent as you can and trust that it will pass. With pulling up to stand, it is useful to make sure he gets plenty of practice during A time: they do go through a phase at the beginning where they know how to pull up to stand but don't know how to get back to lying down!