Hi everyone, looking for some advice because we feel stuck with sleep right now.
Our 14 month old boy currently falls asleep only while being rocked. Some days go pretty well, but other days bedtime and night sleep become really difficult.
On a good day, he wakes around 7:30 AM, naps at daycare around 12:00 for about 1h40–2h, and we start bedtime routine around 7 PM (bath, some milk, dim lights, song while rocking). On those days, he’s usually asleep by 8 PM.
During the night he still wakes a few times to adjust position or briefly fusses until I comfort him, but overall the night is manageable.
On harder days, though, he fights sleep for over an hour even while being rocked, and sometimes doesn’t fall asleep until 9 PM or later. Some nights often include a long wake-up in the middle of the night where he stays awake for almost 2 hours. After nights like that, he usually wakes for the day around 8–8:30 AM.
One extra challenge is that we currently live in a small one-bedroom rented apartment. We don’t really have space for a crib in our bedroom (the bed is huge), so he has been sleeping in our bed with us. We do have a crib in the living room, but he has never fallen asleep there successfully.
At this point, I’d really like to help him learn to fall asleep independently, either in the crib or even in our bed without needing to be rocked fully to sleep every time. I’m just not sure how to approach it while co-sleeping.
Has anyone been in a similar situation? I’d especially love advice from people who managed independent sleep while living in a small apartment or while co-sleeping.
Also curious if his schedule sounds appropriate or if the bedtime struggles/long night wakings could be related to overtiredness or undertiredness.
Thanks in advance!