The Bedtime Blues

For several months now, my daughter has slept with my husband and me. Some nights, she starts off in her crib, but then about 3 a.m. or so, she wakes up enough to stand up in the crib and cry. So we move her into bed with us, and she nods off in literally seconds. Good for her, not so good for us, as we both get kicked and rolled over on the rest of the night.

Other times, she never makes it to the crib. She can fall asleep almost anywhere -- the playpen, her high chair, in my arms, in my husband's arms, on the living room floor -- but for some reason, the minute we set her down on her mattress, she's wide awake and crying. So we rock her back to sleep, carefully listening for her little snore that tells us she's made it to deep sleep. Once we get the signal she's out, we take her to the crib again, and yet again, she's wide awake once she touches the mattress. We try again and get the same result. So, on these nights, she spends the entire night with us, resting well while my husband and I sleep fitfully.

Lately, we've been trying to get her to go to sleep in her crib, but she fights it. We lie her down, but she gets up immediately every time and begins crying. If we leave the room, she screams.

I read a tip in "What to Expect the First Year" that I hope helps, but if any other moms out there had similar problems and found a way to get their child to sleep in their crib, I welcome any advice.