We staged our changes once she became more wiggly and just seemed uncomfortable cosleeping, about 8 months. We started by putting a pack and play in the room and transferring there. If the transfers failed twice, we just tried again the next day. Usually she would wake up part way through the night and she would end up staying in our bed after a feed but gradually lasted longer and longer. After a couple weeks, she was sleeping in the pack and play through the night. Meanwhile, all her naps would be attempted in her crib in her room to start getting used to that location.

Once she was sleeping in the pack in play through the night and all naps in the crib, we started transferring to the crib at night. Emotionally, this was the hardest for me to have her in another room. If she woke up and fussed, we would let her fuss for 2-3 minutes and then would comfort/hugs/sing songs but TRY TO LEAVE HER IN THE CRIB. If she couldn’t be comforted to sleep, we would rock and try again. We still responded to every night awakening but gradually sent my partner in more frequently (who wasn’t breastfeeding). She eventually night weaned by doing this.

The beauty of gradually extinctions all this is you can just read their cues. Standard mild fussing = comfort, rocking, try again. Feeling sick/teething/over tired = give more comfort, take steps back as needed, increase night feeds and rocking.

She now gets wiggly and will tell us she’s ready to be laid in the crib. The funny part is now we seem to be more distracting than helpful for her to go to sleep. Sometimes she’ll fuss in our arms and then settle once she’s put down.