Hello!

My daughter refuses to sleep in a cot.


Want more real mum questions sent to you?

You'll need to check this email to complete your signup.
  • Find something that works and persist. It could be a bottle in bed. A musical wind up toy. A light show. Reading a book. Sitting with them til they’re asleep. Something will do the trick


  • I sit with my little one before he falls asleep and then walk out.
    Always works.


  • Try to settle her with music or something to help her want to sleep, my daughter can sit in her cot for 2 hours before sleeping, just make sure she doesn’t get distressed


  • i’m still trying to get mine( 10mth) to sleep in her cot. So far it seems that the more time she spent in her cot, the more likely she would be able to sleep in the cot. When she was younger she sleeps on her day bed and when the night comes, she just didnt like it and would cry till someone picks her up. But now that the day bed cant fit her, i start putting her into her cot more often, i let her play in her etc. And at night she seems to get better with sleeping in the cot. She is able to sleep like 2-3hours in it at night for now, or till she wake up and look for someone and wants to come to bed with us, so hopefully this would work eventually!


  • Stay near the cot for a few minutes to see what she does (also for her to know that your not going to abandon her). If she gets restless but attention drifts off from you, you can start to slowly move to the door. If she is completely upset, you may need to just soothe her. We tried EVERYTHING from cot play time to practically crawling into our son’s cot with him. Nothing worked. Eventually putting safety rails on a normal bed, talking to him and being there when he woke up from his naps helped as we never had a problem since.


  • Is the cot in a draught? If the ends are filled in maybe she doesn’t like not being able to see out. Maybe she doesn’t like sleeping near a window. Do you know if she has had any nightmares at all? How soon after she has finished eating do you put her in her cot? Maybe she needs longer to digest some of her food before she needs to go to sleep. If she goes in your bed she has your “smell” and that is what she misses. Maybe give her something of yours to cuddle. Also her head is probably slightly raised. You could try raising the head of the mattress by putting a pillow or something under it. It can also aid digestion too. Your floor may have a slight slope and her head be lower than her feet.


  • yeah maybe try to buy a toddler bed for her. my kids were the same and didn’t like being in a cot.


Post your reply
Add a photo
Your MoM account


Lost your password?

Enter your email and a password below to post your answer and join MoM:

↥ Back to top

Thanks For Your Star Rating!

Would you like to add a written rating or just a star rating?

Write A Rating Just A Star Rating
Join