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Hi - I have never posted here before, but am in the middle of transitioning my seven month old daughter from co-sleeping to her crib and can totally relate to how stressful it is. Just ten days ago she was waking up every 45 minutes co-sleeping (I think because she wanted to move around) and is now sleeping VERY well in her crib. I used my own variation of the pick-up, put-down method as I am against CIO and at this age I don't think there are too many options. It still takes about 45-60 minutes to get her down for the night, but I stay with her and comfort her and do everything possible until she falls asleep in the crib. I keep my hand on her, sing her quiet songs and pick her up or nurse her when she starts crying. I also use white noise and her favorite blankie, which comforts her. Using her security blanket made me nervous at first, but I sleep right next to her so I can hear if she struggles and she is so mobile now that I am not too concerned. I think the absolute key is making sure she falls asleep in the crib and not on the breast so that when she wakes up she knows where she is and then she soothes herself back to sleep. Every night it gets better as she gets used to where she is and she seems to be enjoying her independence. I know I am using a lot of things that can be considered sleep "crutches", but just a few days ago she would only go to sleep with me holding her so I feel like I'm making huge progress! Good luck. Let me know if you want to discuss more.
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