seriously.
this sweet boy of mine is killing me.
other than being adorable, and cuddly, and
sticky sweet-
he DOESN'T sleep.
you think i kid.
the last two days he has taken one hour long nap while
the sun was up.
he's been going to 'bed' around 10 and getting up
at 2 and then up for the day at 6am.
you'd think he be tired by 9, right?
WRONG!
he is crying his cute little lungs out as i type this.
i am at a loss as to what to do with him.
he used to take two naps, each about 2-3 hours~
and get up once a night.
i can handle getting up once at night with him as long
as he goes right back to sleep.
he doesn't have a fever.
i don't think he's teething.
but i NEED him to sleep.
now that he can pull himself up in his crib, i don't think he'll just
'cry it out'.
what's a mom to do?
a tired mom.
15 comments:
If you're okay with letting him CIO, the pulling up in the crib thing should have no effect. We did our modified CIO after Natalie was able to pull herself up. They figure it out at some point - they'd better just go to sleep, because the standing and crying isn't accomplishing anything.
It helped me a lot (at 6 months, when we had no schedule and had never had a good sleeping arrangement) to put her on a schedule a la The Baby Whisperer or Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. It did involve some CIO, especially at naps, but it really improved her sleeping. One of the biggest things it said is to put them to bed earlier. Intuitively, you'd think that they'll sleep later if they go to bed later, but that's not how it works. Natalie sleeps from 6:30-7:30 ish (gets up 1-2x and goes right back to sleep after feeding), and naps from 10-12 or so. She's been happy not taking her afternoon nap as of late, but that's not what the book recommends, so we'll see...
Hopefully that helps a little. If you want more info from me, let me know.
We went through this with Benjamin. I had to let him cry. It is so hard but it worked. When he started, I would go in there lay him back down (all the while he is screaming) leave for 5 mins. Go in do the same thing, lay him down tell him mommie is here go to sleep. I even tried just not talking at all, that worked too. Then leave for 10 mins. go back in do the same thing, leave for 15 mins. and so on keep adding 5 mins every time. This worked best for us but you never know. I have heard that some kids CIO just doesn't work at all. I feel for you. Oh, I did this at naps too. He had to be in his bed at least 2 hours. Eventually he learned it's better to sleep. Now he still takes awesome naps and sleeps great at night. Good luck.
My heart is wrenched, but my child is sleeping a little better. Try the crying. And the earlier bedtime. And praying. Good luck!
I've read that kids who are overly tired act actually have a harder time sleeping. It seems counter intuitive, but I agree that earlier and more frequent sleep helps. The late nights or bad napping days are ALWAYS the most restless sleep and the earliest mornings around here. But that's us. Do what ya gotta do. Good luck. I feel for ya. It's one big suckfest until you stumble upon the random cure for your kid.
I would try an earlier bed time. Sometimes kids are just silly and not really sure what they want and it is hard on mommy. ((HUGS)) It will all work out soon. Take a nap when you can
oh man, been there done that!!! It really just sucks. I wish I had some answers for ya, but we tried everything with Ethan and nothing worked, I actually think the cio stuff made it worse for him, but it worked for Malia, so just try different stuff, hopefully it's just a phase. Here's a website that has some good tips, I think I might have given it to you before, but here ya go again
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/7/T070100.asp
Thanks guys! I really think the earlier bed time/ consistent naptimes will help. I have found that the 'over-tired' Adam is the worst! My CIO limit is 40 minutes; And in the middle of the night it's difficult because I don't want to wake the dad and the daughter up with his crying. Maybe some music to drown him out? I don't know but I do appreciate your advice and sympathy. I am just coming to understand that EVERY single kid has different sleep habits.
*sigh*
*deep breathe*
thanks for posting this. . . we deal with the same thing and these tips are something I hope to try soon too (after he recovers from his double ear infection of course). But I also think we are in the same boat for another reason. . .here we have these sweet little girls as our first child, they cuddle, the watch movies, they sleep. then here comes our boys, dont hold me, i want to wiggle, i want to move i have energy. I think they are just wired differently and these boys are just go go go. it is so different between boys and girls I see every day. my reed is just so sweet though i dont mind him always awake, its my sassy daughter that i need to sleep for my well being:) keep me updated!
All of these are some great tips, I think. I love the Baby Whisperer books and refer to them often. Although, those don't recommend CIO as much, we had to do that at times with Preston for naptime. He always had a hard time in the day, so I feel your pain for that. Also, pacifiers, or a blanket or stuffed animal, or even a fan or music to block out noise, didn't work for P but all ideas. We had to black out Preston's room for his naps. Good luck and I hope you can find something that works soon!!
update on adam::
he refuses a pacifier just like a bottle- but i have tried a 'softy' before (maybe i'll work on that)
he went down easier last night- i didn't nurse him all the way to sleep, but put him down when he was drowsy. he woke up only ONCE because his sister was screaming because we wouldn't let her in our bed at 3 am. ;) he went right back to sleep and woke up at 7:30.
for nap this morning, he did better- cried for 5 minutes and then went to sleep.
thanks for all your advice- i super appreciate it!
I hope things are getting better, Heather! One thing I definitely recommend is a crib toy like this: http://www.target.com/Fisher-Price-Precious-Planet-Motion-Soother/dp/B0021L8S82/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&searchView=grid5&frombrowse=0&node=1038576&keywords=precious%20planet%20crib&field_browse=1038576&searchSize=30&id=Fisher-Price%20Precious%20Planet%20Motion%20Soother&field_availability=-2&refinementHistory=subjectbin%2Ctarget_com_age%2Ctarget_com_gender-bin%2Ctarget_com_character-bin%2Cprice%2Ctarget_com_primary_color-bin%2Ctarget_com_size-bin%2Ctarget_com_brand-bin&searchNodeID=1038576&field_launch-date=-1y&searchRank=target104545&searchPage=1&field_keywords=precious%20planet%20crib . We have the Rain Forest version, but this is what FP is doing now... It has been the best for both of my kids. For them it signals that it is time to sleep and the music helps them calm down. And, when they wake up they can turn it on and keep themselves entertained for a bit.
You can also try a music CD, the Baby Einstein Baby's First Lullabies one is great... if you play music (I would recommend the same music) every time they go to bed, they will start to realize that when that music comes on, it is time to sleep.
I'm not sure if you have a "lovey" for Adam, but that is another thing to help them. A blanket or stuffed animal works great, something that always goes to sleep with them.
A pre-bedtime routine (whether it be nap or bedtime) is key... go through the same steps each time, so they know what is coming (sleep!).
Good luck!
Forgot to say, if you're worried about waking up Jenna in the night to let Adam CIO, maybe put some music on in her room all night, or a fan to drown out the noise. My kids sleep MUCH better now that I do that.
good luck Heather - looks like you've got some great suggestions - I know it will get better!
All of these suggestions are exactly what I would recommend as well. We are actually currently going through this with our little Justin. He spent almost a week in the hospital with RSV and Pneumonia and got use to practically NO schedule with someone in there with him round the clock and docs and nurses popping in every hour or two with meds or to take his vitals. UGH. So now, he is a MONSTER to get to bed at night. We're currently trying no naps, wondering if that would hep, but it's not doing a whole lot other than making me stir crazy during the day! LOL He HAS improved with each passing night though, and we have been doing the "crying it out" method. Let him cry for a good period, then go in and comfort him for a minute and then leave again for a good period of time. It's definitely rough! I feel your pain! Last night, though, he only cried for barely a minute and then all was quiet the rest of the night! Yippee! Here's to hoping he's finally cured! *knock on wood* Good luck with Adam! Oh, and routines are always a good thing! Especially for bedtime!
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