We need some sleep.....

Apip99

Morning all,

Oh little daughter of 21 months is giving us some hassle with regards to sleeping at night.

Back ground. She was in her cot and was not bad at the sleep thing, would wake for a bottle and then back down no problems. Then it began, she hatted going to bed, hated the cot, and would scream the place down. After much a do, and trying different things, I took the side of the cot of and mad it into the toddler bed. It took a while to get her to settle, she'd get up and come to the top of the stairs and cry. But no after a while, she'll go go up and settle stright away (99% of the time) She's been in her own 'bed' for a few months now, so she is used to it, and loves going to bed and getting cosy under the blanket, and crashing out.

But the problems start in the night.

She'll wake at anyting from 1-3 times a night. She'll either come into our room, and cry to get in (on my wifes side, as she knows that I won't back down) or she'll lay in her bed crying and crying for us. Eventually I get up and put her back into her room, kicking and screaming and the only way to get her to go back to sleep is with a bottle! which in turn results in a wetter nappy, and her waking up a few hours later wanting her nappy changed, which in turn leads to her gettiong in a right state, as having nappy changed, is not her favorite thing at the moment, even in the day time.

She'll nap 1-1.5 hours in the day. We have tried not giving her her nap (which she needs or she's the anti-C in the afternoons) but it makes no differance at all. I think she could be a wake for 2 days, go to bed and still wake up!

She'll eat at around 5 at the nannies, and then will have some thing when we eat around 7:30. then bed with bottle at 8:30, and as I say, she goes down fine.

Any help, advice, suggestions, stories, or soloutions. Me and wife need a full nights sleep, and t top it of, our second is due in June :eek:

Thanks, and sorry if long winded, just wanted to give a bit of back ground.

barbiegirl

I guess your wife needs to be as strong as you in putting her back to bed, when she cries, check in see if she's ok, if she is, then leave again, give it another 5 minutes if she still crying, check again, then 10 minutes etc., it's a check, don't speak, kiss her, tuck her in again, the first 2 times, then just stand and door and check. May take a number of nights to get it right but she will eventually get the message. You need to both stick to the plan. Remember you are the boss, as much as she thinks she is.:D

noby

barbiegirl's right. We went through something similar, so you have to be strong. Allowing them into your own bed might be the easy option, but you're creating a bad habit.

Also might I suggest a soother for at night instead of the bottle?

paulksnn

We got our daughter out of sleeping in our bed by lying down with her in her bed.
This eventually moved to sitting in a chair next to her bed until she fell asleep.
Rather than removing the bottle straight away, I'd suggest reducing the amount in the bottle by half.
It's really only the sucking on the bottle they want, not the milk inside, usually.

Just The One

She has started waking for a reason.... is she teething? has anything changed recently.

We had awful trouble with our girl.... waking at night and really agressive... didn't want up or down.... she didn't know what she wanted.

We brought her to see Dublin-based John Dalton - a cranio sacral therapist www.cranio.ie and he did some work with her.

Think it is €50 a session so well worth a try.... after one session, our little girl stopped being so agressive at night when she woke.... she still wakes at night but then again she is cutting her eye teeth.

Nevyn

Is she warm enough ?
The last two weeks have be pretty cold and coudl she be kicking covers off herself and getting cold and waking ?

lizzyd66

Also and this may sound weird , have you tried putting her down earlier - maybe when you come in start the bed time routine, have her down by 7.30 and then have your dinner. I found when they went to bed late they were slept less well then going down early. I think out of all the methods/books I read the Tracey Hogg - baby whisper was the most sensible. Or... buy a bigger bed and put up with her in the bed at night! My dd is 7 and ds is 5 and occasionally one or other will end up in with us.

bkelaine

we are at the moment trying to sleep train our 7 month old. There is a book by the millpond sleep clinic. Got it on amazon. it has lots of different case studies and techniques for helping kids/toddlers/babies to sleep. maybe it is worth a look. they have a website also if u google it.
hope you get a nites sleep soon!

Ickle Magoo

We just bought a king-size & let them in. They go through phases of wanting to come in with us if they are teething, unwell, suffering from separation anxiety or night terrors. They seem to pass faster since we stopped making an issue out of it. Not much advice I'm afraid but you have my sympathy!

dewsbury

Apip99 wrote: »

......which in turn results in a wetter nappy, and her waking up a few hours later wanting her nappy changed,

Does a wet nappy really wake her up?

Never happened to any of mine.

(for what it is worth)

undecided

Ickle Magoo wrote: »

We just bought a king-size & let them in. They go through phases of wanting to come in with us if they are teething, unwell, suffering from separation anxiety or night terrors. They seem to pass faster since we stopped making an issue out of it. Not much advice I'm afraid but you have my sympathy!

:eek::eek:NNNOOOO!!!! DON'T DO THIS! We have a 7 yo still jumping into our bed 2/3 times a week!

With our youngest had similar problems for the bottle thing we only gave a 2oz top up and to stop coming into our bed we just kept saying no took few weeks to get the idea but did in the end. I remember he used to try sneak in without waking us only for me to wake up with a foot in the back or something so we hung a windchime at the door!

Ickle Magoo

I suppose it depends on whether you mind them hopping in or not - we don't.

Rachel D

I have 2 girls 1 is 2 and a half and the other is almost 9mths and they both sleep in there own beds all night since were about 4mths. I find the dummy is better than bottle and easier to take off them i took it off my older girl when turned 2 and she was only having it at night since was 1. she would still need 1 nap but if maybe get her to have it about 1 until shes old enough to do without.It might b a case of tough love with the waking to get into bed they only keep crying when they no you'll give in.I've had d tears but I stuck it off everytime and i get my nights sleep.If you no shes ok just tough it off and eventually she'll get it and ye will get sleep!

bored and tired

undecided wrote: »

:I remember he used to try sneak in without waking us only for me to wake up with a foot in the back or something so we hung a windchime at the door!

this is the best bit of advice ive heard in a long time. Wish i had thought of that few years ago!

joseph brand

only for me to wake up with a foot in the back or something so we hung a windchime at the door!

Classic stuff!

Had a foot in my back, and the palm of a small hand pressed against my nose at about 3:30 last night, for about 40 mins. Got to bed at around 12:30, up at 06:10, for 12hr shift starting at 7!! Happy Days.

Me and herself are going mad with the sleep deprivation.

Baby boy aged 2yrs 8 months, loves to stay up until around 11:00 at night, totally hyper child. We put him in his buggy, he does his Houdini impesonation. And, no matter how late he gets to bed, we will always hear singing or whispering from his room, at around 7:30. If he goes asleep late, we go an hour or 2 after him.

I miss those days of singledom when bed was always an option.

nesf

dewsbury wrote: »

Does a wet nappy really wake her up?

Never happened to any of mine.

(for what it is worth)

Dirty nappies on the other hand can be the bane of your existence for a while.