My son is 18 months and I have always put him to bed by holding him. When he falls asleep I would put him in his crib and he would sleep all night (Now he is waking up and wanting to be held to go back to bed too). We have tried to just to put him in his crib and let him cry it out, but recently he has started to throw up evey time he cries to hard!!! And it is not just a little, it's a mess!!! I have no idea how to get him to go to sleep on his own now. Any suggestions would be great. I would love to sleep through the night again and not clean up puke!
This may sound harsh, but my pediatrician friend told me "no child has ever died from sleeping in his own puke". If you let him suffer through it (and are willing to clean up) he should stop after about 4 days.
Hi K.!
No way would I sleep in puke either! Ick!
So you have a strong willed child! Join the club! It will not be your first or last mistake or trial of wills! LOL
Take a breather and think of what YOU are most comfortable with. NONE of the methods will work until you are comfortable with it and then use it consistently.
You can do Ferber...put him in the crib. Check and soothe after 5 min, then 10 then 15 then 20 and then 30. I found this worked.
So what the SUPERnanny does..sit next to the crib and soothe then, be quiet and move closer the the door every few minutes or even spread it out over days. This worked on another one.
Or try hubby (maybe he won't play the game?) being in charge for 3 nights of his bedtime routine. All 3 of mine know that me and my husband have different tolerances and play us. We in turn try to also use that strategy!
I have found that whenever I try a new strategy with my kids, it is at least 3 days until it catches. A day or two before I get my hubby and other kids on board, explain what is going to happen, how to cope/support and then just do it!
Usually the weekend (hubby home to help) or a GF over night or send your older child to Grandma's so you can focus on the younger.
Actually that reminds me, a few times when my kids were able to go over night to Grandma's it broke the pattern! They didn't know what to expect from her, Grandma wouldn't engage in the game and I got sleep for one night! Sometimes that was enough to set the change in motion!! Good luck!
He won't throw up if you cut back on the fluid at night. You created a problem that's blowing up in your face by holding him before sleep like that honey. You have to out stamina himself when he cries out like that. He's already testing you and carries on until you give in. You must let him carryon until he falls asleep. You can check on him 1/2 hour after he falls asleep. Then gently clean him up without talking to him and let him learn that you're not going to have him run the household..that's daddy and your job. Be the parent.
Elizabeth Pantley's No Cry Sleep Solution may be very helpful for you.
Sorry to tell you but the story goes that my aunt used to do this when she was a babe. She learned that my grandmother would not respond to her cries, but would respond to her puking, so she would do it on purpose! The doctor said the same thing about letting her lie in it....that it would only take a short while to realize THAT wouldn't work to manipulate you into the room!
Of course, it sucks. I have been praying my 18-month old doesn't try it. But, waiting her out, through the puke, worked for Grandma.
K.,
You could also just hold your child he is still rather young and could be getting those nasty molars. They(your children) are one little for a short time and then before you know they are as tall as you are asking to drive. Sleep will come and go over this parenting life get use to it. Good Luck!
J.
If you're as uncomfortable with vomit as I am, I recommend Elizabeth Pantley's "No Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers". It's not a quick fix, but she has many good suggestions that worked with my twins. Don't feel like you need to let them sleep in their own vomit to "be a parent", even if a pediatrician says it's ok. I sure wouldn't want to go to that doctor.
Does he throw up easily in general? My second child had a very easy gag reflex - it was almost comical (well not at the time) how he would cough a little bit or swallow the wrong way and then throw up all over the place. He grew out of it, thank goodness!
If it's only at bedtime, I agree with the other poster. Maybe consider another option other than CIO right now. Think of it as a temporary setback, like when you're traveling or one of your kids is sick, and try some other things for a few weeks. Also, try not giving any milk or food for an hour before bed. Good luck!
It sounds like letting him cry it out is not a good option. I woudl recommend looking into some other options. There are lots of books and websites. I like www.askdrsears.com for parenting/child information,
