Help!!! - Corpus Christi,TX

Do you only give her cereal befroe bed time if so try giving her cereal all day. She is not going to sleep if she is not full I learned that myself. My daughter is 18 months now and started cereal at 1 month because she ate too much. She was already taking 8 ozs at that point. Was never over weight either by any means she was just a hungry baby with a healty metabolism.

Hi L.. I feel your pain. I had a daughter who had major sleep issues. one book the helped us out was "The No Cry Sleep Solution" by Elizabeth Pantley. She has a bunch of ideas that you can try and tailor to your families needs. I hope it helps.
- P.

I had 2 that were not good sleepers. When they wanted to be held constantly I first got their ears checked. Ear infections do not always cause high fever. But they will cause clingy, poor eating, poor sleeping, resistance to laying flat (the pressure and pain), and even so congested they throw up (babies don't know how to handle being so congested and will throw up). If the ears checked out okay....then I rocked them to sleep each time, but no lights on, not more than a sip of bottle/sipper cup, and no talking or playing. I just rocked or patted. Soon they learned that night time was not as fun and began to go back to sleep very quickly.

My dd finally started sleeping completely through the night at 2 1/2 years. We did this routine every night- she just seemed to need that extra minute of pats and making sure I was there.

But I would not keep a 7 month old up all day. Sometimes our bodies just have a hard time winding down.

Also check that there are not things in the room to disturb her. My oldest would not sleep with a nightlite or any xtra noises in the house. I had to close his door and use a baby monitor to know if he woke up.

on hitting, biting. Give him a time each day that is his. I always made the morning nap for mine. Thirty or forty minutes of time with mommy to play, read, swing, whatever (no tv). I know that can be hard to do, but I had 3 kids in 5 years and still did it, so I know it can be done. After you have done that for awhile then I would start with a nice wooden spoon and paddle his little bottom with 1-2 swats for every time he bites, spits, hits. He needs to learn that if he hurts others then he will get a consequence of that. I don't mean yell at him, beat him, or anything. Just tell him, "If you bite again I will use this spoon/paddle and will swat your bottom with it. You must not hit/bite/spit at people. It hurts them and it is not a good thing to do." Keep it simple.

Honestly, 7 months is really early IMO to sleep through the night. My son is 2 1/2 and doesn't always sleep through the night and his older brother started sleeping through the night around 2 also. Also, rice cereal won't help her to sleep through the night anyway because it is a starch, if you really think food will help her sleep better then I would try something like avocado or meat that has a little fat and protein. Have you tried using a sling for her since she won't let you put her down? Studies have shown that babies who ride in a sling all day tend to sleep better at night anyway and then you would still have a free hand for your 2 year old. With the 2 year old getting out of his car seat, is it a 5 point restraint? My son is 2 1/2 and there's no way he could get out of his seat since he can't work the crotch button. If he's really getting out I would suggest getting a car seat that has a 2 hand thing for the crotch button because that is extremely unsafe and if he can still get out than I would suggest not taking him anywhere until he's old enough to not get out because him getting out could be hazardous to his life. Also maybe putting songs on that he can do hand movements for to distract him.

Try reading "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" sounds like your daughter actually could use more sleep. As for your son, if he isn't in a Mother's Day out program a couple of times per week try scheduling some play dates, I definitely think he needs some physical activity to help displace that aggression in a healthy way.

Every child is different of course...I use the same routine and stick to it. I use a tape called Music to Enduce Sleep from Brookstone, a lovie and a pacie. I feed and rock her before she goes to bed. I lived by the book, Happiest Baby on the Block which helped a lot. My daughter is 8 months today. As for the son, Use time out and natural consequences and consistency among all caregivers. I would check in with everyone and make sure all are on the same page. Let him know the same way every time that his behavior is not acceptable. good luck....

My husband and I are in our 3rd week of crib training with our 8month old. We bought 3 books at half price books. The Ferber one, the no cry sleep method and one other that I have not looked at. We are doing a combo of the Ferberizing and no cry. We put the baby down and let him cry for five min then go in and pick him up and rock him the first night. Then after 5 more min leave him in the crib and sing to him with hand on chest.
Try this for a while and read those 1st two books. Our baby just started falling asleep on his own in the crib a couple nights ago. When he wakes up at 3 we give him a little bottle as he has moved to the crib from sleeping next to the boob all night so he still wakes up hungry.
We started with a 1am 2-3oz, a 4am 2-3oz then get him out of crib at 6am and nurse in bed.
Now at 2.5 weeks we are down to one 3am 3oz and into the bed at 7am. It is awesome!!! and about time too :)

My sister just did the cry it out with her kids and if you have the stamina for that, they say it works well too. I am too much of a wuss for the complete cry it out method.

Hi L.,

You don't say much about the older or other kids. But it sounds like you have a full plate. Just keep in mind that your 7 month old girl will grow out of the not sleeping thru the night. Since you are at home you may want to try to wear her out by playing harder, doing exercises with her. And the 2 year old boy sound pretty typical. As a matter of fact, both the 2 yr boy and the 7 mo girl sound pretty typical. My boy was very aggressive, and do date at 10yrs he is not aggressive at all, he is in fact a very compassionate young man. (Not to say that he can be a total smarty pants!) My aby girl who is now almost 5 is still needs lots of TLC it seems the older kids really wear on her emotions and it shows up in her sleep patterns because she gets so wound up.
Simply do your best to show the love and get the other 2 involved to so that every one gets worn out and feels the love. Hang in there mom! I bet you are doing a great job... and i bet all four of those rascles are wearing you out and you need a solid night sleep!!! Remember, that they will learn what you show... I know it sounds cliche but... show patience and they learn patience; show empathy and they learn empathy; etc... Also as a friend once told me... they are born wild... it is up to us to show them how to be kind a play fair... you may have to repeat you efforts over and over but IT WILL SINK IN! Hang in there L.!!

Peace...
CJ

First, there are many 7 month old babies who do not sleep through the night, so that is not abnormal. Rice cereal helping babies sleep longer is a myth. Her tummy is still small, so she may just need to eat at night. You can try reading The No Cry Sleep Solution, it is a gentle solution to sleep issues.

Babies have different needs, and your daughter needs to be close to you. She is building trust in you, and learning that you will be there for her. Do you have a sling or baby carrier? This can make life much easier with a velcro baby.

For your 2 year old, he is at a point where he is experiencing all these new emotions and does not know how to handle them. He acts out by hitting and spitting because he does not know how to express himself. In our house, if a child hits, they take a short break, until they are ready to say sorry and give a hug. We describe their emotions to them, with "You are feeling mad because...., when we are mad we can...." We will tell them an appropriate way to express their feelings, like stomping their feet.

Can you get a different car seat with a more difficult buckle? That would be the simpliest solution. If not, I would just pull over each time and tell him that mama has to keep him safe, do not unbuckle, and keep driving. He is defining his boundries, and trying to make sure that he will get the same reaction everytime.

In response to your daughter . . . I have a 2 1/2 year old daughter that did not sleep throught the night until she was a year old. So it does happen although it is not very common. My first suggestion would be to read Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child. That was my sleep "bible". My daughter was also one that always wanted to be held as an infant and in general a "difficult" one. When my daughter was 4 months old we let her cry it out to put herself to sleep (at the suggestion of our pediatrician). It was one of the most difficult things I've had to do, but the best advice too. Every kid is different and until this day she has difficulty sleeping. The only reason I think she does rather well is that we have been very consistant with her sleep routines etc. Some kids can sleep anywhere and are very flexible. She never was and I don't think she will be in the future either. I think she ended up like my husband who since he was a kid never wanted to sleep and has had sleep difficulties. You're daughter may just be one that needs a stricked routine all the time. And the key is that she needs to learn to soothe herself and put herself to sleep in order to put herself back to sleep if she wakes up in the middle of the night. Good luck and read that book!

She (7 month daughter)just might be needier than your other babies were. My son didn't sleep through the night until well after he was 12 months. I think some babies are just more insecure than others. This is her way of tell you that she needs security. As for your 2 years old...I don't know about that one! Good luck!

This might not work for you, but I tried it with my oldest when he refused to be put down at night. I would sit up on a recliner and if he fell asleep, I would put him down. IF I fell asleep first, he would stay on my chest. He was younger than seven months, so he did not move as much as yours might, but he would fall asleep with the rythem of my breathing, I guess, and when I put him down, I would take off my shirt and put it in the crib with him, like right under him so he could smell me. Never do this with button shirts, only t's or tanks that have no embelishment.
Just a new idea to try,
M.

I agree that a carrier is a great way to deal with a baby that wants to be held all the time. I got mine for around $10 at Target.

Some babies just need closeness, especially at night. Neither of mine were sleeping through the night at 7 months...to me, it seems odd to expect them to. If your other three did, count yourself lucky!

If you can't get your little one to sleep on her own, I'd suggest co-sleeping. That way, when baby wakes up, 9 times out of 10, she'll see that you're right there, cuddle up, and go back to sleep. If she's actually hungry or dirty, you can change her or feed her quickly and easily, without having to get up. Everyone will get more sleep. :)

As to hitting and biting: I highly recommend that you don't hit/bite your child in order to prove that hitting/biting is wrong. As one mom here has said, you should lead by example. As another has said, your child is simply at an age where he has a hard time expressing emotions in an appropriate manner. With my son, we would put him in Time Out immediately if he did something like that. Then, when Time Out was over and he was calm, we'd tell him, "You were angry because _____________. You can't _______________ when you're angry, but you *can* ___________." My son is now three, and he doesn't hit or bite. He's very sweet with his little sister, and plays well with older kids, too. I think our method worked great!

My son tried getting out of his car seat for a while. He could undo the top straps, but had a harder time with the bottom button. I fixed this by using large, locking safety pins (you can get them online at cloth diapering sites) as a back-up for keeping his straps in place. Then, not only would he get in trouble for undoing his straps, but they wouldn't actually come off, either. After about a month, we took the pins off and had no more trouble.

Good luck! Sounds like your kids are pretty normal and healthy!

I know how you feel. My daughter, now 2, didn't sleep through the night until after she turned one. Once we took the bottle away from her, she started sleeping all the way through the night. You may have to wait till then. Just letting you know there IS light at the end of the tunnel!! Good luck!