Hi ladies -
I have a 2 week old daughter and and 18 month old son. My son has never been a good napper and since the baby has come, he isn't sleeping well at night either. He always used to sleep through the night and now he will cry until my husband or I go in there and it takes an hour to get him back to sleep. We just lay him down so that he goes back to sleep on his own, but it takes a long time and many trips in his room to get him to do so. Now, he always wakes up crying, from naps and in the a.m., whereas before, he would self entertain is his crib for 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. We have never been the cry it out type, but we are getting so sleep deprived (as is he!)....I am just not sure the best way to handle it!
He gets a lot of attention during the day and every time I feed the baby, we have our special time of reading or building with blocks etc. I know this is a big transition for us all, so I am just looking for suggestions as to how to make it smoother...what worked for others??!!??
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!
Thanks to everyone that provided suggestions! We stayed consistent with our method of going in and lying him down (we are not cry-it-out people) and though it was a tough few weeks, we are back on track! He has been sleeping much better for 3-4 weeks and we are all much more rested now!
Could be from teeth also... My 18 month old went through this stage too...but we don't have a new baby. It was his eye teeth coming through. Once those popped he was great again. Waking up happy and sleeping through the night.
Hi M.. I am sorry I can't offer any advice I just wanted you to know you aren't alone. My daughter just turned 2 and I have a 6 week old baby and I am having the same problem. I am nursing and that is making things worse. I try my hardest to still give my daughter the attention she used to get but as you know it's hard to do by yourself. I just try to spend more time with her when the baby is napping. Please let us know how it's going. Hope it gets better for you soon.
J.
I think the little guy just needs some time to adjust, just keep doing what you are doing, and maybe get someone to come over for a few hours just so you can nap.
No suggestions, but "this too shall pass." They each have their ways of adjusting when a new baby comes home. This is your son's. My neice was completely potty-trained, and three months after her twins arrived she started acting out (as my brother-in-law called it) by wetting the bed and her pants. It took about a month to fade. All's good now. You could also try letting a relative take him for a few hours for play time, or even over night. The next time you see each other you'll all be refreshed. It sounds like you already know that it's harder to deal with when you're beyond exhausted. ;o)
As you said, this is a big transition for all of you. It may've spooked him when you were gone to give birth. Certainly his world has changed and he can't put words to his feelings. I wouldn't let him cry it out. It would traumatize him further. Lots of comfort, cuddling, explaining how important he is to you, patience, limit setting at his level (mostly with gentle words and distractions) are some of the tools I'd use. THIS TOO SHALL PASS!! Rest whenever you can, Mama!
I went through this with my 2 year old (at the time) when i had my 3rd baby. I finally took him and the baby out to the store. He picked out a special balnkey for the baby(I folded it and draped it on his crib) and the baby picked out a special stuffed animal (Builde a bear) and a blanket fo rmy three year old. After that he went to bed better at night and took his naps. He is now 5 and still has to sleep with both. Well good luck. I hope this helps.
M.-
My 2 1/2 year old went through a similar phase when we had our second. You'll know if you can handle the cry it out or not. I could not - and I have the kind of kid who could scream for hours and hours. We stuck to a routine with songs and prayers and eventually had to go back in fewer and fewer times. I would tell her I had to go and wash her special cup for the morning and get things ready so we could have a fun day together. I'd tell her something fun we would do together if she could sleep like a good girl. (Playdo, read books together, walk to the park, color, etc.) Now I go in only one more time and tell her to go to sleep so both daddy and I can come in and kiss her while she's sleeping. I know when you're exhausted you're desperate! Hang in there, it'll get better. My husband would cave and stay in there till she fell asleep but then she would just keep waking up to check to see if we were there and it was too much. I told him to just let me do night-time and he could clean up while I'm in there. :) When the routine was set and she would sleep on her own he went back to helping with bed time.
he could be getting his 2 yr old molars and they are HARD to cut through.......
Maybe a special blanket or stuffed animal might help him get back to sleep at night, or some soothing music? A new baby can be quite tramatic to some kids, and not a big deal to others. This may also be a kind of thing that kids go through where they start acting like a baby again. Many kids go through that! So he might just be waking up because the baby is at night. As long as you are patient with him and since you have a supportive husband, it should be ok. It will take time for him to adjust. Maybe get some books for kids about becomeing a big brother/sister can help him understand a little more about what is going on. It is tough with just a new baby waking up a lot, and an older kid too! When my daughter was born, my older son was only 15 mon. old and still wasn't sleeping through the night, he had some night terrors. It was horrid. But now both sleep through the night, of course they are 5 and 4, and they have a little bro who is 2, and it is great! :) We have sleepless nights coming our way in Feb. though, cuz I am 8 weeks!
I hope all goes well for you and enjoy those kids! they grow up fast!
