Sleep?!?! - Effort,PA

Hi C.!

If you don't think it's teeth or an ear infection, etc, I would choose one method and stick to it consistently. He may be confused by the different things you've tried and is just continuing to cry to see what will happen tonight. Will Mommy appear? Will I get to sit with Mommy and Daddy?

I bet if you stick to letting him cry it out for 7-10 days, it will solve the problem. Keep us posted! They can be cute little manipulators even at that tender age! :)

C.

Hi C.,
I agree with the other two posters who say that you are not being consistent with sticking to one thing. Children at that age are trying to figure out what they can get out of a situation. I know that he seems too young to manipulate you but he is not!! You can not keep switching things up to try and figure out what is wrong....what is wrong is that you are not giving him a clear picture of what you expect from him. Pick a method and stick with it! I used the CIO method with all of my children and it only took a night or two to get each one to sleep soundly. My motto is "a happy momma is a well rested momma", and the same goes for kids. If he's not getting enough sleep neither are you. Develope a pattern that works for both of you and stick to it making only necessary changes that you want to make not changes that he wants. You are the parent and you need to be in control! Good luck, hope you get some rest soon!

I've just gotten through this w/ my DS, 19 months today. After almost a month of this he's finally going back to his normal sleep time, w/ his normal naps. I found that if I woke him up at his normal time regardless of how many hours of sleep he had gotten at that point, he started taking his nap at the regular time and slowly that got him to going to sleep at night and actually SLEEPING. It was horrible to deal with and we're not completely back on track yet, but I really do think it's just a phase. I know my son is not ready to give up his naps... and if he does he actually sleeps worse because he's so overly tired.

Are you sure he's not teething? He does sound really overtired. I'd check out Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child for advice on getting him back to naps, but I'd also start by trying a little Orajel and some Motrin and seeing if he starts going down easier...

Hi, C.:

All the advice is great. You are a good mother so don't fret. A crying child is telling you he/she needs something.
That is their way of communicating. Now what are they trying to communicate?

Give the child choices:

Nap time: Choice: Do you want to go take your nap now or wait until after........? If he refuses to do his choice have a consequence. .....what ever consequence that is appropriate.

Bed time: Choice: Do you want to go to bed now or wait until after......? If he refuses to do his choice have a consequence... what ever consequences that are appropriate.

Good luck. D.

Hi C.!
First- take a deep breath! I know it's frustrating when your LO decides not to sleep but it can be fixed! If you're completely sure it is not related to sickness, teething or any other illness then I really think what you've hit is a "speed bump" in the sleep process. It happened to my daughter around this time too and we just went back to implementing her typical sleep training routine and within a night or two she was sleeping 12 hours again.
Your little guy sounds OVERTIRED and that is why he is not sleeping well. Honest! Sleep begets sleep. He needs to be napping at least 1 1/2 hours every day and going to bed at a decent hour- BEFORE he gets overtired because an overtired child will not be able to fall asleep easily AND STAY ASLEEP.
It sounds like you have not stuck with one method long enough. If you're going to CIO, for example, you really need to invest a week or two of consistent training. Don't give up after one or two nights b/c you don't see immediate success. The payoffs for sticking it out are ten-fold when you finally have a happy LO who is getting enough sleep and napping well.
If you're a reader I'd like to suggest The Sleepeasy Solution by Jennifer Waldburger. It is a terrific book, an easy read, and it WORKS if you invest the time and effort into the method! We did this with my daughter and I saw improvements in sleep after two days and after a week she was sleeping through the night. She has been an excellent sleeper ever since and whenever we hit these "speed bumps" in the sleep process we just go back to the training for a night or two and we get back on track. It's great.
Whatever method you choose- stick to it- no matter what! Hope you get back on track soon with your LO. No sleep for him and for mom is no fun!
Good Luck!

Dear C.:
There is a problem here and it will be up to you to analyze the situation.
1. Is there any anxiety between your spouse and you that would cause your son to act out?
2. Is his diet high in sugar and low in calcium that would cause him to be over-active and over-tired, prevently him from going to sleep?
3. Are there household clearners with pungent odors in your home? Children are affected by these odors 10x more than adults. There could be something in the air agravating his health.
4. He could be teething.
5. I have exerpts from a January 26,1981, People's Magazine, mentions Dr. Alfred Zarrum, a dermatologist and allergist whis is also a pioneer in the field of clinical ecology. It deals with the effect environment has on mental and physical well-being. ...much of the anxiety, depression and fatigue people suffer is a result of toxic vapors orginating in such common hosehold items as furniture and floor polish, gas stoves, wallpapeer and laundry detergent. His book, Why Your House May Endager Your Health, only confirms why I use Shaklee Get-Clean Products, which are safe for my children and safe for me. They hardly smell and they are scientfically proven safe. I sell the products and have been using them for 25 years. My children, now older, have tried other products and now, they too, are coming back to Shaklee, because, "Shaklee does it right." If you are interested, you will need to email me. I can only tell you that you will not be sorry.
Happy Motherhood,
E.