Sleep - Conway, AR

Tough one! I am sure other moms will have more advice on this one, but here are a couple of things to try.

My friend had to cut out ALL naps at about 2 years old with her 2 kids.

It sounds like you may be missing her opportune time to fall asleep. 11pm is a bit late. Try putting her down by 8:30, even if it is a fight to get her to sleep. That combined with no naps may give her (and you) a good night's sleep.

I fall on the complete opposite end of the spectrum with my 22 mo DD. She must have a good nap (1 1/2 to 2 hours) every day. And if I put her down too late, she will wake up early and not get a good night's rest. I spent a lot of time missing her sleep cues, but now I know she has to be in bed between 8 and 9 pm, or I WILL PAY FOR IT LATER. To me, it seems your baby is sleep deprived and showing classic signs of that. I have included several good articles for you to read. Combining them may help you come up with the plan that works perfectly for your baby. Because, YES, all kiddos are different. :)

One other thing, even though it appears she sleeps better in a twin bed, maybe it is too much responsibility for her. ??? That is a big question mark. Our daughters are exactly the same age, and she REALLY wants to sleep in the big bed, not her crib. But I know for her, there would be WAY too much temptation for her to actually want to sleep. Just a thought.

http://www.earlychildhoodlinks.com/parents/articles/regul...

http://www.babycenter.com/expert/baby/babysleep/8131.html

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/7/T070200.asp

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/7/T070300.asp

Hang in there!!

A. - I could have written your post. My dd is a horrible sleeper and has been that way since the day she was born. At 10 months I did CIO which really helped. Now my DD who is 2 will go to sleep on her own at night but stills wakes up night and will want milk. Sometimes she will wake up at least 5 times at night.

Firstly these are things tht are currently helping me. Make sure your DD goes to bed no later than 8pm. It will be tough initially but trust me, it is for the best.

Second try the hylands calm tablets. It is all natural and I get it from sprouts. I give her 2 at 6:30 and then 2 at 7:30 ans then 2 more at 8pm. It is really helping.

Routine routine routine is the key. Keep it the same and you will notice a difference.

Email me if you want to talk about it.

R.

Hi A.,
A possible resource that may be able to help with strategies is your local ECI program. You can call 800-628-5115 to find a program close to your home. They will come to your home and do an evaluation and determine if this is something they can help you find ways to overcome. Please keep us informed. J.

OK- it might not be that she actually HATES to sleep- it might be that she just can't. You might want to check out if your child has Sensory Processing issues. My son is a "bad" sleeper. I have to hold him as well- b/c he graves the touch and the pressure. My cousin's girl is the same way. I'd suggest going to a Developmental Pedi. Alot of insurance doesn't pay for it - so it might be more finanaically fisable for you to go to your regular pedi. It's not your fault- this has nothing to do with you or your parenting habits. If she does have Sensory Processing issues, then there is treatment. I must admit I give my son Benedryal at 8 pm to begin the sleep process. His doctor knows about this- I would never suggest you do this- but it gives me a jump start. Then about 9:30 we read books, and have a snack- then at 10:15 its bed time. He sleeps on the sofa- thats the only way he won't wake up at nite- and I hold him while we say our prayers- he likes a blanket over his face. If she has Sensory Processing issues- there should be evidence of it in other areas of her life. With my son- he doesn't like loud noises, he doesn't like crowded places, he is a Sensory seaker- so he knocks himself into walls, etc. I don't know any other reason why she would have sleep issues. Better to get help now than when shes is school aged.
T. E.

I know how you feel. My daughter since day one hated to sleep as well. I came to the conclusion that she was afraid she would miss something so she would give up sleep. She is 3 1/2 now and its still a problem. My doctor told me to keep the house quite 2hours prior to bed time, very limited activty. He also suggest I feed her 1 1/2 hour before the objected bedtime and 30 mins before bed give her riced mixed with formula in a rice bottle, then give her water or juice right after not much just a little, then put her to bed. I got a CD from enfimal when she was born of relaxing classical music, I play it in her room on a repeat every night this helps her sleep and drown out any back ground noise, dog barking, car going by, the phone ringing etc. A schedule never worked for me, if she wanted to eat, I fed her and if she feel asleep late in the afternoon I would let her sleep but wake her up 20 mins later. I had to cut naps too, she would get one but very short no more than 30 mins. That way she was still tried and would more likely go to bed at bed time. I dont know about the 10 hours, some nights we are lucky to get 8! She fights it, or wakes up a lot durring the night. Hope you get some sleep soon, hope this helps if you are at witts end and have tried every ones suggestion you might want to consult her doctor there may be something he can suggest that might work and babys can get sleep apneia. Hope this helps, let us know if you ever get a good nights sleep.

Hi,

I'm not sure I have a solution for you, but we went through a similar problem with my older daughter. As with your daughter, she went to sleep and slept a little better when we put her in a "big" bed instead of the crib. However, we also had to lay down with her until she fell asleep. It is so hard and wipes out the rest of your evening and you are exhausted! This did not stop until she got a dog that was allowed to stay in the bed with her until she went to sleep. Then we brought the dog down stairs to sleep. We were lucky in that we were given an older, well trained toy poodle so we were able to do this. Anyway, this is not an easy solution, but my point is that for my daughter, what she really wanted was company and then she was happy to go to bed and did sleep. If a real animal is not an option - and at 20 months, she is a littl young for that - maybe one of the toy dogs that barks, sits up, etc. that she can interact with while trying to go to sleep. Good luck. My daughter, who is 11 now, still does not require as much sleep as some kids, but at least she will go to bed!

Good Lunck!