Sleep and Whining

my daughter was like that, and as far as sleeping goes, wake her up early, and she should have a nap after lunch and then nature will take its course and her day/night will eventually work itself out. Also try a pacifier, and a fan for white noise. She might not like it quiet, and if she is a light sleeper background noise may scare her or wake her. Also make sure she has a night light. and check on her in 5 minute intervals, dont let her cry it out, she is a baby and she needs attention.

IF she cries a lot when she lays down period, talk to the doc about reflux, the laying down may be painful and she might be hurting from the acid comming to her throat. Doc can help with that.

Has she hit her milestones? Is she walking yet, talking and interacting with toys? Also get all the kids to drink out of the same type of cup when they are at the table. Your daughter will see her siblings being big kids.

My son tried similar. I had enough one night and he went to bed at what I told him was a civilized hour.

He cried .. he was upset... he'd eventually tire himself out.. after about a week he fell into routine and slept fine at the earlier hour. I just taught him you don't get out of bed.. and that once I put you down I will not come back in for every cry and whim. I would peek in carefully so he couldn't see me.. and let him work till he slept. When I checked the clock iot was aq LOT less then I thought it was.

It was hard. I am a very crunchy mom too... I did co-sleeping for a long time.. sling wearing.. etc etc... but.. there does come a time... and for me it came. At first when he'd fall asleep I'd use an hour or two to myself and bring him in bed with me and then I'd stop that slowly.. but I had my reasons.

On the other hand.. if it doesn't bother you... then it's not a bad thing. Some familes keep different hours. The only issue is when they start school and helping them learn that new routine in the two months before school starts their first year. If you plan to homeschool this is also not a real concern.. some kids learn better at different hours...

So really it's a matter of what you feel is important and your priorities for it.. if it isn't a huge issue.. then it isn't a problem right now.

Maybe start inching her back 20 minutes at a time instead of hours.. or half an hour at a time.. for a few nights to a week.. let her sleep at 10:30 instead of 11 and just keep inching her back...

Start a chart... tell her she now goes to bed an hour earlier and every night she does so without a big production she gets a star.. 5 stars mean this... and the week after she will sleep at this hour..a nd if she doesnt' throw a battle.. she will get this.. make each week a fun reward for doing better and better...

I know a lot of moms I talk to say the same things though, that around that age kids do that. My son was up till then about 3 months straight before I had enough of it.

So decide if it's really an issue, if it is, then I hope one of my suggestions helps and works! Good luck!!

Dear J.,
Sounds like you have your hands full with 3 kids! I am in the same boat :)
In my opinion, it sounds like your daughter is actually sleep deprived. One of my kids did this for a while, and we figure out that we had to change his sleep patterns.
I have a 1 year old daughter right now who does not require alot of sleep. She takes 2 small naps a day and is doing pretty well at night. My suggestion is to try calming the activity level down after dinner, and start a routine like a bath or something soothing after dinner. This probably sounds crazy, but try putting her down for the night at 7pm or at the first sign of fussiness. I put my little one down at 6:30. I let her cry for a little bit if that's what it takes. Usually only cries up to 15 minutes. Give her a bottle or cup of water, and whatever lovey she likes. After a few weeks of consistancy, she should adjust for you. I let my little one whine or fuss a little when she wakes at night, and she normally will go back to sleep. Good luck. I hope you can get her on track!
R.