Sleep Issues - Baton Rouge, LA

I understand the fear of someone rolling over on the baby. My oldest son will be 3 in November and when it storms, he usually ends up in bed with us....lol So you can imagine how cramped a Queen sized bed is with me, my hubby, my 3 year old and my now 7 month old. I usually put myself between the boys and hubby on the outside of the three year old to keep him from rolling off the bed. But mainly, I just put myself between them to keep the older one from rolling onto the little one.

Tuck the sheet in under the mattress on th sides of the bed. Tightly! Keep the blanket lower on the bed than the sheet. he won't be able to reach. Also, give him a super cuddly teddy bear to hug. Whenever you see him working the sheet or blanket, offer the bear.

To keep him off his sister, sleep between them.

REad Sears' Nighttime Parenting Book, Attachment Parenting Book, or Baby Book on some really great advice about sleeping with babies and young children. You might be surprised. There are so many benefits, emotionally, in terms of discipline, and logistically (breastfeeding is such a breeze; you can basically sleep right through it), and the difficulties and risks are far less than you would think! They give very clear instructions on how to make it safe and workable for all kinds of situations. Resolve a problem or two, and you might truly come to love it.

L.

Hi
I am understanding that you are in financial difficulties, and do not have the space or furniture to separate everyone? My suggestion would be that you use a dresser drawer as a cradle for now. It's not safe for either you or your son to sleep with the baby. You could get a cradle mattress or just line it with bedding that is secure. Or you could check at Goodwill for a cradle. The most important thing is separating the baby!

If you're sleeping with your son now, you can kind of monitor what he does with the covers...when he sleeps alone, don't give him a blanket until he falls asleep- thats all I can think of. Fitted sheet and pillow until he starts to listen to your warnings.

Good luck and I hope things improve for you soon!
~K.

Some children are heavy rollers during the night and I used to not be able to sleep with our son hardly ever because he would end up across the bed rather than up and down. You definitely need to get as much sleep as possible, especially with the new baby. I vote a blow up mattress is the perfect thing for him and surround it with cushions if possible. By putting it against the wall that will block one side. Try tucking his bedding sheets/blanket at the foot of the mattress so it will only reach up to about his shoulders. It sounds like it is a security issue and he is wanting to snuggle something. Maybe you can give him a freshly washed stuffed animal that he can sleep with by his face to love on. Congratulations with your new baby girl and I hope your living arrangements become more comfortable soon. Stay strong!

Would it be possible to get a cheap air matress and put it on the floor for him? If you do buy one, get one in the camping area and not in the kids area... they are much cheaper. I think a twin is around $10-$15?? Or perhaps a pack-n-play for the baby? The idea to tuck the covers in tightly is a good one. I know when I travel with my little ones (usually alone), in the hotel I have to tuck in the covers tightly on the side our baby sleeps on (that is if I don't have a pack-n-play with me) and sleep with her and then tuck in the covers tightly for my 3 & 6-year olds in the other bed. My 3-year-old also puts her covers over her head, but her doctor told me as long as it isn't tight, it's ok. He did also give me a few reasons why she might be doing it. First it could be because she needs it darker to sleep. Second, he said it could be because she's trying to have some time away from her baby sister (they temporarily share a room). It's probably a little of both, but she seems to be out-growing it. Hope this helps.

I was a "something over the head" sleeper because I shared a crib with my twin sister and my mother said we only go to sleep if she put a blanket over the top of the crib. I grew up using pillows to cover my face. Now I have to have the room pretty dark to sleep. Even nightlights bother me. I would be more concerned about the new baby than about your 3 yr old. With all his rolling around he probably comes out of the covers anyway. Just don't let him fall asleep with the one around his neck. My oldest son loved to burrow into pillows and blankets. I usually uncovered him after he fell asleep. The baby would be best in a bassinet or playpen. I have seen co-sleeper things with sides to keep you from rolling on the baby but it lays in the bed with you. My brother-in-law used a plastic tub from the store when they went to pick up their adopted baby for the first week. Congratulations on your little one. Best of Luck.

When our oldest son was an infant, he wanted to do the same thing, so we started giving him a washcloth to sleep with and dressing him warmly so he didn't need a blanket. Our second son wanted a particular blanket everynight and it became pretty tattered with time. He was content to sleep with just a section that I cut out for him. Perhaps that would work for your son.

My daughter is 4 years old. She will NOT sleep with her headout.ot-Cold she does not care. She has been doing this for probaly a year. When she goes to bed I will try to pull her up above the cover but it does not work, she goes right back to where she was. I consulted a doctor he just said to keep the blankets light that way they are not to heavy to put alot pressure on her face,etc. If she is happy sleeping this way then I am happy letting her. i do not think she would sleep if she did not have a blanket over her head.

Sounds like your son is just going through a phase. I would quit even commenting on it and just "unravel" him after he goes to sleep. Sometimes the bigger issue we make of stuff, the more they "latch on" to that thing and go with it. Just an idea . . .

You might also consider a blow up mattress, fairly inexpensive, and get him out of your bed so YOU can sleep better.

E.,

I co-slept with both my babies. I just made sure that I cradled the baby in my arm on the opposite side of the bed of my husband so that I was in between them.

I hope you get some good advice here.

Absolutely, your son and daughter should not be sleeping in the same bed right now, due to their ages. He doesn't understand safety with a small baby and you are putting her at risk of suffocation if he should pull the covers on her head. By his age, kids are generally able to remove covers from their own head if they start to have any breathing problems, so that's probably not a big worry. Please, try to find another place for one of them to sleep.

Hi E., I just read your post. I have some questions for you. 1.How long has your son wanted to sleep with blanket around his neck? 2.I belive you said ,when you take the blanket and explain why you don't want him to wrap the blanket around his neck,he then wants covers pulled up around his neck.I would need more specifics about you, your life,your son,the father, however, I will offer some suggestions. Since your son will sleep without the blanket,( and will take some thought on your part), is it possible to keep the baby out of the bed ?,so that would not be a problem.Or would your son like to sleep on the floor which you could fix it up just for him because He is the "big" brother.Do you use encouragement rather than telling him what he should not do?,for example:you are doing a really good job of not sleeping with the blanket around your neck. I think since you are being cooperative with mom,I have an idea,what do you think about finding something really special for you to sleep with. Give him 2 choices,(maybe a new bear ,it could be inexpensive,or if he already has a couple of soft or stuffed animals,he likes ,if he chooses one ,then make it special, great, that's a good chioce. Then you could say ,do you want to do something to get the toy fixed up, like ,maybe pajamas ,maybe a night cap?,let him be apart of the new project,countinue to encourage ,don't be disapointed if he refuses,you can say ,ok , maybe you will tomorrow.(talking to him at his eye level,as much as you can, especially about important things.) We don't want to give something up "we really like , unless we find something better. Active parenting helps the child learn more healthy developmental behaviors. don't forget there are many good books on parenting. Take care.