Sleeping - Salina,KS

My oldest had a really hard time sleeping through the night as well. I am not a fan of letting the little ones sleep with mom and dad but when they are sick sometimes it is just easier. Everytime she got sick we would have to fight to get her to sleep in her bed again and she would almost always wake up at some point in time in the night if not multiple times. We put her in a toddler bed when she was about 20 months because we needed the crib for the next one. She hasn't had a problem sleeping since then. I think it is because she know that if she needs something, she can get out of bed herself to come and ask. It has made all the difference in the world for us.

My 2 year old sleeps with us. I lay down with him to get him down and then I can get up. Sometimes he wakes up before I get into bed, but all I have to do is rush in and lay with him before he starts to cry. That way he goes right back to sleep and I can get up if I want.
Co-sleeping also lets us get a full nights sleep. My son sometimes wakes up and says "Mommy" and all I have to do is put my hand on him and we both drift back off to sleep. No big deal. In fact, I love it. I know co-sleeping isn't for everyone, but it works for us. Good luck!

This probably won't be a popular idea, but here goes.......Why don't you try moving her crib into your room? If she knows you're there and then she will go to sleep, having her in the same room where you can sleep or work on schoolwork will make it easier for the both of you. You might want to get a laptop computer if you don't have one. If she's a light sleeper, that probably wouldn't work, but you might try it out.

My son sleeps in the same room as me because he has slept through the night only about 5 times and he's 13 months. He's in the highest percentiles for height and weight, so he always needs a 4 AM snack. I would get tired of going to get him in his room, so I just left the playpen in my room and that's where he sleeps at night. He still sleeps in the crib for naps, but those aren't an issue. Anyways, just an idea.

Have you tried putting her to sleep with music playing? We do this for my 21-month-old daughter and it usually helps her sleep. She has a whole evening routine. The last thing we do is turn off the light and turn on her CD. Then she knows it's time to sleep.
Good luck!

Is she teething, if so try giving her Hylands teething tablets before going to bed, these things work wonders for my son. My son was doing that at one point waking every 2hrs I was sooo exhausted, one night I just took of the nitegown I was wearing and laid it next to him in the crib and he slept the rest of the night, you can try it see if it works for you both. I would also stand by his crib for 15minutes or until I knew he was sleeping if I heard his breathing change or he started to snore. I think every kid goes thru this phase and will eventually come to an end, my son still has his moments where he wakes up once at night or early morning. Does she nap during the day? What time does she nap and how long? What time does she go to bed? If she is napping late in the day and sleeping long she may not be tired enough to stay asleep.

Good Luck
Hope you both get some well needed rest soon.

G.

Hey there M.,

How are you doing with your little night owl? You have some really good advice here from other Moms. I just wanted to give another suggestion that I didn't see here. :)

My daughter had trouble sleeping through the night so we started feeding her before bed. I made sure that it was something very filling like a banana or oatmeal. That way her belly was all full and she seemed to sleep a little longer before waking. We also do the co-sleeping thing. That's not for everybody though. ;)

Good luck to you!

C.
www.EnhanceYourWayOfLife.com

I highly reccommend reading the series of books called "On Becoming Babywise". You can get it at any major book store i.e Barnes and Noble. It will teach you methods that are a bit different from the norm with regards to sleeping and eating cycles and every person I know that has used it has been successful - including myself. My daughter is 2 1/2 now and she has never slept in my room or my bed and unless she's sick sleeps through the night every single night for 10-11 hrs. It typically something you start when they are newborns, however I remember at the end of the first book how to start it if your child is older. Good Luck!

anyone who read this will think I am crazy because I say this every time if you don't already have an air cleaner in her room go get one and put it in there, this will cause white noise and keep a steady sound all night long If you already have one turn it up. Trial and error - Is she getting cold? - Hot? - Wet? -
Night light? I have actually read that night lights are bad because the light actually wakes up our brain. We should sleep with it very dark. Try moving her bed to a different spot in the room. If you put her to bed later or earlier does she still do this?