Toddler Sleeping - Bend,OR

My opinion is not based on science. And "your bad" is not a "bad" as you are just trying to follow the advice of the "experts." Think about it...your child is the "expert" of his own body and psyche.

If he wants a pacifier as something soothing at night, why not give it to him? The choice is mouth or psyche; your rest and your health vs a pacifier. He is only two. He obviously wants the comfort.

You are pregnant and need rest. Warm milk is soothing. I still have warm milk before I go to bed and I am "old." There will always be the nay-sayers who will quote the latest expert...there are multiple experts, just as there are multiple opinions. But in fact, no-one really knows. It is all about interpretation and opinion. He is of the opinion that he needs some sort of comfort. So why not just let him have that tool?

Believe me, there will always be battles to wage with your children, why make this one of them? This is not about a moral issue...it is just a parenting call.

We all want to make the perfect decision(s) for our children. The irony is- there is never a perfect decision. You can just do your best in each situation.

What is best here, in my opinion, is that you both minimize your stress. One day at a time.

The pacifier, or some other comfort substitute, may help him to feel relaxed in the morning so that he can stay in bed. I sense that this boy is becoming anxious. I believe that focusing on his anxiety will settle the issues.

Try putting water in the sippy cup. It won't harm him and it certainly isn't as enticing so he'll eventually give it up. If he cries, he cries. It will only be a few days of tourmoil and he'll figure it's not worth crying over. :)

S.
http://www.DeliveringWellnessToYou.com

Keep doing what you are doing with weening the sippy cup away. You are right, his teeth may be OK now, but in the long run if you let him continue, dental issues will arise. Plus, you'll want him off of it before the baby comes. After the baby comes, if you use a binky, bottle, & eventually a sippy cup, he is going to want to revert back to all of them. Hold your ground. Talk to him about being a big brother.

As for the waking up early...hmmm...what time do you put him to bed? Maybe if you put him to bed a little later, he will sleep in longer in the AM. His body may be on a timer and when it's had enough sleep, it's gonna wan to get up. Also, you go to bed when yo put him to bed. You need the rest too!

Hi B.,
I highly recommend the book "No Cry Sleep Solution" by Elizabeth Pantley. My son is using a bottle as well to fall asleep. You want to start gently pulling the bottle away, when he is sleepy, but not fully asleep. Lower him gently into the crib & let him finish falling asleep on his own. You want him to stop relying on singing, rocking, sucking, etc. to fall asleep eventually. If he protests & starts crying, give him the bottle back, then try again. This may take several days. I've had really good success with this method. Now when I put my son into his crib sleepy, but awake, he doesn't even cry when he sees me leaving the room. When we, adults, wake up during the night, we fluff our pillow, roll over & go back to sleep. When baby is used to rocking, sucking, etc. to fall asleep when he wakes up during the night he doesn't know how to fall asleep on his own. This is why the above method works.
Also you want to make sure your son is getting enough naps during the day. He may still need 2 naps a day. The more rest he gets during the day, the better he will sleep at night. Also, it is tempting to try putting him to bed later so he will sleep longer, however, it doesn't work like that. It is the opposite. Try putting him to sleep earlier. I don't remember reasoning behind this but it is all well explained in the book. It is truly the best money I've spent. The book explains how to put your baby back to sleep if he wakes up too early. If I remember correctly you are supposed to use whatever method you used to put him to sleep at night. Make sure you intervene before he really starts crying & is fully awake. Good luck!

At 2 my son would climb out of his crib and come sleep in our room. Neither of us would get a good night's rest and we'd both be a little edgy. I researched the Crib Tent and after hearing great comments from other moms, decided to give it a try. It seemed cruel when we first put it up and he cried. On the first night I layed on the floor next to his crib rubbing his back until he fell asleep. It helped him not cry and he got used to it very quickly. His sleep pattern went back to the 11 hours. He was a much happier boy. He just turned 3 and we still use it and he still sleeps like an A.. In the last year there are times when he's awoke in the middle of the night crying and I usually give it 5 minutes before going in there because he will stop on his own. After 5 minutes, I'll go in and rock & love him and lay him back in there and zip it up after he's back to sleep. My tent cost $60 but you can probably shop around online and get one cheaper.

Hi B.,
I never put my kids to bed with a bottle, but with my first two kids, I did give them a sippy cup of water to keep with them. Now we just do water before bed, or leave a bottle of water in the bedroom. Water shouldn't hurt his teeth any. Maybe you could switch from milk to water.
Hope this helps.

I found if I fed my 2 year old right before bed, she started sleeping a lot longer. I know that we should teach our children to eat at "dinner time" but I found she was waking up early because she was hungry. If I fed herjust before she went down, it made a big difference.
If you are worried about your son's teeth, maybe you could give him the milk before he goes to sleep (then brush his teeth?) and give him a substitute "pacifier" for sleeping. I have friends who use everything from toy cars to old shirts to comfort their children. My daughter insists on having a stuffed bear to sleep with.
Good luck