So, since Julie's cold she got a week before Christmas she has started to wake up at night. This has been going on for the past month. And now, for the last 4 nights, she has been coming out of her bedroom when we put her down for bed. The first night we didn't count how many times we kept taking her back in. The second night, we took her back into her bed a total of 34 times within an hours time before she fell asleep. The 3rd night, it was a total of 42 times within an hour. And last night it was 5 times, before we decided to try putting the childs lock on the door, to see if that would help. She just cried, then we took it off and told her she had to stay in bed. And we would keep it unlocked if she would stay in bed. She wanted to sit with me on the chair in her room, and so I did and she just snuggled into my arm for a while and then I laid her in bed and she likes her blankie laid across her face(with her head out), and then she grabbed my hand and placed it on her head and just held it there with her little hand. It was just one of those moments where I just realized she is only this age and this small for so long and I just knelt there by her bed, and just stared at her until she fell asleep. And then I just stayed a little longer and watched her sleep, how precious she is.
I am not sure what to do at this point, she has been sleeping through the night ever since she was 2 months old and now this. It just seems odd!
When we would take her back into her room, we made sure we didn't say anything and just put her back in bed and put her covers over her and then left, and just did that over and over. It was from a book I was reading called "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child", it gave an example of a 26 month old that had poor sleep habits in the first place, and after the third night, he didn't get up at all. Well, that hasn't worked for us, and now she does it during nap time. I hope we can figure something out before this baby comes. I really don't want to have to deal with two kids waking up at night.
5 comments:
I'm so sorry. :( We've definitely been there, unfortunately, and sometimes are still there with Allie, but she's just getting really creative with her excuses for getting out of bed! Julie's probably just testing you, because she can. :) What you're doing is great, but if it's not working you may need to try something else. In the past we've threatened to take away the kid's favorite stuffed animal or blanket that they sleep with if they get out of bed, and that has usually done the trick. And I agree, they grow fast, and sleeping kids are always more beautiful! ;) Good luck!!
Thanks Heather for the advice, we might have to try threatening to take her blankie away. I think we will try the putting her back into bed a million times and just be consistent and hopefully she will get that she needs to stay in bed and sleep.
We've struggled with sleep with Austin. I've even read that book! One thing that works well is choosing something that he REALLY likes. If he stays in his bed, he gets it the next day. I like rewarding better than punishing (although taking things away is the only thing that works sometimes). Just little things- for awhile, it was getting a stamp on his hand. Right now it's a little bag of m&ms. Obviously still working on it since we've had to change up the reward :) Good luck!!
Good luck. I don't have any good advice. I don't know what we did, but our kids just know that once the lights go out, they stay in bed until morning. He didn't used to do it, but lately I hear Ethan call out every morning asking permission to get out of bed. I guess we just lucked out. There is the rare "bad dream" on occasion but we've been able to put them right back to bed without trouble.
My kids wouldn't take naps after they turned 2. Maybe she doesn't need as much daytime sleep?
Maybe try a different bedtime routine at night. I say if it isn't working then we always try something new. They are growing & changing so rountines need to change with them. We chase Matthew around the house and play hide and seek with him and then read books for a quiet down. The other night he was so tired from being chased around that he would go to run and just lie on the floor from being exhausted. Some would say not before bedtime because they may get to hyper but do what you think would be best for your child. Matthew loves it and he sleeps best when we do this. I know for awhile he would just cry and cry in his crib so we thought maybe he didn't like the dark since he was fine for day naps. So we turn on his lamp and he was out fast. But now we stop using the light and he is just fine. They go through stages and phases with that means switching things up a little. Isn't it fun you get to adjust with them. We also gave Matthew more stuff animals so he doesn't feel so alone and now he makes sure he always has them all with him. So cute and funny! You have a lot of patience to last that many times through. By now I would be on to plan B and would forget about that plan with sticking to consistency since she is now doing it during the day naps to. I would only be consistent to a certain amount of times but again you have way more patience than me. I would try reading the book called, "Sleep the Brazelton Way". Good luck! But Matthew is still in his crib so it makes it hard to relate but I am just thinking back to what I learned from my classes in school. You are a wonderful mother and will figured it out. Thank goodness it is only a stage. Wow! Sorry this is so long...
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