Need help before I lose it....
I am desperately seeking advice. My 13 month old pretty much cries through out our whole night time routine. This is mainly because she is always sick so we have to do a medicine, eye drop, and inhaler. I am feeling like a terrible mom because we only have an hour together at night and she is miserable for most of it. Once we start the routine the crying just doesn't stop. It didn't used to be this way but it gets worse each day.
Our routine looks like this: Get home at 5 and have dinner/play for a few minutes. Change our clothes into PJ's (this is when crying starts). Do medicine and inhalers. Brush teeth. Rock for a few minutes and then to bed by 6:15. I try to read to her before bed but she cries the whole time and hits the book away.
What I have tried to help the situation: Mixing up the routine in a variety of orders. Using her blankies for soothing. Spacing the medicines routine out (which made it worse). Pushing bed time back later. I am sure there are a few other things but I can't think of them right now.
Please if you have any suggestions I would be so appreciative. I am sure I am missing details you may need but I am just really upset right now. Thank you!
Re: Need help before I lose it....
How late did you try pushing out the bedtime? DD usually goes to bed between 8-9 on "school nights" and 9-10 on non-"school nights."
Anyway, I know DD always fights medicine and breathing treatments, etc so you'll probably be dealing with that fussiness until she's better and needs less medication. I can't really think of anything that would improve the situation, but I hope she gets better soon!
Can you do the medicine right when you get home before dinner/playtime? Would food from dinner and/or a treat put her back in a good mood? What about a bath? And I agree with some of the pp that 6:15 seems awfully early. What's her nap schedule like? What time does she get up? DS usually goes down between 7:30 and 8:30 and gets up by 7ish with one 2-3 hour name from 12-2/3ish.
Side note, what kinds of books are you trying to read? Is she hitting at them because she doesn't want to read or because she's just too worked up? DS really likes animal books these days and/or touch-and-feel ones.
Good luck!
I have tried the medicine before dinner but then she is so worked up she won't eat. Maybe I will give that another go because it may eventually help her stay up later if she is not so worked up.
She refuses baths (has since about 7 months) but that is a whole long story. Our pediatrician basically said not to force it on her until she is ready. We are working on the bath slowly.
Her day starts between 530 and 6 AM but she does not wake up at night. She is normally very cheerful in the morning and gets through this same routine a bit better. Her morning nap is hit or miss at daycare but her afternoon is 12-1:30.
We have a huge collection of books and normally she loves to read just not at night. Right now she is in to the That's Not My...(reindeer, princess, baby, etc) collection. We have tried to give help her calm down prior to reading but it doesn't seem to work. Sorry for the long response. I really appreciate the ideas!!!!
FWIW, my daughter also goes to bed at 6:30 PM and I have to wake her up for the day by 6:30 AM. If she doesn't get her 12 hours of sleep, she seems to have a harder time at daycare the next day. It sucks because it cuts into the time that I have with her, but a 6:30 bedtime is necessary for her health and happiness.
What type of health issues is your daughter facing? I know it may seem unusual at this age, but have you thought about maybe wearing her for a little bit in the evening? What time is dinner? Does she eat a good dinner? How often do you give her a bath?
Maybe she's just really over stimulated by the time you get home. Have you tried sitting in a darkened, quiet room for little bit when you get home? Maybe read a book when you get home or just sit and cuddle a bit while listening to some music? You could even, if your comfortable with it, let her watch a little bit of TV when you get home, so that she can "unwind" a little bit.