My friend is desperate - Sleep suggestions please!

CBKMRB

My friend has a 1 year old, she just turned one.  She was always a big puker when she was little (sorry too graphic) and still does it pretty easily.  When my friend tries to lay her down and walk away, the baby cries and then pukes.  This happens every time so she ends up rocking her to sleep every night.  She wants to try and get out of this habit and have her fall asleep on her own.

Any suggestions???  Books, tips, anything?  It's the puke that gets her, she doesn't want it to happen and then her sleep in it and it happens every time.

Should she just wait until she gets a little older.  I'm afraid if she waits too long that it will be harder. 

xbrooklyngrl

Besides the fact that letting her cry was just not an option for me, B was a puker too.

Maybe she can start truing a new routine. Read her a book, tell her its night night time and she can sit with mommy for a few minutes and then its bed time. Lay her down and stay in there.

I don't know. I just started to be able to leave B without waiting until she falls asleep by telling her I need to go take a shower and she lets me leave.

CleoKitty

Has she read Elizabeth Pantley's "The No-Cry Sleep Solution?"

Otherwise my only suggestion is to try laying her down and then sit next to the bed while patting her back to soothe her until she's asleep. Then very slowly and gradually work to just being able to sit by her without patting her. After that she can still sit next to the bed but gradually move a tiny bit further away each night- a few inches away, a couple feet away, on the other side of the room, in the doorway, etc. I would imagine that this would take some time though and not to expect it to just happen overnight.?

kylara111

I didn't have a puker, but I had serious sleep issues with Zoe and CIO did not work with her (made things worse).  I used the Sleep Lady method (modified slightly by sleeping in the room vs. sitting in a chair) successfully.  I highly recommend the book (Good Night, Sleep Tight - Kim West).

*sparky*

CIO does not work for all babies - my DS was always way too high strung for that.  He would get himself worked into a frenzy until he was hyperventilating in a matter of minutes, and then I would spend 45 minutes just calming him down.  I only tried it a couple of times.

I did end up having to rock him or at least sit with him until he fell asleep for the longest time.  After a while I learned to just realize I was not going to be able to just put him down and leave and appreciate that time with him. 

I also recommend the No Cry Sleep Solution.

Angela814

xbrooklyngrl:

Besides the fact that letting her cry was just not an option for me, B was a puker too.

Maybe she can start truing a new routine. Read her a book, tell her its night night time and she can sit with mommy for a few minutes and then its bed time. Lay her down and stay in there.

I don't know. I just started to be able to leave B without waiting until she falls asleep by telling her I need to go take a shower and she lets me leave.

Ooo!  How did you get that to work?  I can get DD to stay lying in bed if I tell her I have to put my pajamas on, but when I got back to check on her, her eyes are wide open waiting for me to get back.

DD was actually really easy at 1 year.  I could nurse her and then put her in her crib to fall asleep.  Once she started climbing out of her crib, all that changed.

What about having music or a white noise machine?  DD had one of those music things on the side of the crib that puts a light show on the ceiling.  That often helped.  I'd probably just keep rocking her just because I can't stand the idea of my child crying for me.  Crying because she's mad is one thing.  Crying because she needs her mommy is another.  I can't resist the second one.