Sleep help

Re: Sleep help

• BethPSU member

  July 2011

  We really struggled with DS around the same age as your LO.  I don't know what to say.  I tried everything with him and always convinced myself he was teething (still has no teeth).  I don't really have any suggestions, but ear plugs did help reduce my anxiety.  I found that I could handle the screaming better if it was muffled.  I always went in and checked on him and sometimes found that if I ran in his room right when it started (probably not the best approach) I could  sometimes curb the outbursts before they got out of control.  Other times, I would let him start yelling until it got loud or he was really crying and then I would go in.  That didn't seem to work as well b/c he would be so worked up by that time that we couldn't calm him down.  For awhile, the only thing that worked was if DH sat up in a chair and let him sleep on him.  Again, not ideal.  Fortunately, he has seemingly for no reason at all, started sleeping 12 hours and goes to bed and wakes up extremely happy.  I'm sure now that I have typed that it will change!
  

  Report0 Reply
• Loading the player...
• mountainkimi member

  July 2011

  The same thing happened to us when DS was 15 months old. We went on vacation for a week to visit my inlaws. He slept in a pack n play next to the bed the entire week. He slept great in it, and always slept great at home in his crib.

  When we returned home he would cry every night we would put him in his crib. It was horrible. I am not a parent that lets their child cry it out. I never have been. But I had no idea what else to do. At the beginning I would bring him into our bed and let him fall asleep there and then transfer him into his crib. After a few days, I knew if we didn't let him cry then we would be creating a monster.

  So I would let him cry for no more than 10-15 minutes. Sometimes he would fall sleep during that time, and sometimes he would keep crying so I would go and get him and let him fall asleep in our bed and transfer him over. Most of the time, he would stop crying within 10 minutes. It was heart wrenching to listen too.

  It took about 2 weeks, but he finally went back to his old sleeping habits and laid right down in his crib and went to sleep. I just think he finally figured it out that he wasn't going to sleep in the same room as us at home. 

  Good luck. I hope it changes for you. I wish I more words of wisdom but the only thing that really helped was letting him cry it out.
  

   

  

  Report0 Reply
• Kim72508

  July 2011

  Thanks, ladies.  I really don't want to let him cry it out but I fear that it's our only option at this point. 

  Report0 Reply
• kac0807

  July 2011

  Hmmm I doubt it is from sleeping in with you guys the last week. I know T would sleep in our bed on and off at different times for sometimes days in a row and still would eventually go back to her crib again and return to good sleeping. For her I noticed a few things. #1 When she would wake up screaming like that and not able to get her to stop something was usually wrong...our guesses were teething, or an ear ache, or a tummy ache, etc. So sometimes depending on what we thought it was we might give her gripe water or tylenol or motrin if we thought it was teeth. The pediatrition always told us mortin helps better with teething pain than tylenol. It's so hard because at that age they cant' tell you. #2 We noticed that she went through many phases of good sleeping habits and bad. There would be a period of time where she just wouldn't sleep good...woke up in the night, etc and then there'd be weeks and/or months she'd do great. I think there's just so much going on in their little bodies, especially the first year. The best advice I could give from my experience is patience. Lots and lots of patience and to try and put yourself in their "shoes".

  Nights that she had like your describing usually bringing her out of her room and somewhere else helped to calm her down....anything to distract her from what she was upset and hurting about. And I know many parents don't believe in this but for us a night like you're describing would be a night she'd end up in bed with us. It always helped soothe her and we all were able to get sleep.

  

  Report0 Reply
• Kim72508

  July 2011

  kac0807:

  Hmmm I doubt it is from sleeping in with you guys the last week. I know T would sleep in our bed on and off at different times for sometimes days in a row and still would eventually go back to her crib again and return to good sleeping. For her I noticed a few things. #1 When she would wake up screaming like that and not able to get her to stop something was usually wrong...our guesses were teething, or an ear ache, or a tummy ache, etc. So sometimes depending on what we thought it was we might give her gripe water or tylenol or motrin if we thought it was teeth. The pediatrition always told us mortin helps better with teething pain than tylenol. It's so hard because at that age they cant' tell you. #2 We noticed that she went through many phases of good sleeping habits and bad. There would be a period of time where she just wouldn't sleep good...woke up in the night, etc and then there'd be weeks and/or months she'd do great. I think there's just so much going on in their little bodies, especially the first year. The best advice I could give from my experience is patience. Lots and lots of patience and to try and put yourself in their "shoes".

  Nights that she had like your describing usually bringing her out of her room and somewhere else helped to calm her down....anything to distract her from what she was upset and hurting about. And I know many parents don't believe in this but for us a night like you're describing would be a night she'd end up in bed with us. It always helped soothe her and we all were able to get sleep.

  Thank you.  I feel like I exhausted all options- we tried motrin thinking it was his teeth, massaged his tummy, rocked, bounced, brought him into bed with us (he gets so angry!!) and tried letting him sleep on us.  I guess patience is what's needed....hopefully this will resolve itself. 

  Report0 Reply
• Irisheyes1247 member

  July 2011

  We aren't having this big of a problem (knock on wood) but sometimes if she wakes up and is having a tough time settling back down, we let her come lay in our bed that night. She generally has no trouble going back to her crib after that.

  It is SO frustrating when every night is a battle, you just want to relax and wind down and the LO is fighting it. I really feel for you! I hope you can figure something out!

  

  My Big Fat Messy Life

          

  
  

  Report0 Reply