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Success after IF
MBandBud
member
Sleep Help Please
MBandBud
member
DD is 22 months. The normal bedtime routine is bath, bottle, bed. She used to fall sleep with me giving her the bottle and I'd put her in her crib. I knew this had become a dependency after the fact, and that there would be a time to transition out of it. I was delaying until she was 2. Now, however, we get to the end of the 7 oz and she says more milk more milk more milk. 2 nights ago I gave in; last night I realized this was going to be an issue so I said no more milk. I did try to rock her and thought she was asleep but when I put her down she woke up screaming. I realize I need to cut out the bottle. Do I just do it cold turkey and deal with the consequences? I do enjoy our bedtime, snuggle time but I realize rocking is also a dependency. Can I still rock/snuggle and put down - maybe awake? I am enjoying our rocking/snuggling less and less now b/c I fear the screaming reaction when I put her in her crib. How do I transition out of the bad habits yet still get to enjoy some snuggle time? What is a good new routine? Bath, Book, Bed? Will she always scream when I put her down? Can I try reward for no screaming? She does like her stickers - can I do it in the AM if things go well the night before or does it have to be right away? I read ferber and I believe in it but I'm not consistent so I am sure I am sending her a mixed message. Last night she woke in the middle of the night, wet, another reason I want to cut out the bottle, so I changed her, but then what, just stick her back in her crib? I tried to rock her but that went terrible. I did snuggle time on the floor and she went right back to sleep - until I realized how ridiculous this was becoming and moved her to her crib where she protested. I went back in one more time to settle her down, did not pick her up, and she did get upset when she realized I left but didn't stand and went back to sleep.
Thanks if you made it this far. I'm tired.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Sleep Help Please
I would attempt one thing at a time. We got DS1 off the milk bottle at bed by giving him a sippy cup with water in it. No milk. It's especially time to transition off the milk if you aren't brushing teeth after the bottle. As a compromise, I would let (and still do) DS1 bring the sippy in bed with him. He didn't seem to notice that much. Do you do bottles any other time during the day? I just got them out of sight so they were permanently gone.
As for the rocking to sleep.. I never got into that habit. I think that will be harder. I'd get the Ferber book and read it while you are dealing with the bottle issue. I am pro-Ferber. Sounds like you might be heading down the sleep training path. The Ferber book Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems is very informative.
Good luck!
TTC #1: IUI #2 = BFP , Betas 550 (16 dpiui), 1523 (18 dpiui)
Hypothyroid, LPD, FSH 13.0, TTC 2 yrs B4 BFP
TTC #2: FSH 23, AMA, IUI 1, 2, 3 = BFN, IVF #1 = MC
IVF #2 = BFP - Betas 194 (14dp2dt), 366 (16 dp2dt), 841 (18 dp2dt)
(vanished twin ~7 weeks)
Ooooh, I really like the water sippy idea. Could I even just start with water? I do think that this will also need to be changed out when potty training, b/c she wakes up now very wet from the bottle, but I'm all for transition. I feel like I set her up for this, I need to guide her to what is next. She was saying water, water last night when we got up to change diaper; I did give her a cup of water but she didn't drink it - I think she actually was referring to the water story I made up and was telling her before bed!
Thanks Mousey - I am glad I am not the only one in this pickle. I feel bad for getting us here, but I really enjoyed our baby time. Makes me sad that she is growing up but I need to let her!
Well - Anna has gone down awake for a long, long time - so I won't be any help in trying to transition to that. She is so wide awake when she goes to bed - that she jumps around in her crib, has excited conversations with her stuffed animals, spins herself dizzy, and then at some point falls asleep. We don't really know what goes on in there. She's tired and rubbing her eyes before we put her down, but then there's always some excitement before it goes quiet.
(in the middle of the night, though, I would definitely just change the diaper and put her right back down.)
That said, we get our evening snuggles during book time before bed. We do bath, books/sippy of milk, teeth, bed. So the books/milk time is when we get quiet and enjoy our cuddles before bed.
Good luck! I know when we've had to change Anna's routine at times, there is a few days of tantrums before she settles in. At bedtime, it seems even more heartwrenching, but I hope it is temporary for you!
Because we're fancy like that.
First off I am super jealous of you being able to put her down awake for her solo party!
I really like this idea, though, of doing books/milk and then brush - sounds like that can be the cut off point before bed. I think I'll try that cold turkey and go from there. It's going to be a rough road. I need a drink just thinking about it...
The thing is, whatever you do WILL NOT WORK if you aren't consistent.
If you give in and get more milk one night, and then not the next, she is going to pitch a fit...to get you to give in. Why wouldn't she? It worked last night, so to her reasoning, it should work tonight.
If it were me, I'd go cold turkey and do Ferber, 100%. It worked beautifully for Caroline...but there weren't bottles involved. Whatever you do, just be consistent and I think you'll see good changes.
Good luck!