Sleeping woes continued...
Lauren has been sleeping through the night since she cut that tooth. That's great. But now I can't get her to go to bed before 10 pm. She used to go down around 7:30. Her schedule is the same. It almost seems like nursing her is making the problem worse. Normally I give her her bath around 6:30, feed her at 7:00 along with DH and I, then we read books in her darkened nursery, then I nurse her, and put her in her crib. Now when I nurse her she just nurses forever and when I try to pull her off and put her in her crib, she's wide awake like she just woke up from a nap. She WILL NOT go to sleep. She starts crying the second I pull her off from nursing.
Last night, after I tried everything I could think of for 2 hours, Matt took over. He just put her on his lap and rocked her and shooshed her. He said she squirmed and squirmed and cried, he didn't confine her, just held her on his lap and made sure she didn't squirm off. Eventually, after about 15 minutes of full out screaming, she fell asleep. It was a little after 10:00 by that point. I tried that too but I gave up much quicker than he did and tried something else.
I had a long talk with our day care provider this morning about this. I'm afraid the problem here is that we have created a bad habit. Over the past 5-6 weeks, she had an ear infection and pink eye, we traveled a few weekends, she was teething, now this cold - all of these things have contributed to a later bedtime and me going in and soothing or taking her out of her crib. On the weekends, I can not get her to go down for a nap either. At daycare, she is put in her pack n play at 1:00 and apparently, she is asleep before Lynda (daycare provider) even gets across the room. She said she HAS to put sheets up on her pack and play so she can not see anything at all. If the sheet falls off - even when Lauren is sleeping, she instantly wakes up and is ready to play, if she puts the sheet back on, she falls right back asleep. Lynda said any type of stimulation for Lauren at all during naptime means she doesn't nap.
She said she knows how much it stinks but if we want her to put herself to sleep, we HAVE to let her cry it out. Us rocking her to sleep and going in and patting her back is reinforcing this behavior. She does not act this way for Lynda. We have had Lynda babysit for us at night at times too and Lauren goes right down for her at night just like she does at naptime. I think Lauren is learning how to manipulate Mommy and Daddy.
Yes - I'm very hesitant about the cry it out method but I think it's time to nip this in the bud. Lynda said we are MUCH better nipping this in the bud before she learns how to stand up in her crib b/c it will get a lot harder then. Plus, I was reading my Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child book last night and it talks on and on about how much sleep deprivation effects a childs learning ability, happiness, and health. Lauren has been sick so much, we can't afford to let this start effecting her health more. Also, she's just not as happy since this whole thing started as she used to be. She used to wake up smiling and she doesn't do that now. She's crying by time I get her to the changing table. Lynda also said she has noticed her not being as happy during the day as she used to be.
This alone makes me realize I HAVE to do this. I want a happy baby and I can't let the fact that making her cry it out is hard for me effect her happiness on a long term basis. It will be very hard to do this but I KNOW it's the right thing to do. I want her happy, healthy, and learning to her full potential and that is not going to happen unless she is well rested.
I asked Lynda about going in and soothing her and also about doing the pick up, put down method, and she said, any stimulation at all is going to reinforce this behavior. I know that. I'm sick about the thought of her having to go through this but everything I've read says it usually only takes 3 nights for things to get better.
Deep breath. I'm resigned to it. I'm not sure I'm going to start it tonight. Since there is a 3 day weekend coming up, I think I may start on Friday and hopefully it will be fixed by the beginning of the work week. I may have to put her to bed and leave the house. Matt does much better with this than me and he will be able to let her go. I'll be bawling. He'll be focused on the end goal and what's best, I'll be caught up in the emotion.
Wow, that turned out to be a book.
Last night, after I tried everything I could think of for 2 hours, Matt took over. He just put her on his lap and rocked her and shooshed her. He said she squirmed and squirmed and cried, he didn't confine her, just held her on his lap and made sure she didn't squirm off. Eventually, after about 15 minutes of full out screaming, she fell asleep. It was a little after 10:00 by that point. I tried that too but I gave up much quicker than he did and tried something else.
I had a long talk with our day care provider this morning about this. I'm afraid the problem here is that we have created a bad habit. Over the past 5-6 weeks, she had an ear infection and pink eye, we traveled a few weekends, she was teething, now this cold - all of these things have contributed to a later bedtime and me going in and soothing or taking her out of her crib. On the weekends, I can not get her to go down for a nap either. At daycare, she is put in her pack n play at 1:00 and apparently, she is asleep before Lynda (daycare provider) even gets across the room. She said she HAS to put sheets up on her pack and play so she can not see anything at all. If the sheet falls off - even when Lauren is sleeping, she instantly wakes up and is ready to play, if she puts the sheet back on, she falls right back asleep. Lynda said any type of stimulation for Lauren at all during naptime means she doesn't nap.
She said she knows how much it stinks but if we want her to put herself to sleep, we HAVE to let her cry it out. Us rocking her to sleep and going in and patting her back is reinforcing this behavior. She does not act this way for Lynda. We have had Lynda babysit for us at night at times too and Lauren goes right down for her at night just like she does at naptime. I think Lauren is learning how to manipulate Mommy and Daddy.
Yes - I'm very hesitant about the cry it out method but I think it's time to nip this in the bud. Lynda said we are MUCH better nipping this in the bud before she learns how to stand up in her crib b/c it will get a lot harder then. Plus, I was reading my Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child book last night and it talks on and on about how much sleep deprivation effects a childs learning ability, happiness, and health. Lauren has been sick so much, we can't afford to let this start effecting her health more. Also, she's just not as happy since this whole thing started as she used to be. She used to wake up smiling and she doesn't do that now. She's crying by time I get her to the changing table. Lynda also said she has noticed her not being as happy during the day as she used to be.
This alone makes me realize I HAVE to do this. I want a happy baby and I can't let the fact that making her cry it out is hard for me effect her happiness on a long term basis. It will be very hard to do this but I KNOW it's the right thing to do. I want her happy, healthy, and learning to her full potential and that is not going to happen unless she is well rested.
I asked Lynda about going in and soothing her and also about doing the pick up, put down method, and she said, any stimulation at all is going to reinforce this behavior. I know that. I'm sick about the thought of her having to go through this but everything I've read says it usually only takes 3 nights for things to get better.
Deep breath. I'm resigned to it. I'm not sure I'm going to start it tonight. Since there is a 3 day weekend coming up, I think I may start on Friday and hopefully it will be fixed by the beginning of the work week. I may have to put her to bed and leave the house. Matt does much better with this than me and he will be able to let her go. I'll be bawling. He'll be focused on the end goal and what's best, I'll be caught up in the emotion.
Wow, that turned out to be a book.
posted by Lara @ 12:36 PM
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