tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post9038633271336145948..comments2023-10-21T03:54:12.029-04:00Comments on A Gift Universe: Sleep stressSheilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10853868724554947854noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-83645097920652429372011-11-02T07:44:58.116-04:002011-11-02T07:44:58.116-04:00Salixbabylonica, I think that's been the ticke...Salixbabylonica, I think that's been the ticket. The past three days we've put him to bed much earlier -- before eight -- and he's gone to sleep much better. He still does need both of us to go to sleep, though, and there have been some tears even then. But it has been such a relief to get him to bed so early, and after only 45 minutes or so of working on it. Sleeping through the night is still elusive, though!<br /><br />Jenni, I'm going to have to research that melatonin. I don't *think* his problem is physical, but more a matter of habit, but you never know.<br /><br />S.g.o.t.s, he does have a mousie that he really likes, but at bedtime it seems to be more of a distraction than a help. I do put it in bed with him at night.Sheilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10853868724554947854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-55430221587193490782011-10-31T23:31:30.475-04:002011-10-31T23:31:30.475-04:00Sheila, I was talking to Katie today and asked her...Sheila, I was talking to Katie today and asked her about what they had done with Roger. She thought that the problem might be (like you intimated on the blog) that you were missing the sleep window and he's getting his second wind. When her husband was getting back really late (around 7pm) she ended up eating early, starting the bedtime routine before he got home, and having the kids in their rooms before he (quietly) walked in the door. The kids ended up only seeing their Dad in the morning or not at all for a while until they caught up on sleep, but it was the only thing that made it tolerable. Good luck!Salixbabylonicahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15822486413898758221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-18363253971462052952011-10-31T15:42:38.653-04:002011-10-31T15:42:38.653-04:00Sheila,
I've been lurking for a while now; I r...Sheila,<br />I've been lurking for a while now; I really enjoy your blog!<br />I bought the book "Good Night, Sleep Tight" when my 1st was about 1. I didn't really follow the method with her at first, but when I tried again later, it worked pretty well. Now, with number 2, I've used it and it did work well. However, I've not been consistent (shame on me!) and so we are back to dealing with some sleep issues. In a nutshell, the author uses what she calls the "Sleep Lady Method" to teach your child to sleep without leaving him in the room to cry it out alone. It does involve some crying, but you're supposed to stay in the room with him and I've found that it usually subsides fairly quickly. I do not agree with everything she has to say, and I have not followed her advice to the tee, but it has been helpful. Also, she has the book broken up into different age groups, so once you get used the idea of the method, you can just skip to the appropriate age group for more in depth pointers. It might be worth a shot! Hope you get him sleeping well soon!Emily Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16720692437681742150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-71742737391116157282011-10-29T22:44:53.563-04:002011-10-29T22:44:53.563-04:00Oh, I have so been there, Sheila. We've been t...Oh, I have so been there, Sheila. We've been through so many sleep challenges with both of our older kids, and I'm bound and determined to make this little one a good sleeper. So far things look promising, but you just never know what's in store!<br />We recently came across a tip that I was a bit leary of when I first heard it, but after some research and talking to my family doctor (who is a naturopath and quite cautious), we decided to try melatonin. I don't know if you know much about it, but melatonin is produced by the body in order to support sleep, but some kids don't produce enough of it and therefore have trouble settling down for bedtime. At first I was afraid that it was like drugging my kids, and we are very much against conventional medicine unless it's absolutely necessary, but I found out that it's just about the safest thing you can give to a child. It isn't always successful, but it's cheap and worth a try. It has made all the difference in the world with our kids. Like you, we'd tried everything under the sun--earlier bedtimes, later bedtimes, lying down with them, nursing (obviously before weaning), different forms of discipline even. Bedtime was torturous for us--it meant 2 hours of dealing with the kids and no downtime in the evenings for us. Now we give each one a small dose of melatonin before the bedtime routine, and they are both either asleep or very close to it by the time we're done with prayers. And they usually sleep all night and wake up refreshed. It's amazing. Anyway, just a thought you might want to consider. Maybe your little guy's body needs just a little help settling down into the nighttime. Best of luck to you. I know how tough it is!JenniC10https://www.blogger.com/profile/00561838367364348587noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-2790204018998824202011-10-29T17:54:27.735-04:002011-10-29T17:54:27.735-04:00Hm. Well, thanks for the tips. John can't sl...Hm. Well, thanks for the tips. John can't sleep if anyone in the house is awake, unfortunately, and he has to get up at five, so he's really been the one getting the short end of the stick as far as sleep goes.<br /><br />I'm just hoping that by the end of John's semester, he isn't on the road all the time with his new job. Because a couple of weeks of his consistent help would probably do the trick.Sheilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10853868724554947854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-74836383708466172442011-10-29T12:06:10.135-04:002011-10-29T12:06:10.135-04:00Oh, dear. This sounds so frustrating. Personally...Oh, dear. This sounds so frustrating. Personally, I am more of Sarah Faith's school: if they don't go to sleep easily, let 'em stay up til they're exhausted. Since I let my toddler stay up til 11PM last night and sleep til 10AM this morning, I'm definitely beating you in the Bad Mommy Awards competition. (By the way, I think the only reason he's able to stay asleep that late is that I'm with him. If I get up early to try and get things done, he'll be awake in 30 minutes, no matter what time it is. Some days he's essentially awake [writhe, kick, nurse, flip, repeat for 3 hours] from 6AM on, but I just refuse to get out of bed :D ). <br /><br />Does John ever get a couple weeks break from classes between semesters? If he does, that might be a good window to try the weaning from nursing to sleep by letting John completely take over the bedtime routine. And just not worry about it until then. It's just very hard to ask a toddler not to nurse when they're smashed right up against the food dispensers - so close they can smell it! If it makes you feel any better, when my sister was trying to get her toddler to wean from nursing to sleep there was a lot of crying to sleep in daddy's arms. <br /><br />The only really useful tip I can think of is that dimming the lights doesn't do a thing for us - they have to be off. Maybe just turn all the lights in the house off at sunset and see if it helps?Salixbabylonicahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15822486413898758221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-35396558526177654522011-10-29T09:09:21.716-04:002011-10-29T09:09:21.716-04:00I've tried that, too. I do try not to wake hi...I've tried that, too. I do try not to wake him if I can help it, because that was just making him overtired. But lately he's been waking up from his nap after just an hour or so, even though he's still tired.Sheilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10853868724554947854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-56986561894650652992011-10-29T09:03:25.459-04:002011-10-29T09:03:25.459-04:00My only idea is maybe to try less routine, just fo...My only idea is maybe to try less routine, just for a couple days. As in, not waking him from his nap even if it lasts into late afternoon. It's worth a shot, because not every late nap equals a super-late bedtime. Of course, if I'm wrong, you should toss my idea out the window...but I'd try just letting him sleep during the day however he wants, and the same thing at night.<br /><br />No fun. :PFideliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05153940948852223051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-41385285029467831872011-10-28T20:30:00.851-04:002011-10-28T20:30:00.851-04:00Very Silly Question: Has he got a teddy bear?Very Silly Question: Has he got a teddy bear?some guy on the streethttp://epistle-null.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-76935817738063464622011-10-28T18:05:28.630-04:002011-10-28T18:05:28.630-04:00See, he doesn't want anything, except to keep ...See, he doesn't want anything, except to keep playing. When he really is tired and sleepy at the same time, he will shut the book we're reading and say, "Dark bedroom? Rocking chair?" I think our biggest issue is that he isn't really sleepy in the first place.<br /><br />Routine is supposed to be the trick, though, and we sure are sticking to one. The problem is getting that routine to end with a sleeping toddler instead of "Return to Step One."Sheilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10853868724554947854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-83423150715926877652011-10-28T16:16:57.033-04:002011-10-28T16:16:57.033-04:00We've been blessed in that Celeste has been a ...We've been blessed in that Celeste has been a good sleeper since she was four months old. Around the same age you're in now, she started to understand enough to drag out the usual bedtime routine by asking for more and more of anything.<br /><br />We've counteracted this by making those requests part of her bedtime routine. For example, before she asks for water, I make sure she helps me fill her sippy cup. She will draw it out (she drew it out to 90 minutes on Wednesday!) but once we're done with it, we're done. Her Daddy is much better and holding his ground and letting her be mad at him for five minutes than I am (and it helps that she hasn't transitioned out of her crib yet [due to my own hang ups]).<br /><br />The only advice I can give you is that, in the toddler age we're dealing with, everything I've read and expereinced tell me that patterns, repitition and routine are the most important. Find the routine that works best for you and stick to it.Sarahhttp://batduck.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-27133182565017489372011-10-28T15:16:01.073-04:002011-10-28T15:16:01.073-04:00Yeah, I've pretty much resigned myself to the ...Yeah, I've pretty much resigned myself to the 10 pm bedtime. We can't manage later because *we* try to go to bed by ten. Poor husband has to get up at five.<br /><br />You're such an encouragement to me, by the way. It's nice to see someone who's been around the block a few times with a few kids and still does a lot of the things I do. (I hate the, "Well, you're young yet, wait till you have more kids and then you'll see I was right," thing that I get sometimes.)Sheilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10853868724554947854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-25002805542714376202011-10-28T13:30:23.684-04:002011-10-28T13:30:23.684-04:00I have no advice. I just go with what is easiest f...I have no advice. I just go with what is easiest for me. I had one kid who would not go to sleep easily so I ended up letting her stay up until I went to bed. She was up until 11 or 12 most nights. LOL. If your co workers or friends think you're a bad mom just point at me. :) I can take the heat.Sarah Faithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08878664620465280344noreply@blogger.com