Help with Sleep - Saint Petersburg,FL

Well, I am not with the first two posts. While I understand you exhaustion, I could not let my second cry it out. I didn't with the first either. My first slept through the night at 3 weeks (really)...and no I have not forgotten anything. My second didn't start sleeping through the night until she was 19 months! She too woke up 3 times a night wanting to breast feed. I couldn't just take it away from her and I don't think any mother who breast feeds would just cut their baby off, why people who bottle feed do that is beyond me. We as adults get hungry we eat! I say try to start a gradual weening from the bottle at night. Cut out one feeding at a time. You can try to shorten each feeding...etc. I am not one for a STRICT schedule either. We are very active and if we are somewhere and not close to home, I don't want them having a melt town because I have trained them to sleep in their bed at the exact same time every day. I saw my son-n-law do this with their first child and any time they went off her schedule for even 5 extra mins. she would have a melt down. I don't deprive my kids from their naps, they get naps around the same time but they are not programed to go to sleep exactly at the same time, there is fudge time built in. They are happy and well adjusted kids. So do what you feel is right for you and your baby. If you can handle stopping the bottle cold turkey and listening to your baby cry all night then great for you. You will be able to get the sleep that you do need and it will work, I just couldn't do it with mine. Just remind yourself it is for a short period in their life and it will pass. Good luck in what ever you decide!

I think just being consistent with not getting up to go to her. Make sure she is getting enough food during the day, she should be on 3 meals and 1-2 snacks a day at this point. If she is not wet, hungry, or in pain, then there is no reason why you need to get up. It sounds like she does not know how to make herself fall back asleep, but she will learn if you let her try. Let her cry for 5 minutes the first time, 10 the next and so on until she falls back asleep on her own. It might take a week or so, but you will get there.
Good luck

She may need nourishment at least a couple of the times she is waking. The others are probably for comfort, knowing that you are there and are willing to provide for her. Every kid is different.... you hear stories about kids sleeping 12+ hours without waking, but those kids may take monger to do something else in the developmental game while she may be fater to do something else....She may be one that takes longer to not need anyone at night. In addition, her metabolism may be faster and needs some nutrition in fewer hours than others. (besides, many smaller meals is better than cramming them full before bed, since that's what we are told NOT to do when adult to be healthy!) This will all change with time. Don't worry about her getting enough sleep....just like adults, every kid has a different amount that they need. Like yours, my daughter was waking 4-6 times a night to eat until she was about 15 months. I would just nurse her and she would doze back off, barely waking. After that she reduced to 2-3x a night, then 1-2x. At 2 she would only wake occassionally....She has never needed alot of sleep and is very healthy. Just hang in there and give her what she needs, which is you, love, comfort and care during her development. If you try to push her away or not respond, she'll likely become more insecure and clingy...and lose trust :-( Remember, this too shall pass and she'll be off to college before you know it. Enjoy!

Do you take her out of the crib every time she awakes. My son 2, was doing that for a while but I just let him cry which lasted about 10 minutes or so, and after a while he stopped waking up as much. That is what my pedi suggested. Sounds very simple and maybe your situation is more complex. What does your dr. say?? I agree w/you about being a stay at home mom. I've been home for 2 1/2 years and am expecting my second child in Nov. The "rat race" I was in was a real nightmare (my female boss was just like Devil wears Prada, no joke).....We are lucky to have husbands that allow us to avoid the misery...ha ha.....Take care...

Great advice from everyone. Have a routine and stick with it. But I'd like to add from Stacey said, a new habit takes 1-6 weeks, not just a week. It depends just how stubborn your child is.

Don't pick her up, don't feed her anything at all (she doesn't need it at her age), and let her learn to put herself to sleep. It sounds like she has never been given the chance to do so. To develop healthy sleep as a toddler and child, she needs this skill. I still stand by music as an option. Set it to "repeat" all night if you have to. It worked great on my son years and years ago. Still use it on nights he's restless, and how many 8 year olds these days enjoy Mozart?

p.s. A good tip to know that the "cry it out" method is working is that when the child is ready to give up, the cries are farther and farther apart...like silence for 4 or 5 minutes then one piercing wail. And yes, the cries will turn to screams until she gets used to the new routine. Just get the rest of the family's help so your older one isn't going in, your your husband is giving in and going to her instead.

I would make a decision on how you want to handle it and then STICK TO YOUR GUNS!!! I had a similar situation with my son who is now 2 1/2. I stoped nursing him in the night which just became a BAD habit for both of us and it sounds like you are there with the bottle! Once I stopped nursing I replaced it with a sippy cup of water and gave NO options, besides all the milk sitting in thir mouths just will cause teeth problems later in life.

I did the "scream it out" method which 2-3 days were hard but we made it through it. I just kept telling him it was time for night, night, would reassure him then leave the room. Like I said, the first 2-3 nights were very rough but those were the golden ticket to success. He has been a SOLID sleeper ever since so in the long run it was well worth the initial pain of it all. Good luck!!!

have you tried putting rice cereal in her nitetime bottle before she goes to bed. that helped with my son

Hi- you really need to get a routine for little one. I do bath, bottle , bed. Period. They say it takes a week for a child to adapt to a new habit- so you may have some fussy periods the first few nights, DONT GIVE IN!! You will have to close the door and walk away, you know she is fine- she just wants to get back up. She will test you! But you need this valuable time to yourself! My daughter is 16 months old, goes to bed at 8:30 every nite no matter what- she takes one nap from 12-1:00 ( I put her down for a nap even if she is in the middle of playing! I stick to the schedule!) Good Luck D.!

I agree with Stacey. It's time to be strong. This is one of many times in your parenting where tough love is going to be necessary. There is no reason a 1 year old needs a bottle in the night. I promise you, within just a few nights you will be sleeping soundly. You can go in there the first time she cries and say "go to sleep, it's nighttime." Then, you can go back in after ten or 20 minutes if you'd like to. I wouldn't, but you might need to for your own piece of mind. Say the same thing "Go to sleep, it's nighttime and I'm not coming back." Then DONT! If she falls asleep and re-wakes again, you may go through the same process again or just ignore her. It may take her an hour to fall asleep. Close her door, close yours and SLEEP. It's an important job to teach your child to self-soothe so she can sleep on her own. You are doing her a favor and yourself too.

As a side note, since the person above me disagrees, I feel the need to add some extras. I breast fed too.....all three of them, all of them for a year. So, bottle or breast, experts (including any pediatrician I have spoken with) says babies do not need to eat in the night after 6 months. AND, the comment about adults eating when we're hungry is so ridiculous used under the circumstances. If you woke up at three in the morning and I gave you a glass of milk, could you drink it? Of course! You could probably eat a piece of cake too, but did you NEED it? Did you have to have it?? NO WAY!! So, if I gave it to you for a year in a row, would you maybe wake up on your own to get it? It;s human nature and it's habitual. Don't do it to yourself D.!!

My husband and I did the cry it out method, a combination of the Sleep Lady book and Dr. Marc Weisbluth's "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child". It took a solid month before our 9 month old slept through the night without waking up at some point and crying. In the beginning it was hard. He would cry for up to 3 hours sometimes. We sat by his crib and told him we loved him, etc. Now he is getting 11-12 hours of sleep a night. I'm a different person. He definetly is. There was no damage to his self esteem, etc. as some people might suggest. He is curious, creative, loving and so smart! Hang in there and make sure you get the support of family and friends. They were a Godsend during the early night crying times.