What Am I Doing Wrong ? Infant Schedule- DESPERATE

Babies are difficult and not "smooth" :-) At 6 months, she needs to eat when she is hungry and sleep as long for naps as she needs to. Follow her lead. Never wake a sleeping baby. Always feed a hungry baby. She will get on more of a "schedule" as she gets older. But, as soon as one schedule works, it will likely change, as she grows and her needs change. Sleeping "through the night" means 4 - 5 hours at a time. A breastfed baby cannot go longer than that without eating.

The waking up screaming could be a sign of an ear infection. They can seem fine when up, but laying down puts pressure on the ears and causes them pain. I would recommend getting this checked out.

At 6 months, my daughter needed to nurse every night at 1:00 a.m., then again at about 5:00 a.m. She eventually dropped the 5:00 feeding and kept the 1:00 am until 13 months. Then she "slept through the night". Usually babies need two naps a day until they are around 1 year-old.

You should be feeding her as she requests. Don't make that baby wait. It is also time to introduce solids, if you haven't.

Naps should be as long as SHE wants them to be. A baby that naps well actually sleeps better at night.

Some babies do have stronger temperments and are more needy. However, I would not let her cry it out between feedings. If she is crying during the day (or night), she is trying to tell you something. I am hungry, tired, bored, uncomfortable, wet, poopy, etc........

Unfortunately, some babies are not as 'smooth' as others. And some people are able to make schedules and stick to them and others are not. With my third child, I was unable to make a 'schedule' because I am always running to pick up or drop off my school age children. Now that she is 16 months, a schedule has finally emerged but I still need to be flexible because of the changing needs of my other two.

Give yourself a break. You are not doing anything wrong. You just need to 'read' what your baby is telling you better to reduce her fussiness.

IMO, the thing that you're doing wrong is expecting an infant to be on a schedule. I know there are people out there that swear their 6 month olds are on a schedule, but I've NEVER EVER in my life met one. Seriously. I have a ton of nieces and nephews, not to mention two kids of my own and countless cousins, none of their babies responded to CIO that young. Or even slept through the night.
Is there a need for a rigid schedule? Or is it just that you want one? My suggestion is to throw the schedule out the window. Feed on demand. Let her nap on demand, for as long as she needs/wants. If she wakes up hungry feed her. If she wakes up and wants to be rocked, rock her. IMO, you're making things MUCH harder on you and the baby. She should fall into a routine fairly quickly if you just let her be.
If she's not eating baby food, now is a great time to introduce them. Start small. Maybe 1/2 a Stage 2 jar of vegetables at lunch and the rest at dinner.
Trust me when I tell you that this is a stage and it will pass. And when it does, you'll miss it. Yeah, it sure doesn't seem like it now, but trust me, you will. Take every single chance you get to snuggle and love her now. Soon she'll be too big.

Whoever told you having a baby should be "smooth" was lying! lol Babies can make you think that they're on a schedule for weeks, then throw you for a loop because of a growth spurt, teething, or a number of other things.

A few things to consider: If you're trying to limit your baby's naps during the day she could be over-tired at night, which actually makes it *more* difficult for her to fall and stay asleep. If you're trying to stretch out how long she goes bwtween feedings she could be hungry, waking up more frequently to get those extra feedings in. You could start her on solids (if you haven't already) and that will help keep her fuller, longer. She might be teething, which would explain her general crankiness right now - just because you can't see the pearly little offender, doesn't mean it's not there.

My best advice is to take your baby's cues and let her guide her schedule. I think you'll find that she puts herself on a reasonable schedule - at least that's what mine did, though it took almost 8-9 months to get there. And honestly, some babies just *are* a little more high maintenance than others. My first was a VERY high maintenace baby and now, at 4 years old, is a high maintenance preschooler. Some things you just can't change, but you can make things a little easier on YOU by attending to her needs.

Hi S.! I am so sorry that you are having a rough time! You have gotten some WONDERFUL advice. I totally second reading the book "Happiest Baby on the Block" by Karp. I had a very "high maintenence" baby and that book was my sanity saver!

Also, some babies just don't "do" schedules. My babies never did. My daughter woke 8 -12 times per night for a YEAR!!! I was so bitter that she wouldn't let me sleep! Finally I recognized that I couldn't compare our situation to anyone else. We had to find our own normal.
I absolutely loved what Lesley S. gave for advice. Following your baby's cues IS so much more peaceful than trying to get her to fit what other people have told you is "normal".

HUGS! I know it's frustrating. Your pediatritian is right...... it IS her temperment. That's not a bad thing. Your baby is just full of personality and knows exactly what she wants. At 6 months, it's not bad to give her what she needs.

Another thing.....let her sleep during the day! Depriving her of sleep during the day is not going to help her sleep at night, and it will be ever so much more frustrating for ALL of you.

Hang in there! And read "The Happiest Baby on the Block". It's a huge relief to know how to help your baby feel content.

First...whoever said babies were supposed to be easy either had an easy baby or lied outright. Some are, some are not.

Second...she is a bit young for CIO. During their first year, they really need all the love, attention, and coddling they want/need (including cuddling). They need to feel very secure and CIO does not do that.

You should maybe try the morning nap to be earlier and as long as she wants/needs (should be 1-2 hours). The afternoon nap you may want to cap at 1 1/2 hours and try to let it be earlier to make bedtime go more smoothly. Let her dinner time feeding be heavier and then give another bottle at about bedtime.

Good luck.

Aww, she's young. Most do not sleep through the night just yet. Maybe some rice cereal at the night feeding will help some. Make sure she burps well. And with all the crying she's doing she probably needs to burp again later in the night and that's why she wakes up crying again. They swallow tons of air when you let them cio. CIO is really for older babies. jmo.

Some people get lucky and have babys that sleep thru after four weeks but that doesn't happen to everybody. :) For now I probably would still feed her the first time she wakes up an hopefully then she will go to sleep and stay asleep and then gratually feet her less and less at night as she gets older. My kids were horrible sleepers till they turned three. Not that I had to feed them at the end but they would just wake up because they had nightmares and other issues. Every kid is different. For some the "cry it out" method will work but some kids are just more stubborn and it won't work. With my first I also thought I am doing something wrong because my friends babys were sleeping thru the night and mine wouldn't but you will figure it out. Its just not that easy. What works for one baby doesn't have to work for the other. Good luck!!!

your last paragraph is what i disagree with. many babies really are this difficult. my oldest didn't sleep through the night until he was 2 1/2. we don't know why. we tried everything, even things we weren't comfortable with just because we were desperate for sleep. my suggestion is that when she wakes at night, you first try music, patting, calming words, etc. if she wakes again or won't go back to sleep after a few minutes of this, feed her. TAKE TURNS with your husband so that you both get larger chunks of sleep. pray for guidance in meeting your daughter's needs. find someone who can watch her during the day for a few hours while you catch up on sleep so that you have more strength and patience. good luck and God bless!

Have you tried putting her to bed earlier? if she is overtired she will cry more and have more trouble going to sleep, you could try 7:00 for several nights in a row. If she is "hooked" on the paci she will cry everytime she loses it.. Dont let her use it during the day and try to get her off it if you can. Have you read the Happiest Baby on the block by H. Karp ? maybe that could help? you should be able to get it at your library. You dont say how long she'll nap if you let her? 30 minutes is too short but dont let her sleep for more than two hours!
I would feed her a lot during the day IF she is hungry. She is eating food now right? a lot of people have luck giving cereal before bedtime. have you tried that? Good luck some babies are good sleepers and some are not! I've had both!

I think you misunderstand what "schedule" means when everyone says they are on one. It does not mean baby eats at 12, 4, 8, sleeps til 6, eats at 8, every single day. NO BABY DOES THAT. Your baby sounds perfectly normal to me. Some kids are crappy sleepers. Mine are.
Here is the golden rule of sleep: whatever arrangement gets the most people the most sleep is the one that works and the one to use.
So anyway, routine and schedule aren't the same thing. You have a routine. It is helpful, but it doesn't work all the time. Also normal. Schedules aren't set in stone, and even if they were babies wouldn't follow them.
She's only 6.5 months old; she's not manipulating you yet. If she's crying, she's either hungry, wet, has a stuck burp, has gas, or something else. It's pretty easy to check a diaper and feed her, and if that solves your problem, great. I don't believe in making babies wait four hours to get fed, during the day or even at night at this age.
The key question is: is it working for you? If it isn't, change. Feed her when she wakes up at night. Sleeping 2-3 hours at a time is normal.
I didn't wean my kids off night feedings until 1 year old. They weren't good eaters of solid food. By then they were usually waking only once, and I would feed them at midnight and that would usually hold them until 6.
You're in Gainesville. Did you go to the North Florida moms' group? Contact some of those moms and get yourself a playgroup. When you see that strict schedules work for some families and not others, and you see more variety in how other people run their lives, you'll be more comfortable with what you choose. Good luck.

Here is the schedule we are on for our 8mo old and it was similar when he was 6mo just a little less food: (all times are not set in stone, just a basic idea)
-8am - wake up
-8:30 - feed 6oz bottle, jar of food
-10am - nap (usually 2 hours)
-12pm - feed 6oz bottle, jar of food
-2pm - nap (usually 1.5-2 hours)
-4pm - feed 6oz bottle, crackers
-7:30pm - feed cereal mixed with fruit (1/3 cup) and 6oz bottle
-8pm - bed

We lay him down awake for all sleeping times and YES, naps are very important. Babies need 16 or so hours of sleep per day. If you cut the time out during the day, they will just get cranky and irritable. I agree that if you are going to do CIO, you have to be all or nothing so you don't confuse them. If you stick with it, it shouldn't take too long for your baby to be able to self soothe a little better. I am a foster mom and I have had a few babies in my care and I have found that no matter what age they are you can get them on a schedule and get them to be happy sleepers. Also a schedule usually helps them be happy sleepers because they are getting all the sleep they need and they usually sleep through the night pretty quickly.

Hi S.,

As a young Mom of two little girls who both slept through the night very early on, (my first at six weeks, my second at three weeks), I am living breathing proof that getting your baby on a schedule IMMEDIATELY after they are born works, and works very well. Every Mom is different so no judgment to Moms who soothe their babies to sleep, but I feel that you are robbing your baby of something very essential when you do that- the ability to self-soothe. If your baby can not self-soothe, they will always cry for you- which makes for a lot of stress for both of you. From day one, this is how I handled things:
My pediatrician made it very clear to me that every baby needs a certain number of calories in a 24 hour period. As long as they get all their calories during the day, they have absolutely no reason to feed at night. This means that they should have a bottle EVERY three hours, on the hour, whether they are crying for it or not. Feeding on a schedule helps them to trust- because they know that their food is coming. They never have to cry for it because they know it will be there. This cuts down on those screaming hunger fits. When you notice that your baby starts to cry before the three hours is up, it's time to up the amount. When you notice that when you get past eight ounces and three hours still isn't enough, introduce solids. If it is the soothing of feeding time that she wants, because you know she's had enough, let her cry it out. Works like a charm.
During the day the TV should be on, music should be playing, curtains should be open- you walk around faster, you are louder, you talk in a loud and excited voice. At night, the lights are dim, you walk slower, the music is softer (I had a lullaby CD for both of my girls that they LOVED). Bed time is the same time every night, you do the same things- bath, baby massage, cuddles. I never fed my baby right before bed or let them feed themselves to sleep because this creates dental issues, and you never want them to get dependent on the bottle that way- makes it harder to wean them off later. Both my girls had pacifiers and did get those at night, which they loved.
If your baby is going to bed with a clean diaper, had enough calories during the day, etc., there is no reason for you to be consistently soothing her at night. Let her cry it out. She will only do it a few times before she realizes that the world won't end if you don't come rushing in to save her. It's hard to do- trust me, I know- I sat up nights crying because I wanted to soothe my baby but I knew it wasn't the best thing for her. When you have a baby who is fully capable of self-soothing, it is so much more rewarding.
As for the napping- I always let my babies nap as much as they needed to, I never woke a napping baby! Both of my girls typically would nap 2-4 hours per day, and slept up to twelve hours at night.
Good luck and stay strong. Being a Mommy isn't easy- nobody ever said it was- but six months is NOT too young to start teaching your child valuable lessons!!

I don't believe a baby should ever cry it out. It's cruel for a baby who does not know how to communicate any other way but to cry and she is desperate for someone to come to her aid but instead nobody comes. She is still so young! Please re-consider allowing her to cry herself to sleep. She is miserable and so are you.

I also do not believe in schedules for babies. Are you on a feeding schedule? Do you wait or hold off eating even when you are starving? I'm betting you do not so why would you do this to your baby? I am by no means criticizing you, please do not take it that way. I know how frustrating it is to want so badly to do the right thing but not knowing what the right thing is can be overwhelming for first time parents.

She is 6 1/2 months old? Is she on solids yet? She is old enough to be eating baby cereal. Have you introduced it yet? It sounds like you are only formula feeding, correct? You are NOT breastfeeding? So, begin solids by introducing baby cereal. Oatmeal or rice cereal, whichever you prefer. I always added a little bit of strained fruit for flavor and it adds a little more "bulk" to the cereal, especially at night. The goal is to get our babies to sleep through the night, on their own. After her bath, prepare a little cereal for her. You can mix it with formula or water or a little juice. Add a little fruit to it. IF she gobbles it up, make more! I believe this baby is waking because she is hungry so you need to feed her. At 6 1/2 months, she is old enough for cereal, if she will take it.

As for napping during the day, I would let this baby sleep. Babies need sleep, especially since she isn't sleeping through the night just yet. I would,however, limit her naps during the afternoon and not allow her to sleep past 3 P.M. since you are putting her to bed at 7:30-8 P.M. EVERY baby is different! You must never compare your child to the child of your friend who does everything "text book." What works for one mom may not work for another...because every baby is unique. Your baby's needs should be met when she cries for you, whether she is hungry or wet or scared, lonely or just wants mommy to hold her because nothing else is helping. I would also consider the fact that she could be teething! Babies wake up even during the night when they are teething. It's a torturous event for everyone involved. Try giving her acetaminophen and ibuprofen at night. They can be used together at the same time, just be sure to measure out the correct dose for each medication! I would give it to her at night only, for a few nights and see how that goes.

Also, instead of picking her up each and every time she cries at night, have you tried just going to her and patting her or rubbing her on her back? Try using a night light in her room? It's all trial and error. We've all been here where you are. It passes and soon enough she will be sleeping on her own and this will all be a blurred memory.

This is a normal baby. She needs you when she cries. I would not do cry it out it is cruel.

she shoudl take 2 naps during the day as long as she wants... babies need to sleep.

I would feed her when she is hungry.. not on a schedule. do not let her cry. you are mean to this poor baby.

get teh healthy sleep habits happy child book.. it will help you.

Having a new baby can be so difficult, your life has changed, things are not like they have been for all your life right?
That being said, babies are tiny little beings, so new to this world, so new to life and have NO forms of communication other than crying. They are scared, confused, hungry, wet, tired and happy. Letting your child cry it out is cruel. It teaches children they can't rely on their parents, caretakers and ones that are their protectors. That says a LOT for their entire life and how they learn to trust and have faith in others too.
You have many many years to teach your child/ren life lessons, but when they are 6 months old, that's not the time. Now is not the time to teach them that you are in control or that they need a schedule. Now is when they need to be taught unconditional love, safety, food, dry diaper, safe sleep, etc.
I don't know about the feedings thing because I nursed my daughter. When she cried out I gave her my breast, if she wasn't interested, I checked her diaper or just held her. I co slept too so that made it easier, in the middle of the night she instinctively reached out for my breast and nursed, I never slept so well in my life! But, if you've got the bottle, perhaps just offer it to her and if she takes it great, if not, she's not hungry. But she should get what she wants, this is all about HER.
About napping, does your husband have experience with infants? I wonder why he feels she should only sleep 30 mins. She is brand new in this world, she should sleep when she's tired and wake when she needs to too. She's not going to work, she's got NO other demands other than eating, sleeping and dirtying her diaper, NONE. Expecting a child so young to have a schedule is insane.
About your pediatrician, I don't agree.....there are many many pediatricians and if yours is already telling you something you don't like, switch. They are getting paid by you, not the other way around.
Good luck!

All I wanted to offer is that baies don't just "get" on a schedule. You create the schedule. Try to be home by bedtime every night to do her routine. I'd say don't do CIO at all if you are then going to pick her up after a night or two. She is most likely confused. CIO is really tough and, yes, it van go on for an hour or two. You don't ignore her for 2 hours you just don't pick her up! You can pat her back, speak soothing words, etc. But once you commit to it--you've gotta follow through. Every time you pick her up, you've just undone everything you've done til then. It's confusing for her.
Is she eating solids yet? Give her cereal at night, then a feed, THEN put her to bed. The fuller the better. As for the naps--sleep begets sleep. An overly tired, exhausted baby will be up every hour or two through the night. HTH.
You can also try soft music, white noise, etc. in her room all night long.

Bet she has acid reflux. Get a book called Colic Solved. When babies have not self regulated by about 4 months there is something else going on. She may need more sensory input as well to calm her central nervous system and flood it with calming chemicals. Add epsom salts to her bath, wrap her tightly with the towel, rock her, massage her whole body with deep pressure all before bed. Her naps are needed for optimal brain growth about every 2-3 hours during the day. Let her sleep/wake on her own. Do not send confusing messages to her....you let her cio for two days and then stopped....very confusing. Pick one thing and stick to it!!! Also investigate taking her off milk or soy based formula. Try Nutramigen or ALimentum.

My child didn't start sleeping through the night until around 8-9 months, when we did sleep training. First, we only replaced the binky (no more feedings) and then we stopped going in altogether. He learned pretty quickly, but he was older than yours too. I would probably keep going in at that age. Her stomach is still small enough that she may just be hungry.
Secondly, I would DEFINITELY leave her alone when she's sleeping/napping! NEVER wake a sleeping baby! If she's getting the rest she needs, she will be a happier child and will learn to put herself back to sleep between sleep cycles, which are about 40 minutes. So, if you're waking her up at 30 minutes, she hasn't even finished a sleep cycle and is going to be pretty unhappy!
I strongly recommend the book, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Weissbluth. I was also a confused mommy of a crabby, tired baby, and this book changed everything. He is a proponent of the CIO method, but it sounds like you're comfortable with that. But he does tell when is the appropriate age to start, and discusses naps and so much more.
I hope this helps!

Good Night, Sleep Tight by Kim West is a fantastic book. One other thing is try putting her to sleep earlier (around 5:30-6). She could be too tired by the time 7 or 8 rolls around making her more diffiult to put to sleep and making her nighttime sleep more fragmented. And she definitely needs more than a half hour nap. Look up ideal sleepign schedules for that age and you'll see she needs a lot more sleep than you probably think. Good luck! And I don't know who you're friends with but babies sleep is one of the most discussed things for a reason. Its hard work to get them to sleep and she's only 6.5 months old!

I recommend Babywise book one. It teaches you how to stablize her eat, wake, sleep cycles through the day which leads to sleeping at night. It may take several weeks to get her body adjusted but you'll be on the right track to sleeping through the night.

If she's crying out of hunger during the day then go ahead and feed her. I offer a feeding every three to three and a half hours to my 5 month old so she typically eats 5 times a day. She naps 3 times a day about 45 minutes each. I would not allow her to sleep past 2 hours per nap.

Hang in there!

I would try cutting out one of the naps. Maybe move the morning one to an early afternoon and try hard to keep her awake until bedtime. Cereal at night might help as well. I hope you find the answer. You know your baby better than anyone else, so you will get it down pat eventually. It will get easier!

your baby may be waking because she is hungry. she is only six months old and maybe her tummy is too small to hold much.waking up twice at night is not a lot for six months.she will learn a schedule but be patient she is young and it will come in time. she will learn a routine in time.does she wake up in the morning at the same time. if so go from there.two naps a day are normal but definately for more then thirty minutes more like 2 hours.check with your pediatrician and follow their instructions.again be patient all children are different and their bodies mature differently.if she drinks at least two ounces when she cries then she is hungry and her tummy may not be able to hold more don't push it.be patient.my grandchildren had feedings at night till a year old.people tend to forget it takes time. yes,babies are a lot of work.being a parent is alot of work 24/7 till forever on your mind if your lucky.it will get easier but the best advice i can give is PATIENCE and like I said a lot of people tell you mine did this or that I find they are not being complelely honest just tend to be bragging. that is not important raising a healthy ,happy baby is the most important thing.some day it will be easier for now relax and be patient.

Lots of great advice here but one thing I didn't see was to try a "dream feed," which is where you give your baby the breast or bottle WHILE SHE IS ASLEEP. You have to be super quiet but you'll just pick her up, put the nipple into her mouth, let her eat, and then ease her back down. If she really is hungry at night you might be able to do a dream feed without waking her, so she'll sleep a longer stretch. You can do it around 10 or 11 pm, or even have Daddy do it so that you get a break!! Good luck--I totally feel your pain as my kids were never good sleepers, either. My 2 1/2 year old still wakes up most nights and my 5 year old has only been sleeping through the night since she was about 3 1/2. Some kids just don't sleep as well and I think it has a lot to do with their personality.

Every baby is different. I am a first time mom at the age of 22, about to be again in May. My son didn't like sleeping in his crib or bassenet, so he slept in his swing in our room for the first 3 month before my grandpa told me it was a bad idea and bad for their back. So we took him out. But during those first three months he didn't sleep through the night. The first night we put him in his own room in his crib he slept through the night. From that day on he got his bottle before bed, was tucked in, got a kiss and we turned off the lights and he was good. My son is 9 months old now. He knows he goes down for nap or quiet time at 2 he usually goes to sleep for two hours. Wakes up gets jarred food again and a bottle if he's still hungry. We play for a few hour with daddy, then at around 7:30 we give him a bath, make a bottle then it's bed time. He cries but there isn't anything we can do, he doesn't like bed time. He cries for about 10-15 minutes then goes to sleep and he sleeps through the night. Just keep the schedule don't break it. You let up she will just keep crying even more. Just make sure she knows you are there for her and that bed time is bed time. When she wakes up in the middle of the night do you think maybe she has some acid reflux that's bothering her? Maybe that night feeding there shouldn't be happening. Check with your dr on that.

Good luck

Please don't worry so much! This is totally normal!! My 2nd daughter didn't sleep through the night until 9months.

A really good resource is a book called "Healthy Sleep habits for Happy Children." It gives you some good guidlines as to what a child's sleep patterns should be like at certain ages. I always feed my children when they are hungry and try not to worry about how many hours. I now have 3 children ages 3, 19m and 3m and they are all different. My 3rd eats soooo much more than my 1st 2 but he cluster feeds and then will take 1 looong nap in the afternoon and 2 really short naps one in the morn and 1 in the evening.

All babies are different and you have to do what works for you and them. I usually let my babies sleep as long as they want. Some babies need more than others. My 1st never was and still isn't a good napper but is AMAZING at night. My 2nd takes AWESOME naps but isn't as good at nights.

I think you are doing good trying to get her to fall asleep on her own. It may just take time. But seriously get the book I mentioned up above it really helped me!

Babies are all different in temperament and in physical needs. Some are easy, some have higher needs. Some are not bothered by noise, or even thrive on it, and could snooze through a fire drill. Some need quiet and calm. Some babies take well to schedules, and some are tortured by schedules. If you throw out the idea that your baby "should" be some way or other, and follow the actual needs she expresses, you will have a calmer and happier baby, and you will be calmer and happier.

My daughter was born in '71, when pediatricians warned against feeding any more often than a 4 hour schedule. My daughter could eat only enough at a feeding to hold her for 2.5 hours, for nearly her first year. When I coaxed her to nurse longer or eat a few more bites of baby food, she was uncomfortable and restless until she spit up the excess. So I just went with her 2.5-hour feedings, because that's what kept both of us comfortable and happy. I was only stressed when I thought about what the doc said I "should" do, or how she "should" be.

Likewise with sleep. She never slept more than 3-4 hours at most for her first couple of years (her son took 2.5 years to sleep through the night). I learned to nurse her while I was half-asleep, and then put her in a bassinet set on the floor next to my bed, or just allowed her to sleep beside me. It was sweet and satisfying for both of us.

Also, be aware that cereal before bed can create hunger faster than milk or formula alone. Yes, it's "solid" but all carbohydrate, and is digested very quickly. It can build body fat, but will not quell appetite for as long as the protein and fat in milk.

I wouldn't worry about "normal," because the way it's applied to babies, it really only means "average," and very few babies are average in every respect. Find out what works, and go with that. Along with others below, I strongly recommend The Happiest Baby on the Block – a terrific resource.

i would put her on a feeding schedule, with snacks in between, dried fruit, or something fun like fruit roll ups, etc. i wouldn't cut one of the naps out, just shorten them. when you try the cio method, every time you go in and pick her up, you're teaching her that if she screams long and hard enough, eventually mom or dad will come to the rescue, it'll help for now, but will create a total nightmare later (she is not too young to learn this, in her subconciense, she knows what she's doing and what you're doing)...unless my duaghter was sick, she's always been in her own bed, if i had a hard time getting her to sleep, i would lay her in her bed on her belly and rub her back or massage her til she was asleep (also in a sense, holding her down so that she could not sit back up, this way once she was almost out, i wouldn't have to bother her just lift my hand, and walk out the room, instead of waking her and start it all over again.

My ace in the hole is Yoka Reeder.com- contact her asap- I think you have something else going on- and Yoka is brilliant about handling those something elses.
And pls pls pls- your child is not drug deficeint- she does not need a drug.
best, k