4.06.2009
Tired and Desperate
So Crew has always been an exceptional sleeper. He was sleeping through the night by 7 weeks and has always gone down really well on his own. The last week and a half he has had a really hard time going down. I don't know if this is a phase or if there is something else that is going on. We are doing the same things we have always done but for some reason he will not go down. Last night we started putting him down at 8... then mid-night rolls around and he is still not asleep. Is this typical for a 2 year old? What do I do? Am I doing something wrong? I need my sleep and so does he! If any of you experienced mothers out there have any suggestions I would love to hear them!
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7 comments:
Aidan is 2 1/2 and his new thing is "Mom, I'm not tired! I'm not going to bed!" If he takes a nap then he stays up till midnight, not tired at all. But if I can keep him up from a nap then he's pretty pooped by 9 or 10. Is Crew taking naps still??? I wish I could be more help but maybe it's just a phase they are going through. The worst part is that I have to stay up with him till midnight since my husband wakes up so early for work. :( Good luck!
You could try just making a nap shorter it he is only taking one. At 2 one 1 1/2 to 2 hour nap is good enough. Harrison however stopped napping at 2 1/2! Not fun for mom, but it made other things easier. Also, if he is getting out of bed, you can't talk to him, you just have to take him back to bed even if he's crying and just keep doing it until he falls asleep or figures out this is what we do at bed time (stay in bed). You can also try a SuperNanny technique, where you sit on or next to the bed, faced away and then slowly move further away and just always sit faced away till they settle down and are ready for bed. I haven't done that one, but it worked on her show. Other things you can do is a reward system for sleep, where the door can be wide open, but if they get out of bed or are too loud the door gets closer to being shut, then they are motivated because they don't feel left out of what mom and dad are doing, but will still fall asleep if you aren't feeding them with attention. Good luck! I know how it goes, we had no bed time problems with Harrison till 3 1/2 and then I was so shocked it took a bit to figure it out, but I think it is down now. Call me if you need more ideas.
I put 3 quarters (sometimes even nickels) by my boys doors at night. Everytime they got out...I took one away. Any left there in the morning, they could take to get a quarter treat at the gas station. This might not work if Crew isn't into the whole "money" thing, you could always use little candies like smarties or something.
They good weather and staying lighter later might also have something to do with it. I wouldn't take away the nap just yet. He going to use up all the extra energy enjoying the pretty spring weather!! Good Luck!!
p.s. can you tell I believe in bribes? especially when it comes to MY sleep.
Emy does this on and off now too. I just try to have a really fun activity she will love waiting for her when she wakes up or a treat. That seems to work like a charm. I think that it is just that their imaginations are harder to put to bed these days even though they are so tired. Rewarding him will help I think:) Keep us updated and let me know if you have advice for me.
Hey Durrants! We just wanted to say hello and we miss you guys! Its been forever!
You mean sleeping trouble starts again when they're older!? OH NO! The only advice I have is to pray A LOT...
Hi Sis, You are such a sweet mom. I'm sure that I don't have any advice for you since none of my kids have ever been able to go to sleep on their own. I still have a 2 year old sleeping in the middle of my bed. ha ha. I love the "pray alot" comment. That seems to be the one thing that can bring parenting promptings when nothing else is working. Good luck with your little darling, & know that you are all in our prayers. We miss you SO much!!
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