My son just turned 19 months old and for about two weeks or more he will not go to bed at night unless held. I still nurse him and do the routine we have always done, I nurse him, then hold him for a few minutes and then put him in his crib next to my side of the bed in our room. He falls fast asleep. He would go in his crib fine. Now the moment I set him down he wakes up enough to throw a fit. So far, I can leave and send my husband in and once he knows I am not going to nurse him all night, he will settle down and go to sleep.
This happened once on the weekend with his nap time and my husband could not get him down that time of day like he can at night.
Now it is happening with his nap every day. He falls right to sleep nursing but the moment he feels me let go of him, he freaks.
Because he is high needs and even more so these days, I really need this break. He usually naps about 2 hours average, sometimes 3! I know he is exhausted by how fast he falls asleep while I nurse him. He just wants to nurse the whole nap or be held. It is like he is a new born again.
I need this time to myself and as a break from him and to get dinner ready and some other housework done. Now I have to stay up late at night to get these things done and am very sleep deprived.
I am not into cry it out but have tried leaving him in his crib anyway. He has soft toys hanging on the outside of his crib rail guard he will play with.
This no-nap unless held has happened for about 5 days in a row now. He will cry for 30 seconds to a minute or two, then he whimper/whines a bit and then he stops and plays and takes some of his clothes off :-( I go and get him in about 1 hour or sooner if he gets really fussy. I watch and listen to him on the baby video monitor.
Some days I need a nap if he was up the night before and now I cannot do that anymore. I really need that time during the day to get some things done. He won't let me get most things done while he is awake. And some days I just need that time to myself to refresh since he is so high needs.
Today was awful, I did let him cry a little more because I am exhausted and at the end of my rope and had a project I had to finish. This was not my choice and I don't want to do this but I am desperate!
I don't know what happened or what to do. I don't want to let him come back downstairs and play because, to me, that is saying if he puts up a fuss, then he gets his way and does not have to nap. And he really needs this nap, as the day goes on he falls a lot and gets really fussy and even more clingy than usual because he is now overtired. And he does fall asleep just fine, he just wants to be held the whole time rather than having me set him in his crib as I usually do.
If I put him to bed earlier, the whole mess just shifts to an earlier time with no change.
I play the same "womb" CD he has always liked and asks for so he has white noise. Everything is the same.
This is following on the heels of him having a bad cold which he has now been over for awhile. We had to use the "booger sucker" so I don't know if this has something to do with it or what!
Help!!! I am so tired and frustrated
"Children are a gift from God."
Quoting nngmommy83:
Could he maybe be teething
I wondered about this. He won't let you look in his mouth. He hates to have his teeth brushed, I have to do it by feel.
I was making raspberries in his neck the other day and he opened his mouth long enough for me to look a little. There could be some redness along the inside of the gums on the upper right. Are the gums a little red even after the teeth come in?
or have an ear infection?
I don't think so. What would that look like? At night, once he finally goes down, he is okay most nights.
Did your routine with him change while he was sick?
The hours of his sleep, yes, but I worked hard to keep the daily routine the same. And it has been over a week now since he got over his cold.
"Children are a gift from God."
I mentioned an ear infection because it hurts them to lie down. If it continues I would check that out.
I think just stick to your routine and he will eventually settle down again. Being sick seems to always affect sleep =)
Quoting nngmommy83:
Yes, the gums could still be red and swollen for awhile and could be y he's nursing more. DS increases his nursing alot when he's teething.
I mentioned an ear infection because it hurts them to lie down. If it continues I would check that out.
I think just stick to your routine and he will eventually settle down again. Being sick seems to always affect sleep =)
I truly don't feel it is his ears based another children I have cared for with ear infections. But I would not rule out teething. I wish he would let me look into his mouth.
How does their being sick affect sleep even a couple weeks after they are better? This is not a "challenge" question, I am curious to know.
"Children are a gift from God."
Quoting nngmommy83:
You had mentioned that his sleep hours had changed while he was sick so sometimes they get used to that and need to get back to their original schedules. I'm thinking maybe he's looking for some extra comfort due to teething pain
I am wondering this too but I cannot hold him all night and day. How do I do a balance?
"Children are a gift from God."
Quoting nngmommy83:
Stay strong, in the No Cry Sleep Solution she says to do the sleep lady shuffle as many times as it takes for baby to stay. Basically put him down and if he wakes crying soothe him and try again. The first few times I did this with DS it took me about 8 tries for him to stay 3 hours and then we did it again. It took about 1-2 weeks and then he was used to it. I saw progress after about 3 days. Good luck momma! I know it's hard
I have tried this too and it took up his whole nap, I had no dinner made or anything. And at nap time, after the 2nd or third time, he now feels he should be awake and starts to play or slap me when I nurse him or kick or poke at my face. It is obvious at this point he is not even going to try. (The first time nursing he falls asleep but will not be put down.)
And he has been napping fine and sleeping fine for months!
"Children are a gift from God."
Please help me get my baby to sleep. I'm loosing my mind!
- Lisa009
on Mar. 25, 2011 at 3:29 PM