In desperate need of a sleep solution

[echoesofspring]

Hugs, we have been dealing with sleep issues every since DS consistently vaulted out of the crib just shy of his 3rd bday. We had to remove everything from his room, or he'd work himself into a frenzy all night playing, climbing. One night I tried the super nanny stay the bed silently put him back in bed routine. I put him back in bed something like 87 times. Ow, my back! For a while we had success with an ipod of music. Now DH or I sits in his room with him until he falls asleep, we've been working on sitting by the door or in our room across the hall. I think it's a combination of wanting more attention from me, being overtired, having a bit of monkey mind. (he talks and talks and talks right before he falls asleep and then passes out midsentence). It's tough. No problem going to bed for other people.

So we're still struggling with the bedtime routine, going on 15/16 months. But we have found a solution that works really well for us for the night waking. I bought an extra crib mattress and put it on the floor next to our bed. He comes in most nights and just goes right to sleep there. Rarely wakes DH up, sometimes tries to snuggle with me for a minute or two but then he'll just slide down the bed and onto his mattress. He sleeps really soundly there.

[azzeps]

I don't know the right answer, but I feel your pain. Neither of my kids were good sleepers/easy in that regard. I just did what I had to in order to survive and get us all as much sleep as possible. Which means co-sleeping, for us. I got my son trained so that he can get out of his bed and get in mine without waking me up and it's pretty good. We pretty much get a whole night now every night. Thankfully, DD doesn't join us in bed as often as she used to. Gets a little crowded for me when she does!!

Melatonin might help him go to sleep but in my experience, it doesn't help with the waking up in the night. However, sometimes after a long day, you just need them to lay down and sleep. I use Zarbee's cough syrup for nighttime, mostly when they're sick..... but sometimes when they're not......

[♥ms.pacman♥]

sorry if this has been mentioned before..have you tried a weighted blanket?

my DS is 5 and it really helps him calm down when he is tired. it helps him sleep through the night and not come in our room. it helps when he has dropped the nap but needs to be still and calm down, and he is one of those rotten moods bc he is tired but won't nap. he has gotten aware of it so he even asks for his "heavy blanket" when he is in a bad mood. he has some sensory issues (extremely sensitive to sound, we have to give him earmuffs every time i use the vitamix, vaccum, etc) so i suspected something was up and sprung for it.

aside from that, i'd get a sleep study done. in my case, both my kids were excellent sleepers since they were babies, but I had a DH who would keep me awake with insane snoring, and wake up insanely tired despite 8+ hrs sleep. i made him have a sleep study and it turns out he has severe sleep apnea. got a CPAP and it helps. i know my DH had his tonsils out as a kid but doesn't seem to have helped. he also has awful allergy/nasal issues. he really needs a CPAP otherwise he gets horrible quality sleep.

[gatorsmom]

DS3 was a horrible sleeper. We ended up putting dark sheets up over his windows to block out the light. We were moving soon otherwise I would have put up room darkening shades. If there was any light coming under the door he'd yell for me too.

If I were you I'd try (not necessarily in this order) tanking up on a favorite heavy meal to make sure he is full before he goes to bed, a white noise machine, room darkening blinds, the sleep fairy cd that many parents have had luck with here, making sure he gets a good workout in during the day to wear him out, putting his crib back in his room, asking the doc about melatonin for him, making sure there is nothing in his room to irritate his allergies, giving him Advil before he sleeps in case he's in pain, OR cosleeping. But if you cosleep and have other kids who want to have access to you at night but you don't want your baby escaping while you are sleeping, I'd put a gate across your bedroom door.

I hope ole you can find a solution that helps! Sleep deprivation is awful.

[Still-in-Shock]

Today I read "12 Mom Myths Debunked" from findingjoy.com #2 made me feel much better, so I am copying it here, in hopes that it will make you feel better too.
mom myth 2: Books teach sleep schedules. (and other parenting issues solved in twelve steps)

mom truth 2: They do not. They give ideas. Sleep and night and trying to get a child to sleep through the night or go to bed or any of it can be an incredibly hair pulling out challenge. I know you will hear from parents who will tell you that their child never had an issue with bedtime. I think they wrote the books. For the rest of us here’s the truth – learn from the book, try the stuff and stock up on patience. Unlike laundry this will end – when they are teenagers you will have the exact opposite problem as now you will need to undergo the task of waking them. As far as the rest of the books? Get ideas but adapt for your family. Wait. For each kid.

I had one friend tell me that she started sleep training her children when they came home from the hospital and they were sleeping thru the night at 4 weeks old. I wanted to punch her.

the other myths are here: http://findingjoy.net/12-mom-myths-debunked/

[KpbS]

He sounds way overtired to me and that that cycle is perpetuating the bad sleep cycles. I would try melatonin at bedtime for 2 weeks and would put him back in the crib if that is at all an option of for you. All my DC were in the crib until over 3.5.

If after a week or week and a half on the melatonin his sleep still hasn't markedly improved, I'd drop the Allegra and see if things are better.

So sorry!

[fauve01]

I posted here a few weeks ago http://windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/sho...ighlight=sleep.

DS2 WILL.NOT.SLEEP. through the night. I am at my wits end. Literally. DH has been gone all but 2 week days this month. DS is waking anywhere from 2-6 times a night. He won't fall asleep either. We tried the CIO version which did nothing. After a few hours I just had to give up. I mean, how long can the kid cry? So we tried to drop the nap, which did nothing but make the situation worse. He won't go to sleep even then and he won't stay asleep. I am so tired. I literally about fell asleep driving today.

For example, he got up at 6 this morning, took a 20 minute nap in the car on the way to the dr.'s. And will not go to sleep. He's been screaming at me from his door for an hour. I sat by the door and he jumps on his bed or lays down and plays with his pillow. He's exhausted but will.not.go.to.sleep. I know the night wakings may stop if I can get him to go to bed on his own, but gee whiz, this is miserable!
.

OP, it seems like he's still napping. How often? how long do you let him sleep when he naps? I suggest dropping the nap. altogether. it will be hard (for you) at first, and he will resist (because he's not sleeping at night so he's tired), but hang in there. If he's not sleeping in the day, he will sleep at night. you can put him down earlier too!

[Momit]

When you described all the movement during sleep, it made me think of a weighted blanket. We haven't used one but I know people love them.

Like PPs have mentioned, we had trouble with DS's sleep when he moved into a bed. It took several weeks but finally went back to normal.

[ExcitedMamma]

I agree that he sounds overtired. What time is he going to bed?

DS was a great sleeper when he was young so DD decided to show us that everything that we had done and thought was great was wrong. From about six months to two years she was sleeping great. Then she started having sleeping issues. She's just now back on track. We switched her from her crib to a queen bed. For both kids when we transitioned them we made a big deal about getting their favorite bedding. For DS it was characters and for DD it was her favorite color which really helped them want to be in their beds. DD had blackout shades but after moved we hadn't put back up her blackout curtains so we found the box they were in and out them up. Her room was still getting too much light though so we put up blackout curtains and shades over the windows in the hallway outside of her room.

We also bought her the clock with the bunny that wakes up. She knows that she needs to go back to bed if her bunny isn't awake. Both of my kids needed their naps, DS only stopped at five, and DD tried a nap strike when she wasn't sleeping well that lasted about a month until we did the above. She naps from about 12-2 and goes to bed around 6:30-7 now. The best change is she is waking up around 6:30 when before she was waking up between 5-5:30. I think it's the weird kids sleep better when they go to bed early and get more sleep.

I am so sorry this is so hard, sleep is so important! Try to figure out what you can do to change things for the better. Make the room dark and comfy. Does your DS have a comfort object?