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sophiesmom
11-09-2003, 08:13 AM
I posted this on the baby board, but then saw this forum:

I'm posting here since I've found these boards to be most active...
I am having REALLY bad sleeping problems w/ my 27 month old DD. To make a long story short.. as a baby she never learned to fall asleep on her own (usually nursed to sleep) and then ended up sleeping in our bed. Always hated her crib too, and also no good napping habits (i have to drive her around, carry her in and put her in my bed).

The problem now.. she WON'T fall asleep w/ out me or DH laying w/ her. It started out downstairs, then went to my bed for a while, now it's back downstairs. Around 10 or 11 we carry her up to her bedroom (she's in a twin bed). Usually she stays asleep, but sometimes wakes up and cries, then into our bed.... to make it worse, some nights she falls asleep between 8 and 9, but some nights up until 10!!! argh!!!!

To make it worse, EVERY night she gets up in the middle of night and comes into our room and we pick her up and put her in our bed. We never gated her in her room from the start, so now we have an additional problem.

She also never really got into much of a routine at bed. I bathe her every other night. She may brush her teeth in her bathroom, or even down in the powder room, and if it's up to my husband not at all (ridiculous). When she falls asleep downstairs we of course have the tv on so I'm sure that doesn't help.

Sooooo.... I'm looking for any kind of advice as to what to do. I've read that every night she should go in her room w/ a parent, lock the door, and if she screams, she has to deal w/ it. To make it trickier, I have a 6 month old DS whose room is right next to hers. I know she needs more of a bedtime routine, but I get busy w/ DS, and DH isn't much help for the most part. (but always first to yell that something needs to be done to correct this situation).

I must say when it comes to sleep i COMPLETELY screwed up w/ my first one. She is a wonderful kid, very smart and can talk your ear off, incredible speech.. so i know i did a lot of things right... except this mess! DS is doing much better, I even use a pacifier w/ him which i never did w/ her. He also has no choice but to sleep in his crib, too noisy downstairs in the day, and no room in our bed at night!

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated..

Stephanie (a very tired mommy of 2)

Sophia 8/4/01
Anthony 5/11/03