At my wits end with sleep

[BrightSparkles]

Short of tying my 2 year old to her bed I just don't know what else to do. The constant waking during the night is doing my head in. If she isn't wanting to come to our bed shes wanting a bottle. I just put her back to bed without talking to her, I don't even talk to her when I give her another bottle. I just don't know what else to do. She has gone from sleeping through to waking every single night. I'm exhausted at getting up with her and also with Miss S who is awake for BF. This has been going on for at least 2 months now. I have spoken to the dr and tresillian because it's not worse than it has ever been and they have just said to keep doing what i'm doing and that this phase will pass. Seriously, right not I feel it NEVER will. I just want to tie her to the bed so she will stay there and close the door. But then I can't listen to the screaming and i'd have to get up.
I just really don't know what else to do. Because I am awake so much i'm beginining to resent both girls because i'm so tired and frustrated and I hate feeling like this.

[sloane]

i'm the last person in the world to have ANY advice about sleep....but i wanted to offer some . i hope things improve for you really soon.

[MummaSue]

Sorry to have no advice but couldn't read without posting. Could your 2 year old be adjusting to the new baby perhaps?



I hope that you get some sleep soon.

[CoNNiE_Melb]

Is there any chance she is wanting a pillow? My niece just went through the same thing and a pillow solved it... sounds too simple to be true though.

I hope it improves for you soon.

[Mak]

Sunshine, is there any chance she is teething? DD2 has been pretty messy with her sleeping and she has some molars coming down (they seem to be taking forever, lol). She has also had some big changes in her development as well all of a sudden so I wondered if that has been contributing a bit too.
I hope it passes for you guys soon - can you try and take it easy until you all catch up a bit? I really try to take it a bit easier with the housework etc when things get dire, takes the pressure off a wee bit. xxxxxxx

[Boo Boo]

It is so incredibly hard and you are already probably doing all the things I am going to suggest.....consistency, if you don't want her in your bed just keep her in her cot, when you go into her lay her down straight away, use the same words "sleep time now", have you got a sleepy cd you play for bedtime - put that back on each time she wakes up in the night, maybe try offering her water instead of a bottle so she knows that she doesn't get anything exciting when she wakes, maybe give her some porridge/banana or something filling just before bedtime to fill her tummy, I hate listening to them cry too so instead of leaving I would stay by the cot with them just sitting on the floor with my hand through the rails patting/stroking them until they fell asleep again as I figured I would still be awake in the next room in any case. I have been through this with DD at around the 2 year mark and now just finished the phase with DS, urgh, but they both sleep through 12 hours a night which totally amazes me. The worst thing is, is that you are doing this when you are so tired that it is hard to be persistent as you just want to grab them and put them into bed with you so you can get some rest. Good luck xxx

ETA: agree with Connie - yes I also gave DS a pillow at the same time I tried all the above, not sure if it was a coincidence or not....

[Arimeh]

Ahhhh I hear ya. Got home from the hospital last night just after midnight, and all kids had their turn at waking until after 3am.

Including our 2 year old. She just wouldn't go back to bed!!!! But we do what you do, we give her a bottle (because she wakes every night) and then we tell her that she's going back to her bed, and wait till she says "ok" and then we take her.

She has a pillow as well - so mine doesn't wake up cos of that reason, but she is getting her last two molars.

[BrightSparkles]

Ahhhh I hear ya. Got home from the hospital last night just after midnight, and all kids had their turn at waking until after 3am.

Including our 2 year old. She just wouldn't go back to bed!!!! But we do what you do, we give her a bottle (because she wakes every night) and then we tell her that she's going back to her bed, and wait till she says "ok" and then we take her.

She has a pillow as well - so mine doesn't wake up cos of that reason, but she is getting her last two molars.

LOL - Jorja would be awake until then sometimes if we didn't force her into bed!!

[BrightSparkles]

Sorry to have no advice but couldn't read without posting. Could your 2 year old be adjusting to the new baby perhaps?



I hope that you get some sleep soon.

I thought this too. Maybe it's just showing later than we expected because she is great with her. She'd even take Miss S to bed with her in her bed if she could! LOL

Is there any chance she is wanting a pillow? My niece just went through the same thing and a pillow solved it... sounds too simple to be true though.

I hope it improves for you soon.

Thanks Hun. Had a pillow since being in a big bed.

Sunshine, is there any chance she is teething? DD2 has been pretty messy with her sleeping and she has some molars coming down (they seem to be taking forever, lol). She has also had some big changes in her development as well all of a sudden so I wondered if that has been contributing a bit too.
I hope it passes for you guys soon - can you try and take it easy until you all catch up a bit? I really try to take it a bit easier with the housework etc when things get dire, takes the pressure off a wee bit. xxxxxxx

I honestly thought this too. I can't see anything happening in her mouth but maybe? And believe me...house work has absolutely taken a back seat LOL my floors are filthy! I just can't find the energy to clean it.

It is so incredibly hard and you are already probably doing all the things I am going to suggest.....consistency, if you don't want her in your bed just keep her in her cot, when you go into her lay her down straight away, use the same words "sleep time now", have you got a sleepy cd you play for bedtime - put that back on each time she wakes up in the night, maybe try offering her water instead of a bottle so she knows that she doesn't get anything exciting when she wakes, maybe give her some porridge/banana or something filling just before bedtime to fill her tummy, I hate listening to them cry too so instead of leaving I would stay by the cot with them just sitting on the floor with my hand through the rails patting/stroking them until they fell asleep again as I figured I would still be awake in the next room in any case. I have been through this with DD at around the 2 year mark and now just finished the phase with DS, urgh, but they both sleep through 12 hours a night which totally amazes me. The worst thing is, is that you are doing this when you are so tired that it is hard to be persistent as you just want to grab them and put them into bed with you so you can get some rest. Good luck xxx

ETA: agree with Connie - yes I also gave DS a pillow at the same time I tried all the above, not sure if it was a coincidence or not....

Miss J has been in a bed since she was 14months old. We have been doing pretty much everything you mentioned there. There is the occasional night I have given her a dose of polaramine just so she will sleep because everyone is so tired. We are having issues with food here (not eating anything) so I give her whatever she wants to eat from about 5pm as well as offering her what we are eating. This seems to be something she does..goes through phases where we can't give her enough then it's like she'll go on a hunger strike.

I have some vauge recollection of stuff you can put in their milk when this is happening but I can't remember what it is called???

Thanks everyone. We are just getting by doing whatever we can at the moment.

[OceanPrincess]

Ahhhh Sunshine just saw this post!!! Sounds like we are both struggling at the moment - we had people for tea Sunday night and I went to the effort of vacuuming and mopping, I swear five mins later Cyclone DD had dropped crumbs all over the carpet and the tiles were sticky again!!!!

I'm can't really help much either sorry - but I'm wondering if it's teeth with my DD adding to the mess also. Every now and then she'll cry and say ow and point to her mouth... A friend of mine has a teething necklace for me to try, we're going to give that a go.

It's so exhausting isn't it. I really feel your pain - hug hug.

[YoYo]

Know the feeling.....DS is up more than once a night bringing himself into our room to sleep in bed with us. He says it's because he "wants cuddles". Who am I to deny him this simple thing. Sometimes though if it's early (like 1am!) I take him back to bed and tell him that Mummy is tired and needs to sleep and that he has to sleep a bit more in his bed, then he can come for cuddles.

I am trying not to fuss too much about it, and as it was, last night DS slept till fromm 7:40ish to 6:15 without coming in....BUT this morning DH told me that DS stuck his head out of his bedroom door at around midnight, saw DH was sitting on the couch, then climbed back into bed and straight back to sleep. Half the time I think their getting up is a bit of sleepwalking. Could J be going through that?

I really hope it improves for you soon x