MNB, my two both have all the sleep issues possible. Just as soon as one thing clears up, the next problem appears.
Just this morning DH was raving about how good night time has been in the last week - with DS only waking 1-2 times each night and DD 2-3 times, but easy resettles. Except for the other night when DS was wide awake at 2am and got up for the day, followed by DD at 4am.
Crap sleepers, or crap parenting we will never know. I just hope like hell that they outgrow it eventually!!
Don't feel too bad if you do go the drug route - it is only for a short time and can make a world of difference long term if she starts getting the sleep she needs xx
I have a program called Sleep Sense, if you want a copy. My gf gave it to me but I never used it. gf says iIt is very hands on but my gf used it with her DS and he now is a good sleeper. I haven't used it with our DD b/c she is erratic - sometimes she sleeps, sometimes she doesn't, so I am not at the end of my tether. If you PM me your e-mail addy I will forward it to you - use it if you want, if not just discard the info.
OP - I don't actually go to a child health nurse.. see.. more evidence of bad parenting.. lol I was thinking of taking her to a GP though and seeing what they think is the best course of action. We move at the beginning of next year, but we will be staying in one room at my brother's house, so that should be interesting. Probably have to drug everyone.. including me!!
Artechim - thanks
Jakabella - it might work, but usually she wants DH to pat her until she goes to sleep. Whereas, and this is funny, if its ME, she never asks me to pat her, cos I just don't do it, and she knows I won't do it. I find it too distracting for her, but DH does it cos he doesn't want her to scream and wake up DD2.
Mad - so I can totally blame DH for it? And his family? lol
Lilima - argh I dunno. We did try that once before and then DS wanted his own room cos he's the only boy and sick of sharing everything with his sisters. He's at a tough age too - mr know it all at 4.5 years. I'll discuss it with DH and see what we can come up with. Maybe DD2 can camp out in our room for a little bit and DD1 can have the double bed to herself and see if that helps.
Thanks for the suggestions guys, its truly a sucky situation, and I'm so jealous of people that have kids that sleep through, or have been sleeping through. In 4.5 years now, I've had one full night's sleep - some random night when I had 3 kids all of them decided to sleep through. I don't mind getting up for the baby, thats a given, but I feel sorry for DH getting up every night for most of the night (we don't usually get to bed till 11.30pm and he's up at 6) and he's starting to get really grey.. lol
I feel your pain!!!! Neither of mine a good sleepers (DD1 is the same age)
I have been known to give polaramine for 3 nights in a row then not again for a while to help her and us get some sleep. Also helped me to work on getting into a new routine.
Things we have done....
- background music
- necklace that has "special dreams" of princesses and fairys etc
- special dream oil
- JB's rapid return
- a special teddy that only sleeps in bed
- water bottle
- let her choose her own sheets/donna cover etc
- let her sleep on the floor when she refuses the bed
- star chart and incentives
- baby gate
- let her take books to bed so she can read to herself
umm. i'm sure there is more but that's all i can think of atm. i'm sure you've probably tried many of those already though?
Another thing that might just be coincidence, but I started giving the kids florodix vitamin supplement in the past week and they have started sleeping better - I know a symptom of low iron is trouble sleeping. And some B vitamins might be helping too. I really have no idea, but when you have been so long without sleep any straw to grasp at will do lol
Not read all the replies, but I hear you loud and clear! That was my DS too. Up 2-3 times a night for hours at a time, me trying to get my teaching assignments sorted, DH never doing the night shift unless I had a breakdown... it is awful. I'm about ready to collapse just thinking of it. I couldn't do it with another three younger than him, don't know how you do it! You are a star. I'm also a bit jealous that you get all the sleeplessness over in one shot and I have years of it more to come.
I found the solution to our problem shortly after Easter time this year. DH was away for a week, I had a huge assignment due in and couldn't spend 2-3 hours getting Liebs to sleep, so every night was a film night in my bed (he insisted I join him at 9-10pm, but I had done some work at that point). Liebling was up until 11pm-1am all week, later than me some nights, Nursery for 8am and the most well-behaved he has been for ages.
So we moved bedtime back an hour. He tells us he's tired before bedtime and puts his own pyjamas on. I read him a story at 8pm (he is welcome to get into his bed and "read" to himself before then), put on his "singy" (a Fisherprice lights and music toy that plays for 15 minutes) and he goes off by himself. At first I had to go in and re-settle and it took him an hour, now he's asleep in about 10 minutes. He sleeps through a lot more now too. We've just come back from my mother's house, where he doesn't go to sleep so easily and is indulged (ie juice after lights out, food at 4am if he feels peckish...) but home, straight back to routine.
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