Monday, January 21, 2008
Hush Little Baby....
So....my 2.8 year old is having troubles sleeping! She takes a great nap during the day and then goes to bed at about 8 every night....This child would seriously stay up ALL night if we let her....we put her to bed at 8 and she probably doesnt go to sleep until almost 10pm. Its really frustrating! I think she may have a sleep disorder because when she is sleeping she will come in our bedroom and get in bed with us (yeah I am too lazy and tired to put her back in her bed, lol)...but that wasnt the point...she wakes up like 4-5 times a night crying about something. So I know she doesnt get enough sleep. Someone told me to try Melatonin (an herbal remedy used for sleep)...well I crushed up a pill last night and put it in her Peanut Butter (OMG...I sound like I am drugging my kid!)....Anyway, she went right to sleep in like 20 minutes...its was AWESOME. However, she still came in our room and still woke up like 4-5 times crying in the night! So...on to plan B! Should I call the doctor and get her in? Anyone have any tips? Thanks!!
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Oh gosh, I really have no idea. A few months ago when we transitioned P to a toddler bed (crib converted), he started getting up a few times a night after about a week of being in the toddler bed. I got sick of it and just changed the bed back to a crib. We've moved him to a twin bed and so far so good (knock on wood... its only been 2 days LOL!).
I guess I'd probably call the doctor and ask if you can either get suggestions over the phone or schedule an appointment to chat with her face to face (I guess that'd be my preference... face to face). She/he (whoever your ped is) should be able to either give you suggestions or recommend some books on this topic that would be helpful.
I did google it, and found a few articles and also there is a book called the "No Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers". Typically, I'd say I wasn't a fan of "no cry" solutions for infants so I have no idea how I'd feel about it for toddlers. (It was easier/quicker for me to just let P cry it out and nip the sleeping through the night thing in the butt instead of dragging it out). BUT... for a toddler who has developed waking up issues I'm not sure how to handle that at all LOL! One suggestion I read was to have a "Morning Fairy" come visit the house when she stays in her room all night (I think you did mention that you were doing a sticker thing with Emma... do you think Graci would understand that concept?)
Here's part of that article:
"It's important that you have a joyful, quiet bedtime routine the hour before bed so that it ends peacefully in his room. You can invite the "morning fairy" into your house -- she is the tooth fairy's sister. She leaves small prizes outside the hall of young children who sleep in their beds all night and don't wake Mommy and Daddy. She does this for a few weeks, until new habits are in place, then she goes off to visit other children who need her help. You might even line the hallway outside his bedroom with little wrapped prizes as a midnight reminder. This is a fun idea that you can use for lots of issues."
Try googling "Kids sleep issues" or "Toddler sleep issues". I'll email you a few articles I found.
Another thing... how long is her nap during the day? Maybe you should try shortening that (I mean, if its like a 3 hour long nap... shorten it to like an hour and a half or so?) But, if she's only taking an hour nap... I dunno.
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