15 months in…. When do I sleep again?

[thistimeitsfatal]

@allisonbella Hmm it could be a variety of things. The bedtime routine is always a good thing to have but not the most important thing for good sleep. That routine is just your way of letting them know it’s bedtime. Your kiddo is definitely at the right age to transition to one nap. Perhaps the inconsistency in her naps between weekdays and weekends aren’t helping. We followed Taking Cara Babies and had great success with it. Check out this link and maybe there are some nuggets.

When she wakes up at night, are you feeding her? Or just helping her right back down? If you’re feeling her, she may just be used to waking up to eat and will continue to do it as long as she knows food will be waiting. How much is she eating during the day between milk and solids? She should only be getting around 16-24oz of milk daily and the rest should be solid food. When mine was that age, I started cutting back to around 16oz of milk. Any time she’d ask for milk, I’d give her a snack instead, like a fruit pouch or something.

https://takingcarababies.com/early-...MItOLp347-hQMVdCvUAR3u1Q3UEAAYASAAEgKotPD_BwE

 

[allisonbella]

@thistimeitsfatal We cut out night feeds about a month ago and she did pretty well so now we’ll offer water and sometimes she takes it and sometimes she just wants snuggles. She’s a pretty good eater but we also just found out today that she has two molars coming in…. So wondering if that’s a big part of the issue

Will take a look at the link thanks!

 

[thistimeitsfatal]

@allisonbella Oh that is DEFINITELY the issue!! Molars are no joke!!

 

[jelili]

@allisonbella Have you tried not picking them up between the hours of 11p-6a

Sleep training is essential and doctor recommended. You can sleep when you choose to sleep. Put them to bed, close the door and turn the baby monitor on mute...

 

[grace2018]

@jelili I wouldn’t call that “sleep training” and am curious what your source is on sleep training being “essential and doctor recommended”?

We “sleep trained” but used the sleep wave method and never let our baby cry for more than 5 minutes. Every baby’s needs are so different and they respond to different methods. What you’re describing is called “extinction method” and is super controversial, I think you’d be hard pressed to find much research encouraging that method.

 

[allisonbella]

@jelili Yea we did sleep training (Ferber method) around 5mo. Really helped. Got out of the habit a bit when we cut out night feedings to help with that transition but started it again this week (doing 5 min intervals)… But also out house is small so we hear her crying so clearly and the 5:30 wake up time is the worst. Like there is no sleeping through that and it messes up the rest of her schedule:/ do we just stick with it and hope eventually she starts making it to 6?

 

[johnchoate183]

@allisonbella Hate to say this, but your kiddo sounds similar to mine and his sleep needs have only reduced as he is now a couple months from 2. We're now at 7:30pm-4:30am with less sleep if he goes to bed later (so I can't really shift bedtime either). At 4:30am he is upright, jumping up and down, calling for momma, and ready to party.

For over a year, daycare told me it was a phase and that he'd start sleeping 11 hours "soon." Multiple pediatricians have have recommended shifting bedtimes (didn't work), but ultimately told me that some kids are just this way.

It is SO difficult! Solidarity!!

We wanted another (read your bit below) and I'm running out of baby-bearing years, so I keep reminding myself that this difficult time is just an investment. Like school or anything else that is hard for a while and then brings great rewards in the long run!! 7mo pregnant with #2 and hoping for a good sleeper this go round. And looking forward to drinking WAY MORE caffeine.

 

[johnchoate183]

Oh, I've also had some very limited success turning on a green "morning light" just after kiddo wakes up. If he wakes at night, I can often just get on the video monitors audio and tell him it is "sleepy time, wait for morning light" without getting up myself and have him go right back down. My original goal was to push morning light later and later in the AM and have him get up later, but that never worked.

Before this, I would do sleep training for 2-3 weeks, it would works for 1, and then he'd get sick and I have to start all over. Audio has been more consistent.

 

[allisonbella]

@johnchoate183 Your comments definitely make me feel better thank you it’s so disheartening right now to think of more even though I want that so I like your perspective. I also appreciate that you’ve accepted your kiddo has different sleep needs. I feel a little stuck in the mindset of “she’s not sleeping like the text books say so I must be doing something wrong” and maybe we just need to accept that she does well with a 7:30-5:30 schedule.

(I might look into the green light thing in a few months i don’t think she’d understand it right now but i like the idea of morning independence/automony)

 

[johnchoate183]

@allisonbella I feel you! I decide to try and “fix” the sleep every other month or so and have tried SO many things.

Now I just go to bed at 8:30 most nights and nap with him on the weekends.

 

[fendertele52]

@allisonbella Never. Just get used to it. After baby stage, it’s toddler stage/bed wetting, then it’s older kids and worry.