Baby's sleep problems.

Shawna - posted on 10/20/2010

When I was having problems with my son waking up like that I thought maybe since we live in an apartment the people next to us were loud. Nope that wasn't it so my Mom told me to pray while I was putting him down and when I put him in the crib I make the sign of the cross over him and say this baby is protected by the blood of Christ. He has slept through the night for sometime now. I hope it helps you.

Julie - posted on 10/13/2010

Never been a fan of "co-sleeping" (new term to disguise indulgence, selfishness, or just plain ol' laziness) on a *regular* basis because of risks described in a post below AND the beginning of a bad habit. Example: all 3 of my youngest sister's kids slept w/their parents til they were 5-ish; my 8-y/o niece still does, unless she has a friend sleep over. I think that's crazy!I What do you think?!? The precedent was set somewhere, ya know. That said, there are circumstances in which it's wise to let a baby/***young*** child sleep w/you, such as a time of adjustment during/after ANY trip, espec 1 w/a time change. It would surprise me greatly if this was not the primary cause.

Teething can be almost as ugly as the teen years, but rarely causes the problem you describe. I very strongly suspect your daughter, even @ 10 mos., knows she gets good results from this behavior, and therefore isn't going to give it up til you cease **allowing** it. Does this happen during the daytime? Does it get on THE tail end of your very last nerve? Put her in the swing (or somewhere she'll be contained/safe), play Queen's Greatest Hits I (babies may think soft, sweet, gentle music is borrrring) rly, rly loud, and walk outside for a couple of minutes. To be a truly good mommy for your little sweetie, you have to take care of YOU, even if it's for only 2-3 minutes at a time. Remember, there is no such thing as a martyr award. Many moms try for it; EPIC FAIL for all of them. OH. Play REAL music (Queen is my favorite, and highly recommended!) when your dollie is awake, playing, happy, relaxed, etc. in order to create a pleasant/positive association. When she does her night wake-up thing, play the positive-association Queen stuff (at a night time volume!!). Also very highly recommended is old-school Christian rock music - stuff like Petra. My kids looooooved it.

HOWEVER, I agree 1000000000% with those who say a huge reason for her continued "unhappiness" is the absence of her daddy. Littles can't vocalize their feelings, but they absolutely do feel these not-happy things. While you MUST put a stop to the "manipulation," a bit of grace re: her needing Daddy is a must. Do you have a good pic of him/them? Not the pic taken in prep for his graduation from Basic (unless taken recently) - she might not recognize him!! Preferably it would be the most recent you have of the two of them. It's not expensive to have a pic made into a poster, and maybe you could even place several 8x10s or 11x14s throughout your home so that she can see him where he "belongs." Certainly can't hurt. And it just may well soothe you a bit to see him "in" your home.
Your family, espec your husband's safety, will definitely be in my prayers. It's terrifying. My older son is a USMC vet who went to the Persian Gulf in '03 b4 we knew if THEY had any land-to-ship weapons (thank you Jesus, they didn't); my baby is active duty Army (combat medic=VERY SCARY) and deploys mid-January. He has a wife and a 6-wk old son.

It will be OK, Mommy. Our kids survive a lot of things that have us walking into walls and tearing out our hair! I've often said my kids turned out well in SPITE of me and the mistakes I made as their mother. Please don't be offended by what I've said - I speak from almost 32 years of experience. And probably a good deal of trial and error. There are just some things that have changed in name only - stupid practices and theories in my years of raising kids are quite similiar to the same in my mother's years of raising us AND the time now and years to come of you raising your precious doll baby. Only the "names" have changed to fool the innocent!!

God bless you and your daughter. I have faith he's already put a hedge of angels around your husband. Read Psalm 91 and pray it over your husband.

Big hugs from a proud mom and grandma in TX

Heather - posted on 10/12/2010

Thanks for the comments everyone. We did co-sleep until she was 3mo old. The only reason we stopped at that time was because she had restless sleep from being so close to me all night long. She sleeps better in her own bed. But my husband is currently deployed, so maybe the co-sleeping will work again now that there's more room in the bed. However, I tried it for 2 nights in a row and it didn't help her sleep any longer.

Rebecca - posted on 10/11/2010

I would let her sleep with you and nurse her when she wakes. Once she feels secure again, she may go back to her routine. My sweet girl is turning 3 this month. We co-slept with her and she is a great sleeper (in her room). My older boys had a lot of sleeping problems when they were little, I believe it is because we did not co-sleep with them. They need security and comfort. Enjoy each precious day with her, even in the wee hours.

Carla - posted on 10/10/2010

Yeah, I would say the trip to the States was probably unsettling. I'm not a big fan of kids sleeping with their parents, simply because it puts a strain on your personal life and you are always worried about rolling on them, etc. However, during this difficult transition, it might help to let her sleep with you until she feels more secure and settled. I play Christian music for my grandbabies to put them out. The radio or cable channel turned down low brings peace into the house, and who knows, maybe it will give you peace, too ;)

I pray God's blessings on you, honey, and protection for your husband.

Candy - posted on 10/10/2010

Have you tried co-sleeping? She is feeling your lose of your Hubby and her Daddy being gone. She was in a new place. We took our daughter to Miss. when she was 5 months old. When we got back home she cried none stop for an hour. They dont have a way to tell you how they feel. She may need to closness more now because she knows her Daddy is gone.