Need help getting an 18-month old to sleep!

Christy - posted on 01/04/2010

my daughter is starting to hit the sleep-strike thing with her naps but i just try my best to be consistent with hr routine and not give in. she also co-slept with us till she was 13 months old because she hated her crib so much. i finally got her a twin mattress for on the floor, got some bedding with her favorite character on it and made a really big deal about her sleeping in her big-girl bed. i keep her bedroom door closed till her dad and i go to bed, then i put a gate up at the stairs, close the bathroom door and leave both of our bedroom doors open. up until about 2 weeks ago she came in every night somewhere around 4 am and needed to sleep with up but lately she will stay in her own bed till 7:30 or later.

i should also mention that i soothe her to sleep. i sing her the same 4 lullabies every night and if she isn't asleep by then, i sit beside her silently for about 10 mins just holding her hand or cuddling with her. if she still isn't asleep, i tell her it's time for mommy to go, good night, i love you. some nights she cries a bit, some nights she doesn't. on the nights that she does cry it's never more than 10 mins.

i hope this helps, you can also try Dr. Sear's No Cry Sleep Solution. i think he even has night weaning tips, just Google him. good luck!

Kristen - posted on 01/04/2010

I know what you're talking about Daniele. Jordan wouldn't even take the sippy at night when he was still nursing. Have you tried having enough light in her room so that if you leave some toys in her crib that she can play with them? Another thing to consider is hunger. Is she actually hungry? If this is the case you might do a bedtime snack to help get her through the night. This was also very helpful for us. We mostly do ice cream or yogurt so that its not all compacted into his little teeth before bed. Good luck!

Daniele - posted on 01/04/2010

Tarsha - Thanks for your response. It's nice to know that my child isn't the only bad sleeper! After she stayed up until almost 5:00 this morning, in a perfectly dark room with everyone ignoring her and no toys, I am about ready to scream. I'll try the back patting to see if it works tonight. I'm desperate at this point.

Kristen - You're right - she does associate sleep and nursing. I just don't know how to eliminate that association. We have tried eliminating bedtime and night nursing and she will cry for hours until I nurse her. I don't really want to have to wean her yet, but that may be what happens. I am seriously needing sleep, and she does too. I've tried the sippy of water and she drinks the water and sucks on it for a while and then wants to nurse. She will lay or snuggle quietly for 2-3 hours without moving or talking and still not go to sleep. I just don't know what else to do.

Kristen - posted on 01/01/2010

We went through that also, and honestly, the only thing that enabled us to get him to sleep through the night was weaning (at 12 mo) - and then we were able to get him to have a sippy of water in bed with him and used the Baby Whisperer books to give us the tools to get him down and keep him down. It sounds like she associates nursing with sleeping - like my son. So somehow you're going to have to break her of that habit for her to stay down at night. Good luck!

Tarsha - posted on 12/31/2009

omg.. this is a hard one ! my son is almost 4yrs old & wakes about 3am & comes into bed with us! my friends suggested to put a mattress next to my bed & slowly move it back to his room.. but all he wants is to snuggle with us so as soon as i put him down he wakes & hops back in with us. i have told him he is a big boy now & big boys sleep in their own beds & given him a nightlight to comfort him but ??? kids go through so many defferent sleep patterns in their infancy i cant keep up with them. working in child care centres when we see that they are tired we put them in their cot & gently pat them on their backs using 2 hands alternating.. im sorry i cant answer & make it happen but good luck with trying & when u find something that works let me know so i can use it on my son! lol. take care :)