We are struggling with our daughters sleep habits. She’s 21 months and has some ingrained sleep habits that I believe stem back to when she was a new born. This is quite long as added some background, skip to the last two paragraphs for the crux of the problem.
She suffered quite badly with reflux as a new born. She was diagnosed and prescribed ranitidine at about 10 weeks old, as well as that she’d comfort feed all night so ended up co-sleeping for most of her first 7/8 months of life.
At around 8 months I stared to be able to get her into her cot. She’d feed to fall asleep then I’d manage to get her into her cot in her own room. She’d then wake up once or twice feed back to sleep and then back in her own cot, sometimes into our bed depending on how much she’d been awake during the night. She wouldn’t go to sleep by herself, she’d be hysterical and trying to get out of the cot if put down alone.
She weaned herself at 17 months following our concerting the cot as a result of her not going down and my being up for four hours a night trying to get her back to sleep then down.
We’re not at the point that she will cuddle up in bed with me, or I’m not home her dad, and a 10oz bottle. If I’m home and her dad takes her to bed or if I put her down alone she will break down and we have uncontrollable crying.
Her routine always consists of bath, books then bed. Usually starting at 6:45/7. We struggle to start earlier as we both work and have our dinner before starting this routine. I’m regularly with her until 9pm.
I have no idea how to break this, any suggestions would be amazing!
When we stopped dummy at 18 months my LG would not settle by herself so we would sit with her until she went to sleep otherwise she would scream the place down. Sometimes up to an hour which drove me mad as had tea on the go etc.
One night (around 22 months) I just decided we need to nip it in the bud and literally told her we were going to have dinner and went into the living room. She was in and out of bed like a yo yo and crying but just kept putting her back to bed and telling her she needed to stay in bed and that we would check on her in 2 mins. After about 2 hours she went to sleep and that literally only happened that night.
I think the key was just reassuring her that we would be coming back to check on her and praised her every time we went in because she had stayed in bed.
Was such a relief when we did it I wish we had done it earlier. She does still have a bottle before bed as well so we just say good night again when she finishes it and she goes off by herself xx
I think that’s the key in all honesty. It’s hard, I’m literally lying in her bed with her at the moment. I tried to sit next to her bed last night and she started getting increasingly worked up and was patting the bed for me to get in. She was also in and out of bed for cuddles, me putting her back in, honestly gets silly but she’s in such a rut it’s hard to move on from it.
We’re in a much better position than 6 months ago but still not where I want us to be.
Thank you for your response, basically telling me what I already know just haven’t got the heart to push through yet: going to have to soon though
It is frustrating and I was dreading doing it but I just got so fed up one night I just decided to. Best thing we did but obviously i get every child is different and might not be so easy. She’s very good at adapting.
They just need a lot of reassuring that we aren’t just going to desert them. Also when we stated doing it she was asleep within 1/2 hour rather than the 1-2 hours later.
There is no rush to do it at the end of the day and totally down to you and your sanity just be prepared for potentially a few hard evenings before she gets that you aren’t going to be sitting with her.
We have just started bedtime at 6.30 as she isn’t having a day time nap and we don’t know what to do with ourselves in the evening 😂 can’t win.
Good luck when you decide to do it xx