Need encouragement from the wio mommies

[too_scared]

I am so tired. So tired.

Finn is going through some major developments right now and sleep has gone right out the window. He is pretty much point blank refusing to go to sleep. We have resorted to either taking him for a walk wrapped on my front or taking him for a drive. This is for naps as well as night time.

Tonight we took him for a drive and he woke up when we got back home. Usually I can nurse him back to sleep because he rarely stays asleep when I take him out of the car seat. Tonight he decided to play instead. So we took him for a walk. It's getting to be very hard on all of us.

Dh is a teacher so luckily he's off right now so he isn't having to go to work exhausted. And also we're able to work together to get the kiddo to sleep.

I know it's just a phase because he's gone through phases like this before and he usually goes back to his normal sleeping pattern again after. But I'm just so tired right now.

On top of not wanting to go to sleep he's waking every hour or more. I'm beginning to feel like a zombie. He has never slept through. He's never slept more than 5 hours and I can count the number of times he's done that on one hand. Dh has mentioned that he's starting to worry about the kiddo's sleep, that he may have a problem with it. I know he's just a regular kid but it's hard to make dh believe sometimes

Please tell me it gets better. I'm kind of hoping that when this bit of development is over he magically starts sttn. Did I mention that I'm so tired?!

It gets better, right?!

(Sorry for the jumbly mess. I'm so tired that I don't even make sense when I'm taking let alone typing something...)

 

[minties]

I think it comes in waves...it gets worse, then it gets ok again, then worse etc etc. Sophie is going through an 'ok' patch right now at 21 months, she doesn't sleep through yet but she settles quickly with a reassuring cuddle (we are bedsharing). A couple of weeks ago she was waking up and staying awake for hours every night.

She has slept through 5 times in her life, so I at least had those 5 nights where I got some peace! Silly though, as I was so used to her waking I was very tense and couldn't sleep those nights.

When she was about 16 months old and starting to talk, her sleep was horrendous. They do seem to have trouble when they are learning something new.

Her sleep was the worst at 8-12 months, she woke 10-12 times a night and nothing helped. She also learnt to roll, crawl, cruise and walk in that time so I just told myself that was why and that it would pass.

I don't really have any advice but I understand how you feel, and you have my support. I never did any sleep training with my son and he randomly started sleeping through at 2.

 

[kosh]

hi there,
yes it does get better!
mine like yours had never slept longer than 4-5 hours and that was just a couple of times in his life...he went through the famous 4 months sleep regression and stayed there forever at his worst he'd wake every 45 minutes, or wake in the middle of the night and stayed awake for hours. or stayed latched on all night.... otherwise his normal pattern was to wake every 2hs every.single.day..... I thought it would never change.
then when he turned two, things started to get better. he very slowly started to do longer stretches, 3-4-5 hours. he slept through (8:30pm-6am) for the first time at 27 months. I think he sttn once or twice after that, but at least he now only wakes up once per night, which to me is a massive improvement.
having said that, for some strange reason we are now having another regression and he's gone back to 3-4 wakings! I really really hope this is very brief and he goes back to his 'improved' sleep

big hugs. I know how difficult it is
but we will all get there one day!!

 

[too_scared]

Thank you for sharing your experiences ladies

I'm really hoping this phase passes soon. Dh and I are exhausted.

He is absolutely refusing to go to sleep and it he thinks we're doing something to get him to sleep like me wrapping him or going for a drive he protests very loudly. He cries so hard and struggles so much. Especially when I'm wrapping him. Last night he fought it so hard that dh and I both had to work together to get him into the mei tai. Within 30 seconds of me tying off the straps he was calm and happy.

I hate so much making him upset like that. It breaks my heart.

I hope he goes back to his normal self soon.

 

[kosh]

hi again,
we never had to resort to taking him for drives etc but my LO def went through phases when he refused to sleep too. In fact a couple of weeks ago it was taking me over an hour... he was doing everything possible to stay awake, it's like he thinks he'll miss something if he goes to sleep!
but these phases always go hand in hand with developmental changes.

hang on in there, it will pass!

also wanted to add that my LO went back to waking up just once again... my concern is how i will ever get him to fully stop feeding to sleep!

 

[kuriazuri]

Oh wow...reading all your posts...you ladies are saints! I just stick to a routine and front load a TON. I always tell her what's coming next and the order things are done. She's 2 and just got her toddler bed which she loves. There was a time for about a week a couple months back when we realized we needed to adjust the length she napped as she was waking in the middle of the night. But for as long as I can remember she's gone down around 9-10 and wakes up 8-9.

 

[too_scared]

Finn's sleep is still awful. Waking every 30-60 minutes. Still wrapping/driving to get him to sleep every nap/night.

Today is the second day without a nap (not two days in a row, but second day this past week). He needs a nap, he's tired, but he won't sleep.

He's teething again now. An incisor that I thought he forgot about and his cuspid (or all 4?!).

Lost his amber necklace a week and a half ago.

Things are pretty rough here lately.

 

[Eleanor ace]

. DS was an awful sleeper until a little before DD was born (he was 21 months) and still has his terrible stages but he started sttn at 2 years 9 months and I can't tell you how greatful I am! Before that he would be up hourly, or not go to sleep until 11pm and then wake up at 4.30am and I felt like a total zombie. DD is worse than DS was (I think I must have been a really crappy person in a past life )- for 5 weeks this summer she averaged 2.5 hours sleep a night, often not napping in the day, I have no idea how she survived on so little sleep! But it is easier to deal with it because we've come out the other end with DS so I know there is light at the end of the tunnel if we just hang in there. I really hope things improve for you soon

 

[too_scared]

Wow. That's crazy. I'm sorry you've had so little sleep.

Did you ever bring your children to the doctor because of their lack of sleep? Dh said he's starting to worry about our little guy. He thinks his loss of sleep is going to start affecting his development. He wants to bring him to the doctor. I'm thinking the doctor is going to suggest CIO. The public health nurse told us to CIO at 4 months and to start giving water then too to stop night feeding.

Thank you for sharing with me. It helps somehow to know other kiddos go through this too. (And parents too!)

 

[Eleanor ace]

DS was under pediatric care as he had weight issues and the pediatrician told us that his frequent wakings were probably due to my milk not being filling enoug. With DD she was just the most bad tempered baby and I was worried her lack of sleep was partly to blame. We went troug the health visitor, GP and pediatrician and got refered to a sleep study because no one could work out why she hated sleep . Didn't end up doing it as by the time tey had enough babies for the study she was too old (it was 4-9 months) and we were basically told that it's just the way she is and left to it. Thankfully she's turned into a much happier toddler and she sleeps well sometimes.
We were advised to try controlled crying by the health visitor but it wasn't pushed thankfully. DH wants to try night weaning and just giving her water but I'm too worn out to try plus DD is crazy feisty, we would certainly give in before she did.

 

[too_scared]

Thank you

I think we just have to power through. Haha!

Zombie mommies unite!

 

[AnneD]

Another zombie here. Mine has never slept 5 hours without waking up. Has never been able to sleep or nap on her own. Needs feeding to sleep and takes ages to drop off. Not one of those children who crash out when exhausted, oh no. When I went back to work she waited for me to come home before she would sleep.

Sometimes it's better, sometimes worse. Sometimes I'm so angry I could scream. But I'm told it passes. I also get the best cuddles because of all this sleep nonsense, which is nice.

 

[too_scared]

Anne, how old is your daughter?

Do you ladies think it's possible my guy is already ready to drop his nap? He only has one a day but today is the third day now without one. He's so tired and gets so grumpy if he doesn't nap but we just can't get him to sleep some days. He'll be 18 months next week.

 

[AnneD]

21 months. Dropped to one nap only at around 6 months. I honestly don't know where she gets all her energy from. She would go all day without a nap if I didn't wrestle her down for one. If I hadn't insisted, she would have dropped the last nap when I went back to work when she was a year old. I am not the best person to know anything about dropping naps sensibly, as you can tell. My friends' children are all older than mine and still nap long and hard every day.

 

[too_scared]

My guy started on only one nap around 6 months too. He just doesn't sleep.

He's walking around like a drunk now because he's so tired but no naps...

 

[Eleanor ace]

Violet has been trying to drop her nap for the last month. She's only 16 months, I refuse to accept that nap time is over! I've heard varied things from mummy friends- some with 20 month olds who don't nap anymore, some with 4 year olds starting scool who still nap for 2 hours!

 

[too_scared]

Thank you.

I will definitely mourn the loss of nap time too. Never get so much done as you do during nap time! Either that or it's the best cup of coffee you'll have all week.

 

[kosh]

it is nice to see there are other ones in similar situations.

I think in this thread my LO is the oldest? he's 30 months and he also refuses to nap maybe 2-3 days per week. nursery suggested he might be dropping his nap but I don't think it is true. he still really needs it. but I know it really varies. how does he sleep when he doesn't nap?

I laughed at one of the pp comments 'not one of those children that crash put when exhausted' mine is exactly the same, he never ever just fell asleep.......
we were at a soft play today and there was a mum with a 4mo baby, bouncing in her lap. she said 'oh you look tired', so she stood up and rocked him for, say, 30 seconds and he was already asleep. she then put him down in the buggy and that was it. I would have had to a) remove him from a loud place, b) rock him for 30min and c) keep him in my arms!!

 

[too_scared]

30 seconds of rocking?! Must be nice! Finn is altogether too nosy to fall asleep at a place like that.

He never just crashes either, he just gets more and more hyper.

On the nights that he hasn't napped that day I think he's worse. He'll sleep for 12-13 hours but waking every 30-60 minutes and he's usually fussy overnight. He generally sleeps 12 hours, just waking less often if he's less cranky. Or so it seems.

I really don't think he's ready to drop his nap either. He is very tired but seems to get overtired and then can't sleep.

I think we might slowly be coming out on the other side of this thing. Slowly. He's been sleeping earlier and getting to sleep a little easier lately. Hopefully the trends continues and eventually we can cut out the walking to get him to sleep. Bad weather is coming soon with fall just around the corner. (Blah!)

I hope you're all sleeping well tonight!

 

[kosh]

glad things are getting better!



ps - had you joined briefly the >35 thread?