[OnTheJourney]

This one never entered my mind before!
DS is usually a good sleeper, goes down fairly easily, maybe lets out 30 seconds or so of crying sometimes, or a couple minutes of whining sometimes then drifts off to sleep. Well the was the case until a few days ago. It is easy to drift off to sleep when you are lying down, but when you pop up the minute Mom leaves the room... oy vey!
I do not want to get in the habit of cuddling DS to sleep (as much as I may enjoy it) which is what I ended up doing Monday and Tuesday. As soon as we put him down he sits up and cries/screams or pulls up and stands at the end of his crib that faces the door. He is exahusted but just won't lay down to sleep. So last night I went in and layed him down and that set off a whole new eruption of screams. After going in 2 or 3 time to lie him down, he was so worked up, I picked him up and cuddled him for 5 minutes to calm him down, then layed him back down. He cried again but not as intense, I don't think he sat or stood up this time, and finally petered out and fell asleep. This routine took nearly two hours before he finally crashed! Naptime today was similar except I never went in. He fell asleep after about 30 mins, but he fell asleep with his face mashed up against the crib rails by the door and woke up after an hour (usually has 2 naps 2-3 hrs each) probably because he was not comfortable. He did the same thing for his morning nap and I tried to move him but he woke up.

I really hate hearing my little man cry. It breaks my heart. Sitting and Standing is brand new to him right now and I am hoping the novelty will where off and he will just start back to going to sleep when you put him down. My thoughts are that he needs to figure out how to lie down and sleep on his own. Just like he had to figure out how to sooth himself when he woke up in the night and put himself back to sleep. But that seemed easy, for a while I'd get up and give him his soother, then he figured out how to get it himself or just grabs his blanket and would drift off. But he didn't have the options of crawling, sitting and standing then.

Any advice on this would be great!

Thanks,
Michelle

[mrsdatabits]

That's a tough one, and sure does open up a whole new area! DD usually doesn't have much trouble going to sleep (except for her spell of fighting it to the last drop), and we could just go back in and lay her down again and she'd typically go to sleep then. If your DS is new to the pulling up/sitting up, he might not yet have really figured out how to get back down. I noticed that with DD when she learned those skills. It took her a bit longer to feel comfortable getting herself back down. I think if you stay consistent he'll eventually figure out that these skills aren't tickets to no sleep. If you can handle it, I would say just go back in and lay him down. I would think do that as often as needed, but don't talk to him when you do it. Just go in, put him down, leave again. From the sounds of it you'll have waterworks for a while, but he'll eventually figure out what you're doing and once he figures out how to get himself down it'll just be a matter of training him (like training him to soothe himself, etc.). Maybe set a length of time... like 10 or 15 minutes before you'll go and put him back down and lengthen it each time you have to go in (so if you say 10 minutes till the first time, make it 15 for the second, and so on). Good luck, I remember how tough it was when DD went through this!

[HBV]

I agree w/ mrsdatabits. H did this for a short time---I just laid him back down and didn't talk. He might cry briefly, then he'd go back to sleep. I really do think part of it is that they can't figure out how to get back down once they get up.

[blessedbybug]

It took a little while, but both my kids eventually learned that when they were in bed and the room was dark and their music playing, they had to lay down and go to sleep. It took several nights of laying them down over and over and we're still in that process for DS. With DD, it ended up being that if we pat or rub her back for one song of her CD, that was signal enough for her to relax eventually. SHe's three and she knows she gets a back rub still. And MOmma like that part too. With DS, that hasn't worked. He thinks it's great fun to have a back rub, the ticklish little guy!

That's all I know to do.

[OnTheJourney]

Thanks for the replies, ladies. So just be consistant, right. Blessed, I wish the back rub would work, I'd like that! but he just gets more upset if I am in the room and don't "rescue" him. Oh I do hope he learns quick!

thanks
-m

[redbonec]

Michelle,
Well, I don't have answers, but if empathy can help you, I can give it to you! When I first read your post I thought you were talking about our house this week! Same thing here this week with baby K!

Last week K learned to pull up to stand, then this week at night has been the crying and screaming. We had thought possibly it was because I wasn't here Tues-Fri nights putting her down (at vacation bible school those nights), but tonight was the same with both of us here. My husband said during the week this week it also took a long time (an hour plus usually) of this for her to konk out. He also said one night he finally rocked her to sleep, but also does not want to make that a habit. She, like your son, had usually been an easy one to put down at night.

My friend did say when her son learned to pull up, it did throw his sleep off for a short while. We think that is part of her problem now--she is having so much fun trying to get around and explore, she is never tired! She is sleeping much less now than a couple weeks ago. Sometimes we think she is tired when we put her down (we have even pushed her bedtime back some), then she pops up to stand at the crib, starts babbling, then cries/screams when we leave.

Tonight I did wait 5 minutes before going in, she calmed down when I did, but it started again when I left the room. I was going to wait 10 minutes the next time before going in, but tonight, she did fall asleep before then.

I do remember our doctor saying when she gets to this stage, we could stay in the room if we wanted, or do what we needed. So, if it gets bad again, I may sit in her chair in the room until she is sleepy and relaxed.

Good luck to your family and mine! I am holding onto hope that this is a short lived phase, as my friend suggested.
Michelle

[KarynB]

I am so happy to see this post! We are going through the EXACT same thing!!!!!

Our son used to sleep until around 7 am, but now he wakes up at 5 or 5:30 and sits up and "yells" at us until we come and get him. We are in the same room so he can see us. Same thing in the middle of the night for a feeding.

He is still napping failrly well, but this getting up at 5 is killing me!!!!

He has never been the best sleeper, but this is now out of hand. So the consensus is to just keep getting up to lay them back down? Do you do that in the morning too, even though they are wide awake and ready to practice their new skills?

Also, does anyone else still get up in the middle of the night to feed their baby still at this age? DS will be one on the 15th. I nurse him during the day and to put him to sleep, but he gets a bottle (which he drinks most of) in the middle of the night. How do we stop this habit?

[OnTheJourney]

As always, knowing I'm not alone is really half the battle! Thanks Ladies!

Redbonec, we also moved DS's bedtime back a bit to let him wind down a bit. I can't sit in the room; as soon as I go in and as long as I'm in there he cries hysterically for me to get him out.

But here's the good news.... I think it is starting to work!!!! I've been consistent with going in, saying nothing, lying him down and leaving. (I either have his cd on or I sometimes give his mobile an extra crank when I go in.) It has been: Kiss, hug nighttime routine lay him in his bed and leave, wait 10 mins, lay him down and leave, wait 15 mins each time after that, then go in and lay him down. So tonight, only had to go in once! 20 mins from bedtime to sleeping!!! This is so much better then the nearly 2 hours it has been taking.

Karyn, we haven't been doing a night feeding for quite sometime now. DS was starting to sleep though once in a while so when he did wake for a night feed, we'd try to 'push' him 5 minutes more letting him whine or talk or whatever, then try offering him the soother if he didn't settle. When we did get up to feed, we would cut down the amount we fed him by about 1/2 ounce a night, and when we were down to 1 or 2 ounces, I'd dilute the fomula with water. He just got that it wasn't worth waking up for, I think. It probably took a week or two to eliminate to actual feeding, then another 2 or 4 weeks to eliminate the habit of waking up. I'm sure he still wakes, but just settles himself now and I don't even hear him. You just have to make a plan, then stick to it, I think. It may be a little tougher with him in the room though, because he can see you. That may make it more difficult for him to settle himself, but I don't know. Good Luck and let us know how it goes.

Michelle

[redbonec]

Journey, yeah for progress! Always a hopeful feeling, and good to know what you're doing is working.

On our end I think we are making headway as well. Well, sort of figuring out what it is. I think here it is that she is completely not tired. So, yesterday and today she has had only 1 nap (just the way it happened to work out), and both nights have been going to sleep fine. K is awake for 7 hours from when she wakes from her nap until going to bed at night. I might say I am very jealous of your son's 2 time 2-3 hour naps!

Also, we have started slowing down K's naptime routine--we were kind of rushing things I think, and she wasn't winding down. And now when we read in the rocking chair, we give her the pacifier then and she seems to calm down with, instead of waiting until in the crib. Also sitting in the chair and singing or talking for a few more minutes after stories is making her more sleepy.

Hope things keep going well!

KarynB--I feel for you. I remember the 5 a.m. times! Here for about a month, until K eventually pushed her time later. I don't know what to say about middle of the night feedings. Ever since we started solid food K sleeps through the night. I do remember a friend saying she offers her son cereal at night before bedtime--could this keep your son's tummy more full through the night?

[KarynB]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the tips - I think we will try slowly reducing the amount he eats at night and then going to straight water and see how that works. The last few nights have been a bit better thank goodness!!! Although Dh hurt his back playing hockey the other night and can't lift the baby so guess who gets to get up every time? sigh...

Journey - glad to hear things are going a bit better - keep at it!

Ok - so a few nights ago we decided to let DS "cry it out" when he woke up an hour after we had put him down for the night - here is the result! Too cute...

[redbonec]

KarynB--that is so funny! His little body just gave up and went to sleep, no matter what position!

[OnTheJourney]

Ohhh I just saw the pic karyn! Too Cute. That looks just how DS fell asleep a couple times.
Last night when I went in to turn off the monitor, he (in his sleep) instictively sat up and flopped forward. I layed him back down and not a peep. He's so into sitting, I guess he is doing it in his sleep now! oy vey!