Monday, September 29, 2008
Sleeping through the night...will it ever happen?!
I can't believe I am even posting about this. I'm sure some of you will think it's crazy! I love my sweet little Hannah but boy is she not a good sleeper. She just turned 1 last week and she still hasn't slept through the night even once! I wouldn't mind if she woke up once a night but she has been waking up 3-4 times a night since she was a newborn baby! She actually slept better as a newborn baby. I have tried the crying method where you come back every 5,10,15 minutes but doing that 3 times in the middle of the night is exhausting so I gave up after a few days. I did have success with the crying method with getting her down to sleep for the night. She doesn't cry now when I put her in the crib when it's bedtime, but for some reason at night she just crys until I come and nurse her. I am trying to wean her now so that is why I really want her to sleep during the night. Plus I am tired! It is so wearing and I am really ready for her to sleep through the night! Any ideas for me?!
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6 comments:
oh you poor thing! none of my children have ever learned to fall asleep by themselves. with each of them we had to let them cry it out completely. i know it sounds harsh, but it really was the only way to get them (and me) sleeping through the night. have you ever read "healthy sleep habits, happy child"? that has been my sleep bible since i first read it when ethan was 1.
and just so you don't have to hear poor little hannah crying, i would suggest getting a box fan and putting it in your bedroom with it on high so that it makes enough noise that you don't hear her. ethan is my most stubborn personality and it took him a solid week of screaming for an hour or two at a time before he finally caved in, but grace was the easiest and it only took a couple of nights and she only cried for about 20 minutes each time.
you are a saint to still be getting up with her! i was done by 6 months with all of mine. i DO NOT function very well when i'm getting up all night long! with hannah being 1 now, you don't have to worry that she NEEDS to eat. it really is just a habit at this point.
this has turned out rather long! i apologize. i really hope she starts to sleep for you soon!! good luck.
Nanda, the answer to your question is NO, IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN!! TRUST ME.
-De
Hi Fernanda, we've wondered the same thing ourselves (as you can tell from Andre's comment). Olivia is no better now than she was the last time we were out in Utah. In fact she may be even worse!! I don't know why sleep has to be such a difficult thing to learn. So sorry you still aren't sleeping!
Um, I'm mean but I say just let her cry it out...especially if it is at night...she won't die, but it might wake up everyone in the house! Do it on a weekend.
We never had this problem with our kids after 6 months...so I don't have any grand ideas except the tough love...make her cry it out!
This sounds exactly like Ella. I nursed Ella until she was 14 months, even then she woke up every 3 to 4 hours to nurse. She was a horrible sleeper. I attempted everything in the book over the first year. Finally I made sure every night I did the same routine, read a story, sang, said a prayer and then rocked her for a minute and then put her into her bed. Then when she woke up and cried, I just never went in there. I could not. She wanted nothing but to nurse and or have me put her back to sleep. I found that also if I went in there, I would pick her up. Also Ella got more angry, sad and upset when I went in every 5, then 10 then 15, etc. minutes. So I had to finally just let her cry until she went back to sleep. It sound so horrible, but they will never remember and that is the only way to break the habit, seriously. It took all the prayers and talking to friends on the phone, and watching movies to get me through it. It was seriously the hardest thing I ever did. BUT it worked. The first night Ella cried off and on for 8 hours. Not always super hard, but off and on. Then the next night, 1 hour. Then next night 15-20 minutes. Then that was it! Of course there will be set backs, nights in the future where she might have to cry a little again after you do it, but not many. It was the best thing I could have ever done! You can do it!!!!!! Maybe your next baby will sleep better. Abby has never sleep less than 5 or six hours in a row since birth and has been sleeping through the night since she was 3 months old! I am spoiled this time. Maybe b/c last time was so so so bad. Oh and I did not make Ella learn how to fall asleep on her own until she was 18 months old. But she was sleeping through the night at 14 months. GOOD LUCK!!!!
I just let my little one cry it out for 20 min or so, if she cries more than that, I go into her and pick her up and nurse her or whatever. I feel your exhaustion though! Annika is 2 1/2 months old...
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