[DK615617]

OK, I need help!!!!!!
We were so carefull with Tiffany and her sleeping habits and things had gone great until recently! (With the exception of a few bumps in the road when she was sick or teething)
She has slept through the night since she was 8 wks old. Maybe getting up to nurse once from time to time, back when she was little. But she was one of those babies who would NOT go to sleep if she was being held, you had to put her down. She was happy to be placed in her crib and left alone......only at naptime and bedtime (and she had to be ready) But there was going to be no co sleeping with this one, even if we had wanted to.
Anyway onto the problem.....we went to Ohio back in September and ever since she has had some trouble. She insisted on the door being lst partway open, then it evolved into a night light out in the hallway, and then it evolved into me having to sit right outside the doorway so she could see my arm or foot or something while she settled in. Well, then she got sick and was up all alll alllllll night one night about 2 weeks ago and I had to sit with her. Then from then on, she will only lay down if I am in the room. I have to be in the room and sometimes have to hold her hand!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't mind too terribly much cuz she is usually sooooo tired that she falls asleep quick, but now she won't let Daddy put her down. Tonight I had some piano lessons to teach and didn't get home till almost 9:30 and she was still up, cuz she screamed for 30 minutes. Dh had spent 35 minutes on the floor in her room laying there like I do for 5. She wouldn't lay down for him, so when he gave up and left the room she had a fit. She used to be ok if you told her "I'll be right back" now you say those words and she starts screaming!!!!!!!!!!! GRRRR.
So when I got home I went stright to her room with her, put her in her crib and she went right to sleep. (with a death grip on my finger)
I am assuming this is normal toddler stuff.................. but what do I do? Is there anyway to get back to laying her down and walking out?? CIO is something we wouldn't do when she was little, and like tonight 30 minutes later she was still screaming with no sign of slowing down!!!! So I am at a loss as for what to do. But dh has to be able to put her down.
HELP HELP HELP!!!!!!!!! I am hoping to make some progress before the new baby arrives.

[KR258]

Maybe a doll would help? Does she have a favorite? I told Katelyn that when she got scared to tell her doll and her doll would make it all better...sounds crazy and silly but it does help her. I actually do find her in the morning making her baby doll dance and singing to it or talking with her doll. I don't know if that would work for Tiffany because she doesn't seem to verbalize much but it sounds like she's just lonely. I hope it helps!!! Maybe she just needs something to cuddle with.

[LovingJesusinAZ]

Joshua is a horrible sleeper. In fact, I'm up with him more often than I am with my newborn. It's extremely frustrating.

I don't have any advice for you, just lots of sympathy! I swear my kids are conspiring against me because during the day they don't sleep at the same time and in the middle of the night, it seems like as soon as I get one to sleep, get back in bed and start to fall back asleep myself the other wakes up!

GOOD LUCK!

[ASheppa0821]

Emma was doing the same thing for awhile, and then one day, it magically stopped. Her problem was that I had to rock her to sleep. However, now, I can just lay her in her crib and she whines/cries for a few minutes, then to sleep she goes. One thing that she started doing around the same time was laying on a pillow on the couch/blanket on the floor. See if she'll get a pillow and lay on it for about 20 minutes before bedtime to get her super sleepy and relaxed. She may even fall asleep and you can just lay her in her crib then. I know it's frustrating for DH to not be able to do the things you do, but truth be told, sometimes only Mommy will do. That's normal... Emma also screamed at the "I'll be right back" thing, but I would leave, stand outside the door for two seconds, then peek in and say "hi!" then go back out for 5 seconds, then "hi" then worked my way until she was done with crying... She just has to learn that if you say that, you mean it - you WILL be back. This whole thing (sleeping and not wanting you to leave) may have been a fear that has developed. It's one thing to teach them to lay in their crib without you, and another thing to have a child who is afraid. I'm a big believer in having music going all night (the same CD... I rotate Emma's about every 6 weeks, but she's familiar with all of them), because if she hears music she knows, she's comforted and it feels familiar to her, thus easing the fear. Plus, if she hears it during the night if she wakes up, a lot of times, it will make her go back to sleep without waking you up...

Unfortunately (at least if this is like Emma), it's a phase. It took a couple of months, actually, but I kept letting her cry it out, and she finally got the picture (my child is...shall we say...STUBBORN). Just stay consistent and it will eventually end - I promise!

[jkvkdailey]

I'm having the same problems right now - last night Kevin was up 4x for at least 30 minutes each time. I'm a single parent this week while DH is out of town, so I brought him to bed with me (thinking that would work). NOPE - he just crawled around the king-size bed for 1/2 hr and started jumping on it to wake me up. I wasn't going to rock him at 2am, so I put him back in bed and ended up standing by the crib, rubbing his back for about 20 minutes. He was soooo sleepy, but he kept opening his eyes to make sure I was still there. After a while I was falling asleep standing up, so I told him I had to go potty and would be right back. I left the room for a few minutes and when I went back to check on him, he was out. Thank goodness, but then I had to repeat this scene a couple more times.

I hope this phase passes quickly for both of us! Sorry that I have no advice for you, but I can relate I may try the doll trick, he has a new Elmo doll that he adores and it couldn't hurt.

Kim

[KR258]

I'd think about getting a recliner to put in her room (if nothing else works) if you're gonna be in there that much.....so if nothing else you're at least comfy next to her crib!!! 's