My 13 month old daughter is driving me crazy. What should I do?

Question

I am off for the summer (teacher) and taking care of her is relentless. She won't take naps and I had enough and put her down in her crib for two hours and she literally screamed the whole time. She does the same thing when I put her down for bed. My husband works long hours, so I basically do everything myself and I'm sick of it. Oh yeah, my husband wants a big family so I'm pregnant again and due in a month.

Answer 1

Not only for your current sanity, but you need to get this worked out quickly so you can focus on the baby when he/she gets here.  I LOVE the book 'Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child' - there is a section in there you can read really quick for emergencies such as this.  If she's not napping, she's likely sleep deprived, which makes it even more difficult for her to fall asleep.  The first step is to do ANYTHING to get her to sleep a little....once she's more rested, you'll have an easier time putting these other steps into place.  Will she fall asleep in the stroller or in her carseat on a car ride?  What about if she's watching a movie in her crib?  If you're going to do the 'cry it out' thing - follow a specific method - find a good book about it so you're not sabotaging yourself and your efforts.

Good luck.  You're probably exhausted.  When my son was going through a 'non-nap' stage, I was a nutty crazy bitchy mom and I hated how I reacted to him.  He was just such a handful because he wasn't getting enough sleep.  

You may have to go to a ridiculously early bed time for her and put more time into a 'wind down' ritual.  ie at 5:30 pm, bath, read books, nurse/milk rock and put her down in her bed at 6;30 or 7.  If she sleeps 12 hours, that's awesome and you can hope for 1-2 hours for a nap.  She also at that age, may still need 2 naps...though to say, she's at that age, where lots of kids are going from 2 to 1 nap a day.  My son went down for a single nap best at that age around 11 am and slept about 2 hours usually.  Then was ready for sleep around 7 (wind down, etc. much earlier...an hour process usually) and slept until 7.  They usually need about 14 hours.  Get her more sleep and you will be SO much happier because she'll be able to play better on her own, not pitch as many fits, and be all around happier and easier to manager and discipline, etc.  Ugh.  I  know what you're going through.  Great tips for newborns too in that book - it will be your bible!

Answer 2

Babies this age are all about routines. They like knowing what's going to happen and for things to be the same everyday. If your baby was in daycare while you were working, chances are that she is just thrown out of her routine and it throws her off. All I can say is stay consistent. It make take a week or two to get her used to it, but it will pay off. Just keep her on a schedule. Like naps and eating...Do it the same way and at the same time everyday. That should help. :)

Answer 3

Girlfriend.....it is called daycare...you deseve a  break too.....take her part time a couple of days a week.....it will help you both! Good Luck!

Answer 4

Relax and know that she is normal.  I didn't sleep either, drove my parents nuts, but, I'm a teacher now too and I still don't like to sleep.  Some people are like that.  

If you can't handle one, however, two might be a bit much, but not much you can do about that now.  Just don't go for three.

Answer 5

There are two issues here.  The first is just a fact of life -  young kids take up a huge amount of time, and caring for them is a 24/7 job.  

If your daughter won't take naps, stop trying to force them on her.  Keep her busy and active, so that she will be tired at bedtime.

The other issue I see here isn't about parenthood...it's about your marriage.  One doesn't have a big family unless both parents are in agreement, and both do their part.  If you are handling parenthood all by yourself, it is time to have a very serious talk with your husband about the roles each of you have as parents, your expectations of each other and your kids.  Otherwise, you are headed for a heap of trouble.

Answer 6

my 14mth old has been acting like that for a few days, I think its because of the summer and he wants to do alot. I go nuts, but eventually he gets tired and takes a timeout or a short nap in the afternoon...its rough, I'm 8mths with baby #2 and my hubby works all day....its not as serious as your situation but I can definitely see how it could drive you nuts. try keeping her up later at night so that she'll make up for the lost sleep in a nap the next day.

Answer 7

Plan for a LOT of outdoor play time. She need to run around and get out some of that energy. If she's cooped up she's not going to want to nap. also, She may not need a nap, many children at that age don't want a nap. And in terms of bed time, try aiming for a later bed time and get in a routine, This may take a few weeks but it will be worth it. I'm a little concerned you're having another when I'm not sure how well it seems one is working out...But everything happens for a reason. Maybe your oldest can use all her energy on being a GREAT big sister :-)

Answer 8

call NANNY, if you can't find her, then watch her program on TV, it is very interesting and you can really learn a lot about raising children.