OMG! Help me, I'm desperate?

Question

I need help with my 15 month old daughter. She's apretty good sleeper, sleeps at least 10 hours at night and naps from noon until 2pm or 2:30pm.

Now, here's the problem: She still needs us to help get her to sleep. She needs to lay on our chests and have us pat her back until she falls asleep. If we lay her down sooner, she'll be up screaming for the next 2 hours, but will refuse to go down.

I can no longer lay her on my chest. I'm 17 1/2 weeks pregnant and start to get dizzy laying on my back, and it's always before she falls asleep. Now nap time is a struggle. Daddy is only home on weekends for naptime because he works through naptime. He puts her to sleep at night.

We also don't want her to be almost 2 still needing us to put her to sleep, especially when we'll have another baby who'll need our help. She's always been difficult to put down.

We have tried the CIO method. We both HATE it, and it doesn't work anyway. She screams bloody murder

CONT...

Answer 1

well, to answer your last question, it'll probably take a week of the CIO method for it to work, but you CAN'T go back to the old method, even once, or you will start that week all over again.  I know it's hard, but it does work; although if you've had social workers at your door I can understand the hesitation!

another thing you could try is let her stay up so late that she's so exhausted she falls asleep on the couch or floor (NOT in your lap!).  then move her to her bed.  after doing that awhile you might be able to transition to putting her in bed just when she's drowsy.

Answer 2

was your 2nd baby planned??i jus hope not cause you made it harder on yourself if it was..wel you cant give in to her if your goin to try teach her to get to sleep on her own so put her in her crib and close the door and let her cry for about 5mins..then go back into her and just stand beside her and hold her hand and just soothe her..that its timne for bed and vrything will be ok..and then shel eventually fall asleep

Answer 3

I suggest a great book called "healthy sleep habits happy child". My daughter wasn't quite that bad but she still didn't sleep. This book is chopped full of advice and the cry it out is one suggestion all though he to feels this is a last resort. Good luck to you.

Answer 4

Get the book, "the baby whisperer." It helped me alot, it has alot of good ideas in it when it comes to that kind of thing.

Answer 5

In your case you might want to consult a sleep specialist.  If you were going to do CIO it would have been easier to do it when she was younger, toddlers are a bit more stubborn than younger babies.  I think a sleep specialist is your best bet.

Answer 6

Hun if you carry on doing this as you have and i know whats its like too, she will be more persistent and make it tougher on you , you need to nip it in the bud now before your new baby arrives, try the cry it out method and i know its not nice to hear your child cry but at 15 months she needs to understand that mum and dad cannot do this all the time and its going to be so hard when new baby comes, so i would try something before it gets you down to much try a nice night light a nice bear with as someone said a tshirt of yours on ...as a mum of twins my daughter was like this took us years to get her out of it !

Answer 7

Put a tshirt of yours on a large teddy bear.  She can hug it and feel safe with your smell on it.

My daughter has been giving me problems for 12 years, finally we bought a CD with ocean waves and light music on it from Target (Lifescape).  We leave it on all night and she no longer needs us to help her fall asleep.

Try reading a story to her and make sure you dim the lights.

I wish you luck and be patient, you have to with kids (LOL).

Answer 8

Try to get some sort of soothing music to put on in her room. Sit with her and read a book, and then tell her it is time to lie in her bed. Lie her down and sit beside her bed. If she stands up lie her back down, and tell her it is night night time. After two times of this do not say anything and just lie her down. Try not to engage her. When you do this, it prolongs her crying fit, or it will start it up all over again. Sit next to her bed without looking at her. Eventually you will be able to move further and further away from her bed, until she won't need you in the room anymore. Sometimes just knowing that you are there is all it will take. This whole process should not take more than a week to get you out of the room. Each day you should situate yourself closer to the door, and further away from her. The soft music should help to with any background noises that she may be able to hear.

Answer 9

try getting a stuffed animal that u can get a windup alarm clock  and put inside and lay her on that and lay beside her and pat her on her back ..or something that moves slightly if u cant get an alarm clock ..that is just to have her feel the ticking (feels like a heart) and helps her to sleep!

Answer 10

thts tough..but its very tough having 2 little kids veryy closee! good luck!

Answer 11

d**n, sometimes the only thing that will work is phenergan which you can get a scrift from your drs office for. but also, the less sleep they have, the less they need, does she nap at all??

Answer 12

My 18 month old doesn't fall asleep on her own either.  One of us has to be with her.  Right now we don't mind, but will soon be trying to get her down to sleep on her own because we will be trying for baby #2.  My brother and his wife put their  two kids (ages 4, 17 mos) in their own bed and shut the door.  this has worked for them and they have been doing this since the beginning!  if they cry, they let them cry it out.....Congratulations on baby #2!  Your due date and name is the same as my daughter!

Answer 13

Have you tried your legs? Take a pillow, put it down at your feet, sit her bottom in your lap, facing you, then lay her back on the pillow (she's probably tall enough that her legs go around your belly). You can sway your legs from side to side to rock her to sleep...

  Or you can take her into your room, lay down with her, and tell her she has to put Mommy to sleep! Let her love on you then close your eyes and tell her "Shhh! Mommy's sleeping!" and make her lay down next to you. If she moves, same thing, "Shhh! Mommy's sleeping!"

Answer 14

Put her down and let her cry for 5 minutes... then go in and console her. Put her right back down and let her go for 5 minutes. Console... repeat. After about 2 weeks of that, my son would go to bed on his own. We did this at about 8 months old. He is 15 months old now and I just lay him down wide awake and he goes to bed/nap all on his own, without a fuss at all.

I am also pregnant. 36 weeks along, so I feel you there!