Ok...Ella is a great baby. But she is a BAD sleeper! We go in cycles...she'll sleep really well for 2 days and then sleep horrible for 2-3 weeks. Then 2 days of good sleep, then 2-3 weeks of bad sleep, etc. I've tried everything, Babywise, letting her cry it out, not letting her cry it out...and nothing seems to work! Am I just going to have to resign to the fact that she's never going to sleep well? Or does anyone have some advice for me? I would be so happy if she would sleep 10-11 hours at night and take two naps during the day. Right now she's going down about 8pm and sleeping until 3:30 or 4 and then waking up and crying. I try to get her back to sleep for about 1-2 hours and then she'll sleep another couple of hours. She takes two naps, but her morning one is only about 30 minutes and her afternoon ranges from 30 minutes - 2 hours...normally 30-45 minutes though. I know this is not common and she needs more sleep, but I am just at a loss about what to do. I would love for her afternoon nap to be 2 hours everyday and for her to sleep straight through until 6 or so. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!! :-)
4 comments:
Suzanne,
She is so precious. I can completely sympathize with you, Madeline was the same way. The only way that we got through it was by letting her sleep with us. This made it a little easier on me, because she nursed exclusively for so, so long. (maybe that is why she did not sleep much then) I am proud to tell you that she has been an excellent sleeper for quite some time now (years) You don't want me to tell you how long it took to get her there - just know this pass, and one day she will amaze you with what a great sleeper she is.
happy new year! Amy
lsmarm@hotmail.com
My little one is not that old yet, so I may end up going through the same thing. But my only question is, how long (how many days/naps), have you been consistant with letting her cry for 15 min, then going in, 15 min, then going in, so on... Emily cryed through EVERY single nap for four solid days (I mean no stinking sleep), until she finally got it. Now we have no problems. I mean there are naps when she wakes up, or she crys a bit, but the typical is that I lay her down awake and she goes to sleep with no fussing. But, I had to finally decided to be consistent, even though she was getting no sleep, and even though it was very hard for me to hear her cry. Call me, I will tell you what some friends of mine did for night time. This comment is getting too ling. :)
Oh Suz. I'm here to tell you, Maddie was a ROTTEN sleeper and I went on to have two very good sleeping babies after that. She never napped, had given them up completely by the time she was 1. She didn't sleep through the night until she was 2 (Chris rocked her for HOURS) Seriously. Here's my thought. If she's a great baby and not crabby, maybe she doesn't need the sleep that the baby books says she does. She'll grow up and sleep a normal cycle, then when she is a teenager and wants to sleep from 11pm to 12 the next day you'll wonder if she's just catching up from her babyhood... :) My advice...don't worry about what the book says she should do, not all babies are the same. Maybe if she has a sibling some day that one will sleep! :) Love Ya!
Suzanne,
Ella is very precious. Madalyn is three weeks younger than Ella and has finally decided on a sleeping pattern. However, my pediatrician gave me the advice. I was in the habit of rocking her until she fell asleep, then put her down. Sometimes she would wake up and not go back to bed for 2 or 3 hours. I told Dr. Wood about it and she said I was going to have to make a bedtime pattern and then just put her to bed. Let her cry for about 15-20 minutes and then go back into her room kiss her (but don't pick her up), cover her, and tell her you love her. Then leave the room. I did this for about three days and Madalyn finally went to bed when I put her in the bed. It also helped to have a music "aquarium" on her crib. That kinda of lulled her to sleep.
As far as naps go, Madalyn takes one in the morning for about 1 1/2 hours and one in the afternoon for about 2 hours. However for her naps, I rock her for about 5-10 minutes and then put her in the bed. Sometimes she cries for a few minutes, but most times she goes to sleep. I completely understand your problem. It was very very hard to listen to Madalyn cry, but in the end it has helped both of us. I hope I have helped. Tabitha Abele (Matt & Leigh Abele's sister-in-law)
tabele@elmore.rr.com
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