Ok, all of you out there with toddlers, help me out here, please. Since my last string of eve watches (those are when I get Miss C until the afternoon then work until midnight so DH has to get her dinner, bath and bed), Miss C has been having some sleep issues. Specifically, she will fall asleep in your arms but when you move at all or go to lay her in her bed, she opens her eyes and starts to cry. Its heartbreaking.
She is also a little clingy right now. She is my very independent little girl but when she gets tired, she is on me like glue. Our only recourse right now is to lay her down when we know she is tired and let her cry a little. It usually only lasts a couple of minutes if that, but what i was wondering is if this is a phase they all go through and if you have any other recommendations. Please help!
4 comments:
Is there any type of music that Miss C finds comforting? I have a small boombox in c-baby's room, and when I put her to bed, I turn on the Baby Einstein "Lullaby Time" CD. Chills her out like magic every time. (Patsy turns on the "smooth jazz" radio station, but it's more to drown out the noise of the older kids playing than anything.)
And really, if she's only crying for a couple of minutes, that's not too horrible. It's hard for y'all to hear, of course, but you're doing what's best for her: sticking to a routine, making sure she gets enough sleep, etc.
My (relatively uneducated) guess is that this is probably because of all the changes that she's going through right now with walking, signing/talking more, etc. She's starting to realize that she is her own person, and it's a big scary world out there, so she's needing a little extra reassurance from Mom and Dad. My guess is that this phase won't last very long. Just stick to your routine as much as possible and it'll probably pass quickly. Hope that helps.
Cindy,
Thanks for the comment. I think you might be right about the age thing. The more we talk about it, the more we realize that it is probably less a watch issue than it is the growing up and realizing she is going to be expected to be in her room, alone, issue. She still fusses a little, even when exhausted but she quiets down before I get to the bottom of the stairs. I think its a sign of her displeasure but once she goes to sleep, that's all she wrote.
One the one hand, it sounds totally normal at any age to me, because e-baby has always been the way you describe, up until about 3 months ago when we decided it was time to stop sitting by her bed until she fell asleep.
On the other hand, I attended a toddler sleep workshop (about 3 months ago, no coincidence) and they said that most kids hit sleep problems of one kind or another around 12 mo, 15 mo, 18 mo, and/or 2 years. Then between 2 and 5, occasional sleep issues are universal. Not most kids-- ALL kids. That was about the least encouraging workshop I've ever attended, but it did steel my resolve to get e-baby to fall asleep alone, in her room, without mommy sitting next to the bed every night. About once a month now she'll protest wildly, and every time it's been because I kept her up too late. It's like there's a magic time window for bedtime, and if you pass it, too bad-- I'll be up soothing a temper tantrum for another hour or more.
I don't know if that helps, but I agree with you that it probably has nothing to do with eve watches.
Well, while we were talking about it, Miss C decided today that she is fine again and has no issues all day with naps and bed. She gave DH no issues while I was at work and tonight she snuggled up and went right to sleep, no problem. I do think it has a lot to do with that "big old world" thing. Our decision was to stay with our bedtime routine (the bath, book, bed routine) at the normal times if not a tad earlier when she seems tired earlier and either it worked or she just decided to give us a break. In any case, hearing that we're not alone really did help so thanks, ya'll!
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