Need Sleep!

Updated on April 10, 2008
C.S. asks from Brighton, MI
6 answers

Help! Our wonderful 10 mo. old boy is still not sleeping through the night! We've tried letting him cry, not feeding him, putting him to bed earlier, later, given a later dinner, earlier dinner...Also, our beautiful 3 yr. old girl used to sleep through the night, but isn't any more either. She's having nightmares and maybe night terrors. She's sleep walking, and wants to sleep in the livingroom, not her bed. The kids wake eachother up, but that is not the major cause for either one getting up. Any suggestions will be appreciated! We all need some sleep! Thanks!

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S.S.

answers from Detroit on

I have to agree with the last responder. The "Babywise" book by Gary and AnnMarie Ezzo is a life saver! We followed it too! Although sometimes my 6 month old sleeps better at night than my 2 year old. My 2 year old goes through spirts where he is up at night. But for the most part is good. Also, limit tv and video's to prevent nightmares. Their little minds can't handle the drama and fast pace of most if not all kids shows.
Bear with me.... the tv presents things in such a fast pace that the human mind has a hard time processing it. Not to mention the body's natural chemical reactions to tense situations. These chemical releases happen naturally as a response for our bodies to react and handle the situation but when it is on tv the body is not able to fullfil the proper response to the situation and therefore leaves the body unresolved and those chemicals are released at some time. While resting it seems to happen most cause we are in a subconcious mode and that is when our bodies have less control and it comes out in dreams.

So.. limit tv.

and give lots of words of protection and safety...have her repeat "I trust mom and dad - they will not let anything bad happen to me."

You could even have her pray for God to watch over her and keep her dreams good and her body safe.

Hope this helps

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L.C.

answers from Saginaw on

In sleep studies (the kind with video cameras instead of parents reporting) it has been shown that people wake up periodically through the night, and if they need something altered in their environment (covers fallen off, too warm, thirsty, etc) they wake enough to deal with it, and if they have no pressing needs they fall back asleep without noticing it's happened.

The same is true of babies and young children, who do not typically sleep throughout a night until they are beyond 4 years of age. No matter what their parents may think is happening.

If your 10mo is waking in the night, and more importantly, waking you in the night, it is very likely that he is simply hungry, lonely, in pain, uncomfortably warm or cold or something else that he needs that he cannot attend to alone. If he was 'fine' he wouldn't wake any further than anyone else does in the night.

The real issue is making sure everyone is getting enough sleep overall -- throughout the whole 24 hour period. If your son is still napping, he is probably getting sufficient sleep even if you're not, particularly if you are no longer napping.

Some easy ways to make sure everyone gets the maximum amount of sleep available is to make everything that might be needed in the night ready at hand, so much travelling through the house is unnecessary. Keep spare diapers beside the bed, sleep in the same room together, keep a snack or a drink handy (in a way that is also safe -- dry foods and water last best on bedside tables), respond quickly to needs rather than lying there (awake) hoping the needs will go away without attention or that the child will learn sooner rather than later that when it's dark out no one cares what they need, because that just makes everyone miserable.

Penelope Leach describes the pattern of that last issue very well in Your Baby & Child, Birth to Age 5: if you get up and go at the first signs, figure out what is needed quickly and deal with it, you can be back in bed and asleep in under 10 minutes.

If, on the other hand, you 'hold out' hoping the need will go away, you will be lying there until you or the child 'gives up', probably at least 20 minutes just for that. If you give up first, then you have to calm the child down, which will probably take another 5-15 minutes, attend the need, which still only takes 10 minutes, and then get back to bed and to sleep when you are really awake and alert and probably not a little bit frustrated and wound up, meaning it's going to take another 15-20 minutes to get back to sleep. If the child gives up, after 15-45 minutes of screaming in pain, hunger, terror or discomfort, you have still got to get back to sleep with a body that has responded to all kinds of chemical signals and is now completely alert and not just a little wound up, call it another 15-20 minutes to get back to sleep.

The simple, fast and restful way takes 10 minutes. Even three times a night, that's not a big deal.

The 'right' way (according to people who are somehow convinced that children wake in the night in order to endanger their lives by infuriating the people who have the ability to starve them or throw them out the window if they get mad enough) means no one in the house is sleeping for a minimum of 30 minutes each 'waking' and probably closer to an hour or an hour and a half. Big problem.

Lots of three year olds sleepwalk, experience nightmares and night terrors, and all of those are a symptom of a developing brain, stress during the day and insufficient rest throughout the day (flickering screens do not qualify as 'restful'). You can help her understand her power to control her dreams by talking about choices during nightmares, but generally the only thing that really works for nightmares, night terrors and sleep walking is to slow down life to a pace a real 3yo brain can cope with and wait for them to outgrow the stage.

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L.K.

answers from Lansing on

Find the book, "Babywise," by the Ezzos. An acquaintance recommended the book to me and my husband when our oldest child was a baby. I was skeptical at first but after a couple of weeks of sleepless nights I made myself read the book. The steps they lay out really work. My daughter was sleeping through the night within 6 weeks. I followed the same principles from the book for my next three children and they all were sleeping through the night by the time they were 4-6 weeks old. They have a whole series of books for all of the different ages. Their books on toddlers and/or preschool age might be good for advice on your 3 year old daughter.

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E.M.

answers from Detroit on

Hey C.,

I have heard you either have a sleeper or you don't. I don't. We can go for a few weeks sleeping through the night and then bam something changes.

I always check right away to make sure it is not a wet diaper, lost paci, etc. I have found putting an overnight diaper helps a ton as he does not feel wet. Sometimes he wakes up cold, so I cover him back up. It usually takes 10 minutes tops out of my night. The nights I let him cry, holy cow, I am up for a couple hours!!! Sometimes it just takes dad coming down to reassure my son as he really wants me to rock him. He goes right to sleep for dad. UGH -but in a good way.

I have read several books and theories on sleep issues having a non sleeper. I advise going to library, gather all the books you can and apply what works for you and your family.

I know why sleep depravation is a form of torture; it is horrible! We went through months of only sleeping a couple hours at a time due to illness. I was a zombie.

I wish you the best. Sleep when you can!

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C.L.

answers from Detroit on

Linda,
I love your thoughts! I would say just tend to his need and get him back to sleep. If you're open to it, then co-sleep... that can help too.. you just roll over and cuddle and often it helps tend their needs faster and quicker. At 14 months our son is up probably 3-4 times a night and nurses and goes back to sleep... it's a quick process and neither of us wakes up.
Maybe you could put a mattress by your bed for your older child.
Dr. Sears books... talk more about co-sleeping.
I'd also suggest for you.. try going to bed at the same time every night even if it's early so you have more time that you can sleep.

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K.D.

answers from Detroit on

Hi, I was in the same boat just 1 month ago! My saving grace was "Solve Your Childs Sleep Problems" by Richard Ferber, M.D. He is a pediatric sleep specialist. This book explains everything about sleep and most importantly his solutions work! I highly recommend this book and because he is a doctor it was very easy to trust what he was saying.

Good Luck and keep reminding yourself "this too, shall pass"
K.

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