I need some help getting my son who is 31 months to sleep through the night. He never has been a good sleeper. At his 2 year check-up the doctor said his tonsils were really swollen and referred us to an ENT. She said they needed to come out because they were touching and he didn't sleep very well because of it. We thought it would "cure" his sleeping. The tonsils came out in October...no luck. He still wakes up about 3 or 4 times a night. I am sooooo tired. I also have a 9 month old. Luckily, she sleeps though the night. The problem is, I can't let him cry it out because they share a room. She wakes up when he cries because he cries so loudly! I don't want to interrupt her sleepng routine. Any suggestions how I can get him to sleep through the night? He comes into our room and begs to sleep with us. We let him sleep on our floor but then he still wakes up. Thank you in advance for your suggestions.
Hi--tonsils that swollen combined with his sleep issues suggest to me some allergies, probably food related . Both my boys have allergies so I've become somewhat of an expert. If you like I can talk to you further about other symptoms and treatments and see if I can assist you, if you think this could be an issue. I have helped lots a d lots of people through this-- happy to help you as well :-)
J.
There is a product called babycalm, that could help. It should induce sleepiness. I'm pretty sure that it is magnesium citrate. The other thing you could do is a bit of Magnesium oil on his skin.You could do these at the same time. Magnesium will support nerves, help create melatonin, and chelate some heavy metals.
Speaking fo heavy metals, if you are using alot of of Iron fortified foods, and iron vitamin drops it could be contributing to the problem. Iron is a heavy metal that they cannot leach out and it builds up in tissues.
Ncl zeolite can help if there is heavy metal buildlup and it is safe, even for babies.
Vit b complex drops will also support the nervous system. I put them under the tounge for quick absorption. Cod liver oIl is another good thing to impart a calmness.
Lastly, you could have food allergy issues on your hands. Milk allergies can cause cranky kids. sometimes grain is the culprit. Try to stick to natural foods and stay away from as much processed stuff as possible.
Be careful about fans in rooms, yes the noise can help, but for example when I sleep with a fan in my room, it stirs up dust and I wake up congested like I have a cold. Better to just have the baby in your room and leave the toddler in the other.
C.,
If you have a portable crib and a closet or an extra room, (storage or master closet, under stairs) that you can put it in, You could have your baby sleep in there while you teach your son to sleep through the night.
Start by putting the portable crib in their room and have her nap in it a couple of times a week. Once she is used to it, then put her in it to sleep for the night until your son is sleeping well. I also would put a fan in thier room, She might be a noisy sleeper or just enough that it wakes him up.
It sound like he could just have a habit of waking up and coming in to you.
There are different ways of CIO; some are less CIO then others...
Supervised Crying--(Moving the chair father and farther),
Checking Method- (frequent checks at progressively longer intervals)
Gentle Approach- (putting him down and leaving, doing frequent checks with out picking him up but if he wakes in the night you sooth him the way your normally would)
Or Complete Cry IT Out- (adopt a good night time routine, snuggle, hug and kiss lay him down and leave, and don't go back in until morning) Since he is older you would have to take him back to his room EVERY time he comes in with out talking. Perhaps you and your husband could take shifts that way you can each get at least 5 hours of sleep if one of you goes to sleep when he does.
with one of my children I did just have to sit outside her room and read a book until she fell asleep, and just keep putting her back in bed every time she came out. I would not talk to her, just take her shoulders and steer her back to bed, and go back to reading. If she came in during the night, my husband would take her hand and put her back in bed. With all my kids, the parent that was "wanted" in the middle of the night, was not the parent that walked them back to bed. We do this so that they do not get rewarded with the things they want, for getting out of bed.
I would also talk every day about it and that day time is for snuggles and night time is for sleeping. That way at night you can tell him "I will snuggle you in the morning" and leave it at that.
Also It might help to figure out his love language. Usually how he shows you he loves you. By making sure he is filled with love that he recognizes, he might not feel the need to get your attention at night.
Which ever method you choose, make sure that you and your husband are on the same page and VERY consistent. He will get the idea in a couple days to weeks.
Good luck and happy sleeping soon,
E.
Hot water bottle - some kids don't sleep as warm as others, and just need a little extra help. May not be his problem, but may help.
Talk to your ENT about a sleep study. They should have a small device that could be worn at home for 2 nights. If you have to go to a sleep center, they let you stay in the room with your child. Some sleep centers also have daytime sessions.
M.
