Tips for dealing with a 1 year old going to bed?

[Rossolee]

Our daughter is 2... lots of great suggestions for bedtime. We try and keep the consistent bedtime routine everynight(bath, pj's, snack/milk,storytime,teeth brush,bed)

We use a white-noise machine which helps. As well, a coldmist humidifier helps for sniffles/colds and adds the white noise.

Teething was/is always a bit of a pain... A little baby tylenol when it was really bad helped numb it. She hated the baby orajel, so we had limited success with that for teething.

Good Luck!

[bouche]

[edger]

We still have sleep challenges and our son is two. We have tried everything in the book. He always goes down like a champ, but is unpredictable when it comes to how many times he may get up in a night. We were never very good with the whole 'let him cry it out thing' although we have tried it on many occasions.

I believe our son had a very difficult time with teething. I second the cool humidifier...that seems to help him. Especially once he started daycare and started catching every little bug circulating around. If you do feel that he is teething to the point where he is in distress and are thinking about medication I always found that Advil/Motrin worked faster and longer than Tylenol.

Do you change his diaper in the middle of the night when he wakes? Our little guy often needs a change through the night as he's a little guzzler with the beverages and sleeps much better when he is dry.

I feel your pain. Sleep deprivation is by FAR the hardest part of this amazing journey (for me). Lots of second guessing one's strategies and many instances of one step forward and two steps back.

I hate to say it but sometimes it has been easier for me to just come to a place of acceptance regarding the lack of sleep. I think if one lowers their expectations they are less likely to get frustrated by it all, which helps with the whole mututal tension thing....This is easier said than done. It has worked for me for bouts of time, but it does catch up for sure!

I do hear lots of stories about babies who sleep like a log from day one...definitely has not been our experience and unfortunately I have come to accept that there may be no magic antidote. Developing healthy sleep patterns takes time I think...and all the other developmental milestones add enough excitement into the mix that the journey to good sleep is not a linear path.

All the best!!

[mattm]

One main thing to remember:

Lets say you are put on an alien planet where you know nothing and it's very, very dark and you hear noises. For some unexplicable reason, your comfort zone, which you don't really understand but know it's comforting, is gone as well.

How would you feel? Pretty damn terrified and ready to scream until you lose your voice or puke or whatnot?

I sure would. Not a big fan of the crying it out and even more so not a fan of the "experts" saying it's all that good.

Cuddle at bedtime, read a book, sing and be happy until the little one's eyes close. Little bit less scary, only takes an hour or so of your time, not that big of a sacrifice and ups the trust in the family relationship for free, not to mention keeps the kid in a happy state instead of a sad/depressed/scared state which is always better for the health.

Trey is two, not only does he not put up a fuss, he often asks to go to be when we start telling him he looks tired becuase bedtime means good happy quality time with mommy or daddy, nice cuddles and singing, etc. Sometimes he doesn't want to go to sleep but it's only for about 2 minutes and it's mostly because he's kinda scared of the dark.

When he wakes up, go in and cuddle, he's back to sleep in 5 minutes tops.

When he was 1 and I minded him I just let him fall asleep right on top of me (Steph did too but she's got the boobs so he's got another reason for being there), best and most comfortable place for him and it can be done on the couch while watching tv which is nice.

Edited February 1, 2010 by Guest

[dave-O]

Seriously, has anyone had any success with "cry it out"? I'm no expert, but it just seems counter-intuitive.

[Booche]

I've had plenty of success with letting them 'cry it out'. That's how I have been able to maintain a relationship with Hux while you havent.

[dave-O]

Booya!

[PassedOutGuy]

Cryit out had seriously worked at creating a routine with him. At first he would fall asleep on top of us watching tv and thats what it took to get him down. Then it became harder and harder to do that so we had to try something new. The method worked at creating a new routine after only 2 to 3 days. It was hard as a parent but we trudged on through. That was 6 months ago. Now, itys a whole new story. I value all the suggestions and ideas everyone, thank you. One thing that has worked the last couple of nights has been to cut out the second nap in the daytime... we are gonna roll with this for a bit and see what happens.

Cheers, Bob

[boiler]

I think we're going to pay when it comes to number 2. Our boy has essentially slept for 12 hours a night since he stopped needing milk every few hours. Sure there were the odd nights but bedtime has always been fairly easy. Nap time is another story.

booche, you should probably not let your brother babysit for you.

Edited February 2, 2010 by Guest

[Kanada Kev]

We went through one phase where there would be crying in the crib, but if you went in the room they would stop. So, you go in to get them to stop. Then, after a couple of minutes you move a couple of feet away and sit down. They can still see you in the room so they are comforted, however you don't make eye contact. Then after a few more minutes you move a bit further away and still don't make eye contact. Eventually you're at the door and they have totally calmed themselves down, or are asleep. Sounds weird, but it did work for us during one of those 'phases.'

Also, getting rid of a nap during the day helps with sleep schedules at night (if they are ready for it.)

And for fun:

Be prepared for driving through a tunnel for the first time

[arcane]

Teething can do weird things. I could never understand what a tooth coming out has to do with a big rash on the ass. Everytime Jackson teethed, it was always accompanied by a rash on the ass.

Teething means a lot more saliva. It throws off the balance in the GI tract and makes for a nice feeding ground for yeast in the diaper.

You asked.

[arcane]

Everything you ever wanted to know about kids 2 and under.

If "cry it out" ain't working for you, this is the site to check out. Crying it out is counter-intuitive to attachment parenting.

[larry_llama]

just ask for, or send, heady vibes (man)

[Kanada Kev]

Is that Mel Gibson and Joe Cocker's love-child displaying his crazy?

sugar-tits sugar-tits sugar-tits sugar-tits

[larry_llama]

[Im going home Donny]

The only situation where I would let my kid scream in misery and fear for my love untill passing out from sheer exhaustion is the situation where I was sooo frusterated and crazy that I feared I might harm my kid. In this situation I'd walk away for certain. This has never happened though.

That said though our son never did scream to a point of not knowing wtf to do which I'm so gratefull for and tottally realise I don't fully understand what an unconsolable child is like.

I do think the fact that he slept in our room untill very recently(hes 3)played a huge roll in his calmness.

edit to add...I think I just came off a bit preachy? Sorry if thats so. Preachy parents are a pain in the ass! Crying it out just wigs me out but like I said...I have no idea what an inconsolable baby is like! So now I'll just say...keep up the awesome work..parenting is the biggest job ever...everything will smooth out. Nothing is forevs!

Edited February 3, 2010 by Guest

[Im going home Donny]

I'm currently designing a sound proof toddler sized gerbal ball...toddler is placed inside. I think I'll make millions!!! :bonghit:

[Kanada Kev]

I'm currently designing a sound proof toddler sized gerbal ball...toddler is placed inside. I think I'll make millions!!! :bonghit:

I've got a good friend who's been in the baby accessories/furniture/etc business for years. Every time he shows us some of the cool new shit coming out on the market I tell him to make it in "adult size" and we could make millions.

I want a sound proof adult-sized gerbal ball!!!

I want an adult-sized jolly jumper.

Bibs keep your shirts tidy when you eat

Hell, breast-feeding could always be an option too :bonghit:

:chug:

[Kanada Kev]

That's it! I knew i had seen that before. For some reason i just couldn't see past the Gibson/Cocker resemblance in the sample

[Im going home Donny]

HA! Yes! An adult sized gerble ball would be brilliant!!! hahaha..I'm picturing annoying meth heads on concert lots being enticed inside and simply rollllled away!

[YearsAlongTheSea]

I want one for my border collie...

[edger]

The only situation where I would let my kid scream in misery and fear for my love untill passing out from sheer exhaustion is the situation where I was sooo frusterated and crazy that I feared I might harm my kid. In this situation I'd walk away for certain. This has never happened though.

That said though our son never did scream to a point of not knowing wtf to do which I'm so gratefull for and tottally realise I don't fully understand what an unconsolable child is like.

I do think the fact that he slept in our room untill very recently(hes 3)played a huge roll in his calmness.

edit to add...I think I just came off a bit preachy? Sorry if thats so. Preachy parents are a pain in the ass! Crying it out just wigs me out but like I said...I have no idea what an inconsolable baby is like! So now I'll just say...keep up the awesome work..parenting is the biggest job ever...everything will smooth out. Nothing is forevs!

Crying it out wigs me out too. Although I think there is a difference between not necessarily jumping right out of bed at their immediate beckon call (in the hopes that they may develop the ability to put themselves back to sleep) and letting them cry it out to the point of exhaustion. Our son slept with us, or near us, throughout the first portion of his life as well, but he came to a point where he would actually ask to be put down in his crib in the other room. There are no rigid rules for us...if he is having a night where he appears to be upset for whatever reason, I often bring him back into our bed to sleep. However I have noticed that the older he gets the less he likes to stay there. He often will come into our bed for an hour or so to sleep and get some reassurance, only to wake and then ask to go back to his own room. Guess he gets annoyed with our tossing and turning and feels secure enough after some reassurance. Still...continuous sleep for him has been hit and miss and once I went back to work full-time I began to increasingly sympathize with people who decide to try the cry it out option. It becomes increasingly difficult to be a present, tolerable and happy parent when you are deprived of sleep for months or years on end. There was one night I remember trying to let him cry it out because I felt at my wits end...but after spending about 15 minutes curled in a fetal position doing everything I could to ignore the primal response of going to him I gave in. Over recent months we generally try to console him with a hug and a conversation about what the morning will bring without removing him from his crib and it seems to be working (for now). As I said before I just "try" to be more open/tolerant with whatever phase seems to be presenting itself. Otherwise I just over-rationalize things which doesn't seem to get me anywhere.

Sleep is so underrated! For those of you that get a full night on a regular basis, do me a favour and bask in its full, sweet, rejuvinating glory!!!

[hamilton]

It becomes increasingly difficult to be a present, tolerable and happy parent when you are deprived of sleep for months or years on end.

One of my teachers in high school once told us that the decision to have a child means that you will not get a proper night's sleep for at least 20 years.

[localcrew]

ha ha that's a good one.

I've got loads of kids-3 daughters 18, 21 and 6-2 stepkids-one with a daughter....

My advice for putting children to bed is to enjoy it.

Some of my fondest memories is of cuddling with my babies as they fell asleep and read the older girls bedtime stories as long as they wanted which was quite a long time.

With the youngsters I have realized it is such a small timeframe in your life that never comes again; the chance to be so close to your young innocent children-it seems never ending at times but it is really over too soon.

It's such a fleeting thing in your life to be in touch with such beautiful innocence just enjoy it....it's so good for the soul!

[larry_llama]

i have never had trouble getting my kid to go to sleep. he goes out to the back yard for a quick pee, then sometimes a cookie, and then he curls right up on the floor and sleeps through the night. unless he hears a cat or a raccoon outside...