Is it time to just accept it?

Talia is having sleep problems AGAIN - I am exhausted...I barely even have energy to type right now no joke.

I have tried everything. Some things with more success than others - they work for a little while and then slowly but surely she returns to her old habits.

Is it time for me to just accept it - that she doesn't like to sleep. She isn't good at it and Ihave to take it one night at a time?

OR is there something else I can do?

Re: Is it time to just accept it?

This may sound crazy, but can you contact one of those sleep disorder centers to see if maybe they can figure out why she's not sleeping well?

Re: Is it time to just accept it?

Re: Is it time to just accept it?

I'm in the same boat. I feel for you!

Re: Is it time to just accept it?

How little does she sleep? Do you really think she has a disorder?
Some children need less sleep than others, does she seem happy during the day?

Re: Is it time to just accept it?

Re: Is it time to just accept it?

No, at two years old it is reasonable to expect that she'd sleep through more often than not. I'd contact a professional at this point for guidance!

Re: Is it time to just accept it?

Message edited 8/27/2007 11:14:55 AM.

Re: Is it time to just accept it?

she is in a crib - we tried a bed, it was a disaster.

I guess when I think about it some nights are worse than others. Some nights she is up 2 times for a brief period of time.

Some nights its every hour or every 2 hours, and some nights like I said she is only up once but for a long time.

In the past month I would say she slept straight through the night once or twice.

She does nap. The problem with her naps is that sometimes I have to wake her from them. Its like she is trying to make up for her lack of sleep so she will take a loooong nap = and then her sleep that night is even worse. So I have to limit her nap time.

It's just a vicious cycle.

eta: What does she want from me? Sometimes she is just looking for her "lovey" which is fine because when I give it to her it's right back to sleep. MOst of the time I think it is just that she wants me to rub her back for an hour or just to be there - I really dont know...there is no solid reason for her waking that much.

Message edited 8/27/2007 11:20:15 AM.

Re: Is it time to just accept it?

You have described our nights too! Hayley will be 2 on 9/18 and rarely sleeps thru the night. She will get up on an average 2 times a night, calling for me, not her daddy. I have tried CIO but she works herself up so bad she can't calm down. I think our problem is she wants to sleep with mommy. If I put her in bed with me she will sleep fine. I don't want her in bed with me, she is so restless I get kicked and hit all night.

Re: Is it time to just accept it?

Posted by 2003fallwedding

You have described our nights too! Hayley will be 2 on 9/18 and rarely sleeps thru the night. She will get up on an average 2 times a night, calling for me, not her daddy. I have tried CIO but she works herself up so bad she can't calm down. I think our problem is she wants to sleep with mommy. If I put her in bed with me she will sleep fine. I don't want her in bed with me, she is so restless I get kicked and hit all night.

Re: Is it time to just accept it?

We have gotten so desperate for a good night sleep that last night we took her mattress and put in on the floor in our room and she slept straight thru. We are worried about creating bad habits but I think this is at least better than having her sleep in our bed or wake up every couple of hours looking for us.

Re: Is it time to just accept it?

you have FM

Re: Is it time to just accept it?

Sleep deprivation is so tough....
I would definitely speak to your doc and investigate this further.
Talia is apparently affected by her own sleep habits.

Re: Is it time to just accept it?

bump for any other opinions

Re: Is it time to just accept it?

Ok stupid question have you flipped her matress? Maybe it's lumpy or bothering her.

My daughter has been waking lately at night she was 2 in April. I try not to go into her until it's that certain cry. I have told her that if it's still dark out that she needs to go back to sleep. Does it work not all the time but last night she started crying at 4:30am and we just turned down the monitor and listened a bit and she eventually she stopped her whiney cry and went back to sleep.

Also is it possible that she is getting her two year old molars?

As for the napping thing if I let her, my daughter would nap for 3 hours, good luck trying to get her to bed then. So now I wake her after an hour or hour 1/2.

Have you tried asking her why she is waking up at that time? Maybe a bad dream.

I am sorry I am not a big help but this is what we are going through here.

Re: Is it time to just accept it?

Toddlers are certainly capable of sleeping through the night, and in general should be getting between 10-12 hours. Though, I have to admit, I know quite a few parents of children our daughters' age who are battling similar issues as you.

In fact, I know 3 people whose toddler still wakes 3-4 times a night. I'm sure part of it is temperment, part of it is habit, part of it is manipulation, and who knows, add some teething and new developments into the mix, and there you go.

I DO think that you shouldn't have to suffer like this and you should reach out to whatever resources are available. Start first with your pediatrician. I know when Alex was about 14 months, our ped asked us if Alex was sleeping though the night yet, and we said no, she still wakes 4-5 times a night. He looked suprised and told us enough was enough, that we could ignore her when she woke. Worked like a charm for us, but I know you've tried, and it doesn't work. Perhaps your ped will have other ideas or resources.

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I haven't read everyone's responses, but have you read Ferber's How to Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems? He really explains a lot about sleep patterns and what to expect from a child in terms of waking in the middle of the night. Everyone wakes in the middle of the night, especially small babies and children, it's the ability to go back to sleep that is a problem for some babies. If their sleep conditions are not the same when they wake up in the middle of the night, they have a hard time going back down. Hence why it helps to give her lovey back some nights because it was there when she went to sleep. And that's just what the beginning of the book talks about. The rest of the book is about different sleep disorders your child may have and when you should start to consider that it may be something more than bad sleep habits. I highly recommend it. Everyone associates Ferber only with CIO, but honestly, he has so much information in that book beyond CIO. Anyway, I'm sorry she's not sleeping. I really hope you get some answers soon