Pregnancy Info HOME

Stefkay: A lot of what is happening with your toddler is normal. She is experiencing seperation anxiety. I have a 2.5 year old and a 16 month old so understand what you're going through. BUT a lot of what you are having to suffer through now is due to your lack of routine while she was a baby. I recall many postings from you in the past seeking advice on what to do about your baby girl's sleeping habits. You recieved a lot of advice to start a routine and stick to it. Your little girl is used to getting her own way now because you weren't consistent in the past. She doesn't feel comfortable in her crib for nap because she has never napped in it. She will need time to adjust. This is an example of how just a little pain and effort in the beginning would have gotten a big result in the end. So, now you have to start from the beginning and it will be harder because your baby has developed a strong and often defiant (as most toddlers are) personality. You have to be consistent.
My 16 month old ds has just recently transitioned down to 1 nap. He is up for the day at 6am, naps for 2-2.5hrs mid-day and goes to bed for the night between 7-7:30pm. He has a bath/bed routine that he has had since he was 2 months old. His older brother has the same routine and has also had it since he was 2 months old. Dinner at 6pm; 30-45 min playtime; bath time with big brother; pj's; lotion; cup of warm milk; teddy; reading 2-3 books; kisses; lights out; bed. I walk out. Some times he cries out. If it continues longer than a few mins I go in and pick him up. Rub his back, put him down and leave. I would suggest the PU PD method for your little girl. Let her cry for 10 mins. Go in, pick her up, rub her back, but don`t hold her longer than 30 secs. Put her down and leave the room. Continue as needed. She will probably cry long and hard for 1-1.5 weeks. But eventually she will learn a new heathly habit. The ability to put herself to sleep without tools like a swing, and it won`t be from sheer exhaustion either. You have to set a routine bed time. Good luck to you. I hope things work out and get better.

I'm actually quite surprised that she's done as well as she has considering her lack of a schedule. She's gone to sleep at night in her bed fine for a while now and sleeps through the night. We moved 2 months ago and things were off for a while after we moved while we were getting her room ready but she's been doing good at night overall. We do a night time routine but it is not as lengthy as yours. I don't do a bath every night mainly because she doesn't get that dirty yet and a bath ends up turning the bathroom into waterworld which is exhausting for all of us, lol :) A couple of weeks ago when we finally said NO MORE SWING --and decided to get her to nap in her crib since she was handling it well at night--we did CIO just like we did to get her to sleep in her bed at night and it worked in one day just like with nighttime. Honestly I think that is pretty good considering somme of the horror stories I've heard with babies screaming for horus. She was napping pretty well for the past week or so and then this standing in bed and crying came out of the clear blue. I understand she had not been in her "routine" that long so who knows. Today I stuck to my guns and we did her normal lunch then nap routine but instead we added going outside before lunch which we hadn't done in a few days and I don't know if that was the trick but she went down at one with a little fussing and noise for about 15 minutes but fell asleep on her own and slept for 2.5 hrs. Tonight she didn't cry at all which I kind of expected since nighttime is so much easier. I moved her bedtime up to 9 as well from 9:30 (she sleeps until about 9am). Our bedtime routine is pretty much wind down, dim lights around 8, play a bit, put on jammas, brush teeth, read a book if she doesn't seem too sleepy yet and in crib, lights out. I'm glad I've been able to post here searching for advice over the past 15 months (plus the 2 years or more I was on here prior to my dd's arrival), but if you knew me in person you'd know that I have a flair for the dramatic so I'm sure some of my posts sound like the world is coming to an end, but overall I think I've done a pretty good job for being a first time mom who also works more than full time from home (with a toddler, whew). I'm thankful I can come here and vent, let out frustration, ask questions but also appreciate that we are all different and not everyone does the exact same thing. Every family and child is different and I'm sure all of our kiddos will turn out just fine as long as we love them and spend time with them. Thanks, Stef

Hey Stef! Stinker Jess did the exact same thing with us a few weeks ago. She has had a pretty consistant routine for awhile now and all seemed good, until one day wow!! No more. She would lay there all sleepy and tired and asleep most times and Iw ould creep and I mean Crrrreeeeeppppppp out of her room and as soon as I hit the hallway it was like a buzzer went off in her head and she was standing and screaming in a second! oh it was trying!! But I did go bakc and pick her upa dn cuddle with her in her chair and try it over and over, and sometimes I had to just stand at her crib with my hand on her somewhere and just wait it out till her sucky would fall out of her mouth and I knew she was out. But then one day, she stopped it as fast and she started this and it has been good since. So dont worry, she will grow out of it and get back into her own pattern. Your doing a good job! Great to see ya on here again!! :)