My 2 1/2 year old has started some new and not so pleasant sleep problems. I was hoping a mom out there might have had a similar situation and have a suggestion.
He has always been a very easy sleeper. Went down super super easy with our regular routine. But for the past couple weeks is having serious issues. He seems terrified to go to sleep by himself. I have to be lying next to his crib on the ground for him to settle and fall asleep. This is only at night. During naps he goes down with just a slight struggle, but eventually lets me talk him into sleeping by himself and does fine.
Because night time is the bigger problem, I've tried night lights, music, stuffed animals....I can't think what else to do to help him sleep alone again. I would be fine if it is just a phase, I am willing to sleep on the ground each night and ride it out, but I'm worried that I'm encouraging a bad habit. I want him to know he can trust me, but also know I sleep in my bed and he in his.
I think he's afraid of the sound of motorcycles, firetrucks or loud cars that occasionally are heard at night. Maybe a white noise maker to drown out those night time noises. But, do I continue to sleep on the floor while he adjusts? How long before it turns into a habit?
He also will wake in the middle of the night - probably after better woke by the loud car noises - then we have to start all over and it can sometimes take up to an hour for him to fall back asleep.
Any suggestions are welcome and encouraged.
Does anyone know what I'm talking about? Has anyone dealt with this? What should I do? Any good book suggestions on toddler sleep problems? I hate having bedtime be so traumatic and exhausting emotionally for both of us.
9 comments:
Sorry Chel. That's so frustrating. Maybe it's because you guys just moved and he doesn't feel secure yet. He's usually such a good sleeper, I bet he will get over it soon. Carter has been having really bad night terrors lately. He wakes up screaming and we can't calm him down for at least 20 minutes. It's like he is awake but he feels like he is still in his dream. Anyway. Not fun. I hope he gets better! :)
Oh, I have sooo been there. My daughter, went through something very similar. It took several months of trying to figure out if something was wrong: bad dreams, weird sounds etc. Or if she really just needed to relearn how to put herself to sleep. It was really hard and you just kind of have to use your best logic. I hate to tell you how long it has taken her to regularly sleep through the night (about a 9 months), but atleast you'll know your not alone! The most affective thing ( as well as a sound machine) I did, which was the last thing I did- was create a "sleepy" chart and each night/nap she went down well and didn't wake up, she received a sticker. After she got several stickers in a row, I took her to the dollar store and she got to pick out a toy. It took about three months of this and she slowly began to get better. Plus I talked about it during the day and ramped it up all I could to increase her desire. I wish you all the luck in world. Just remember you are a GOOD MOM, and you will take the best care of your son possible, some things are just hard to learn (ie sleeping).
Everett went through a similar phase. I put a small fan in his room to muffle sounds in the house and outside. Also, I'm sure you guys are already saying prayers together and I don't know how available JR is, but Jack and I would go in and we would all kneel together and Jack would bless his room and bless him too sleep well and after a few nights he seemed to be okay. Its a toughy for sure! He'll fall back into a routine, let me know if this helps.
I may sound pretty far out with this one, but I would have JR bless your home and the room Elliot is sleeping in. Also when Del is gone Tom and I will even have a special prayer together when he feels scared. Blessing him to be brave and courageous helps him a lot! I also read and applied the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child". Tom went from a horrible no napper to a great napper and any time he struggles with a transition that effects his sleep we start with the basics and work through it again. (I too, spent many nights on his floor. Good luck!)
Shoot, I'm sorry. There's nothing worse then you (and your child) not getting enough sleep. I haven't had any personal experience with this, but I HAVE seen Super Nanny (that counts for something, right?) :)
She would have the parents sit outside the door on a chair or whatever where the child could see them, but they're not in his room.
But all the above suggestions you've received sound better anyway (dedicate home, prayers, sound machine.........what better chance to teach about prayer?!?!)
Good luck!
I would give the white noise a try - we have a CD of a washing machine, and would be happy to make you a copy. I've also heard good things about "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child", but have not read it myself. A small rewards system has been working for some challenging behaviors Brooke has developed lately. I'm not sure how it would work if it is a fear issue, but it's pretty simple to start up a sticker chart and give it a try. This is getting to be a long comment already, so maybe I will just send you an email. :)
chels,
you're going to laugh, but Dylan went through that and we found him just the perfect little thing that seemed to help. It's called a "Mobi Tyke Light." It's a night light that he can hold in bed with him, or set it down. It also has a timer on it so it turns itself off after 15 minutes. We loved it so much that we got one for Brighton too. So now we have two of them, a green man and a blue man. Love it. You can order them from amazon.
Hey Chelsea- Jax went through something similar at about that exact age. They are learning to fear things at this age and their make believe abilities can sometimes conjure up scary images for them. I would tell Jax before I left his room that he can sing songs to himself and think about Jesus and that will make him happy and told him that he can think happy thoughts and go to sleep all by himself. Sounds kind of cheesy and basic but it seemed to really help him. Another thing a girlfriend told me to try was to give him a picture of the two of you so he can hug it in his bed. I never did this but it sounded like a cute idea.
Hey Chels...no fun! Okay, I think a white noise machine is great. I have one for Greta called a SleepMate and I love it. It just makes a fan-like hum but you can adjust how loud and kind of the tone of it. It's small enough to easily take with you when you travel, too. Make sure you get the one with dual speeds. I really do think it just drowns out extra noise and it helps my kids get to sleep and stay asleep.
Anyway, Greta had some trouble like this after she had her tonsils out. I wonder if Elliot is now reacting to the recent move or something. It's so interesting how they respond to change. Anyway, the one thing I would recommend is trying not to let him get to comfortable with the idea that you sleep in his room now. I did that with Greta - I'd either fall asleep next to her or sleep by her but I think I did it too long because it really did take a long time to undo. I'm not saying what you're doing isn't good - it's probably just what he needs to feel secure - just be careful how long you let it go on. I wished I had nipped it sooner!
We also gave her incentives if she went to sleep alone and stayed in her bed all night and it worked for us. I also love the idea of the prayers and blessing his room.
Well, good luck...I'm sure it's just a strange phase and he'll kick it. Hang in there!!!
Post a Comment