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Sleep issue help
sarahann1978 posted:
First off I have to make a confession that we still had DS in the crib until last week. He has never tried to climb out and loved it, and we live far from places to purchase a bed, so never made it a priority until now.
Last week we had a doctor appointment in the big city and made getting DS's twin bed a priority. We got a really nice one and he was really excited when we got it home and even got his blanket to lay on the matress in the living room while we disassembled the crib in his room.
The first night was flawless, he slept 100% through the night. But then on Thursday night he woke up 3 times screaming out in fright. I went in there the first two times and he was so scared he was shaking. DH went in the third time and consoled him. He never had nightmares or terrors in the crib. He really didn't say much about what he was scared of, but nothing in the room changed other than the bed.
Then he slept great Saturday night and Sunday night. Last night though he was back to waking, but this time he was not scared. Some of my family was visiting, so one of my nephews was sleeping on a matress on the floor and the second time DS woke up I told the nephew to go in the living room and sleep on the couch. DS was more mad and was not making a whole lot of sense other than he requested underwear instead of his pullup. I took him to the bathroom and put him in underwear since most mornings he is dry in the pullup anyway. He still woke up one other time though.
I don't know if it's just the transition to the new bed, or the family visiting or what. He was also a little sick last week, so maybe that contributed to the nightmares. I'm a little nervous because DS wants us to lay with him for a bit since that is possible with the bed, but I don't really want that to become habit.
Hopefully it is all just the adjustment phase and he will go back to sleeping normally, but wondering if anyone has any thoughts?
Last week we had a doctor appointment in the big city and made getting DS's twin bed a priority. We got a really nice one and he was really excited when we got it home and even got his blanket to lay on the matress in the living room while we disassembled the crib in his room.
The first night was flawless, he slept 100% through the night. But then on Thursday night he woke up 3 times screaming out in fright. I went in there the first two times and he was so scared he was shaking. DH went in the third time and consoled him. He never had nightmares or terrors in the crib. He really didn't say much about what he was scared of, but nothing in the room changed other than the bed.
Then he slept great Saturday night and Sunday night. Last night though he was back to waking, but this time he was not scared. Some of my family was visiting, so one of my nephews was sleeping on a matress on the floor and the second time DS woke up I told the nephew to go in the living room and sleep on the couch. DS was more mad and was not making a whole lot of sense other than he requested underwear instead of his pullup. I took him to the bathroom and put him in underwear since most mornings he is dry in the pullup anyway. He still woke up one other time though.
I don't know if it's just the transition to the new bed, or the family visiting or what. He was also a little sick last week, so maybe that contributed to the nightmares. I'm a little nervous because DS wants us to lay with him for a bit since that is possible with the bed, but I don't really want that to become habit.
Hopefully it is all just the adjustment phase and he will go back to sleeping normally, but wondering if anyone has any thoughts?
Sarah (33) DH (31) DS (Jan 2009) baby girl (Aug 2012)
4 Replies |Watch This Discussion | Report This| Share this:Sleep issue helpFirst off I have to make a confession that we still had DS in the crib until last week. He has never tried to climb out and loved it, and we live far from places to purchase a bed, so never made it a priority until now. <br /> <br />Last week we had a doctor appointment in the big city and made getting DS's twin bed a priority. We got a really nice one and he was really excited when we got it home and even got his blanket to lay on the matress in the living room while we disassembled the crib in his room. <br /> <br />The first night was flawless, he slept 100% through the night. But then on Thursday night he woke up 3 times screaming out in fright. I went in there the first two times and he was so scared he was shaking. DH went in the third time and consoled him. He never had nightmares or terrors in the crib. He really didn't say much about what he was scared of, but nothing in the room changed other than the bed. <br /> <br />Then he slept great Saturday night and Sunday night. Last night though he was back to waking, but this time he was not scared. Some of my family was visiting, so one of my nephews was sleeping on a matress on the floor and the second time DS woke up I told the nephew to go in the living room and sleep on the couch. DS was more mad and was not making a whole lot of sense other than he requested underwear instead of his pullup. I took him to the bathroom and put him in underwear since most mornings he is dry in the pullup anyway. He still woke up one other time though.<br /> <br />I don't know if it's just the transition to the new bed, or the family visiting or what. He was also a little sick last week, so maybe that contributed to the nightmares. I'm a little nervous because DS wants us to lay with him for a bit since that is possible with the bed, but I don't really want that to become habit. <br /> <br />Hopefully it is all just the adjustment phase and he will go back to sleeping normally, but wondering if anyone has any thoughts?
Jackie03291 responded:
Hey Sarah! I don't really have any good advice for you unfortunately. We recently switched Ava from her convertible crib that was set up as a toddler bed to a twin bed and she has done pretty good. She still has several nights per week where she wakes up multiple times per night and she usually wants me to come and lay with her for a minute too. As much as it frustrates me, I do give in and lay with her for a minute before leaving her to go back to sleep. That has been getting more and more frustrating though these past couple of months as I have been getting bigger and having a harder time sleeping myself though! 
I have always been pretty lax when it comes to waking up in the middle of the night though, I've never been a huge "cry it out" person or anything like that, so I have always tended to just go in and sooth her and tell her to go back to sleep. I do try to encourage her with some type of reward if she does sleep good through the night without waking up and sometimes it works and other nights it doesn't. She does get excited when she does sleep good through the night and every morning she always asks me if she slept good, and I either tell her yes or no. LOL
So my only recommendation is maybe to be more open with him about why it's important to sleep through the night without waking up and if you are comfortable offering some type of reward for it, then that might be a good idea too. Sometimes I offer things like, I will make your favorite breakfast in the morning, or we can read an extra book or play outside before dinner, etc. Although it doesn't work all the time, I do like I said before, find that it makes her happy to actually sleep through the night and know that she did something that makes mommy and daddy happy too.
I have always been pretty lax when it comes to waking up in the middle of the night though, I've never been a huge "cry it out" person or anything like that, so I have always tended to just go in and sooth her and tell her to go back to sleep. I do try to encourage her with some type of reward if she does sleep good through the night without waking up and sometimes it works and other nights it doesn't. She does get excited when she does sleep good through the night and every morning she always asks me if she slept good, and I either tell her yes or no. LOL
So my only recommendation is maybe to be more open with him about why it's important to sleep through the night without waking up and if you are comfortable offering some type of reward for it, then that might be a good idea too. Sometimes I offer things like, I will make your favorite breakfast in the morning, or we can read an extra book or play outside before dinner, etc. Although it doesn't work all the time, I do like I said before, find that it makes her happy to actually sleep through the night and know that she did something that makes mommy and daddy happy too.
Jackie (27) Bryan (36) Ava 10/14/08 Baby Girl 2 Due 5/4/12
Report This| Share this:Sleep issue helpHey Sarah! I don't really have any good advice for you unfortunately. We recently switched Ava from her convertible crib that was set up as a toddler bed to a twin bed and she has done pretty good. She still has several nights per week where she wakes up multiple times per night and she usually wants me to come and lay with her for a minute too. As much as it frustrates me, I do give in and lay with her for a minute before leaving her to go back to sleep. That has been getting more and more frustrating though these past couple of months as I have been getting bigger and having a harder time sleeping myself though! <img src="http://img.webmd.com/community/images/frown.gif" align="top" border="0"><br /> <br />I have always been pretty lax when it comes to waking up in the middle of the night though, I've never been a huge "cry it out" person or anything like that, so I have always tended to just go in and sooth her and tell her to go back to sleep. I do try to encourage her with some type of reward if she does sleep good through the night without waking up and sometimes it works and other nights it doesn't. She does get excited when she does sleep good through the night and every morning she always asks me if she slept good, and I either tell her yes or no. LOL<br /> <br />So my only recommendation is maybe to be more open with him about why it's important to sleep through the night without waking up and if you are comfortable offering some type of reward for it, then that might be a good idea too. Sometimes I offer things like, I will make your favorite breakfast in the morning, or we can read an extra book or play outside before dinner, etc. Although it doesn't work all the time, I do like I said before, find that it makes her happy to actually sleep through the night and know that she did something that makes mommy and daddy happy too.
jlynnpaine responded:
First of all, I think it's great that you made it this far with him sleeping happily in his crib. There is nothing to feel bad about there!
I suspect it's probably a combination of the new bed and having family over visiting that is contributing to his trouble sleeping. I know whenever we have company, Shae has a hard time falling asleep and staying asleep because she's so worried she's going to be missing out on something fun. Plus, with being sick, he may still be a bit overtired which always seems to lead to nightmares with Shae.
Shae has asked us to lay with her or sing when she wakes up in the night. I always tell her that I will sit and rub her back, but I will not sing or lay down. I don't want it to become a habit and I worry that the singing will keep her awake rather than soothe her back to sleep. I remain firm and consistent with that and she will still ask, but doesn't throw a fit about it.
I would just try to keep the interaction to a minimum so that he's not really getting himself worked up and more awake and isn't getting a lot of attention from this night time wakings. The less you can talk to him the better so that he can settle back down to sleep. Try to stay consistent and hopefully he'll be back to sleeping well again soon.
I suspect it's probably a combination of the new bed and having family over visiting that is contributing to his trouble sleeping. I know whenever we have company, Shae has a hard time falling asleep and staying asleep because she's so worried she's going to be missing out on something fun. Plus, with being sick, he may still be a bit overtired which always seems to lead to nightmares with Shae.
Shae has asked us to lay with her or sing when she wakes up in the night. I always tell her that I will sit and rub her back, but I will not sing or lay down. I don't want it to become a habit and I worry that the singing will keep her awake rather than soothe her back to sleep. I remain firm and consistent with that and she will still ask, but doesn't throw a fit about it.
I would just try to keep the interaction to a minimum so that he's not really getting himself worked up and more awake and isn't getting a lot of attention from this night time wakings. The less you can talk to him the better so that he can settle back down to sleep. Try to stay consistent and hopefully he'll be back to sleeping well again soon.
Jodi (28), DH (24), Shaelynn (2), DD2 (due 5/16)
Report This| Share this:Sleep issue helpFirst of all, I think it's great that you made it this far with him sleeping happily in his crib. There is nothing to feel bad about there! <br /><br />I suspect it's probably a combination of the new bed and having family over visiting that is contributing to his trouble sleeping. I know whenever we have company, Shae has a hard time falling asleep and staying asleep because she's so worried she's going to be missing out on something fun. Plus, with being sick, he may still be a bit overtired which always seems to lead to nightmares with Shae.<br /><br />Shae has asked us to lay with her or sing when she wakes up in the night. I always tell her that I will sit and rub her back, but I will not sing or lay down. I don't want it to become a habit and I worry that the singing will keep her awake rather than soothe her back to sleep. I remain firm and consistent with that and she will still ask, but doesn't throw a fit about it. <br /><br />I would just try to keep the interaction to a minimum so that he's not really getting himself worked up and more awake and isn't getting a lot of attention from this night time wakings. The less you can talk to him the better so that he can settle back down to sleep. Try to stay consistent and hopefully he'll be back to sleeping well again soon.
cyn22mull responded:
Hi Sarah! I dont really have any good advice for you. Christopher is a good sleeper most nights, but usually once a week he does wakes up in the middle of the night. I just go in and rub his back for a few min. give him a kiss, and tuck him back in. If he is upset then I ask him if he had a bad dream or what he is scared of. Most times he will say he is scared of the door, or the fan, or the dresser all silly things.
I sometimes do what Jackie mentioned and give a small reward if he stays in his bed the next night. Usually it's going to the park, reading extra books, having a special snack.
I also praise him every morning and tell him how happy mommy is that he stayed in bed and didnt wake up. Sometimes now when I go in to wake him for daycare he will ask me...Did I stay in bed all night?
I sometimes do what Jackie mentioned and give a small reward if he stays in his bed the next night. Usually it's going to the park, reading extra books, having a special snack.
I also praise him every morning and tell him how happy mommy is that he stayed in bed and didnt wake up. Sometimes now when I go in to wake him for daycare he will ask me...Did I stay in bed all night?
Cindy (35) Scott (39) DS Christopher 3
Report This| Share this:Sleep issue helpHi Sarah! I dont really have any good advice for you. Christopher is a good sleeper most nights, but usually once a week he does wakes up in the middle of the night. I just go in and rub his back for a few min. give him a kiss, and tuck him back in. If he is upset then I ask him if he had a bad dream or what he is scared of. Most times he will say he is scared of the door, or the fan, or the dresser all silly things.<br /> <br />I sometimes do what Jackie mentioned and give a small reward if he stays in his bed the next night. Usually it's going to the park, reading extra books, having a special snack.<br /> <br />I also praise him every morning and tell him how happy mommy is that he stayed in bed and didnt wake up. Sometimes now when I go in to wake him for daycare he will ask me...Did I stay in bed all night?
magsnemma responded:
That seems like he hasn't fully transitioned yet and is still getting used to his bed. We did the lay down with DD thing and it backfired! It was such a pain to stop doing it once it became a habit. I'd give it a week without anyone sharing a room and until the novelty wears off.
Ali (34) DH (35) DD (3)
Report This| Share this:Sleep issue helpThat seems like he hasn't fully transitioned yet and is still getting used to his bed. We did the lay down with DD thing and it backfired! It was such a pain to stop doing it once it became a habit. I'd give it a week without anyone sharing a room and until the novelty wears off.
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