Mothers and parents I need your help please!

[bluesub]

Hang in there, the next two days are going to be hard, but then it will start to get better.

 

[cafarmgirl]

My younger son had similar issues at about the same age. He had a hard time going to sleep and when he woke in the night same thing. We got him one of those crib toys that hangs on the side, a little aquarium that gives off a soft glow, makes quiet water sounds and the little fish swim around. This lulled him to sleep without fail. He would even turn it on himself when he woke in the night and go back to sleep on his own. Eventually of course he outgrew it and slept all night without it.

 

[TinTennessee]

I don't know your thoughts on feeding, but we added a small amount of rice cereal to their bedtime bottle. It seemed to fill them up & they tended to sleep more soundly than on just milk. You'll have to make the hole in the nipple a little bigger. Try using a hot needle to enlarge the hole or cut a small x in the end with a very sharp pair of sisscers.

 

[newfoundland]

Good point Tin Tennessee.

 

[cafarmgirl]

I don't know your thoughts on feeding, but we added a small amount of rice cereal to their bedtime bottle. It seemed to fill them up & they tended to sleep more soundly than on just milk. You'll have to make the hole in the nipple a little bigger. Try using a hot needle to enlarge the hole or cut a small x in the end with a very sharp pair of sisscers.

This worked really well for me too with both my kids.

 

[featherfinder]

I don't know your thoughts on feeding, but we added a small amount of rice cereal to their bedtime bottle. It seemed to fill them up & they tended to sleep more soundly than on just milk. You'll have to make the hole in the nipple a little bigger. Try using a hot needle to enlarge the hole or cut a small x in the end with a very sharp pair of sisscers.

We have been doing this since she was abou t6 months old and still having the problems. But I am happy to report that we now have her falling asleep in her crib on her own! She just likes some one standing in the room with her till she falls asleep. It also seems to be helping with her staying asleep all night. Last night was the first time since last week that we had a problem with her waking during the night. She also wakes up an hour or more earlier than she use to when she sleeps all night. I will keep on this path and I hope it works.

Any tips for bottle weening? Her 1 year birthday is saturday and I know she is not going to be happy about it and I have no idea where to begin.

 

[MeatKing]

We weened from soothers, at 6-8 months old and bottles 12-14 months.

Only tip I have is, do it when there not sick, and on the weekend when you plan to lose sleep, some kids are easier then others.
I'm sure you already new my tips. If their in a childcare spot, either daycare, or babysitter, I always found it easier. As they are then trying to be like the big kids. and sitters/daycare centers really like them moving on to sippy cups. Less work

Oh and try different sippy cups, if they don't like one, try another. Also try, drinking out've that sippy cup, some of the "spill prouf" ones are really hard to get anything from. We've cut holes in them, or opened up the valvoues. Takes away from the spill proof, but moves them forward.

Good luck!!

 

[saraki]

I feel your pain! My oldest didn't sleep through the might until she was 15 months old...about a month before I had her little sister. I miss sleep! Think of it this way: she will cry for a few nights and then learn to put herself to sleep, a skill she will need for life. I would try t start earlier in the evening. My oldest is almost two and she is in bed by seven forty five at the latest. Kids naturally start getting sleepy about six pm so take advantage of that natural rhythm and she may go down easier. I found that the more my daughter slept, the more she slept. Make sure she has her afternoon nap and read Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child. It helped us so much, and our daughter used to sleep at most four hours out of theory four. As far as weaning, water in the bottle only, and milk in the sippy.

 

[CarlyChick]

Most sleep research I've read (my kids are now 4 and 7) made the connection that "Sleep begets sleep" in other words start putting her to bed earlier and she might just start sleeping more. Both my kids were in bed by 6 when they were one, and in fact my 4 year old still goes to bed at 6:30 and sleeps for 12 hours. It's the idea that if they're sleep deprived they actually have a much harder time sleeping because they're training their brain to stay awake when they're tired. The book that helped me the most was Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth. It has a lot of troubleshooting ideas and I believe he also does consultations in severe cases.

 

[cafarmgirl]

We have been doing this since she was abou t6 months old and still having the problems. But I am happy to report that we now have her falling asleep in her crib on her own! She just likes some one standing in the room with her till she falls asleep. It also seems to be helping with her staying asleep all night. Last night was the first time since last week that we had a problem with her waking during the night. She also wakes up an hour or more earlier than she use to when she sleeps all night. I will keep on this path and I hope it works.

Any tips for bottle weening? Her 1 year birthday is saturday and I know she is not going to be happy about it and I have no idea where to begin.

It sounds like your on the right path, you'll get there eventually! To be honest, I wouldn't worry about the bottle weaning business until you have the sleep thing more under control. Take her bottle away now and you'll probably be back to square one, or worse, with the sleep issue. One thing at a time, the less stress for all of you the better, wait until she's getting into a better sleep pattern. As I was weaning my kids off a daytime bottle they still had one at night in the crib with water and that was a lifesaver. It didn't take long before they grew out of that too.