nap time around the clock... well almost

Frumom

Wed, Oct 24 2007, 3:08 pm

Has anyone ever dealt with this before and if so... how?

I have a 2 year old and a 4 month old. It seems like my mid mornings and afternoons revolve around trying to get a tired baby and toddler to sleep and then tip toeing around while they're asleep, making sure one doesnt wake up the other after napping.
The baby wakes up sometimes after a 5-10 min nap, but having had to rock him to sleep for 45 mins at a time. He takes a pacifier, but will not fall asleep w/ it alone... rocking rocking rocking...

Plus b/c of naps it takes forever to get outside and get anything done.

Signed,
tired of putting tired kids to sleep all day...

chocolate moose

Wed, Oct 24 2007, 3:46 pm

Frumom wrote:

He takes a pacifier, but will not fall asleep w/ it alone... rocking rocking rocking...

Rocking is really just for a newborn. He needs to be taught to put himself to sleep. You don't want a pacifier forever, either.

mummiedearest

Wed, Oct 24 2007, 4:08 pm

some kids need the rocking and the pacifier for more than a few weeks, cm.

frumom--

do you have a swing for the baby? if not, you can find a good one with toys and a mobile for fairly cheap. I highly recommend you use one for the baby. the swing will do the rocking, and the baby will enjoy the toys while awake. the baby can nap happily in there with no problems. (unless your two-year-old is going to climb all over the swing with baby in it...)
keep the swing in the living room so the kids don't wake each other up.

you can also try a sling or a carrier and wear the baby. that way s/he gets rocked and can fall asleep on you while you do what you have to.

best of luck.

chocolate moose

Wed, Oct 24 2007, 4:44 pm

That might be true, BUT the best thing, in the long run, is for the child to be taught to soothe himself.

Ruchel

Wed, Oct 24 2007, 4:53 pm

It's good to go progressively, imho, but from the start almost you don't spend 2 hours rocking... do it a bit, see if you can go away, maybe the child will fall asleep on its own, maybe he'll cry. If he cries, wait a bit then come back. Rock a bit, and so on. Try that maybe?
Also, a 2 yrs old is big, maybe you can explain things to him.

I did this, and dd slept through the night at 3 weeks.

But I gave a pacifier from night 1 and don't plan to take it away soon.

Akeres Habayis

Thu, Oct 25 2007, 3:03 pm

HEALTHY SLEEPING HABITS HAPPY BABIES!!!
it is the best book ever. my daughter Bli ayin hara poo poo poo sleeps like clock work from 51/2 months on. the first 2 days were tough but after that she is ready to go to bed! she takes two naps in the day9am and 2pm) goes to bed at 6:30pm turns over whimper at 9:30pm and 11:30pm (I dont go to her)and wakes up fully at 3am for a little "night cap" and back to sleep until 6:30am if she wakes up earlier than that I can hear her singing in her bed, so I leave her until about 6am (but this happens rarely that she wakes up before 6am).
this books explains up until the child is 5 years old.

happymom

Thu, Oct 25 2007, 4:00 pm

I still lie with my daughter sometimes to help her fall asleep. shes two and a half. she likes when I stay with her a while. I dont mind and I enjoy the bonding time we have spending that last minutes of the day together.