Inspired by Dr Tanya, I am going to tackle..

[scattyspice]

DDs sleep problems.


Usually I sit with her til she drops off (can take an hr) and bring her into my bed when she wakes at night.

No more.

DD the party's OVER!

[Moomin]

How old is your dd?

I've tried to rain on dd2's night-time parade many times in the last 18 months and she always ends up partying harder than us and wears us down

We;ve got the stage now where we figure getting up once with milk for 2 mins is better than 3-4 hours of CC and her making herself hysterical and sick, so whaddayagonnado?

I do wish you lots of luck with it. Is she up for a long time?

[scattyspice]

Hi Moomin.

DD is 2.6. I haven't tackled her sleep problems before as she wore night splints from birth until 2yrs to correct a club foot. The splints fixed her feet with a bar so she couldn't turn over and if she kicked too much (ie when crying) they came off. I just accepted from day 1 that I would have to sleep with her. But she has been out of splints for 6mnths and no improvement in sleeping.

Also Ds didn't sleep through til 3.5 (despite trying various things) so have poor success rate. .

Am going to have one last shot and try gradual withdrawal at bed time and sit by her bed rather than bring her into mine at night.

Have stocked up on coffee for me tomorrow.

[Moomin]

Ahhh, I see. Well I wish you all the very best and I can offer you some virtual matchsticks to help you through the night. Good idea about the gradual withdrawal - it seems to have worked for lots of people.

I am dreading dd2 moving from cot to bed because that will be next thing: her trotting out of bed and clibing in with us every night

[AllieBongo]

put a gate on her door moomin

[Moomin]

good idea as a physical barrier... but won't she just stand at the gate shouting?! Think that might be the time dh and I move up into the attic room (where there's a fire door separating us!!)

...not really (before I get accused to child cruelty by a member of the anti-McCann lynch mob who has strayed off and onto here by accident )

[ArguidaCod]

i sat outside wiht a copy of grazia and growled "Back to bed" as i poured over paris hiltons escapades,

you need to get dh on board

[scattyspice]

Thanks for the matchsticks Moomin.

DS was a nightmare when he went into a bed, tried rapid return one night for 2 hrs, this coincided with arrival of DD so not good, also lead to massive melt down and the closest I've come to hittin him (). Not doin that again. Hence the sittin by the bed.

Last night I sat outside the bedroom (hmm, must get Grazia) where she could just see me. A bit easier with DD as she shares with DS so not alone (he helpfully said, 'you don't need mammy, you've got a penguin' at one point.

Can't get a stairgate as live in v small bungalow, kids can see us watching TV from bedroom door.

[scattyspice]

Well that went well.

Sat outside reading 'A vibrator saved my marriage' (todays Guardian would you believe? Very informative). By the time I'd got to the end both kids asleep.

Just got to get through the night shift.

[mustrunmore]

I'm going to tie ds1 to the bed if we dont sort his bedtimes out. He was fine, but then we took away the dummy (way too late....3), then the light nights came, and its just spiralled. usual now is 9 or 10pm no mattr what time we put him to bed, usually with tantrum, sometimes just faffing about. Or standing at the gate screeching and trying to kick it down. I'm exhausted!

[scattyspice]

Poor you mustrunmore (actually so must I).

DD is proving to be a doddle (so far), DS was much harder. He was 3.5 before would just go to bed and stay there.

Have you tried this gradual withdrawal technique ala Dr TB (I looked it up in her HTT book in Borders today)?

[mustrunmore]

So far, we've tried...
the putting back 6,000 times a night thing,
the staying up a bit later to tire him thing,
the stories in bed instead of downstairs thing,
new mattress,
new duvet covers(chosen himself),
staying with him till he's asleep,
leaving him to put himself to sleep,
letting him look at a book quietly,
not letting him do anything except sleep,
etc
etc
etc

And its not that we didnt give each method a fair go, it really is that its been going on so long now.

Its a commonly known fact that bewteen the ds's and my bladder, I havent had a full night's sleep since before I was pg with ds1; got pg early 2003.

[haychee]

sounds awful, i cant cope without an evening of peace and a full nights sleep.

My advice, if wanted, pick the one method that worked the best (if any) and stick to it like glue for at least a month.

[scattyspice]

Yawn

DD slept until 4 ().
Then I sat on a chair in her room til 6am! (at one point I actually fell off the chairLOL). I was just about to give up and start the day when she fell asleep .

Fantastic DH got up at 7 with DS so I could sleep in .

Am going to stick with this for few more nights til she gets the idea she is to stay in own bed.
Then move chair outside..

Mustrunmore how old is your DS?
DS resisted all methods until 3.5 then spontaneously slept through (and still does).