Sleep problems...advice desperately needed..

[DizzyBrunette]

Any advice very welcome, I am at the end of my tether. I have an 18 month old daughter who used to be a fantastic sleeper but since she has started to get her big teeth she will wake about 11pm and will not go back to sleep until 4-5am.

I have tried everything from calpol/nurofen, nasal spray (she gets a very blocked nose), anbesol, ashton & parsons, voice activated night light, giving her milk etc etc.

The problem is that when I put her back into her cot she immediately sits up and starts to cry. If I leave her she gets really hysterical and will not self settle at all. I have tried the going in after 5 mins routine but it only makes her worse as soon as she sees me she wants out and when I lay her down she just sits up and howls louder...and so it goes on until she is just too tired to fight it any longer, that was 5am this morning!!

Has anyone got any tips or tricks to help with this? It's really getting me down and I am so tired that I feel like I'm walking around in a haze.

The only thing I can think of doing is getting an airbed and putting it into the living room and just lay down and hope that she will settle with me (my other half has a very stressful job so taking her into our bed is out of the question) but am i making a rod for my own back and will I always have to sleep like this?

TIA xx

I am looking for advise for exactly the same problem with my 23 month old son. He slept until about 2 months ago and since then it has been a very difficult time. I have taken to sleeping in his room with him (in a seperate bed)and it seems the only way I can get some sleep at night. I am against what I am doing - I would never have done it with my first child but waking the whole house is not doing any of us any good. It is helping and I figure at some stage this phase will pass but I am also concerned that I am going to cause problems further down the line.....sorry I can't be of more help but know how you feel.

Thanks for your reply Morjar, at least I know I'm not alone! Do you think it's your little boy's teeth? I'm worried now that this has become more of a habit for her rather than teething problems?

The putting a bed in their room is a good idea (I too would never have done this with my first but need some sleep) unfortunately her room is not big enough for a single bed and her cot which is why I thought of an air bed down in the living room. I guess I'm just hoping that we can get at least a little sleep and that it won't be forever

God do I hate the expression 'rod for your own back.' It's just another form of mummy guilt.

If you and she can get more sleep by setting up a way to co-sleep, do it. Trust me, she will not be sleeping with you for the rest of your life or hers.

My son (16 months) has been doing this all summer as he has been ill non-stop. Bringing him into bed with me means we all get to have a good night's sleep. And some nights he has started to sleep longer in his cot.

Thanks Tee2072, I'm off to get a pump now for the airbed, I have tried everything else so if this works then fantastic. I'm not going to beat myself up over it we both need to sleep somehow :)

Exactly, you both need sleep and if that works, do it!!!!

My mum has spent the whole summer insisting that my son 'has to be in his own bed'!!! When I asked why if we're all getting more sleep this way she replied 'because I insisted on it with you!!' Yeah. That's a good reason.

And I think you'll find most people's reasons are the same.

I spoke to my SIL about it, as her daughters are 7 and 10 and she said 'by the time they're 5, it's not really an issue any more.'

And also, by the time they're 5? You can bribe them!!!

That is so true, hehehe :o