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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

7 month old and 3.7 year old - sleep disaster

16 replies

Flambards · 26/01/2014 22:16

After 2 months of trying to get DS (7 months) to settle in the same room . With his sister (3.7 years) we've finally given up and moved his cot back into our bedroom. Dd was exhausted with DS waking her up and we couldn't let him so much as snuffle without haring in to check him and settle him back down so he wouldn't wake dd. We're all exhausted and frayed beyond reason, but having moved him out, I now realise we can't move him back in anytime. We only have 3 bedrooms and DH uses one of these for a study as he works from home a lot. We can't afford to move. Oh totally bloody hell, now what? Anyone got any experience of this?

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Twinsplusonesurprise · 26/01/2014 22:58

Yep. I got DH to give up his study. He couldn't work from home with us all banging, shouting and playing anyway.
DS has a new room. DH rents an office. There's no other way forwards - I couldn't find one anyway. It has worked though. DS now self settles - after quite a lot of help to get him in his bed relaxed. Better to do it now they're young.

Original poster

Flambards · 27/01/2014 07:31

Thanks twinsplusone! Unfortunately we can't rent an office so we're sort of stuck. I'm sure room sharing used to be the norm. I know loads of people whose children share and I can't get my head round why we can't! I'm in a bit of a panic as I'm back to work in 4 weeks and DS is still up over and over in the night with no signs of it getting better.

OP posts:

ExpatAl · 27/01/2014 08:49

Can dh use the kitchen table for a while?
Alternatively I'm sure the kids will get used to sharing.

MiaowTheCat · 27/01/2014 09:57

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

Flambards · 27/01/2014 18:26

Thanks expat and miaow. I think we did try at the wrong time and maybe should've left it later. Still I don't think we can try again with them. Dd was literally vomiting with tiredness and asking us to please take ds back to the hospital. It has fairly broken my heart to see and I can only hope shell put this behind her. In the meantime though we could either leave him in our room or perhaps convert a walk in wardrobe but its a bit Harry potter, especially when his sister has a whole double bedroom to herself. Aargh! It's not so bad now he's a baby but I am starting to wonder how long this can work for. Maybe in a few years (years!!!!) we could afford to move to a bigger place but 2 mat leaves in 4 years has naffed up or finances but good. I never dreamed this would be so much of an issue!

OP posts:

RalphRecklessCardew · 27/01/2014 19:27

Is the double bedroom big enough to convert into two singles?

Debj37 · 27/01/2014 19:28

Could you use a corner of your bedroom for the office space then pop DS into the 3rd bedroom?

Original poster

Flambards · 27/01/2014 21:26

Hi deb and Ralph, I wish, on both counts! DH needs a proper space and often works late into the night to meet deadlines, and the large bedroom is reached only by a staircase with one door. Damn silly house this! Victorian obviously but you wonder how families managed then. The implications of giving up getting him out of our bedroom are started to dawn on me and it's not pleasant. At least - haha- we can say for sure there'll be no more siblings to have to worry about!

OP posts:

littone · 27/01/2014 22:21

We had dd in our room until she was 2 as she was such a bad sleeper....

Hawkmoth · 27/01/2014 22:25

A workstation type desk where the cot used to be in your room?

RalphRecklessCardew · 28/01/2014 04:16

Millpond (who worked miracles on DS's sleep) say they help with sleep training children with siblings. Maybe try them?

cupcake78 · 28/01/2014 04:30

Either your dh moves to your room or somewhere else or you keep baby in your room for as long as it takes. If it's any constellation my 7 month old old is now worse than ever

Dirtymistress · 28/01/2014 05:28

My 10 month old has been an abysmal sleeper, and as such has been in and out of his 2.3 year olds brothers room. It's only this last month, just as I have returned to work, that he has got a bit better.
To be honest, whichever one wakes up first, gets plonked in our bed and returned to their own bed once back to sleep, or when dp or I are awake enough to be bothered. This is how we have survived it.

LoveBeingCantThinkOfAName · 28/01/2014 05:50

My ds was an awful sleeper so I didn't move him into dd room till he had started sleeping through. That was over a year after I went back to work. His sleeping in your room is what you need to sort out then move him back in.

FergusSingsTheBlues · 28/01/2014 06:04

We have seperate rooms but my baby still wakes up the older one, its a nightmare having kids screaming in stereo at 2am, 3am, 4am.,..my sons exhausted and has asked me for earplugs.....does anybody know if this would be ok?

justwondering72 · 28/01/2014 11:38

We have two boys with the same age gap, sharing a room now. We just kept ds2 in with us much longer, until he was sleeping more consistently. I think he was 2years when we put them together.

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