Support thread for people whose children won't go to sleep (light hearted)

[toomanywheeliebins]

First DC reasonable sleeper- fair share of bad nights and mucking around when we moved her to a bed but what you'd expect really. Dropped her nap early (just as second one was due). But ok.
Second DC - terrible sleeper. Entirely nocturnal for the first three months, then

Urgh iPhone.Woke every 40 mins, then awake for huge stretches of night (11-4 for example), early waking and now the cot sides are off (she climbed out and fell) refusing go to bed. She probably needs to drop her nap but she physically won't stay awake (crawls into a corner and sleeps). We've not had an evening for months. It's exhausting. I just want to not sit in a darkened room til 10pm. My heart sinks when nursery say 'lovely long nap'. Anyone else there? I expected this when they were a bit older but not now...

What age are your DC?

My DC1 was a great sleeper and I was the most smug mother. Patted myself on the back and praised myself for my wonderful routines, wonderful skills etc.

DC2 was born with her eyes open and barely closed them for the first year. Took an HOUR of driving every day to get her to nap, and she only ever slept for an hour. She never ever ever napped in the house, and abandoned her nap altogether at 15 months.

She also woke every hour during the night for a year. I was ready to run off to the hills, seriously I was struggling. She's 2.5 years now and sleeps better, but still wakes approx twice a night, and has only slept the full 12 hours a handful of times.

cries<

Ahhh, my threadly home... ds slept 12hrs at 10 weeks. I joked that I was better rested than my childless friends! Har har (hollow laugh). Dd is now 26 months and has never slept through the night. 2 wake ups is a good night for me. She sleeps, but she needs me close.

I've tried dropping the nap with mixed success, but somehow she's then so tired she wAkes up more.

And yes, I still feed her at night so rod for my own back blah blah.... it's like a guilty secret I don't admit!

Hmmm, now how to make this light hearted??

Oh and the every 40min thing nearly killed me.!!

Hello friends. Have some coffee! They are 2 and 4. I can sort of live with the early wake ups -5 am today- and the night wakings which are a bit less often and usually quite brief but it's the late nights as well. I have a full on job and by the time she is settled and asleep, I've sorted out some washing, I have to go to bed. It's hideous.
Someone at work yesterday said 'oh I do love my evenings after DC have gone to bed. We watch lots of box sets'. I nearly killed him.

It could be worse. I have a very good DH and he does his share

My DD was a terrible sleeper, she woke every two hours until she was 14m straight them seemed to one random night got 6 hours then the next night straight through.

She's now 2.3 and still likes to nap in the day but can wake up 2 or 3 times a night, if I cut the nap out she sleeps a lot better but if I don't give her a nap she gets so over tired she can get naughty and refuse to eat her dinner so sometimes makes it difficult to judge

I just don't feel human anymore. I also feel ( a bit) judged by smarty pants people that have never met my DC2.
I was a 7-7 baby from birth so unfair.

It's a really bad stage this though. Need a nap but nap means they stay up all evening