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Parenting

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Original poster

23mo sleep - going mad!

12 replies

Peaplant20 · 15/04/2023 21:21

My 23mo still does not sleep through the night, and we still rock her to sleep which is killing us slowly.

I’ve recently tried putting her into the cot and trying to sing/ shush/ pat etc (all the things I do while rocking), but she gets absolutely hysterical. I don’t even know if I can put into words how upset she gets she screams and screams and it’s so loud it’s like something from a horror movie. It’s extremely distressing.

Has anyone else had a baby this difficult to transition to falling asleep in the cot and what did you do?

A toddler bed is not an option for us right now. She is extremely good and finding and doing dangerous things, even if the room was completely empty other than the bed she would find some way of hurting herself.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

SiouxsieSiouxStiletto · 15/04/2023 21:27

You have my every sympathy.

Can I ask how many times she's waking and what you do when she wakes?

Mamoun · 15/04/2023 21:32

Maybe try to put her in bed with the light on, no sleeping bag, with soft toys and books and tell her that she's doesn't have to sleep, just play. Put some music on, leave the door open and she might not realise that she's being tricked and fall asleep?
Otherwise get a sleep trainer to help you.

Original poster

Peaplant20 · 15/04/2023 21:37

@SiouxsieSiouxStiletto usually once a night and I feed her back to sleep. Im scared to try anything else in the middle of the night!

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Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

1 year olds Babies & sleep Children's sleep Families

wrigleys123 · 15/04/2023 21:43

Yes me hi! My second is nearly 2 and has slept through the night ONCE! I am dead on my feet. We co sleep as she could climb out of the cot by age one. No advice really but it's so so hard, she has aged me about 10 years in 2 years!

SiouxsieSiouxStiletto · 15/04/2023 21:44

If you're BFing, try some gentle night weaning. Actually it would still work however you feed her, you just might need to adapt it a bit.

Once my DD realised there was no milk, she just slept through.

Original poster

Peaplant20 · 15/04/2023 21:45

@wrigleys123 solidarity! My main concern is that I have a hen do coming up and I have no no no idea how anyone else is going to get her to go to sleep ever!!!

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MrsHsGirl · 15/04/2023 21:48

I also have a 23mo who doesn't sleep through so sympathies! I know you said not an option but the only way I have improved things for us is moving him into a floor bed so it's gone from me having to be sat up and rocking to just lying with him while he falls asleep, and then just going in and lying with him when he wakes during the night (at which point I generally fall back to sleep in there). My boy is pretty feral and I thought he'd be into everything when he could get up himself but he never ever bothers, if he wakes he just comes to get me (and I still use a monitor anyway so even if he didn't I would hear him and intercept

wrigleys123 · 15/04/2023 21:48

With my first I had a toddler bed kind of right next to our double bed so it kind of worked sometimes. Although most times she still ended up in with us so actually maybe it didn't work!

If you have a hen do she will sleep eventually as long as the person who is looking after her doesn't mind getting up in the night! My other half does the nights sometimes so I get a break, is that an option?

LapinR0se · 15/04/2023 21:49

I actually think that you being there doing all the things you do when you rock her is confusing her. She’s probably wailing at you “just pick me up mummy what are you playing at??!”
I would move to a completely different settling technique and I would tell her in the day exactly what will happen. Eg mummy will sit in the chair while you fall asleep but I’m not going to pick you up any more. At 23 months she’ll understand quite a bit of what you say.

shoopshoopdedoo · 15/04/2023 21:50

I’m with you! My 23 month old has never slept through the night, and has hated the cot since he could stand up. Since then, we have got him off to sleep by lying down beside him. Initially did this on our bed and then transferred to the cot, but switched to putting his mattress on the floor as he got bigger. Bought him a low double bed last week so now we snuggle up in this and then leave when he’s asleep. He always wakes up before midnight and we bring him into our bed for the rest of the night. Never thought we’d be those parents but I secretly love the night snuggles. Not sure what we’ll do when number 2 arrives… 😂

SiouxsieSiouxStiletto · 15/04/2023 21:53

Peaplant20 · 15/04/2023 21:45

@wrigleys123 solidarity! My main concern is that I have a hen do coming up and I have no no no idea how anyone else is going to get her to go to sleep ever!!!

There are some tips in 12 alternatives for the all night nurser.

Other things that helped us were sleeping with her sheets so that they smelled of our bed before we put them on and a lullaby light show.

If you want some more tactics, try the No Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers.

Lb123456 · 01/03/2024 22:54

Hi @Peaplant20 ! Just saw this post, we are in the same boat and I’m also nervous as I have a hen do coming up (abroad!) - did you find any tactics that worked? Thank you!

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