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Original poster

Sit up lay down nightmare - help!

14 replies

Teatimecakes · 24/08/2013 19:26

Ds is 10 months and bed time is a mate at the mo. he's constantly sitting up in the cot, I'm laying him back down again but he's up again before ive even turned my back. An I doing the right thing? Or should just leave him to get bored? Every night is taking well over an hour to get him off to sleep :-(

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Original poster
Teatimecakes · 24/08/2013 19:27

A mare not a mate!

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blushingmare · 24/08/2013 20:07

Oh my god, this was totally us a couple of months ago! I stayed by the cot, offered her water when she stood up, patted the mattress and said "time to sleep" regularly and periodically lay her back down. Avoiding eye contact as much as possible! It started with taking an hour and a half to get her down (a good book is essential!).

I still sit by the cot with her now, but only have to offer the drink and occasionally pat the mattress to get her to lie down. I sometimes need to rub her tummy a bit to get her to stay down, but often she'll just lie holding my hand til she falls asleep. It usually takes around 20-30 mins now.

Next step for us is to try gradually withdrawing the contact as she falls asleep, but little steps!

Original poster
Teatimecakes · 24/08/2013 20:11

He likes to fall asleep holding my hand too - he thinks it a big game at first - laughing every time and big smiles so very difficult to keep a straight face! Then he start crying out of frustration and wants a cuddle ..... Grrrr! We'd just got into a great routine before this started! Always something new....

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Jellylorum · 25/08/2013 10:06

I wish I had an answer! I've resorted to feeding to sleep again, which I haven't been doing for months. Any helpful hints gratefully received!

Original poster
Teatimecakes · 26/08/2013 19:39

An hour and 10 and counting - dh is taking a shift while I regain some sanity. Any tips? Anyone?! Please?!

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teacher123 · 26/08/2013 20:48

DS did this at exactly the same age. One nap time I cracked (had tonsillitis felt like shit) and after half an hour of going in and lying him back down I shut the door and left him to it! Within 10 minutes he was asleep and he hardly cried. DS finds me being in the room with him massively over stimulating. Tonight do whatever it takes, but maybe tomorrow try leaving him for a bit and see what happens.

pettyprudence · 26/08/2013 21:02

Does he become distressed for more than a minute (or whatever your threshold is - mine was longer!) if you just leave him to it? For my ds, having an audience would only encourage him and he would be delighted Grin

Original poster
Teatimecakes · 26/08/2013 21:02

I am considering this - leaving him to it. We did rapid return from 8.5 months and leave him crying for a minute at a time when he cries. This is really hard for me thou - but it worked really well and he slept fantastically for a month. Now feel like we're back to square 1 with the lack of sleep :-(

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Original poster
Teatimecakes · 26/08/2013 21:06

He will continue to scream and get more distressed if I leave him longer than a minute. Dh can stomach longer but I can't. Mainly because he has a hole in his heart. His consultant says he's fine to have a completely normal life and we don't need any special treatment for him. But the what if's?! Of letting him get distressed get the better of me and I just can let him cry

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teacher123 · 26/08/2013 21:20

Bless you, i'm not surprised you don't want to let him cry that's really hard. I think maybe gradual retreat/no eye contact might work better then. You know your baby best Smile. I do think that ignoring to some extent might help though, so maybe fiddle around with things and see? DS has had phases of crap sleep but has never been a screamer, he's now 16mo and for the first time ever this week he cried himself sick at naptime, and I felt terrible Hmm! Normally he chats for 5 minutes and falls asleep, but he was overtired and too hot and screamed and screamed. Was awful!

okthen · 28/08/2013 20:42

I hear you. Ds is 10mo and the same- but he stands up in his cot instead of sitting. And then can't get down again.

There is no middle way- he is either laughing and playing when we are in the room; or wailing and crying when we walk out. Eventually he gets so exhausted he lets me settle him in his cot. This can take an hour or more.

Good to hear it might get better soon!

Original poster
Teatimecakes · 28/08/2013 21:02

Thought I'd update. Last night we put him in his sleeping bag (we'd stopped using it while its been so warm - the sitting up wasn't an issue at the start of the summer when he was sleeping well). He can still move about in it and get himself sitting but it's a huge effort and he only tried twice!

He protested for about 20 mins but nodded off without too much fuss and slept thru most of the night.

In the bag at nap time too and went off easy. Tonight he went straight off to sleep with no fuss and no sitting up.

I've got the fan on in his room to keep him cool and he's just wearing a thin long sleeve t shirt and nappy under the sleeping bag. I'm paranoid about him over heating now! Lol!

But the sleeping bag seems to have done the trick! For now.....

OP posts:
teacher123 · 28/08/2013 21:34

Glad that the restraining powers of the grobag have helped! DS won't sleep without his on-even in the really hot weather Smile

MacMac123 · 04/09/2013 21:26

Watching with interest as have just started new thread on this and about a baby of the same age. Mine stands even in her sleeping bag.
It's quite sweet seeing their little faces peer over ( for about 2 minutes then it becomes a nightmare!)

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