Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Sleep

Join our Sleep forum for tips on creating a sleep routine for your baby or toddler. Need more advice on your childs development? Sign up to our Ages and Stages newsletter here.

Flip

Original poster

HEEEEELP!

12 replies

MrsBigD · 04/09/2006 11:45

And here I am again begging mn for advise.

Had previous problems with ds (2 this week) sleeping and followed advise given on here (reduce milk at night etc.) and it sort of worked and ds started sleeping a bit better. Great we thought... until...

I dared go away for 4 nights without dh and kids to come back to totally disrupted nights. Fair enough I thought, I've been away and ds is going to be clingy for a short while etc.

3 weeks down the line it's worse than ever. He wakes up screaming and unless either dh or mainly I stay with him he will not settle back to sleep. Gave him benefit of the doubt thinking maybe he's teething etc as it's the kind of screaming you respond to because it's the high pitched 'I've hurt myself' type of scream. Though as soon as we're there he quietens down and happily snuggles back into his pillow. So here's wondering whether ds has cottoned on that we don't respond to 'normal' crying but will dash to the rescue for 'panic cry'.

Knock-on effect of his screaming is that dd usually ends up in our bed now over night and as she sprawls out nobody is getting a good nights rest.

Tried slow withdrawal from ds
Tried letting him cry for a bit - which woke up the neighbourhood

Basically I have 3 weeks to get him 'sorted' as I'll be off again galavanting around on a holiday without the kids - yes I know bad mama having a well deserved break

Dh will end up a pile of gue if ds won't sleep for the whole week I'm away.

Got my father coming over for the duration to help during the day/evenings but obviously dad needs his sleep too.

From experience... is it 'worth' it to 'crack' ds before I go on hols or you reckong he'll just be as bad again for when I come back after abandoning him again?

Further he's starting nursery tomorrow. So another traumatic even.

Hmmmm and here's me wondering why he's getting clingy!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Original poster

MrsBigD · 04/09/2006 12:24

no mn wisdom at all? I'm surprised

OP posts:

quokka · 04/09/2006 12:40

Hi mrsbigd have you tried leaving him to cry? Ds1 went through a stage if it and after a couple of nights of going into him it just got worse so we left him and it got better.

Does he have a special toy to cuddle, or maybe a night light might help?

Original poster

MrsBigD · 04/09/2006 12:46

quokka no favourite cuddly toy besides me most other stuff goes flying out of bed.

Tried letting him cry a bit but as we're in a block of flats he woke up a few parties! Not that they've told me but it's 'the looks' iykwim...

As for a little light he'd just see that as an invitation to play play play and never sleep

OP posts:

quokka · 04/09/2006 13:01

maybe take him to the shops and get him to choose a night time friend, who will cuddle him when he needs one. Ds1 never liked soft toys until he went through this stage, then we found monkey and he gives all the night time cuddles when mummy and daddy can't.

As for the light, dh put one up next to his bed, (one of those ikea stars that sticks on the wall) which I wasn't keen on as he went through a couple of weeks of switching it on and off. When I got fed up with that I said I would take it away if he didn't stop playing with it. Now if he wakes up he turns the light on (it's a really soft light) finds monkey switches off light and goes back to sleep

Original poster

MrsBigD · 04/09/2006 13:08

hehehehe how old is your ds again?

DD has 'magic bear' which is a teddy with a push light in his tummy. Problem is of course if she can't find him in the dark she can't turn his light on LOL

Used to have that ikea star push button light too but got fed up with having to replace the batteries every day or so due to 'light goes on, light goes off'

OP posts:

quokka · 04/09/2006 13:16

ds1 is 2.4yrs, our light is electrical so don't have to worry about batteries! I'm all for kids having independance ie; turning the light on finding teddy and getting back to sleep all on their own

Original poster

MrsBigD · 04/09/2006 13:19

had an electrical light too but again it was light on / light off for ages. Light = play for ds LOL

OP posts:

quokka · 04/09/2006 13:23

well we did unplug it for a night after misuse and when it went back on it was much better.

Original poster

MrsBigD · 04/09/2006 13:24

does that work with a 2 year old? wow. I keep underestimating the ability small children have, i.e. blackmail works both ways

OP posts:

quokka · 04/09/2006 13:31

definately! good luck with it

quokka · 04/09/2006 13:37

Was it you that sent me an email about carpal tunnel? I'm sure it was, anyway they think it might be tendonitis. Have you had it and if so did you have the steroid injection?

Original poster

MrsBigD · 04/09/2006 13:46

quokka yes it was me who mailed you re carpal tunnel syndrom and yes tendinitis I did have too, much of a muchness really I think one thing leads to the other

Had the cortison/steroid injections, in my case into the wrist and thumb root... if you're desperate go for it. They do work but boy did it hurt. Mine were about 15-18 years ago so doctors and methods might be a bit more refind now. Lets put it this way... when I went back to doc to request another injection he stated 'you definitely aren't faking your RSI if you're voluntarily go for the injection'...

OP posts:

Flip