Ok so my 16 month old has pretty much always been a shit sleeper. My oldest was great and I thought I was just an excellent parent (ha!) But we had been getting somewhere and she started to sleep in her own cot (7/8 til 4/5ish) most nights.
We have an older child and both work full time in demanding jobs so thus far we’ve followed the whatever works philosophy which usually (but not always) involves holding her hand until she’s asleep in the evening and if she wakes in the night bringing her in with us. Up until a few weeks ago she slept until at least 4 most days so at that point I’d bring her in with me, I get up at 5 anyway so I would lie and snooze while cuddling her back to sleep and she’d stay in with DH until 7ish.
Well the last week or so she’s cottoned on to the fact that waking = cuddles in mummy’s bed and has been waking earlier and earlier, last night it was midnight!
I’m at the end of my tether and I really didn’t want to let her cry, especially given the risk of her waking my older child but last night we did, going in every few minutes to lie her down. She cried for an hour and a half. At which point I thought I was going to pass out I am so sleep deprived and I made the stupid decision to give up and she was in our bed. I know that was ridiculous and probably made everything a million times worse but I had to get some sleep or I wouldn’t be able to function.
Essay over, I really don’t think I can do the leaving her to cry thing, last night broke my heart. She’s loud and very very very determined. She is perfectly happy in the day and as soon as she got into my bed she was smiling like the cat that got the cream so i am confident it’s just sheer determination to be in my bed rather than there being any other issues like teething. There must be something I can do though! I don’t mind getting up to comfort her in the night, she just has to go back to sleep in her own bed.