Hi,my 20month old daughter Sofia has always been a poor sleeper. The current situation is she co-sleeps on a floor mattress with her mum. She goes down fairly easily by laying with her and hand holding. We have a very strict nap schedule and bed time routine. She naps from 12:30- 2:15 (1hour 45mins). Then goes to bed at 7:45. She has a snack and milk before bed, and a magnesium spray massage before stories and her dummy is given. However, she now wakes every 3 hours, often shorter. It takes at least 30mins, up to 3 hours to get her back to sleep by laying with her. She insists on holding our hand during this time while fidgeting non stop. Would any kind of sleep training work here? Any recommendations? How long would it take? We are both willing to take time off work and commit to it, but I guess we’re skeptical it would work. My partner is suffering terribly with sleep deprivation and our mental health and work is affected badly. Totally at our wits end.
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InTheRainOnATrain · 23/03/2024 08:07
It sounds like issue is that she’s falling asleep with someone laying with her, then she’s coming into light sleep which is totally normal, and then waking fully because she’s wondering where you’ve gone. And can’t say I blame her. If you fell asleep all cuddled up with your partner then stirred to realise they’d disappeared without a trace you wouldn’t just shrug it off and go back to sleep, you’d wake up fully and go look for them. So I think you have unrealistic expectations of her!
She needs to fall asleep how she’s going to stay asleep so either embrace the cosleeping or focus on sleep training that has her falling asleep in her bed, on her own. For that you probably want to go back to the cot, unless she’s a climber or you’ve got rid, then put a stairgate on her door. Ferber/controlled crying is likely to be the quickest, typically it’s 3 nights, but not everyone has the appetite for the crying.
CoSleepingmum · 23/03/2024 11:22
The parents are Co-Sleeping according to the thread but issue seems constant and prolonged waking.
InTheRainOnATrain · 23/03/2024 08:07
It sounds like issue is that she’s falling asleep with someone laying with her, then she’s coming into light sleep which is totally normal, and then waking fully because she’s wondering where you’ve gone. And can’t say I blame her. If you fell asleep all cuddled up with your partner then stirred to realise they’d disappeared without a trace you wouldn’t just shrug it off and go back to sleep, you’d wake up fully and go look for them. So I think you have unrealistic expectations of her!
She needs to fall asleep how she’s going to stay asleep so either embrace the cosleeping or focus on sleep training that has her falling asleep in her bed, on her own. For that you probably want to go back to the cot, unless she’s a climber or you’ve got rid, then put a stairgate on her door. Ferber/controlled crying is likely to be the quickest, typically it’s 3 nights, but not everyone has the appetite for the crying.
Sleepydad85 · 23/03/2024 07:46
Last night she woke 10, 12, 3 and 5. Not often super tired. So I don’t think the issue is over tiredness. She seems to need less sleep than average in my untrained opinion.
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