Dealing with Sleep Issues

Sleep is one of the most stressful parts of being a parent. I truly think that sleep is so important to a child's development. Giving your baby (and your big kid too!) plenty of sleep is just as important as giving them plenty of food. So much about sleep is counter-intuitive and many parents find themselves not able to figure out how to get their baby to sleep!

You can find my first post on sleep issues and routines here. I can't speak highly enough for the book, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. That post gives my thoughts on the book. Many of which will probably be repeated here.

All of my thoughts on sleep and sleep issues were completely challenged when Adeline came along. From the first night home, it became clear she was not going to be an easy sleeper like Will. Don't misread that to mean she needs less sleep. She needs just as much, if not more, sleep than Will did as a baby.



The difference is that Adeline was colicky (just extremely fussy). She proved the "six week peak" theory as described in Healthy Sleep Habits. Basically, Dr. Weisbluth says that most babies' fussiness will peak at around six weeks of age and gradually get better from there. Boy did it peak! Adeline also met his criteria for being colicky. For at least six weeks, we spent every evening from 6pm (on the dot!) to at least 11pm intensely soothing Adeline to prevent crying. Sometimes it didn't work and we had to endure the screams. Sometimes it did, as long as we kept up the soothing efforts. To say she was high maintenance would be an understatement.

Dr. Weisbluth also warned that colicky babies may have a more difficult time learning sleep patterns and good naps. This is precisely why she fell asleep and napped in her car seat on the dryer, with it running, for at least 5 months. (At least my laundry was always done!) Around 5 months, we decided to let her cry it out for bedtime. It took a while, but finally she learned to fall asleep on her own. During that time, she still napped on the dryer as it seems bedtime habits develop before consistent naps do. Eventually she started napping in the crib.



Now at 7 months, she finally goes to sleep and naps with little to no crying. She is still more sensitive to changes in her sleep. For example, last night she went down about a half hour too late and spent about thirty minutes crying because of it. Her sleep schedule is naps from 9-11 and 1-4, bed at 6:30 and awake around 7am.

I wrote my first sleep post when Will was 17 months old. Since then, we've dealt with the following:

• Getting rid of the pacifier
• Dropping morning nap
  
• Transition to a toddler bed
• Addition of a new sister

Some have been more successful with than others. All had some affect on Will's sleep patterns. None were completely disastrous, in part because he started as a good sleeper and one who had a predictable routine. Naps and sleep times have been one area that I've been very protective over. We've spent many nights in while one or both of our kids needed a 6pm bedtime. I can remember times when Will needed a 5:30 bedtime. And yes, he slept until 7am or later.

Myth: The earlier to bed, the earlier they will rise. Truth is, sleep begets sleep. The more well rested they are, the more they will sleep. And a happy child will be the result!

When we dropped the paci, I went cold turkey. He was only using them in his crib at sleep times, but I'm not sure I would do it this way again. The good news is that I won't have to because Adeline has never taken to a pacifier, despite my GREAT EFFORTS. She prefers her thumb. Loosing the paci seemed to hurt naps more than night sleep. But after about a week, he was back to normal! One thing I would do is take the paci away earlier. He was far less attached to that paci around 12 months versus 19 months when we got rid of it.

Dropping the morning nap simply meant a slightly earlier afternoon nap time and an earlier bedtime for a while. As I've written before, we transitioned that nap time to a morning quiet time that he still does now.



The transition to the toddler bed was most detrimental to naps. He had the freedom to play more and has missed several naps completely since getting the big boy bed in July. He had just turned two when we went to the toddler bed and at first it went smoothly. But the novelty soon wore off and he learned to exercise his new freedoms. It took a few months, but he mostly naps well now. If he doesn't nap well, then that means an earlier bedtime for sure!

There is my rundown of our sleep issues for the past year or so! How have you dealt with sleep issues in your house?