sleeping problems/toddler and newborn

[shaylen]

Hi, I have an 18 month old daughter who continuously wakes up every night at around 2:30 am crying. I go in to her, give her her pacifier, juice, then leave the room, and she will cry on and off for the next hour. Sleep deprivation is terrible, I thought I was all done with this after we got out of the "baby" stage. Any ideas???
Thanks

She also has not napped during the day since she was about 14 months, although she sleeps 11-12 hours through the night. Is there a right way, wrong way, of doing this, my neighbor who is due in March with her first, has been asking me about sleep patterns in newborns, and really, I'm not sure what is right, what is wrong, etc, as mine both didn't nap really well at all.
Thanks

[auzziekat]

Hi, Sleep yes that's what all parents want and need!! lol
As for your daughter, well I would stop going into her in the middle of the night, because any attention is good attention to a toddler, whether it be good or bad. After three or four nights I bet she will stop waking up, what she's doing now is she is going through a restless sleep period and she stirs and wakes up then cries out knowing that you will come in to her. After a few nights of you not going into her she will arouse but go right back to sleep because she now knows that you will not come into her, before you put her to bed on the first night tell her, mommy loves you but if you wake up tonight I'm not coming in ok. As for your neighbor tell her to buy the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Marc Weissbluth, it is available at babiesadvantage.com, he is my sleep god and I have taken care of about 100 babies in the last 14 years and his program really works, what Dr. Weissbluth says is to not let your baby stay awake for more that two hours at a time, I know this may seem ridiculous but it really works, in fact you should probably get the book yourself because it goes up into the teenage years.

[gregor]

I have to agree :D
It seems harsh, but works.
In my case it worked the first night!
We got my daughter to sleep through the night (if I remember right) at 8 month.

It is the same principle when they get older and throw their little fits because they don't want to go to bed.

Its like this:

phase one: a little crying
phase two: screaming for up to 40 minutes (now you have to make sure they are not hurt without letting them know you are looking into the room)
phase three: silence (again you are worried something happened, so find out without letting him/her know)
phase four: a 5 minute screaming (last test, "will mom come in the room now?" :P )

That's it.

I know people that did that with their first child when it was two years old, and then with the second when it was one. Worked perfect.
As I said, my daughter was 8 month when we tried it and it worked fine.

much luck!