I do not know what to do with this child. He wakes up every night at 4a.m. like clockwork… he pretty much always has. Most of the time, though, he would go back to sleep after Andy or I went in his room and comforted him.
This week, not so much.
And it’s not just 4:00 anymore, it’s 3:00. And 3:30. And 3:35. And so on, until 5:00, when it’s nearly time for Mommy and Daddy’s alarm to go off. Around that time, though, he’ll sleep peacefully. In fact, he was still asleep when I left for work this morning.
Last week he was teething really bad and when he woke in the middle of the night, we’d go in and rock him, or I’d nurse him, and we just had a grand time (or he did, anyway). Though we needed to do that because he was really hurting, we are paying the piper this week… because now he thinks the middle of the night is playtime.
Last night we implemented the theories of good old Dr. Ferber, which I know work – I know they do – but damn if it isn’t painful while it’s going on. I hope our misery last night will mean more sleep for everyone tonight. I really hope.
For now, though, I am relying on the 24 ounces of coffee sitting next to me. If that doesn’t work, do you think anyone would notice if I sat at my desk with sunglasses on so I could nap?
Ugh. This post just made my tubes tie themselves. I feel so bad for you guys! Sophie really didn’t sleep thru til she was like 15 months…I was so tired for like, ever! Good call on Ferbering, we should have done that more with her.
I know the internet mommies hate stuff like Ferbering, but in situations like these I think it’s what needs to be done.
Good luck on getting your sleep back! 🙂
We LOVE us some Dr. F around here! As long as you make sure you are doing it the way he says and not the way it get translated online or by word of mouth. Ds has always put himself right to sleep (well since 7mos. when he started it) and has just been the best sleeper! If he ever wakes up he puts himself back to sleep. 8)
Good luck!!!
The youngest princess is going through the same thing (she’s just about the same age) so I feel for you. My first was the best sleeper ev-a (always put herself to sleep from EARLY on). So this is quite the journey. Hang in there and bottoms up with the java juice.
You got to do,what you got to do. We finally got to that point to (at 6 mos). Carter thought 3:30 was play time, even when he really didn’t want to eat. After a couple of nights of letting him cry it out, he sleeps soundly now. Even if he awakens during the night, he will play for a moment and go right back to sleep. I know its not popular, but no one really wants to deal with me when I have had no sleep!!
Good luck, hope you get much needed sleep soon!
Aww, poor little guy. I’ve never let my kids cry themselves to sleep, so I have no advice on that. I’ve always just figured if they were up and needing me, I’d be there….that’s also a big reason we co-sleep. Everyone gets the snuggles they need, and we all sleep better. I gave up on staying up half the night, trying to get my kids back in their own beds years ago!
I hope your method gives you some peace soon though! And that everyone gets back to sleeping well!
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Hang in there, Emily! This is so hard, but in my experience, it has been worth it. Both of my kids were still waking up 2-3 times a night when they were 9-10 months old. So with both of them, I followed the advice of Dr. Weissbluth (Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, I love that book, all of his advice has worked perfectly for us), and let them cry. I think the only way it’s different than Ferber is that you don’t keep going back in and stretching it out, you just go in once, comfort, then leave and let it go as long as it takes. For both of my kids, it only took 2 nights, never a stretch longer than 45 minutes, and they were done with it. Good luck, I know it’s excrutiating, but I really support your efforts.
I feel for you. I really do! my little man went through the 4AM stage for awhile. He still on occasion will wake up around that time, but normally falls back to sleep. We use to go in the nursery even if he is just chatting. now the only way my tire butt is getting out of bed is if he is crying — crying not to be confused with whining 🙂 I know I am a weak one and the doctor yells at me, but I just can not listen to the the cry!
best of luck and hoping you have good nights ahead of you.
Crying it out is so painful. But you’re right – it does work. My daughter is a pretty good sleeper these days, so when she doesn’t sleep well, I spend the whole next day at work, thinking, “How did I even function last year?”
And then I realize that I don’t remember 95% of last year.
I hope he starts sleeping better soon – and in the meantime, I hope you can sneak in a nap or two!!!
We’ve done the Ferber method with our three; it’s definitely harder on mom than the kiddos.
We remember those nights of crying forever. They get to grow up and forget them!
Keep that in mind, ok? You gotta be strong – loving and supportive, but strong.
Smiles!