3wks of no naps

Ok, I am so ready to be done with this nap boycott and these sleep issues! It has been 3wks with crappy or no naps and fighting me at every sleep time.

So here are my questions:

I always give my girls the opportunity to nurse to sleep. If they dont fall asleep nursing then it takes them that much longer to fall asleep, like close to an hour or not at all. Is it time to CIO AGAIN and STOP nursing them to sleep? I feel like I have regressed to newborns again, where I am afraid to move them after they are done nursing because I might wake them! Thats no way to do naptime!

My girls share a crib and we share a bedroom. 2 cribs is NOT an option! FOR THOSE WHO HAVE SHARED A CRIB LONG TERM, did you hit some rough patches that needed to be worked out? Like kicking each other and hair pulling? Do I continue to keep moving them back to their own sides or let them work it out on their own?

Thanks for any and all advice!

 

Hmm... this is the time of high distraction, but you already know that! My twins have always shared a bedroom. Naps though have been slightly different at this age (8 monthish). I would put dd down in her crib with her plug and I would put ds down in a bed (different room). I'd put a pillow blocking any rolling escapades. He was the tougher of the two to put down. It worked. I did eventually move him back to his crib for naps, but it got me through the rough patch. :hug99: I hope you find something that works! My two learned to sleep through the other's cries... still do.

 

With my older DD she always still nursed to sleep at that age and then I would just transfer her to the crib but that was easier with just one. And with the boys they were just being placed in their cribs for the morning nap with no bottle beforehand. But they did get a bedtime bottle that they may or may not have fallen asleep on. So you might want to start with the morning nap and just going through a routine with no nursing and letting them start to self soothe again. And once they get that down, maybe the afternoon nap will fall into place. Sorry, no great ideas. Hang in there. :hug99:

ETA: We did not share cribs so no advice on that one.

 

I have let mine CIO in the same crib before. Even when they are in the same crib 1 baby might be crying and the other is right next to her, sleeping through it. I would let them CIO.

I have been through times with mine when they refuse to nap and it is so stressful!

This is what I do (some might think it's harsh). First I tell myself and the babies "you have to nap. It is not a choice, I am your mom and I know what's best for you. Napping is not a choice, it's mandatory in this house!" I swear I say that out loud to mine. So I say that to them in a stern voice and I put them in their blankeys and give them each a lovey and put them in the crib. Do you have a special little stuffed animal for each baby? Mine love their little pink teddy bears, they each cuddle a bear when they go to sleep. Beforehand I set a time limit...I'll set my alarm to go off or something like that and then I will go do something so that I don't hear their cries. I take a shower or shut their door and go in my bedroom and shut my door, something so that I'm not sitting there listening and I stay away until the alarm goes off. 9 times out of 10 they fall asleep within 10 minutes, and if someone is still awake I will go in there and pick her up for a second so that she calms down but then she goes right back in the crib and I give her the lovey and rub her back or belly for a minute. If that doesn't work and she still continues to cry then I will let her cry for the entire hour and then let her get up. If mine cries for an hour she is exhausted afterward and then usually falls asleep with the next feeding. Then I've got 2 babies on different nap schedules and while that's not ideal it is better then when I let them not nap when they fight it, because then the next nap or bedtime they do that again. I've been there, I know it sucks!!! I would definitely try letting them CIO!

 

Aimee- I basically do what you do and it is SOOO hard! But there really is no alternative for us. I have to go downstairs into the office and shut the door so I don't hear it or go outside.. basically to the neighbors cuz they are LOUD when they cry! I ONLY do this when I know they are very tired.

Here's what happens to me when I do that tho.. 9 times out of 10... the one who doesn't fall asleep, cuz we know.. there's always ONE that doesn't... CRIES THAT WHOLE TIME and the other one finally passes out... but then it's wake up time and the crier stayed up and the other one got a crappy nap out of the deal!! That stinks! It's a lose lose for me cuz they share a room and 1. I have one that bawled his guts out for over an hour and is covered in tears, sweat and even puke sometimes and visibly shaken, and another baby who fell asleep after fighting it HARD for 20 minutes of crappy scream filled sleep! It doesn't work for us!! I end up getting the screamer up and leaving the other one to sleep for 20 or so minutes til he wakes up. It's not ideal- at all.

Cuz then it bites me BIG TIME when the next nap comes up cuz the one who screamed the longest is BUSHED and the one who got the crappy chunk of microsleep- isn't ready for a nap but didn't get enough quality sleep to be HAPPY!! UGH.

Cohlee- you are the only person on this board that has had nap issues like me. I have had them the entire 9 months tho and i think you got a little reprieve in there somewhere where they did go well. I'm soo used to it, it's not a big deal anymore really. I just HATE when 4:00pm rolls around cuz I'm solo and these guys are FURIOUS!

 

I know nothing about nursing, so can't give adivce but wanted to wish you luck on figuring it out.

Dianna

 

I can't help with the crib issue, but it sounds like maybe it's time to try CIO again if you are able. We have done CIO with the babies in seperate cribs in the same room, and it has worked out fine, they have just learned to tune each other out.

Lots of :hug99: I know how hard sleep issues are!!

 

I just had to stop nursing Nathan to sleep. It was taking way too much time. For him, I sit beside his crib until he falls asleep. I tried CIO with him but it just did not work. So Tuesday I started to nurse him and then put straight in his crib. The first time I did it, he was very angry. He did go to sleep after 30 mins of me patting him on his butt. Yesterday (day 3) I just laid him down in his crib and he did not even cry and I just sat here till he fell asleep. It is so nice not to have to rock him and nurse him to sleep.

Natalie is my good sleeper. I did CIO with her at 4 months old. For her, she has to cry sometimes b/f she falls asleep.

I have had a very long 10 months with naps too. It seems like right when everything is going good, something else happens. We still dont have the night time routine going good. I still have to be in here for what seems like forever every night. But they are only babies once and I know this faze will pass soon enough.

 

QUOTE(ivfbound078 @ Jul 11 2008, 09:14 AM) [snapback]871267[/snapback]
Cohlee- you are the only person on this board that has had nap issues like me. I have had them the entire 9 months tho and i think you got a little reprieve in there somewhere where they did go well. I'm soo used to it, it's not a big deal anymore really. I just HATE when 4:00pm rolls around cuz I'm solo and these guys are FURIOUS!


Nope! We have the exact same problem. I just give up. I talked to the ped about it at our 6 month appt and he assured me that if they get 12 hours at night then it is fine for them to only take cat naps. Ugh! Not fun for us. We have tried everything and sometimes still end up with one napping for 20 min and the other not, only to have them on completely different schedules. Alas, they never nap for more than 45 min, so it isn't really "that" big of a deal, except there is no complete down time for mom and/or dad.

When they were smaller and I was still really trying to get them to nap on a schedule I put them in different rooms. I haven't tried that lately and since I know now that they sleep great at night in the same room and don't wake each other up, I really just think that my babies don't like to nap... esp DS.

I have no advice about the crib sharing. That would be really rough for us. :hug99: Momma deserves a break!!

 

No advice but wnated to give you a :hug99:

 

When the boys were sharing a crib, we would just let them work it out on their own. Usually, they'd retreat to their separate sides and go to sleep, but it was not a short or easy process. Naps became increasingly difficult, so it got to where Riley would sleep in the swing and Reese would sleep in the crib. And then the swing became a toy for Riley and that's when we had to go to two cribs (we don't have a ton of room either, but it worked). I understand that isn't an option for you, but would a pack and play in another room work?

I give the boys a bottle before their naps, but it's also incredibly difficult. They want to play or look around or squirm out of my arms to get down and play. For us (and I realize this doesn't work for everyone!), it's time to let them fall asleep on their own. They are getting the bulk of their nutrients from solids now instead of formula and should be able to put themselves to sleep. We'll see...

I wish I could give you better advice, but I didn't nurse. I know it's hard because it's such a bonding time for mama and babies, but you're also torn because they've got to nap and give you a break. I hope you're able to work it out soon. :hug99:

 

Well I was a bad mommy today and after my girls took their morning nap (which they did take) I took them out for the day. I figured since they have been only taking 1 nap at most then I might as well get some stuff done! Right?!?!

I think I am definitely going to hva eto stop nursing them to sleep. They DO know how to put themselves to sleep, I think they just need a refresher course. Weekends are so tough though because everyone is home <_< so this may have to start on Monday.

Thank you for all the replies!!! Hopefully some of the 1-4yr moms can help me with the crib sharing. I know there are some who were able to do it, I just need some words of wisdom and encouragement. You know a *this is a phase it will pass* I think what is happening is that they want to cuddle but they arent skilled enough to get out of each others way. Plus they both like hair but end up pulling each other's hair when all they really want to do is twiddle it to help them go to sleep.