Need sleep advice for 20 mo old

So, it has been a battle to get my daughter to sleep through the night. We finally ended up doing CIO at 14 mo which didn't take long. She really didn't cry for too long when we put her to bed and if she woke up in the night she cried for maybe 5 minutes. BUT we got into the habit of if she woke up at 5AM or later that we would go in and give her some milk because she wasn't going back to sleep and she would go back to sleep until 7-7:30. Now I know I am probably going to get some heat from some on that. When we changed the clocks ahead and it was getting lighter out earlier, she started waking up around 6:30 and sometimes 6:20. When I go to get her she is very cranky and I feel like it is because she has not slept enough. Now it seems like giving her the milk isn't even helping anymore. She'll go back to sleep but then start crying again even earlier (5:45 this morning). So should we just stop giving her the milk and let her CIO, even though I know she will cry for a long time because the other day I was sleeping upstairs in our bonus room and my DH said she cried for an hour so he finally gave in and gave her some milk. I know we started a bad habit and I hate the thought of her crying for over an hour but I know something has to change. I also want to add that she only naps for an hour and a half and wakes up cranky then as well and again I feel like it is because she is still tired. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

What time does your DD go to bed? I'm wondering, since she is not napping long if maybe putting her to bed a little earlier might help her out. Can you put some quiet toys/books in her crib when she does get up earlier in the morning to keep her occupied until she is supposed to get up for the day.

 

You could also put a sippy of water in her crib so if she wakes thirsty she has something. I have a rule of nothing but water between teeth brushing and breakfast!

 

Thanks ladies. Those are good ideas that I haven't tried. We normally put them down between 7:30-8. We put them down a little earlier last night and she cried for 1/2 an hour before going to sleep. There she is now, crying after only napping for an hour & 15 min. I don't go right in there in case she will go back to sleep but 9 times out of 10 she doesn't. I swear the girl doesn't like to sleep. I joke that when she is a teen and wants to sleep I am going to enjoy waking her up. :spiteful: Bad I know. Oh, and we have curtains with the room darkening shades and wooden blinds in there. It's not pitch black but still dark enough to be able to take a nap. Sigh.

 

Mine only nap about 1.5 hrs, but they sleep about 12 hrs at night. Have you tried white noise...like a fan, an alarm clock set on static, or a white noise machine? Also what about lullabies? At nap time I leave the lullabies on repeat, it helps block the noise my older kids tend to make at that time of day. At bedtime the lullabies play through once (47 mins long) and then shut off. We leave a fan running at all times.

As for the morning wakings, I also would try the water and maybe a few toys. I personally never did the toys but I've also been super super blessed with kids who enjoy sleeping at night! :lol:

 

I second the earlier bedtime, white noise, and letting her CIO for the morning bottle. Also, maybe a high-protien snack before bedtime, like cheese or yogurt or something so her tummy is fuller longer? I find that if we put our girls (19 months) down later than their usual bedtime (7PM) that they get up earlier. And on days when they haven't slept or napped well, we put them down around 6:30 and they sleep late. I think it was Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child that said it's counterintuative, but the earlier babies/toddlers go to sleep, the later and better they sleep in the morning. Especially if she doesn't nap well. Good luck! Sleep challenges are SO frustrating!

 

We run something in her room to create a white noise. And when they are napping I put the bathroom fan on (the bathroom is next to her room) and in the hallway I put an air purifier on high (it's pretty loud) to block out any noises I may make. I have put water in her crib the past two nights and when she wakes up in the night she cries a little bit but not too bad and has gotten up at 6:30. I think the water helps the night waking so that was a great idea. I have heard that before about putting them to bed sooner but the few times we have tried it it doesn't seem to work out that way for us. We are moving in less than 2 weeks so I'm hoping the transition will go smoothly and not disrupt their sleep too much. A girl can hope, right?