some sleep help please

I have my three boys who all need help in falling asleep. since they were born, I have been rocking the twins to sleep. then when the twins go to sleep and i am now laying down with gavin in his bed until he falls asleep(he sleeps in a regular bed). well, i can't do it anymore. i need a break. i just spent an hour trying to get both twins to sleep to take their nap. i got grant to sleep and then i was trying to get garrett to sleep. grant woke up after only 20 minutes and woke up garrett. my poor2 year old hasn't gotten to take a nap yet becaue the twins won't sleep. I have to wait until the twins are asleep to lay down with gavin since i am by myself.

WHAT CAN I DO SO THAT EVERYONE WITH GO TO SLEEP ON THEIR OWN? I DON'T MIND DOING SOME ROCKING BUT THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO FALL ASLEEP ON THEIR OWN AT 10 MONTHS AND 2 YEARS, RIGHT?

I feel like i am going crazy. I never get a break and i always have atleast one cranky child because i couldn't get them to sleep. PLEASE HELP! I will take any and ALL advice.

THANK YOU

 

Big :hug99: ! I've been there and it is noooo fun, I tried all kinds of things and finally had to do CIO with my girls for naps. It was hard to do and I didn't like it, but now almost 100% of the time they both nap and will be asleep within 5-15 minutes of me putting them down.

I don't do the full on CIO, in that if one is seriously crying I will go in and give a pacifier and pat her back until she stops crying, then walk out. I do have to put them in seperate rooms, which I didn't want to do, but they were keeping each other from going to sleep.

I was as frustrated as you sound until I did this and now for the most part naps are a lot easier at our house.

 

Tell them it's nap/bed time, put them in cribs/bed, and leave. Do whatever you normally do, cuddles, kisses, sing a song, whatever, then it's sleep time and bye bye. I could never do full blown cio, but I'd make myself wait 15min before going in. I'd go in, pat, shhhh, give lovies back and leave again. No talking other than to whisper "it's time for night-night". With the two year old in a bed, I'd make sure there's nothing in his room he can get hurt on, lock or put a gate at his door and do the same thing. If you are consistent and don't let them see that their crying upsets you, it shouldn't take long for them to catch on. :hug99:

 

thank you for the advice. i know that is what i need to do, b/c i am starting to resent them and get mad adn frusturated at my kids for something i did. i am the one that made the dependent on me to fall asleep. i think i am going to do it tonight for bedtime and then tomorrow for naps. i will give you an update. thank you so much.

 

I started the 10 minute rule...I rock for a few minutes - give them each their blankets and zeebra's and DD a binky and I leave - and give them 10 minutes to fall asleep - if they are just babbling I don't go in but if one's crying I'll go back up after 10 minutes....they've gotten to where they generally fall asleep within that 10 minutes without fail...

 

One thing that really helps mine (especially my 2yo) is having an established routine; bath, brush teeth, stories, prayers, loves (hugs and kisses) bed.

Maybe it might help getting your two year old a comfort item. My 2yo has a blanket he loves.

If they do cry or whimper, I will go in the first time as soon as I hear them. Afterwards, I start to space it out a little more, 5 min, 10 min.etc. I will put the binkie back in, pat them, but never pick them up. After I have gone in a few times then I am done for the night.


Good Luck! :hug99: Having sleep and time to yourself is a big thing. I am such a better mom when I get those things.

 

QUOTE(natmarie @ Aug 27 2007, 06:24 PM) [snapback]382441[/snapback]
One thing that really helps mine (especially my 2yo) is having an established routine; bath, brush teeth, stories, prayers, loves (hugs and kisses) bed.

Maybe it might help getting your two year old a comfort item. My 2yo has a blanket he loves.



i totally agree. routine is the most important thing, especially when it came to my toddler. He is 2 1/2 and gives us no problem at night as long as we read a story or 2, let him watch a short show on "on demand" (Pingu), brush his teeth, & let him pick out pjs. then he gets in bed with his favorite blankie and we say goodnight to each of his "animals" as we put them under the blankie with him. At nap time, its the same routine, but no pjs or Pingu. He gives us a little trouble at nap time sometimes, I think because it is light out. He will get out of his bed and come downstairs and I will just put him right back in bed and say nothing. Usually he won't get out of bed more than 3 times. I'm thinking of getting his window in his room tinted since the light seems to be the culprit.

 

I agree with the PP -- I did CIO at 11.5 mos to stop my sons' 3 night wakenings to snack. It took only 2-3 days to stop the wakenings and a few weeks to make sure it stuck. As for naps... my son Wyatt was rocked up until that time and started getting real hard to get down. It was frustrating. I just started doing the normal nap routine.. but I started saying "good bye to all the toys" and told him that he had to go to sleep. I stopped going back in to check on him -- unless Ifelt he dropped his binky...

He now is like his brother and goes down drowsy but awake -- it only took a few 15 sessions of hardly upset crying -- more like fussing and it was done. NOw I will say that I seperated mine for naps as they woke each other... we now separate them for bed too -- and they sleep famously.

One other thought is to try and start introducing a LOVEY -- my other son COle loves his taggie blankets and they signal bedtime for him, so when he gets one (and he loved cuddling them) he knows its time to sleep.

Good luck

I was there a few weeks ago and I totally understand.

Teri D