those of you with 13 month olds or close

So - I've never been a CIO fan as I'm a wimp, but I think it's in order as my girls are still not STTN. They will every once in awhile and it's great, but then they go through stages and will wake 1-2 times a night - and not at the same time. Do your 13 - 15 mo. olds sleep through the night yet if you haven't done CIO? I've done modified versions - if they wake up after I've given them a bottle once - I don't go in there and I let them CIO - and they will fall back to sleep. I get SO much advice and go through times where I think I'm totally doing things all wrong etc. and it's so frusterating. Carley is getting a molar and I think that may be why she's waking - both of them have teeth popping in like crazy and I'm sure this is the cause of night waking - but if it is, do I still let them CIO? or would you go in and give them motrin / medicine? I am SO ready to be getting more sleep and like I said - I KNOW I should do CIO with them - my other dilemma is that I work full time and am a single Mom, and it's SO easy for me to give them a bottle and have them fall back to sleep than do CIO and be up all night for 2 or 3 nights. I'm stuck! What are your kids doing as far as sleep habits and is this normal? TIA!

 

We are still up at night... I just night weaned them a week ago but they wake up once or twice each night. We don't do CIO, so I'm no help there. What I did was just not offer anything and it took a week of using other soothers to get them to stop looking for food. Even though they wake up, they generally go right back to sleep. good luck!

 

My girls, for the most part, sleep through the night. They may wake up and cry occasionally. When they do, I wait a couple of minutes to see if they will re-settle themselves. If they don't and/or the crying escalates, I go in, sit in the glider and sing until they go back to sleep. Most of the time this works. when it doesn't, I eventually pick up whoever is still crying and rock them back to sleep. If they are both wide awake and crying, or they begin to cry again each time I put them back up, I let them CIO...

 

I'd suggest CIO for you, especially since you're a single working mom. It'll be worth it, after the first few days! We've done it a few times (our boys generally sleep through but go through phases of waking up at 5 am, and we have to let them CIO).
Maybe start CIO on a Friday night- for us the first two nights are always the worst, and by the third night the boys either sleep through or only cry for about 5 minutes.
CIO can be HORRIBLE when you're in the thick of it, but it is sooo worth it in the end. EVERYONE is happier and more rested.

 

I am going to admit to doing a big no-no here....I put a bottle of water in the bed with them. I have recently become a single mom myself (pretty much have been since the beginning) and I work full time so my sleep is just as important. There is no way I can take care of all the things I have to take care of if my batteries aren't being recharged and I figured at this age there was no way they were starving at 2am! When I first started doing it the bottle would be empty when I got them out of bed in the morning, but now I don't even think they touch it considering it is still almost full in the am. I will probably continue to put it in there for a while longer, but I think they are phasing it out on their own. I know that it is something you really shouldn't do, but hey you do what you have to in order to make it through right?

 

QUOTE(stacyw @ Feb 14 2008, 07:27 PM) [snapback]622032[/snapback]
I am going to admit to doing a big no-no here....I put a bottle of water in the bed with them. I have recently become a single mom myself (pretty much have been since the beginning) and I work full time so my sleep is just as important. There is no way I can take care of all the things I have to take care of if my batteries aren't being recharged and I figured at this age there was no way they were starving at 2am! When I first started doing it the bottle would be empty when I got them out of bed in the morning, but now I don't even think they touch it considering it is still almost full in the am. I will probably continue to put it in there for a while longer, but I think they are phasing it out on their own. I know that it is something you really shouldn't do, but hey you do what you have to in order to make it through right?

HEY! That's a great idea! I don't see a thing wrong with it! Heck - I give my girls formula in bed and that's a big no no too. :mellow: I will try this as sometimes, I think they are just thirsty!!! And I'm with you - you gotta do what you gotta do - especially when you are "doing" everything on your own! Sorry to hear about becoming a single Mom recently - hope things are better for you now? that's how it was for me - MUCH happier for me and my babes - even though it was SO much work for me.

 

Mine aren't quite 13 months, but just since their birthday they've gone from waking twice a night to nurse, to once or not all for DS, and once to twice still for DD. I do let them fuss a little longer than I used to if they wake before I think they 'need' to nurse (around 12-1am). It is usually DD who thinks she needs something, so I've found that if I let her fuss for a real 5 minutes (not the sleep induced "I'm SURE she's been crying for five minutes" when in reality it's been like 45 seconds) she usually settles back down. If they truly don't settle down after like 5 minutes I go in and try to soothe by just picking up and holding still for a few minutes or I'll nurse if that didn't work. HTH, jsut what we're doing around here. BTW, they nurse to bed at 7-7:30pm and sleep in til about 7am, not sure if that matters

 

Is it a bad thing to put a water bottle in with them? I have done this will all four of my kids. They LOVE it. (Now it's sippy cups) The reason not to is rotted teeth from milk or juice. Water doesn't rot teeth. It's always worked here.

 

QUOTE(MamaKimberlee @ Feb 14 2008, 04:30 PM) [snapback]622319[/snapback]
Is it a bad thing to put a water bottle in with them? I have done this will all four of my kids. They LOVE it. (Now it's sippy cups) The reason not to is rotted teeth from milk or juice. Water doesn't rot teeth. It's always worked here.


Glad to see I'm not the only one.

 

We quit night feedings when they decided to quit nursing at night (no way after 8 months of breastfeeding am I making a bottle at 3 am!) So since about 8 months, they have slept 7-7 without fail. We might go up there once a month at most, in the middle of the night. If this happens it's because they keep crying after a few minutes and I can tell they are sick, have a poopy diaper, etc, but it's rare that this happens. If they do wake, it is never more than a minute and they go right back to sleep.

We did have to CIO for naps with DS, but I guess lucked out that we really never had to do it with bedtime. Maybe I'm just lucky, but I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that we never break routine. Bath, jammies at 6ish, bottle at 6:30 while watching Wheel of Fortune, then bedtime at 7. We rock them and talk to them for about 2 minutes, in the dark, over their cribs, put them down, and leave the room. They are out within two minutes. Like maybe twice in the six months have they stayed up late, and that was like 30 minutes for rare occasions. I really do think consistency is everything.

It sounds like you are still giving bottles at night? Personally, at this age I can't imagine that is necessary. I would wean them over the course of 7-10 days, making the bottle smaller by an ounce every 2-3 nights, until there is none. Most likely they are waking out of habit.

I cannot even imagine how hard all this is buy being a single mom, but I think you'll make everyone better rested in the long run, in return for a few rough weeks. They are so smart at this age, they know if they cry you will come...... Usually, I can tell the difference between a fussy cry, and a cry that means there is really something wrong....but not always.

I hope this helps in some small way, and I hope you get a FULL night's rest SOON!

Hugs,

Jennifer