Toddler And Up!

galaxy wrote:Just wondering about sleeping habits for those of you who have toddlers approx Molly's age! I am going out of my mind here. I had the perfect sleeper until she was one, where she would go in her cot awake, I would leave her and she would just go to sleep. Then she just started to scream and end up making herself vomit so we got into a really bad habit of pushing her in her puschair to get her to sleep and then transfer her to her cot. A few months down the line we thought that she would be happier having her cot changed to a bed so we did that and put a bed guard on and although she doesn't scream, she just thinks that bed time is a big game! It takes her between 1hr (if we're lucky) and 2 hrs to go to sleep! With a new baby on the way, I am desperate to nip this in the bud but being so sick, I don't have the energy to keep going back into her room to put her back into bed. I'm not sure if we should change the bed back to a cot and just let her cry or what we should do! I know we have made a rod for our own backs but this kind of stems from my ppd as I would start to get very paranoid when she cried, I used to think she was going to die or something!

Emma, I don't know what to tell you hun, I've been lucky in this department. We just recently put Audrey's big girl bed in her room and she napped great one day, but at bedtime she cried, so we put her back in her crib. Then the next day, she thought nap time was a game too. Do you give Molly milk before bed?? There's something in milk that helps one sleep....don't know if it just doesn't work. I've had difficult nights with Audrey don't get me wrong, but they are few and far between. Anyways hope she eventually gets into a routine for you before her baby brother/sister comes into this world.

Thanks Guys, well what happened one night was dh decided he was going to stay in the room but have no contact with her and each time she got up he would put her back in bed. Well the first night she got up at one point and dh said 'go back to bed' and she looked at him in the eyes and said 'no!' So that was it he said right Daddy's leaving, you can go to sleep on your own if your such a big girl. He came out and she cried and cried and he literally had to pin me down on the bed to stop me going to her. She stopped after 25 minutes and I then realised that she knows much more than we realise and knows how to manipulate us. We have done the same every night since then by putting her in bed, giving her a kiss and walking out and by about night 4 she would not cry and just go to sleep. I feel so much more energised, though she has been coming into bed with us a few times in the middle of the night due to teething, colds etc. I am just happy we have made this progress as it means if I feel really tired with the pregnancy, I can have an early night. I have decided this next one can have a pacifier and we will be a bit harder I think with bedtime. I wanted Molly to have a pacifier but my mil gave me trouble about it and I got all upset but her daughter has just used one and she is happy to use it when she is babysitting so I'm not going to take any notice this time. It's all on my terms, not hers!