happy tuesday that feels like a monday! :)
today's post on honest effort is a little different. it's a post admitting that something i've been putting effort into isn't working. so i'm asking for help. i'm not usually one to solicit advice, especially on the internetz, but we're a little (lot) desperate.
we've had some serious issues with laney and bedtime/naptime.
as in, it's not happening. ha! we've tried just about everything i can think of and nothing seems to work. it's been going on for about 4-5 months. i'll give you the "short and (not so) sweet version"....
she's still in a crib, but only because the first attempt at a big girl bed was disastrous - on so many levels.
we have planned to put liza in the crib and move laney and libbi in together in libbi's room. only now bedtime is so awful that i'm hesitant to move her. basically, she won't go to sleep without a fight. and she won't stay in her bed without a fight. and she can't (won't?) go back to sleep if she wakes up during the night. most nights our bedtime routine with her takes over an hour. it involves a lot of crying and a lot of rocking. i know she needs to be able to put herself to sleep. we shouldn't be rocking her to sleep each night for an hour and then transferring her to bed. she's almost 2.5. plus, then she wakes up around 1:00am each morning and can't get back to sleep so she scales her crib (which is a danger in itself) and comes into our room (which isn't really comfortable for anyone....except laney). if she does stay in her bed all night - which is rare - she will wake around 6AM ready for the day. much, much too early!
naptime is much the same. if it happens at all. it can take an hour or more to get her to calm down and fall asleep. and there are a good many days that i just don't have an hour plus to spend up in her room trying to get her to sleep. i've got two other babies to take care of, plus a host of other things, too.
you name it, we've tried it. i've turned her doorknob around, we've used the video monitor, we've tried cry it out, talk it out, scream it out, everything except for kick her out. -ha! kidding :) we've offered rewards, punishment, tried ignoring it, putting her in a crib, putting her in a big girl bed. i mean, i'd even let her sleep on the floor if that would work! :)
but she doesn't relent. she will literally scream and carry on for hours sometimes. is this something that we just need to wait for her to "grow out of" or is there a solution to our never ending sleepless nights? it's kind of sad that our baby sleeps better than her older sister!
so in the effort of being fully honest, i'm admitting that what we're trying isn't working. and i'm humbly asking for any suggestions you may have on helping our sweet laylay's bedtime run a bit smoother. she's just as cute and sweet as she can be, but Lord knows she needs some sleep - and so do we! :)
thanks for any advice or suggestions you have to offer! feel free to email me at:
mrsamytippins {at} gmail {dot} com.
"When I go to bed, I sleep in peace,
because, Lord, you keep me safe."
Psalm 4:8
