BabyWhispererForums.com
SLEEP => Sleeping For Toddlers => Topic started by: onesock on June 13, 2006, 05:19:34 am
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I just wanted to mention how happy I am to have found this site! I have finally found a sleep training method that I'm comfortable with. Thank you so much for being here and offering your wonderful support. I have been lurking for a few days and researching the methods and your experiences. My 15 month old DD is cutting another tooth, so I'm waiting for that to end and then I'm prepared to start sleep training.
I have one quick question before I begin: Should I convert her bed back to a crib rather than a toddler bed so she can't climb out? She's never slept in it, just played in there so it would be easy to do.
I just thought of another question: I have been nursing her to sleep and then sleeping with her in her room since birth (long story). Should I attempt to nurse her to sleep and then sleep elsewhere first? Or should I just tacke the whole thing at once? I have a mattress next to her bed and I could try sleeping in there next to her. But I worrry that she won't try to fall asleep on her own. Should I just remove the mattress entirely or try to get her to sleep without nursing but with me still in the room? Then after that, move the mattress further away each night? Gee, I've become so confused!!! :-\
Thank you so much for your help!
Sonia
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Okay, I thought of one more question! I'm starting to act like a flake....it's 12:30am here, so that explains a lot!!!
Should I leave her bedroom door open or close it? Currently, we close it most of the way but I'm worried about her being scared in there all alone. Plus, with us going in there every 5 seconds we may as well leave the door open, right?! What do you think?
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Hey onesock--very cute name! Never did walk in/ walkout so not sure how much I can help but just had a question--where does she normally sleep? Is she with you on a mattress in her room? Maybe you can tell us exactly waht you do so that we can better help you formulate a plan.
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Let's see -
I would stop nursing her sleep but continue sleeping in the room with her until she understands no more nursing to sleep - maybe a week.
I would convert her bed back to a crib so she can't climb out.
THEN I would so walk out/walk in.
I close Henry's door all the way. He slept in the same room as us for 17+ months so I understand where you're coming from. I would keep things the way they are with her door - mostly closed but not completely shut. She won't be lonely - she'll be asleep! ;)
HTH! Good luck!!
Edited - In order to get her to go to sleep without nursing, you'll probably have to do some form of sleep teaching anyway. You may consider doing toddler pd until she goes to sleep without nursing or you may consider just cutting to the chase and doing walk out/walk in. If you do it all at once, it will be more difficult in the short term but overall it will be quicker so maybe easier. Make sense? Its most definitely not an exact science - what you do depends on her temperment and on you. HTH!
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Hey onesock--very cute name! Never did walk in/ walkout so not sure how much I can help but just had a question--where does she normally sleep? Is she with you on a mattress in her room? Maybe you can tell us exactly waht you do so that we can better help you formulate a plan.
;D Onesock comes from DD......every time I put socks on her, she rips one off!!! She normally sleeps on the mattress in her room with me. That's why I'm torn between the WI/WO and moving the mattress away each night!!!
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Let's see -
I would stop nursing her sleep but continue sleeping in the room with her until she understands no more nursing to sleep - maybe a week.
I would convert her bed back to a crib so she can't climb out.
THEN I would so walk out/walk in.
I close Henry's door all the way. He slept in the same room as us for 17+ months so I understand where you're coming from. I would keep things the way they are with her door - mostly closed but not completely shut. She won't be lonely - she'll be asleep! ;)
HTH! Good luck!!
Edited - In order to get her to go to sleep without nursing, you'll probably have to do some form of sleep teaching anyway. You may consider doing toddler pd until she goes to sleep without nursing or you may consider just cutting to the chase and doing walk out/walk in. If you do it all at once, it will be more difficult in the short term but overall it will be quicker so maybe easier. Make sense? Its most definitely not an exact science - what you do depends on her temperment and on you. HTH!
Her temperment is spirited, so that's also why I'm debating on which method to try. Either one will be brutal, but I don't want to traumatize her if I can avoid it! I was thinking of weaning her after the sleep training, but perhaps I should do it before? That way, I could cut out the nursing to sleep (actually, nursing altogether)! Or would that be too much at once?
Thanks for all your advice, it's helping me build my confidence and work out the right plan.
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Henry is also spirited. I didn't nurse him to sleep but I did nurse him - I would nurse him, swaddle him and then rock him to sleep. I tried gradual withdrawal/toddler pd but it absolutely didn't work for me. He thought it was a huge game when I was in the room and kept trying to play with me. It made me very angry so I decided almost immediately that walk out/walk in would be the better option for us.
Neither method will be brutal but either method will be hard. She will cry - she will object. You need to remember that you're not hurting her, you're just teaching her a new way to go to sleep. She's not crying because you're hurting her - she's crying because this is a new way to go to sleep and she's not used to it. That's all - you're doing something good for her by teaching independent sleep. Don't let the tears get you down - I know how hard that is but try. :)
You could nurse her first, then finish her bedtime routine, then do sleep training. That way she still has her night time nursing but goes to sleep on her own. That being said, if you're ready to stop nursing, there's no problem with dropping the before bed nursing now and doing sleep training on top. Like I said before, it will be harder to do it all at once but quicker.
Good luck!
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Those are very good points Sarah, thank you. I have some time to think about it, as I'm waiting for her tooth to decide what it's doing! I will keep you posted on our progress and most likely ask some more questions along the way! ;)