walk in walk out 5 hours a day. I'm getting desperate, OT and panicky. Help!?

[Dominique71]

I would welcome any help or tips. I'm getting desperate and panicky over my son's crying when I take him to bed. I just don't know what to do anymore.

I do walk-in walk-out for an hour in the afternoon before he naps, for about 2 hours at night and then another 2 hours in the middle of the night - usually from 2 to 4. And now he's started waking up about an hour earlier than usual too. And he wakes up crying! This has been going on for 2 weeks, but the night waking for only about 5 days.

My little one has always been such a wonderful sleeper and on occasion I have applied WI WO and it's always worked within days. No problem. He's always seemed to love his bed and his sleep.

What makes it really difficult is that he cries worse when I walk in the room. He cries but calms down a little when I stay out, but sort of flares up when I go in. And I have to go in because he stands up and throws his pacifier overboard and he can't sleep without it (or won't). Also, I just have to go in because I can't leave him to cry all by himself very long.

I've tried slow withdrawal in the past, but he just never goes to sleep if I do that. He's so glad to have me there, whether I ignore him or not, that he stays awake for hours. I've never seen him fall asleep when I was around after he turned 1. He needs to be alone, apparently. That sounds like an excellent basis for sound sleeping all by himself, except he just won't go to sleep. And he getting so OT. You should see the blue circles under his eyes. He walks around like he's in a daze. I feel so bad for him!

I don't know what to do. It just makes me want to cry, but at the same time I'm so frustrated that I'm starting to understand why some parents give children a spanking when they won't sleep. Don't get me wrong. I would never, ever do that in my life, but I feel so powerless that these irrational thoughts sometimes well up.

What can I do? I'd welcome any tips or ideas at all.

Thanks!

Dominique
shell-shocked Mom

[em_here]

}}}}}}}}}}}}}hugs{{{{{{{{{{ sweetie, my previously good sleeper is now being a monster as shes been poorly, it really does set your temper soooooo on the edge doesnt it.

How old is your son?  Has anything new been happening? Any illness?  Any teething going on? What is your routine?

Sorry for all the Q's but if you can answer them all, we will have a bigger picture

Hugs and hang in there, I know its hard xxxx

[dizzy]

Is it an over tired cycle?
My LO gets like it if over tired and then sleeps less. Then we have to have a day when we let him sleep lots to get it back. We founf that if we let him have a long morning nap it got worse so had to limit morning nap and then have longer afternoon nap or no morning nap and long afternoon nap and early bed. If we get this right he is fine, if not we get unsettled nights and early waking at 5.30 am.

[Dominique71]

Thanks so much for your replies! It help to know people sympathise and it helped just to be able to express myself. Also reading some of the other questions people put here inspired me to calm down. I realize there are people in situations much worse than mine. Maybe my calmness helped because my lo has been going to sleep a lot faster all of a sudden.

My son is 23 months. He seems to have made a developmental leap recently. He tends to have little temper tantrums during the day, which I pay no mind because i don't want to stimulate him. I believe he's decided playing is more fun than sleeping and that he wants Mommy around all the time, so he's been throwing huge tantrums at having to go to bed! And silly me, I've been doing wi-wo, but too fast. I believe I've been making it worth his while to have a big tantrum! I read up on mantra-crying, paid very close attention to him and managed to leave him to yell it out for about 3 times as long as I'd ever done before. That would be 7 minutes, I believe. 

Since yesterday he's taken about 20 minutes to settle each time he goes to sleep.

I feel like I'm saved!

Thanks again for your support.

Dominique
calm-mom