More Sleeping Issues - ugh!

[newmama12]

On Friday night, we decided that the paci fairy was going to come. We've been talking it up for months and dd (3) did well giving up her pacis, no crying or anything. In fact, she hasn't even asked for them in 3 days.

However....her sleep is all messed up. She's been waking every 2-3 hours each night and not napping the past 2 days. She's super crabby and tired. She's been so use to having the pacifiers as her soother and falling asleep aid that when she wakes at night now she's having a hard time settling back to sleep. Last night she went to bed at 7:15 woke at 9:30, 12:00am, 2:00am, 4:15am and 6:10am for the day. 6:10am is an hour sooner than she normally has been waking (before pacis were taken away).

When she wakes, she either cries or just calls for me till I come in there. I've been feeling bad since we just took away the pacis, so I go to her, tell her it's ok, and to go back to sleep. She usually does. But, this waking every 2-3 hours is killing me! It's worse than having a newborn - which I'm about to do in 10 weeks or so!  

Any thoughts or advice?! Do you think it'll just take her time to learn to fall asleep quicker (and stay asleep) w/out her pacifiers? Should I not to in to her and let her calm herself?

[deckchariot]

{{{{{hugs}}}}}  I do think it will just take time for her to learn how to soothe herself back to sleep without the paci.  She had 3 yrs of having it to soothe her, so now she has to learn a whole new way.  I would have a plan for how to comfort her (doing wi/wo is probably  best) so that you are consistent.  Try comforting her with just your voice (so you don't become a substitute for the paci).  Does she have a lovie?  I'd wait til she's crying for you, then open the door and say "it's ok, hug teddy (or whatever her lovie is) and go back to sleep"  The least amount of interaction is key = she'll learn how to do it herself, she just may need a bit of help right now.  I would not go in unless she's crying.

[brenda2]

ditto pp.

give it 2 weeks and i bet it will be a lot better.  for sure only go in if she's crying.  and a lovey of some sort would be good though if she's never had one she may not be so attached.  wiwo would be my plan of action too.

[newmama12]

Thanks for the suggestions ladies! She never really took to a lovey or stuffed animal (and I tried many of them). Probably b/c she had her pacifiers?! She does, now, have some stuffed animals in her bed, along with a blanket she likes.

Last night when I did go in to her, I just told her to hug her kitty and blanket. I didn't do wi/wo, but went to her bed. I am going to work on the wi/wo this week though, saying the same thing to her, just from her door.

She did wake up every 2-3 hours again last night, but is sleeping in now. I think it's b/c it's nice and dark and rainy in her room this morning. Normally, even with drapes, her room is bright in the morning when the sun comes in. Didn't bother her when she had her pacifiers, so, I'm hoping after a few weeks, it still won't bother her and she'll go back to a better sleep pattern.

[brenda2]

with wiwo you don't HAVE to stay by the door.  you can go in and comfort her but don't pick her up, keep any cuddles to a minimum and leave when she is still awake.  with both my girls i go in and give them back their lovey, tell them to go back to sleep, lie them back down and tuck in if i need to and then leave.  sometimes i have to repeat a few times.  with dd1 i tend to talk more because she is so verbal, so i might ask her what's wrong and tell her to go back to sleep etc.

[newmama12]

with wiwo you don't HAVE to stay by the door.  you can go in and comfort her but don't pick her up, keep any cuddles to a minimum and leave when she is still awake.  with both my girls i go in and give them back their lovey, tell them to go back to sleep, lie them back down and tuck in if i need to and then leave.  sometimes i have to repeat a few times.  with dd1 i tend to talk more because she is so verbal, so i might ask her what's wrong and tell her to go back to sleep etc.

Good to know b/c this is exactly what I've been doing! I literally am out of there in like 10 seconds. I just cover her back up, tell her she needs to go back to sleep, and to cuddle her kitty/blanket. Then I leave. She stops crying the minute I walk in, so it's really a non-issue. It's just a pain for me to get up every 2-3 hours to do this. It's also not so great for her to be waking every 2-3 hours all night. I'm hoping that after a few weeks of no pacifiers, she'll get use to another way to comfort/soothe herself when and if she wakes at night and she'll stop waking so frequently.

[deckchariot]

you're doing a great job!!!  And she will learn to soothe herself and won't need you every few hours.  Just keep doing what you're doing!

[newmama12]

Thanks, deckchariot!!

She hasn't napped, either, in the past 4 days. I wonder if she'll give that up now that she doesn't have her pacifier?! Guess we'll have to wait and see what happens in the next few weeks...

[brenda2]

sounds good    keep it up.

[deckchariot]

she may be fighting the nap because she doesn't have the paci - if it was me, I'd keep offering it.  The extra NWs could be paci withdrawal and OT if she's suddenly not napping.