Hello all,
I wanted to say thank you very much to the people who supported me last week when my 13 mo would NOT sleep at night. He had become accustomed to falling asleep in my arms (or DH's) after we ran to him too quickly and overreacted during teething. I received many suggestions and encouragement from several BWs on this forum.
What worked for us was PU/PD and then just PD in combination with some shushing or patting. I used these techniques when he was younger, but didn't think he would respond at this age, but it was fantastic. It was a bit different each time as sometimes he needed to be picked right up (he weighs 25 lbs - ugh!) and other times, I would just lay him down gently once he was standing up in the crib. Sometimes he needed a little back pat to know I was there, and other times he swatted away my hand, telling me to get lost - he could do it on his own. I think the real key was consistency. It was a tough two nights, but by the third he had gone from waking up around 10 - 15 times to only waking up two or three times. Now he is STTN with one wake up each night. And he knows the drill now and goes right back to sleep.
It was also suggested that I really work on giving him an EBT as he transitions over to the one nap, because some days he doesn't nap great and won't take a second, but gets so OT. This has been working wonders. He is sleeping 13 hours some nights making up for the sleep he lost on a bad nap day.
I really can't believe how quickly things turned around. It is true that he was STTN before this little blip and is a generally very agreeable textbook baby boy, but I was beginning to dread the nights as his sleep was getting SO bad. And I was tired and discouraged during the days.
This forum and its moderators and contributors are such an incredible resource to any mother. I am so very grateful for the advice and help I have received here. I hope that I can pass on my learning and encouragement to others as well.
I can't thank you all enough!
