Hey guys,
I'm going to post this on the twin board too but please help me with this sleep issue! The last few nights, it's like I have a different pair of kids. Where I used to have a very predictable bedtime experience with my two 9.5 month olds, now it's....NUTS!! I don't know if suddenly they need to go to bed later, or earlier, or maybe they're getting too much daytime sleep or not enough...I go to put them to bed and they are SO hyper and not at all tired (or that's how it seems anyway). I'm at my wits end. I don't know how to do this and I hate how it feels!! How the hell do I deal with them being so spazzy? Here's what happens. We have our usual wind-down routine and then I put them in their cribs. They then start to do laps. They find things to play with even though I've removed all toys...even the fitted sheet is a toy.
I try to do what I usually do with them which is hold them until they're drowsy and then lay them down and give them a few pats. That has been the routine for SO long...I would walk away and they would fall asleep. Now, they just get up (Hazel's now standing...) and want to party. So I've tried leaving them alone so that they get tired but then it goes on for SO long that I don't know if I should intervene and try to get them drowsy or let them stay up and play...It's been 8:30 a couple of times this week and they're STILL eager to party (bedtime has always been 6:45 or 7 for them). What's even worse is they are now having 5am starts to their day, which I think started right before these crazy bedtimes. So I have a question...since the babies used to be up at 7, bed at 7, should I now put them to bed at 5 because they're up at 5??? That seems pretty ridiculous to me. I should also mention their naps...they now have two 40 minute naps a day which is so little but it's all they'll do. I fear it's even getting worse though as yesterday I couldn't get them to nap a second time at all so I took them out to the mall and of course they slept in the car.
I know there's all kinds of stuff that's new with them (Hazel's got FOUR teeth coming in, has just started standing, seems to be going through separation anxiety, has a cold....Quinn is finally eating solids and is beginning to pull up, might be going through separation anxiety and also has a cold) so I hope that this craziness is temporary but I actually have no idea what to do in the meantime. So....when they are doing their party-thing in the crib, what I've been doing is waiting until they're crying and then I go to them and try p/u/p/d or I try shh/pat but nothing seems to calm them/tire them and I don't know if it's because by that time it's far too late or if they genuinely need a later bedtime at this age.
HELP?!??!?!???!
Thanks..
Sarah
