What am I supposed to do about.....?

Question

my 1 year old being such a light sleeper? Her and and my 7 year old have bedrooms right next to eachother and share a wall. It's really hard to keep a 7 year old quiet for an hour during nap time. I feel it's not fair to my oldest to keep telling her to be quiet and telling her (and friends) that they have to play outside until the baby wakes up. This baby wakes up at the slightest noise. I've tried playing lullabys to drown out noise, but she doesnt sleep well with that either. What should I do? There's no other quiet spots in the house. Do I have to sound proof the room? How would I do that? HELP!!!

Answer 1

My granddaughter is a light sleeper too. We put a box fan in her room and she sleeps so much better. She is now 3 yrs old and can't sleep without it... Not sure that's a good thing, but at least we can get some sleep now...:)

Answer 2

My opinion is that it is perfectly normal to ask an older child to be a little quieter during nap time. I have had to do it for years (have 6 kids, 4 are now grown) and it has always worked fine. There were times in the summer when younger ones were sleeping and it would be time to take the older ones outside for water play or whatever in the front. You can also make that movie time when the older ones sit down with a little snack to watch a movie on the TV. There is no feeling guilt about it, they need to respect the younger ones just as they should respect their elders, I think. And, it works out for a good routine the older ones will remember as they grow and start their own families too. No worries, find some quiet activities, i.e., movies, books, snack time, computer games, board games, etc. It should be fine. I pray you can get everything worked out well =)

Answer 3

If it were me in your shoes ... ?
And both time & white noise weren't doing the trick ... ?
I'd ask the Dr. if it's OK to mix a few drops of tincture of either catnip or chamomile (herbs) in the baby's last drink, just prior to her nap.
There may be others too, but i remember for sure reading how safe these 2 are for most children. However, chamomile is related to ragweed, so you'll need to avoid that if she's sensitive. I'd run some searches on "calming herbs safe (for) children", & see what info comes up. Catnip also can lower body temperature, so you may want to take that into consideration ... I like taking it before bed when I have congestion, as it gets rid of congestion. It also helps on hot nights.

Some of the sites I've done research on are:

http://world.std.com/~krahe/
Herbs and Aromas: Uses & Properties; <<<

herbalremediesinfo.com/children.html
(this one has a section on herbs for kids); <<<

globalherbalsupplies.com ;
purplesage.org ;
gardensablaze.com ;
medicine-plants.com ;
viable-herbal.com ;

It certainly sounds like you have your hands full!
I feel that devoted parents deserve all the support we can muster! Sometimes you just feel like throwing your hands up in the air ... !

A Child's Early Years - What Should Parents Do? :
.. How Important Is Early Child Training?
.... The Importance of Nurturing Your Child
...... Your Role as a Parent
http://www.watchtower.org/library/g/2004/10/22a/article_01.htm

I hope you find this info of help.
Quiet times to your soon-to-be toddler!
Horsense

Answer 4

How about getting a fan that would provide white noise for your one year old. I am a day sleeper and that has helped me. I have a large box fan that I put in the room which cuts out the noise from the rest of the house.

Answer 5

Take a radio and put it in the baby's room. Choose a spot on the dial that is between stations. The static could be called 'white noise'. Turn it up just a little, not loud. This will muffle some of the noises outside of their room.

Answer 6

An infant will learn to sleep as it has to to get the required amount of sleep. Unless you kept it 100% silent for the last year everytime the baby slept, the baby can sleep through noise, but may not be tired enough to at the scheduled nap time. Allow to baby to sleep when ready.

Answer 7

I think you should let the 7 Y/O make as much noise as they want. (within reason) The baby will sleep when it gets tired.. May take a few weeks to get used to the noise but will be worth it in the long run.

Answer 8

let the 7 year old know why she has to play outside for an hour (it's only an hour!) and if she really hates being outside, have her go to a friend's house

Answer 9

you don't have to send your older baby out 4 the younger one to be able to sleep. don't let the new baby get used to sleeping only in quiet places as it is going to affect her negatively in future. please let her learn to sleep whenever she wants to no matter the noise level around. she will adjust with time.