Toddlers not sleeping, HELP!?

Question

I post this question for my sister...
I am a mother of 3, 3 month old boy and 2 & 4 year old girls. My husband works midnights all week and can't help me with our new born, so i'm on my own. (I'm tired!!) Anyways, my girls share a room together and they both seem to wake up in the middle of the night everytime I wake up to nurse my son. Either from him crying or sometimes they just wake up to see were i went cause I go downstairs to feed and change him. How do I get them to stay asleep and stay in their beds? Any advice out there?

Answer 1

I so sympathize with you! When my 4 sons were small, I had a newborn, an 18 month old, a 3 year old and a 41/2 year old all in a tiny 2 bedroom house. The tiredness never leaves!

Where does your baby sleep? Can you find a place to nurse and change him upstairs so you don't disturb the girls?

Another idea is to use a white-noise device to keep the girls from hearing the stairs creak. I used to put a quietly-playing radio in my older boys' room so I could take care of the babies without the older 2 waking up. As soon as the baby slept through the night, the need for the radio was gone. I always played an all-classical station, with boring, quiet music. Nothing jazzy or fast beat.

If your daughters don't get enough exercise or activity during the day, they probably won't be tired enough to sleep the night. You probably already know that if they're extra excited just before sleeping they won't sleep well either.

Good luck, and please, try to take a few minutes from each day for yourself. Sleep while they're all taking naps to recharge your batteries, and get enough exercise yourself to stay healthy. You're doing the most important job there is... being a mom!

Answer 2

I'm currently pregnant with my second child. I have a 2yr old girl right now. I've been worried about the same thing happening when my new one arrives.We live on what I like to call a cut through street and get pleanty of traffic from the teenagers that like to play drag racing and bump there music at all hours of the night, along with honking there horns at there friends. My daughters bed is next to her window so I think a lot of times she wakes up from hearing that. She got a cold not to long ago and I put a cold mist in her room. She slept all night! I found my answer. I have a radio going all the time with classical music, and I put my air purifier in her room that makes a light humming sound. It works like a charm. No noise is going to be waking her up. I say run out find you either a humidifier or a purifier and set it in the corner of there room, with a little light music. I bet your babies will be sleeping through the night in no time. Best of luck to you!!

Answer 3

I have a question and an answer for you. Do your girls nap? If they do, do they nap long? Or for a short period? If they do try to to break them off the habit of them napping. It may be hard but they will be really tired and sleep ALL night. I have to do that to my kids sometimes. They are 3 and 4, a boy and a tom-boy. So I get a lot of super heroes flying around my house during the day. If they don't nap they'll go to bed early and they will sleep long. Don't let fall asleep too early though. Then they'll be up for sure. Try for about an hour before regular bed time. Then extend how long they are up slowly. This will take about a month but it will be worth it. Also, your son may be sleeping too long during the day too. Maybe you should keep him stimulated more and awake so he can get a proper sleeping schedule for you. Take him out or involve him with his sisters. try to keep him up too. It may be hard but things will eventually work out. I hope for the best of luck. I hope you get some rest soon. When hubby's home, You should TELL him to let you nap. You carried them for so long and your tired!! Tell him to be a dad and a husband!! Men need to be involved too. That's why I love my husband! Or even friends or family will do too if it's fine with you. But I'm rambling so I'm going to stop now. Good Luck!!

Answer 4

if you have set an early bedtime consider making it a couple hours later. Perhaps playing some sort of soothing sound maker will buffer out the sound of the baby waking, and if is convenient put everything you need for changing and feeding upstairs prior to going to bed and let the girls know you are doing it so that you wont have to go downstairs and leave them alone, mayby that will confort them. good luck!

Answer 5

Do you keep the girls' bedroom door closed? If not, that might be a good way to keep them from hearing you when you're walking around the house. If you're worried about not hearing them when they wake up (I can sympathize) just put in another baby moniter. My daugher is almost 4 and we still use ours sometimes. As for the infant - since you're nursing, does he sleep in the same bed as you? My daughter nursed till she was almost 2 and slept in the bed with me almost that entire time because it was just easier on everybody.
Just some thoughts.
Good luck ! One way or another, it will work itself out. :-)

Answer 6

When they get out of bed, completely ignore them. You can take their little hand and lead them back to bed, but dont talk to them. Not one word. I tried this with my children. I did not even look them in the eye. It took about a week, but they quit coming out of their rooms. (I think because I made it so boring and unrewarding) Also, you probably already do, but make sure you keep the lights very low to indicate its "sleepy" time. Good luck.

Answer 7

keep your baby in bed wtih you. you won't have to get up to nurse. it's better for both of you and probably for your daughters, too.

stop waking them up and they won't wake up, right!

Answer 8

You can talk about this and more related questions in the forums at
http://www.yourchildrennaturally.com

Answer 9

get off your butt as soon as you hear him fussing and close your girls door