My 14 month old daughter only sleeps for what seems a couple hours a night, and not all at once, any suggestions on what I could do to get her to sleep more, so I can actually sleep?!
2007-11-23 05:09:17 · 7 answers · asked by Momma to 3 GREAT kids! 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Toddler & Preschooler
Her naps only last 1/2 an hour to an hour also, and she only takes one nap a day.
2007-11-23 07:45:42 · update #1
Ain't being a parent grand?
Try this first: create a bed time routine.
First of all ...no napping after 3pm
Eat dinner
Have family playtime...crawling around acting like puppies, chasing..whatever....go for a walk, have a dance party. Big, rowdy, obnoxious time. All the lights on. Keep the house cooler and dress her in as little as allowable..just a diaper is fine.
Start the bubble bath and while its filling have a marching band pots and pans parade into the bathroom.
Nice warrrrm tubby.
Turn off most of the lights....get her dressed in twilightish atmosphere..nice toasty jammies...brushing her hair...talking, singing softly to her.
Lay her in bed and read her a story...all very low key and quiet...(ex: My Mama's a LLama)..
turn off another light...read a second story (Wonderful You (if you can find it)) ...
turn off the last light and recite the last story (Winken Blinken and Nod) and say prayers...
Read the same stories in the same order every night...it should work like pavlovs dogs eventually where she understands that it is bedtime.
keep a log of how she is sleeping then...in the mean time talk to your pediatrician.
remember ..when they teeth or have growth spurts or start being "potty aware" the sleep pattern will change again...
2007-11-23 06:43:49 · answer #1 · answered by foxinsox 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Of course, take her to a pediatrician. However, you say "seems", have you actually clocked her? If you're asleep too, it may "seem" like two hours but actually be four.
How much nap time does she get during the day? If you have her napping all day so that you can get stuff done, she's already gotten all the sleep she needs. She may be up because you give her attention at night that she doesn't get during the day.
If you try to change her sleep habits, be prepared for it to take weeks or even months to change. Like everything else in parenting, be patient and be consistent.
2007-11-23 05:23:24 · answer #2 · answered by jljocque 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I agree, bring her to her pediatrician. If there's nothing wrong, then she's just like mine was.
My daughter went through 3-4 week phases where she barely slept, screamed all night and was a wreck when she was up. Doc's said it was terrible teething. And I believe it. Her gums were a mess.
All I can offer is that it seems to even out. I thought I'd never sleep again and at 21 mo, I'm sleeping well all night and getting a nap midday with her (2 hours). I don't doubt, however, she'll have a bad sleeping spell sometime soon again, though.
Good luck.
2007-11-23 05:28:44 · answer #3 · answered by Jaims 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Fist I have to say, that when you get further along in your pregnancy, feeding her, especially the part where she latches and for the first minute or so, will become incredibly painfull. In my experience, and from what i've read, this happens at around the time where your milk switches to colostrum. If yours is anything like mine, she will think the colostrum's the best thing in the world, and won't wean because of it (as many people will tell you she's likely to do). I'm saying this because in the middle of the night, when youre exhausted and pregnant, added pain and discomfort is the last thing you are going to want. She is still young, so it may or may not work to try and explain to her that when it's sleep time, its not time to nurse. Or that she's allowed to nurse only if she goes back to sleep after. Clearly she's falling asleep at the breast, so it may be a case of you having to encourage her to unlatch as she's dozing back off each time, and then just not letting her go back on. If you are holding her and comforting her as you both try to go back to sleep, she may be upset at first, but will not feel abandoned. She honestly is old enough to learn quickly that its ok to fall asleep without it, especially if she feels secure. I just think you need to sort it now, before the inevitable discomfort of nursing while pregnant begins. I still love nursing my daughter, but we don't do it overnight and I know i would not get any sleep while she's doing it.
2016-05-25 02:51:07 · answer #4 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No naps after 3 in the afternoon
2007-11-23 06:25:14 · answer #5 · answered by tysdad62271 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do not let her nap during the day,this way she will be tired and sleep through the night.
2007-11-23 05:23:28 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Take her to the doctor. Sleep problems mostly begin in infant/childhood. If taken care of now it will help her later on, especially when she is in school.
2007-11-23 05:14:44 · answer #7 · answered by Ryan's mom 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋