Thanks Mamas! Last night was one of our worst nights in a while... I think after the current teeth come in I'm going to work on changing our routine a little to find something that works better for both of us. I feel like it's a little too much for her to make changes in the midst of her worst teething yet. Hopefully my replies are coherent, as I've only slept a couple hours!
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Originally Posted by
mommyjudyÂ
Mine didn't reach that point until around 2.
Although my 17 mo old will fall back asleep during the night while playing with my hair. It may be something to start working towards if you have back pain. Take it slow, one small step at a time. The book No-Cry Sleep Solution has some excellent pointers for this. Good luck!
This is what I kind of feared when I asked... the idea of this lasting another year adds a little motivation to gently persuade her to sleep other ways. We did use some tips from No-Cry when she was about six months, mostly to establish better habits for DH & I and get her to nurse a little less at night (every 2 hours instead of every stirring). It sounds like I should re-visit the book. She is used to sleeping curled up with me, I'm hoping she'll eventually be able to go to sleep that way too!
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Originally Posted by
doulawomanÂ
btdt and still there! dd turns 1yo on saturday and right now i'm bouncing on a yoga ball...my back hurts like he** but she sleeps. she won't even nurse in a chair so i'd say you're doing good!
I hope she isn't making you nurse on the ball too!
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Originally Posted by
sammymamaÂ
I am interested in the replies to this as well... my DD (now 18 mos) is still doing a sling-exercise ball bouncing routine for her 1 nap and pre-co-sleeping bedtime. I so feel your pain! :) Are you using any kind of sling or carrier? I would be lost w/out mine; my back still does hurt sometimes, but I swap between a Balboa sling and the Ergo and at least the weight is distributed a little better than if I try to just hold her. I just went through a week of trying to get her to fall asleep nursing/laying down and no go. I posted on another forum and a few moms wrote back to say their similar babes stopped by 2. So I'm hopeful that we just have a few more months.
All that aside, FWIW, 10 months was the PEAK of our sleeping insanity, between teething and developmental milestones (and I had many, many moms agree). I thought I might lose my mind a few times with all of the awakenings; I ended up moving the ball to the bedside so I could just pop out and bounce a million times a night. It did pass - it was a challenge for sure, but I do think it will get better for you, hopefully sooner than later. :) Good luck!
I use a carrier also (not often for naps anymore as she seems to nap longer in bed), I prefer my woven wrap for support but we also have a Beco. I'll try bouncing her with the Beco next time, as I think I could actually take her out of that without waking her (once she is asleep we both lay down in the bed and I cross all my fingers that she stays asleep... my body needs the break!).
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It's a relief to hear that the tenth month is rougher in general (it seemed to get worse this month)... we were into a little better groove before the current teething bout, so hopefully we find that again! Our ball moved back into the bedroom this month, silly me to think I could relegate it to the playroom, haha!
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Originally Posted by
lizskyÂ
Elluin, do you have a glider or rocking chair? Â My DD used to only go to sleep if I bounced her on an exercise ball, but when she got to be about 6 months old, I began to really struggle because my back hurt so much. Â I ended up pulling a muscle and I simply could not bounce her without excruciating pain, so I stopped cold-turkey and rocked her instead. Â She protested the first night or so (screamed for an hour or so), and I hated hearing her cry, but I sang to her and rocked her and reassured her that she was still safe in her mama's arms. Â After about a week, rocking in the glider was working just as well as bouncing, and was so much easier on my body. Â Its not fun to hear your little one cry, but I really think its ok to find an alternative way to lovingly sooth them that will be healthier for your body.
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DD is 11 months now, and sometimes doesn't fall asleep after we have rocked and nursed. Â She will stand up and babble, and I'll pat the mattress gently to encourage her to lie down and sing to her. Â Sometimes I do this for 30-40 minutes, but eventually she lays down and falls asleep. Â
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Best of luck to you and your family!
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We have a glider (where we nurse), which she really protests if I try to get her to sleep there. It's reassuring that you were able to transition from the ball to the glider though, as that is much easier on my back. If she doesn't go to sleep rocking/nursing and you lie down, how do you encourage her to stay on the mattress? I tried this a couple times and I felt like I would have to restrain her on the mattress for it to work (we continued walking/bouncing instead). ;)
Although my 17 mo old will fall back asleep during the night while playing with my hair. It may be something to start working towards if you have back pain. Take it slow, one small step at a time. The book No-Cry Sleep Solution has some excellent pointers for this. Good luck!
I'm sorry the nights have been so rough for you lately.  I should clarify that my DD sleeps in a crib in our room, so the crib rails do keep my DD from roaming around the room.  However, I got the idea to pat the mattress, sing, and encourage her to sleep from a mom who does cosleep on a big mattress on the floor...she said that she keeps their bedroom dark and toy-free, so that if her DS wanders away from the mattress, there is nothing especially interesting to play with.  She said that he'll crawl around a bit at first, but eventually starts laying his head down on the floor and ultimately falls asleep on the floor or comes back to the mattress to sleep. 
