How do YOU soothe your over-tired little one?

[devasareen]

I have a 15 month old baby girl who I now realize, with the large amount of energy she has, over-tires very easily. I have also come to believe that, for us, when she reaches the point of over-tired I just have to let it play out until she (and her body) decide its to to clonk out, which is usually when the sun goes down. At this stage I cannot do anything to soothe her to sleep! Currently my goal is to incorporate another nap into the day but until we figure that out...it's over-tired baby at night. Anyone want to share your success stories? <3

[ednkirstin]

Hi!  I just posted this on another thread, but maybe it'll help you too.

With my little ones, I put them to bed at a set time or when I can tell they are tired.  I tell them it's bedtime (or naptime) and they can't get up.  After doing our bedtime routine (which has varied from child to child), I then sit next to the bed and read a book (my own book) until they fall asleep (usually 20-30 minutes).  If it's dark, sometimes I'll sit just outside the bedroom door with the door cracked so they know I'm keeping an eye on them.  I don't talk to them unless they try to get up.  Then I lay them down (without doing the routine again) and remind them it's bedtime and they need to close their eyes and go to sleep.  Little ones will usually close their eyes and fall asleep faster if you're there watching them, as long as you're not engaging with them.  This even worked when my Irish twins were 1 and 2 and sharing a room.

Your little one might be a little young for the laying in bed, closing her eyes thing.  But if she's still in a crib, you should be able to lay her down in it and then sit across the room to read.  I wouldn't pay much attention if she moves around in the crib, and I wouldn't give her a lot of attention if she's trying to get yours. :)  If you engage her while you're trying to get her to sleep, it's probably not going to happen.  The most I'd come to engaging her would be to pat her softly on the back.  I would NOT pick her up or talk to her except to tell her to she needs to lay down and go to sleep.  Some soft music might help too if you want to try it.  Chances are, if you make her stop running around and playing she's going to go to sleep.  And everyone will be happier if she gets the sleep she needs.

By the way, I only stay in their room to read during that toddler stage when they want to get up every time you turn around.  Once I feel confident they know how it works and I'm not having problems with them getting up, I just put them to bed and expect them to stay there.

Hope that helps!

[devasareen]

Yes, this helps, but one thing that comes up is that she is not in a crib, she is in my bed and our bed is on the floor! so it is very easy for her to want to crawl out of it. We are also breastfeeding so all she wants is to continually latch on, even if it is 10 times before she passes out. I wil process this a litte more and see if i can utilize your advice:)

[JudiAU]

I don't sleep train or follow a schedule or anything like that but there are some good charts published by "those people" about how long various ages should stay awake. I have never been very good about picking up sleepy clues and it helped a lot to see, hum, it has been x hours let's try and take a nap, go into a quiet room, read two board books, make the room pitch black, turn on the white noise, nurse, and if that didn't work, bounce on a exercise ball in the sling. It works just as well with an older baby/toddler as a younger on. Overtired takes a lot longer so it was really helpful with both kids to have a specific time frame in mind. Napping at ever age got much easier when we followed a loose schedule.

Do you have a crib, even if you really co-sleep. I crib or different sleeping place is really helpful for naps.

[HappyMonkey]

My LO is 17 months old. I am finding that reading with her (while she nurses) helps her calm down and stay in bed (we also have a mattress on the floor). I ask her if she wants to read and she says yes. The funny thing is the lights are off, and while she can see me turning pages I have to make up the words!!

[Verloren]

We struggle with this a lot too. I find sticking to a strict schedule and routine works well but that is so hard to do consistently. I definitely agree with the others that engaging as little as possible is crutial. When DS was about 18 months I just had to start working on leaving the room when it was time to sleep. It would take him ages to settle down if I was in the room. He also sleeps on a mattress on the floor. I essentially followed the no-cry sleep solution. When he's really overtired it can take him an hour and half to fall asleep even when there are no distractions. He just tosses and turns like crazy and cannot relax. I recently tired melatonin and that works like a dream. He just passes out with a couple of drops of the stuff. Amazing! Then he gets a full night sleep and usually has a looong nap the next day and he's back to normal. Otherwise it can take weeks to get him back to his schedule.