[annarosa]

OK so I am going a bit bananas at the moment ...
my 2.5 year old has always nursed to sleep. She has her bath and book with her Papa and then she comes to me to nurse to sleep. I then usually leave her for a few hours and then go to sleep with her and sleep through with her. She usually wakes up around 4/5am to nurse again and then again at 7.30/8am at wake-up time.
Well..............it has always taken AGES to nurse her to sleep. At some periods one hour and a half at other periods she just goes off after 10mins or so - it has depended on teething and other things like that. But right now, she it taking about an hour or so and it is driving me crazy because I want to set a limit but don't see how if I am always there to nurse her - she can get up and take drinks and try to play with things with me constantly telling her it's time to sleep but since I'm still around to nurse it doesn't seem a very effective way of setting the limit.
Has anyone else dealt with this kind of thing ?
Just for your info, many times I have tried to introduce a routine of her falling alseep on her own after nursing or being passed to her D for walking her to sleep - but she resists terribly and it has never really worked or just meant that he spends 2 hours plus walking around with her until he is exhausted !

any ideas ? how long is this going to go on for ? how can I get her to understand that she has to nurse to sleep NOW and not when she feels like it ????? ARGHHHHH!

 

[firstatfourty]

I am having the same problem with my 2 yo dd. I am 33 weeks pg so thought that my change in milk is contributing to it. But it may be an age thing too. It is driving me crazy because my old standby (mimiis) is not putting her to sleep anymore. Some nights we are in the bed awake until almost 11 pm. I just bought the book "no cry sleep solutions for toddlers" and it has some good ideas about turning down lights, noises, etc.. It suggests keeping the house darker and quiet for at least the hour before bed. I tried it last night and it didn't work but will keep trying. I am exhausted and short tempered. Another problem I have is just when she is falling asleep dh gets up and makes some kind of noise to wake her up. Some nights it really gets me ticked off, but he doesn't do it on purpose, dd is just a very light sleeper. I do recommend the book. I will keep you updated on if I have any success at all.

 

[zipworth]

I'm in the same boat!

:

 

[annarosa]

thanks firstaf...

I have heard a lot about this book on these boards - don't have time to read it right now
is anyone else able to share any other ideas or things that they have tried from the same book (no cry sleep solution)..

many thanks

 

[Music-mommy]

I'm trying to remember what my dd was like at 2.5, but I had the same problem. I told her that if she wanted "mama" that she had to stop wiggling around and getting up etc... that this was the stipulation to having mama milk.

She figured it out. I had to take it away once before she actually realized I was serious. But then I gave her another "chance".

It also seemed to help if I prepared her for it before turning off the light. I told her, "ok from now on, once the light is of, that's it, there's no water, there's no getting up anymore".

She still at 3.5 tries to fiddle around and find excuses to get up, but I make sure I tell her before bed each time, "now do you need water or yogurt or anything before we go to sleep? Because once the light's off that's it you know"....