Ever since this:
We have never been guaranteed a full night’s sleep. Ella got off to such a rough start. Exhausted from 27 hours of labour, under the lights for jaundice, and then 3 months of starving while the breast feeding ‘experts’ told me she was getting enough. Ella has never been a good sleeper. When she was a baby I would spend about 30 minutes patting her back to get her to sleep (every time). And she was one of those babies that you couldn’t ‘just let cry’ because she would cry till she was sick (and it killed me to listen).
Then she hit the toddler years and had night terrors. If’ you’ve never experienced those you have no idea. Ella would sound like she is being murdered or sobbing for me not to leave. It was like a knife through my heart and I couldn’t get up to her bedroom fast enough. Through the toddler years Ella would wake at least once every night!
Since Ella hit 5, we seem to be finished with the night terrors and have moved on to just regular nightmares. I have to be very careful what Ella watches or plays just before bed. She is very sensitive to that. Even the Muppets can scare her and cause us nighttime problems. Ella is always begging me to sleep with her. I have to say ‘no’ because if I do it once it becomes a habit with her. These days we can go days with no nighttime waking -sigh, wonderful times. Even her nightmares are usually not too much trouble. Most nights Ella just needs a hug and tucked in and she’ll go back to sleep.
And then we have nights like last night. I get my ‘Momma’ page and head into her room. Not a nightmare, but one of those nights where she wakes up completely awake and can’t get back to sleep on her own. These nights I lay down and keep her company until she falls asleep. Unfortunately, these nights usually take an hour (and boy is she chatty). Last night it was 2 hours! Since having Ella I have come to realize that I can function on short sleep, but I really need my sleep in one chunk. I don’t do well with 2 hours here, 3 hours there.
I really don’t know what to do. We’ve tried varying her bed time routine. Lately I’ve been giving her a back rub after prayers before I go for the night. It was working for the first few nights, but then we went back to waking up. We don’t do baths before bed, they just get her wound up. I tell myself she’s only little for a while and will eventually sleep.
So that’s my post from this tired Farm Girl.
Can she have chamomile tea? We used to use it on the little ones at the orphanage. If one of seven wakes up (number of girls per dorm room) they are all awake.
Ella loves to have ‘hot coco’ so maybe she would enjoy tea too. Is there a brand you recommend?
I’m so sorry you’re so tired. Two of my four children are very difficult to nighttime parent. So much depends on the individual child. My oldest has slept on his own through the night, literally every night since he was 8 months old. My youngest keeps me up most the night still. I know that desperate tired feeling. No advice. Just a great big virtual hug!
Grandma has no advice either. Both my sister and I slept through the night since the day we came home from the hospital. Ella’s good most nights falling asleep, we just need to keep her asleep
{{HUGS}} to you and Ella! If she can drink it I would suggest the chamomile tea too. Celestial Seasonings makes one called Sleepy Time.
You have my sympathies. My grandson (who I have previously mentioned as the overly sensitive child) has a really difficult time.
The chamomile tea is my bedtime drink of choice. Watch the cocoa, it might not take much caffeine to throw her right off. Does she have a light snack at bedtime? A protein food, an egg for example, really helps me.
Our daughter woke up at least once per night until she went to school. One thing we did was keep to a strict routine/bedtime. Not sure if you do that or not? It worked for us?
Gill in Southern Ontario
My sympathies are with you Paula! I am so NOT a wake up in the night person and a really deep sleeper so it took a lot for my children to wake me up, which I think was a good thing b/c I think it lead to them sleeping better too. Sadie slept through the night since the day she was born (I know some sort of miracle, 10pm -7am each night!) but Seth was up all the time- hungry.
Now what I do is play a CD at bedtime. Kenny Loggins – welcome to Pooh Corner. It works great, we even take it when we travel and they have no problems sleeping. If they wake up (shared room) in the middle of the night I tuck them back in and put it on softly and that seems to work.
I also have a teddy bear that my mom saved from when I was a child. It sits on my bed and if one of them need ‘protecting’ they are allowed to ‘borrow’ my bear for the night. That also seems to give them that extra comfort.
Hope that helps.
I sometimes think Ella was meant to be a twin. She has such a hard time playing alone. And if she had a roommate, I don’t think we’d having the waking problems we have now. All she need (usually) is my company and she’ll drift back off to sleep.
Ella actually wore out 2 small stereos when she was little. Music was the only way to keep her asleep as a baby. After the second stereo burnt out (she was 4) we decided she was ‘big enough’ to not need the ‘baby music’.
I tried the ‘give her something of Momma’s’ but that only worked for one night
I think I just have to wait and hope she grows out of it. Or at least grows out of her fear of being alone. Maybe once she can read books to herself it will help. She can read herself back to sleep.
You could try warm milk, just add a little sugar, it is satisfying and a good bedtime drink.