Community Question on helping a 3yo sleep. Please keep it SUPPORTIVE, non-punitive, peaceful and RESPECTFUL towards children, parents & each other. Remember, were all figuring this out on our journey. I have a bit of a dilemma that my family members cannot seem to help me with, and Id love a bit of community advice. I just had my third child, a baby boy. He is two weeks old. I also have 2 year old and 3 1/2 year old little girls. My oldest absolutely loves being an older sister and has stepped up into the role quite well. She still has her moments, but she is 3 and I couldnt be more proud of her adjustment. My 2 year old seemed to start the terrible twos pretty much around year 1, but things got significantly worse a few weeks before her brother was born. I know part of it is her age, but I could tell she also sensed the inevitable change that was about to happen in our family. My once incredibly sweet and loving baby girl has turned very unpredictable. I am doing everything I can to include her into the new routine, but Im convinced shes not really sure she knows what she wants. She has been hating her crib so much that she screams at night. Snuggle time is nonexistent because she doesnt want to have anything to do with it anymore. Calming her down for bedtime is impossible, and I feel as though I have to let her cry it out just to spare my own sanity. I feel guilty because I have family members who dont agree with the Cry it Out method, which I dont like either to be honest, and they hate the fact that I close to the door to her room at night. Theyve made subtle comments about how they worry CPS might find out (about us closing the door at night). The thing is, Ive tried leaving the door open and she will be up all night long. We decided to let her choose the crib or her toddler bed. Of course she chose the toddler bed, but then got upset when she realized that meant the crib wasnt for her anymore. Shes been in her toddler bed for two nights now, and last night she didnt sleep a wink. I know that making the choice to be a parent involves dealing and sacrificing and enduring through this kind of thing, but I dont have the patience or support to get up literally every 30 seconds to put her in bed all night long. Keeping the door closed is the only thing I can do to not go crazy. I know that in time, she will eventually grow out of this like her older sister did and bedtime will be better. Im really tired, I have an older daughter that can be a nightmare when she doesnt get sleep, and Im worried about everyone getting over tired and then taking weeks to recover. My husband doesnt have much patience for peaceful parenting techniques, so Ive been the one to handle these kinds of things. I dont agree with spanking, threatening, bribing, or yelling. But with little support, I feel as though Im falling into that trap. Is there any advice on what I could be doing to make the transition into a new bed and a new routine any easier? And should I feel guilty for keeping the door closed at night (we have a night light, and we took down the black out curtains)?
Posted on: Fri, 24 Oct 2014 19:00:01 +0000