Whats bedtime like for your around 1 year old?

[9800Emily]

Bedtime here is no fun. DD screams and screams and doesn't want to go to sleep. We have tried everything that we can think of (rocking, singing, swing, stroller, bouncing, CIO, riding in the car, ect). She has been on reflux meds just to be sure and it made no difference. There is nothing physically wrong with her, she just seems to absolutely hate going to bed. Anyway I was just wondering if you'd be willing so share your routine and maybe I can find something different to try. Some of the main things I'm wondering about are 1) is there any crying involved? and if so how much? 2) does your dc ever scratch or hurt them self/you 3) do you have to hold your dc tight in your arms or on the bed to keep them laying down? 4) how long does it take to put your dc to bed? We really need to find something that works without taking and hour or more of screaming.

[jenncatsmeow]

Have you tried babywearing? Sometimes that helps when DD is over tired, sick or cranky.

As for a routine, perhaps I have bee lucky but I've never really had difficulties getting DD (now 17 months) to sleep. No crying, hitting, screaming, etc. And, she sleeps pretty well through the night. Here's our routine (from about 5 months on)...When I get home from work, DD and I play together a lot.....then fix dinner and eat together. We play some more, read, dance, etc. Then a bath and jammies. I generally nurse her around 10ish. We then go potty and I put her in her crib. She rolls over with her favorite blanket, inserts her thumb in her mouth and goes right to sleep, no fuss, by 11pm. She wakes generally around 4am, when I scoop her up out of the crib and bring her into my bed, where she nurses back to sleep (where we then co-sleep until morning).

[doberbrat]

depends. most days, she gets a bath, then I brush her teeth, we nurse for 30ish minutes then I put her down asleep in her crib. around 2am, dh brings her into bed w/us.

some nights like tonight, she wakes up when i put her down so I end up eihter handing her over to dh (while she screams bloody murder) or I bring her itno bed w/me and nurse her to sleep there where I usually fall asleep. this option means no dinner for me since I usually eat after I put her to bed at 9pm

[9800Emily]

Yes, I've tried wearing her, but she will have nothing to do with it anymore. She will tolerate the ergo only when we are somewhere crowded and she is nervous. We do cosleep, and her crib is in a side car arrangement. If she would nurse to sleep I'd gladly let her but that doesn't work. We normally eat dinner then play for around half and hour before taking a bath. She starts her screaming on most night the min she is out of the tub because she knows what is coming. One of my concerns is that shes getting stronger and is hurting both me and dh when we try to hold her to fall asleep. She is biting, hitting, scratching, kicking and head butting. It isn't rare for her to draw blood from bother herself and who ever is putting her to bed. When we tried CIO she literally screamed until her nose bled. I was so freaked out that I took her to the pedi the next day. That is something that we will not be trying again.

[JackieLyn]

May I suggest the book "The No-Cry Sleep Solution" by Elizabeth Pantley. I haven't read the whole thing yet but I've heard it works great! About what time do you try to put her down?? With us our youngest ds just goes to bed with us around 10-ish...unless he nurses himself to sleep before then. We'll all lay down together and he'll either nurse to sleep or nurse for a while and ask for a sippy and he crashes. Good luck and I hope that you find something that works for you!

[tessa1002]

Really the thing I've found to work the best with bedtime is to make sure he's tired. If he's had too many naps, or a nap too close to bedtime, I know its gonna be hard. Our routine is just bath, bottle, crib. He'll usually fall asleep while taking his night time bottle, and then I lay him in his crib. When he's not tired and doesn't fall asleep, it just ends up being me sitting next to his crib rubbing his tummy or holding his hand until he just gets so bored he falls asleep. I have to stay next to him for like a half hour at least, or he'll wake back up screaming again. Things have been much easier though since we've moved to one nap a day. I wish I could help more, but I feel bad I have such an easy sleeper!

[OneFabMama]

Bedtime here is super easy as is her nap. And, I know I'm like one in a million, but all I have to do is say "you wanna go to bed" and she rushes off to her crib and practically begs me to put her in there. It hasnt ALWAYS been that way though.

[lutgen]

why don't you give us an example of your entire day routine. I am thinking she truely is overtired. I think once you pass the window of opportunity - you are in for a struggle...

Let us know what the day and night is like.... then I think we may have some more advice...

[janendragon]

between midnight and 3am..........

[9800Emily]

Originally Posted by lutgen why don't you give us an example of your entire day routine. I am thinking she truely is overtired. I think once you pass the window of opportunity - you are in for a struggle... Let us know what the day and night is like.... then I think we may have some more advice...

We get up around 8, then between 2 - 2.5 hours later dd goes to bed for a nap for around 1 - 2 hours (she never fights the first nap for more that a few mins, all I do is nurse her and then lay with her in the bed and she is asleep in 10 or 15 mins) We play and she nurses 2 times then she takes another short nap (30 to 45 min) around 4 or so. Sometimes she fights the second nap and sometimes she doesn't, it just seems to be hit or miss. After she gets up we go for a walk or play outside with the dogs until dh gets home, then dd and dh play while i get dinner ready. We sit down around 6:30 - 7 for dinner then dd gets to play for 30 min or so before she gets into the tub. After that she gets dressed and lays down. At night she still wakes anywhere from 3 to 5 times but goes back to sleep easily once she is latched on and nursing. All of this may shift in the actual time but the general schedule is pretty consistent.

I completely know what you mean about passing the window of opportunity, we have done that a couple of times when trying to adjust her schedule and she's kept us up all night long.