Empathic Sleep Teaching - View topic - Toddler just sitting there awake in crib 3am+ - Infant sleep services for tired parents - Free Message Board Hosting by FreePowerBoards.com

Hello. I'm new to the group. I have a video monitor -- such a blessing and such a curse. Anyhow, I heard someone mumbling at 2:45am (I have a 2 yr old and an 8 month old), it was my 8 month old who promptly fell back asleep, but I looked and my toddler is just sitting there.

He had a real hard time falling asleep last night. It took 1.5 hrs. He napped from 12:10 - 3pm and I sort of encouraged him to get up (opened the door, made a little noise). He woke up upset and cried and just wanted to be held. Very unlike him. I asked if he was not feeling well and said he wasn't, so I took his temperature (it was fine) and gave him Tylenol, just in case. He had a decent afternoon and I put him to bed at 6:30 (we've been having trouble with super early awakenings, so I'm using an earlier bedtime).

The last time he did a lot of this "sitting there" was when the early awakenings started (in January) -- he was scared of something and didn't want to be in his crib. I added a very dim nightlight and some more stuffed animals and explained how he needed to try and lay down to get more rest when it was still night-night time and that mommy would be in at the same time every morning, etc. After a week or so the fear went away, but the wake up time was still too early, so I instituted the earlier bedtime, which has worked fairly well... and I was excited that all that would sort of resolve itself with DST coming up this weekend anyways...

So it is 4:15am now and he is still sitting there. He is moving around a bit/playing with his pacifier, but not crying. (Not loud enough for me to hear on the monitor anyways, not rubbing his eyes, sniffling or anything.) He is just sitting there awake.

This tears my heart out. Why can't/won't he sleep? And, of course, I can't sleep either.

Turn off the monitor Smile

I too got attached to the baby monitor and all it did was make me aware of things I would otherwise sleep through. If he's not upset or trying to get your attention, then he's ok working it out on his own. Self-soothing is the goal. Smile

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Darcie French, BSW
Founder of Empathic Sleep Teaching

Darcie is right - turn off the monitor!!! It's hard to do, but if he needs you, you will know - no need for a monitor - and if you fear that you won't hear him, just sleep with your bedroom door cracked - a baby who really needs something will let you know!! I am a really deep sleeper & always feared I would sleep through the cries - funny, I rarely did & even now that my son is older & rarely wakes up during the night, I immediately wake when he does cry ....and if I don't, my DH is the light sleeper ....

We use a monitor when we are away from home & it's bad - I hear every move. I always wanted a video monitor, but someone talked me out of it, saying that the curiosity was crazy - always wanting to "see" what was going on ....

Sleep tight - monitor free !!!
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Kris

I know I should turn the thing off.... it is just so hard.

He DID lie back down and sleep again before getting up this morning (a little later than usual actually), so I praised him for that.

He is definitely going through something, he is currently "sit-sleeping" for his nap. It is sad. He just doesn't seem comfortable in his crib. (And like I said, this isn't the first time -- he was doing this when he was scared of something about a month and a half ago and then that worked itself out....) I hope this just works itself out too!

Either way, I'm not letting him sleep past 2pm today, getting him outside for some fresh-air time, and hopefully he'll fall asleep faster (and stay asleep) tonight.

I'll try and let go of the monitor watching. I never turn the thing on at night unless I hear something, but I know my husband would love to throw the thing out the window (esp. after me being up so long last night!)

Thanks for your advice and support.

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