Baby Sleep Problems and Controlled Crying - Looking Back
I have just read the article that I wrote back in 2005 about my baby's sleep problems. It is amazing how much one forgets about these enormous issues as time goes by and your child gets older!
Controlled Crying
The memories came flooding back as I remembered the terrible hours involved as I tried controlled crying to get our little baby to sleep. I did have some de ja vu last year when my second daughter aged about 9 months went through the same sleep problems. Even though controlled crying didn't work for our first baby and I swore it was an awful method to get a baby to sleep, desperation drove me to try it on our second born, and I am pleased to say that it actually worked with her, and within about 4 nights we were having no more sleep problems.
I am also pleased to report that our first baby (now nearly 4 years old, and not a baby anymore!) eventually went on to become a very good sleeper. We have of course had our ups and downs, but on the whole she sleeps for a good 11 hours now.
Baby Sleep Problems
It felt like we had no longer resolved her sleep problems when we moved from the UK to Australia just after our baby's first birthday - and oh boy did the fun and games start all over again! Let me tell you that if you think dealing with your own jetlag is awful, try dealing with that and the jetlag of your baby or toddler! Then of course there was the settling into a new home and new way of life, meeting new relatives and missing the ones left behind.
Much to our joy though our baby moved into her "big girl" bed without any fuss at around the age of 18months and never looked back. We still had numerous nights where we had to "sing it" (which meant to sing her special song) before she fell asleep, but to our amazement, she did not become a "crawl into mummy and daddy's bed at night" child! Thank goodness!! (however we are now getting our share of this from our second born!)
The only other hitch that we have had to overcome recently with our first born's sleep is dealing with monsters, dragons and dinosaurs in her room at night! After about a week of being woken by her just so that she could use the toilet I had had enough! I finally found out from her about her fears and then we dealt with it. I consulted my aromatherapy books for oils that were good for inducing sleep in children, and we made a vaporizer spray which is called "monster spray". We spray this around the room every night before she goes to sleep and it keeps the nasties away - and thankfully has worked in settling her!
So to all of you who are struggling with a baby who won't sleep I know wholeheartedly what you are going through, and I hope this article will help you through because it can get better!
By Happy Tired Mum
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