Our nights are horrible. I am so exhuasted. The babies want to play at night and not sleep. Here is our schedule

7 up milk
8:30-9:30 nap
10 milk
noon solid food
1-2:30 nap
4 milk
7 solid food
8 bed

My babies are 11 months or 9 mnths adjusted today. They will follow this schedule during the day and do really good. They go to bed at 8 and then about 9 they start to wake up. My little boy was up until midnight and my girls were up to 2am last night. I am thinking about just droping the morning nap today. I need some sleep. Please can someone help us? I love my babies but mommy has to sleep and daddy works so he does not help me.

Are you doing a bottle at bedtime too? I'm wondering if they are hungry with only three bottles a day since you are doing solids just twice a day.

Allison

Mom to:
Madeline 09/2001
Jack, Evan & ^Alex^ 03/02/2008 @ 26 weeks

Maybe they are getting overly tired? From their 2nd nap to bed time is quite a stretch even at 11 months. Our schedule is just a little different and it seems to work best for us. It goes:

7am- up, bottle
8am- solids
10am- bottle then bed
11:30ish- They wake up
12pmish- Solids
1pm- bottle
2pm- Nap
3pmish- wake up
4pm- bottle
5:30- solids
6pm- Bath
7pm- bed

We still offer bottles (actually we are on cups now, but its formula) every 3 hours, sometimes they take them, sometimes not. They hold it themselves so its not a big deal anymore to do it every 3 hours. It looks like you only offer formula 3 times a day so maybe they are not getting enough? I would not cut out their morning naps, it will likely backfire and they will be even more tired and sleep worse.

Shely~ Mom to 1+GGB
http://thehansontriplets.blogspot.com/
http://www.marchforbabies.org/team/TeamLilyGrace

I do feed them milk at bed time. When we are not having issues I have one that will sleep all night and the other two will still eat during the ngiht. Do your babies sleep all night? I tried to cut out the morning nap this morning.Two fell asleep at 9:30 and then my other one fell asleep at 10:15.

Once in a great while they will wake up in middle of the night and I will give them formula, but it is not an every night thing.

Our girls did this for a while when they were about 9 months old and we ended up having to let them cry it out. They cried literally for 2 hours straight before they gave in and fell asleep but after the first night or 2, they have went to bed with out too much problem. Sometimes my son will wake up around midnight and talk to himself, I have been known to turn off the monitor since they are right across the hall. I can't hear him talking but if they start crying I can.

Shely~ Mom to 1+GGB
http://thehansontriplets.blogspot.com/
http://www.marchforbabies.org/team/TeamLilyGrace

I don't think they are getting enough sleep during the day. Don't drop the morning nap. That is not the problem. I actually think their bedtime should be a bit earlier. The biggest thing is I think you are going to have to let them cry it out. They are waking up from habit, not need. You need to nip that in the bud and CIO is the way to do it.

For starters, have you thought about changing your daytime schedule? It sounds kind of odd. Most people are on a bottles every 4 hours at that age. Most, but certainly not all, have moved to 3 meals a day with bottles. This is what our schedule looked at from 9-12 months. We got up at a different time so I'll do it using your wake up time.

7 breakfast followed by bottle
morning nap
11 lunch followed by bottle
afternoon nap
3pm supper followed by bottle
7 bedtime bottle
bed right after bottles were done

I do think they need 4 bottles and 3 solid meals at that age, regardless of how you fit them it.

You are going to have to let them CIO if you ever want to get any sleep. It is hard, but usually only takes a few nights to get them back on track. Stop feeding them at night. They don't need it. It is a bad habit you need to break. Good luck.

Lori

http://yesidohavemyhandsfull.blogspot.com/

are they waking up and screaming for you, or just waking up and playing? I honestly don't give a crap what they do in bed, so long as they are not crying and keeping me awake. If they choose not to sleep, well there's nothing I can do about it.

If they're waking up crying, well you probably just need to let them. You've said they can and sometimes do sleep through the night, so I doubt it's hunger that is waking them - even my very bad sleeper dropped her middle of the night feedings by 9 months.

We finally did CIO with her. . .we hemmed and hawed and did it half-assed for awhile - she had reflux and was diagnosed with allergies and we always gave in after 90 minutes or so, not sure if she was really uncomfortable. But when we'd go in at 3 in the morning and she immediately stopped crying and started smiling and trying to play with us, we stopped. It took awhile for her to stop crying, but she started sleeping through the night at 15 1/2 months.

Amy

Mom to Julia, ^Caitlin^ & Gabrielle



http://onealaskanmom.wordpress.com

I do CIO to get them to go to sleep. I have told DH that we need to do CIO in the middle of the night too but he says no. I think this is really what we need to do. They will cry until we go and get them and then they want to play and not sleep. The two that get up during the night are Lilly and Nelson. Lilly wants to nurse and that is why she is getting up but she will go back to sleep. Nelson wants a bottle and I have always given him one because he doesn't drink that well during the day. Like today I gave him a bottle at 10 and it is 2 and he still has not touched it. Most days I can get him to drink 16oz of milk but some days it is only 12oz. I have talked with the ped and she was not concern because he is gaining weight.

We had to do CIO in the middle of the night every now and then when my girl would wake up. It took a few nights of her waking around midnight and just crying for a while until she realized I wasn't going in. I think my kids need more sleep than most, but there is now way mine could have lasted with a 1 hr morning nap, 1.5 hr afternoon and then up until 8:00 (or later). So my thought would be that they may be overtired??
We also were doing 3 meals and 4 bottles at that age. I did have one boy who was finicky takign his bottle and often would only have a few ounces. It was so frustrating but it ended once we were done bottles at 13 months.
Good luck!

Jill

www.rauckmantrio.blogspot.com/

Sept 5/08 @ 32w6d

My husband didn't want to do CIO at night, simply because he wasn't able to function at work with only 4 or 5 hours of sleep. But eventually we decided it was too much - probably the night I crawled back in to bed at 5 am crying because I was so exhausted. When we finally did it for good, he would go downstairs, turn on the bathroom fan and sleep on the couch when she started crying (and sometimes use ear plugs). Is there some way for your husband to get far away when the crying starts, so he can still sleep (I am just assuming he needs sleep for work)? It sucks, and it's hard to see the long-term goal when you're exhausted and just want to sleep.

Amy

Mom to Julia, ^Caitlin^ & Gabrielle



http://onealaskanmom.wordpress.com

I'm with the PP that suggested they need more sleep and more food. At that age (only a month ago) mine took longer naps, went to bed earlier, had one more solid food feeding than yours and drank four bottles/day. If they're waking up hungry, they probably need more to eat during the day.

Speaking specifically about Nelson not drinking much, one of my girls does that, too. Some days she refuses three of her four bottles, but she'll drink some water and she loves eating solid foods. So I feed her more fruits, vegetables, and cereal than the other two get because they drink more formula. I don't have a clue why, but it's what works for her.

Mom to GBG born 7/28/09 at 30w6d: 3#10oz, 3#12oz, 3#2oz

For what it's worth...my babies are 9 months adjusted this Thursday and here is our schedule. (all three have been STTN since they were 3 months adjusted with a few CIOs every now and then)
7 am wake - bottle
8 am solids
9 am or 9:30 am - short nap
10:30 am - bottle
11:30 am solids
1:30 pm - long nap
3:30 or 4 pm - bottle
4:30 or 5 pm - solids
7 pm bedtime and bottle

They are either overtired or are very strong willed and you need to CIO. I had to CIO with my stubborn girl in the beginning and now she is my best sleeper.
Good luck!

Michelle

Triplet GGG born 31 weeks 3 days - 09.05.2009

Addison Ann - 3 lbs. 13.6 oz. - 24 days NICU
Reagan Riley - 3 lbs. 10.6 oz. - 24 days NICU
Baylee Brynn - 4 lbs. 1 oz. - 19 days NICU
http://husegals.blogspot.com

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