Ok for real, how long does it take a toddler to get on a normal sleep schedule after a huge event like moving to a new house? Because we are seriously about to lose our minds here.
Cate seems to think that midnight is her new bedtime. And she can’t fall asleep on her own at all, we have to cuddle with her until she’s sound asleep, then quietly transfer her to her crib. Same goes for naptime during the day. I’m so tired that I’m having trouble finishing a train of thought or even a full sentence.
I know I said that I was going to wait on letting her cry it out, but sometime after midnight the other night, I gave up. We had cuddled with her on the couch for over an hour, we had tried lying in bed with her in between us, and nothing was working. So I put her in her crib, turned on her Baby Mozart CD, and left the room. She was standing up in her crib wailing for me, and I walked out and closed the door. Way to feel heartless. Then I lay down next to Dave in our bed and cried. I felt completely helpless, and totally incompetent as a mother. She only cried for maybe 10 or 15 minutes before she fell asleep, but it was awful.
(For the record, I know I’m not incompetent. These are just the thoughts you have when you’re exhausted in the middle of the night.)
Last night ended up working out rather well. Cate had only taken a 20-minute nap yesterday (no fun for mama, I assure you), so she collapsed at the not-quite-but-almost-normal time of 9:45. And she didn’t make a peep until after 8:30 this morning. So that was lovely.
But this had better not mean that she’s weaning herself off of naps altogether. My mom says that my brother and I both stopped napping when we were about 18 months old. (We were sleeping 12 hours a night, so we were getting enough sleep, but we were done with naps totally.) And right now, naptime is the only time of day that I get any productive work done around the house, so I’m not ready to give it up just yet.
Speaking of which, I have seriously got to get back to work. My current job has sort of dried up lately, they haven’t had a new project for me since June, and I am not cut out to be a full-time stay-at-home mom. Also, judging by the way Cate explodes with utter glee anytime the neighbor kids are outside, I think she misses being able to play with other kids on a regular basis too. So I’m going to be looking for some more part-time work-from-home tech writing gigs. I think it’ll be good for everyone.
Ugh! When sleep is screwed up, everything else feels worse. I’m so sorry. but, maybe crying it out is just what she needs right baout now. But I feel you, it’s SO HARD to hear even a few minutes of crying and not do anything about it.
Good luck with the new job-hunt. I think you’re right that everyone’s going to feel better when Cate is back into some kind of day care (well, you know, once she adjusts to it).
I’m sorry Cate is having some trouble adjusting. I have no experience with toddlers that age (yet, of course) but I am sure that she is still trying to figure life out. She went 10 days without Daddy and now her entire world is upside down. It might take a little while before she trusts you guys again and I think that might be part of the sleep trouble. That aside, I am sure you will get through this and start getting more sleep again soon! 🙂
Gaby was older last time we moved, but it took her about 2 weeks to adjust to her new room. Just different environments.
As for the naps thing, Gaby got rid of her naps entirely at about 3, and it was miserable. I used to tell her she had to go and “rest” in her room for at least an hour…and sometimes she would fall asleep.