Hi Mums!
Background- My partner has just started night shift. We have 2 DDs. 3 years and 16months.
Our 16months has in the last month become a terrible sleeper. She was fine before (slept through the night went to sleep by herself, with one of us sitting by the door)
So one of us sat in the room next to the door (this is where we were up to in leaving the room) while she went to sleep and the other read stories to our 3 year old (who then goes to sleep on her own) It was working for us.
We knew a change was coming with night shift starting so we tried to change the 16months old routine. Starting slowly and with day sleeps by leaving the room. Im not a fan of controlled crying. However we were already the door so next step was to leave.
I'd go back every 1-2 mins and she went to sleep within 20 mins.
Second time we did the same thing and vomited after a minute. We stopped straight away and went back to normal routine however for the next week every sleep she'd vomit even while we were standing next to her plus woke all night every night. Its been 2 weeks since the last time she vomited in bed and she's now going to sleep alone with one of standing or occasionally with a hand on her, but still waking alot at night.
She also only has 5 teeth. I can see 3 under the skin (2 eye and 1 bottom one)so teething may be a factor.
So now we have started night shift. First night perfect. Myself and DDs did our night routine then all read a story. My 3 year old continued to look at books and play in her room. I put 16month old to bed. 15 mins later she was alseep. I went back and read couple more stories and 3 year old went to sleep. All before 7pm.
Tonight..... Did the same routine all going well except my 16month old took an hour. I felt so bad. I gave my 3 year old the ipad in bed as I can't stand the thought of her on her own for that long. I'm in the room next door.
So my question is. To all shift workers, fifo and single mums and dads(even other mums/dads who have experienced this!)
What should I do.....???
Is giving my dds the ipad ok while I put other dd to sleep?
Should I put them in the same room, never crossed my mind to do this before so no idea how it'll go, I don't want to disrupt 3 year old though???
Seek help at a sleep school??
Please any tips, personal stories, advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thankyou.
2 Replies
I wouldn't give the ipad just continue to let her look at books. Screen time actually tells the brain to wake up and that its not time to sleep (and you want her brain to know it's sleepy time). You 3 year old will be fine for an hour on her own, you are in the next room, not two houses away. If your feeling worried put a baby monitor in her room so you can keep an eye on her from the 16month olds room.
My husband is a shift worker and has been before our kids where born he goes to bed at 5.30pm most nights so iam left to do bedtime by my self. We have 3 kids 7, 4 and 18mths. We have dinner at 5pm, after dinner is bath time for my two.youngest, then the eldest has a shower. Then they do home work, play quietly or watch a movie till 7.15, bed time everyone does toilets, water bottles ect. Older two get put to bed then the youngest. He is having issues going to sleep aswell and csn sometimes be up for hours so i like to get the other two to bed before i sort the youngest out.
In regards to Ipads their great to keep kids occupied for alittle while but screen time before bed can cause problems for kids getting to sleep. Perhaps somrthing to keep in mind with your eldest iam sure you dont need two kids having trouble getting to sleep. My eldest is always on our ipad and i just have the rule not screen time 30 mins before bed.
All the best changing routines is always hard.