Need Help !!!

[august]

Hi I am a mum to a beautiful 2yo boy and i am at my wits end with his sleep issues.

He has been breastfed to sleep from day dot and at about 18 months i managed to get him to go to sleep on his own by letting him cry himself to sleep, and then a few months later he started crying so i would go in and breastfeed him back to sleep.

During the day I drive him around in the car to go to sleep for his day nap then i try and transfer him asleep to his pram to bring him inside.

But lately when i transfer him from the car he, wakes up and doesn't go back to sleep, leaving him tired and grumpy and me getting stressed and angry.

I also have my 3 stepkids here fulltime to care for and they are a handful and to be honest I am at breaking point :hair:, i am stressed and i want him to just go to sleep in his cot by himself.

If i control cry him tonight, should i keep going in and reassuring him every 20 mins or should i just leave him until he falls asleep, which could take a while.
Any ideas on how to tackle control crying tonight for a 2 yo ??

[Thermolicious]

I don't think you can control cry past 2?

ETA just did a quick google search and most programs do not recommend doing it past 2, sorry I don't have much advice when we did it DS1 was 9mths.

I think you may need to try changing his sleep associations, does he have a bedtime routine?

[fludo]

I've never heard of not doing it past age 2 - I wonder why? How is that different from telling a child who's been naughty they can't have something and leaving them to scream until they stop?

On reading your post, wow, I'm not surprised you are feeling burnt out! That's amazing what you've done up to know to get him to sleep. Maybe at this age you can talk to him about what's going to happen. Does he settle by himself when you first put him down at night?

[august]

He used to settle easily for a few months in his cot by himself, but not anymore as soon as i put him him down he cries,I do have a good routine after bath we do storys, he has a bottle of milk and kisses dad and brothers goodnight then i take him down to his cot (which is in our room- he doesn't have a bedroom because we are getting an extension done, the other 3 boys have the other 2 rooms).
I tell him that its bedtime and that i will be just out in the lounge room and i leave him.
But he cries and cries and cries, its mostly a 'I am cranky cry' I don't think he is that distressed but it still distresses me hearing him.

[august]

BUMP !!! Its nearing bedtime :(

[fludo]

I'd try to leave him then if he doesn't sound distressed. i know it's sooo hard! I think he needs to know bedtime is bedtime and that's it. You know he knows how to self-settle and he'll remember it too - it just might take a while! Good luck tonight! :hugs:

[august]

Well I thought i would update...

Sunday night i tried the leaving him to cry method and he grizzled and cried for 1 1/2 hours until i gave in and put him in bed with me.

So last night i tried leaving him for 15 min then going in and reasurring him and leaving for another 20 mins and going in again and after the second time i went in to reasurre him , he went to sleep by himself. :smiliedance:
So it only took about 45 min last night !!

I am so pleased, wish me luck with his day nap today, because i will use the same technique.

[fludo]

That's fantastic! I needed a good sleep story - am trying to get my 6 week old to self-settle :hair: