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rose gardens
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| Posted: Sept 21 2006 at 2:30pm | IP Logged
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Okay ladies, I'm loosing it a bit and need to vent.
My younger children keep waking up the baby just as I get her to nap. They don't mean to wake her up, they just do.
I got her to sleep for a morning nap shortly after our snack break. Nice timing because my 12 year old usually reviews math with me then. But as I come upstairs to lay down the baby, I discover my 5 year old wanted more food (even though we just ate and lunch isn't far off--I try to feed my children preventatively rather than waiting until they're hungry) and he's making a mess in the kitchen. I tried to quietly correct him, but I woke up the baby.
After lunch, I send them outside. My 7 year old decides to pick green beans then comes inside to proudly (and loudly) show me what he's done. In the meantime I was just about to lay her in the crib and she wakes up. Once awake, she stays awake for a while, only she's crabby and wants me to hold or nurse her for a long time.
Next, they're back inside. I send them to the basement and ask them to play quietly so I can get the baby back to sleep. Someone comes up yelling that the 2 year old is emptying the pencil sharpener all over the floor.
This is how it's been around here for longer than I remember. This poor baby rarely sleeps without being disturbed, unless she sleeps in my arms while I do other things or falls into a sound sleep when I'm running errands. On top of that, for the last few nights she's been waking up in the middle of the night, when she usually sleeps through the night. I'm exhausted. She's exhausted. And as I tried to type this my two year old came sneaking downstairs with a toy when it's the two year old's nap time. If no one else wants to nap, I do. 
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shartlesville
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| Posted: Sept 21 2006 at 2:42pm | IP Logged
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I am not sure how much help I can be but I can totally empathize. 
Until about 6 weeks ago Jack would not sleep unless someone was holding him or he was sleeping in my bed with me next to him. It was VERY frustrating, every time we laid him down he would immediately wake up.
I finally decided that he had to learn to sleep through the noise and in his own bed. I let him fall asleep in my arms and then laid him down, he woke up but I let him cry until he fell back asleep (about 7 minutes). It was REALLY hard to let him just cry but once he fell asleep he stayed asleep for a good hour.
After the first week of doing this he would just go right back to sleep as soon as I laid him down. Now he will sleep in his crib most of the time (except when he wakes at night, then he spends the rest of the night with me) unless there is a really loud noise or an extraordinary amount of commotion.
Mine are usually loud so I have even less in the way of advice about that.  As for the noise level, that is hard too. You just have to keep reminding them to use "indoor voices."
HTH.
Blessings,
Krisann
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Krisann
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DC John, Elizabeth, Lilyann ^i^, Emily, Kate, Julia, Sam, & Jack;
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My Blog: Isla del Esperanza
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JennGM
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| Posted: Sept 21 2006 at 2:46pm | IP Logged
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Where does the baby sleep? In a separate room, or in your bedroom apart from the rest of the house?
My sister and I use noise machines to keep the outside noise out, or at least down, for the sleeping baby. That helps others around in the house to be able to live normally without worrying about the baby.
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Rebecca
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| Posted: Sept 21 2006 at 3:41pm | IP Logged
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Jenn, What is a noise machine?
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JennGM
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| Posted: Sept 21 2006 at 3:46pm | IP Logged
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Rebecca wrote:
| Jenn, What is a noise machine? |
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LOL! I mean a sound machine...something to create some background sounds. We use the "white noise" option, but there are others like waterfall, ocean...ours stays on the whole time, no timer that shuts it off. Ours is the second one on the list. Can't remember where I picked it up, but it's so nice, especially when we travel or in odd places, or have people visiting, etc., etc.
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rose gardens
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| Posted: Sept 21 2006 at 3:51pm | IP Logged
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JennGM wrote:
| Where does the baby sleep? In a separate room, or in your bedroom apart from the rest of the house? |
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There's a crib upstairs in with her sisters (2&5), but she usually sleeps in a portable crib in the office on the main level. Once she's laying down there and the doors closed, it's not a problem. But honestly, it's hard to even get her out of my arms before someone wakes her up. At night, once the others are in bed, it's fine. If she's not already asleep by 9:30 or 10:00, I lay her down and let her cry it out (which doesn't take long as the poor baby is tired.) She slept in our room when she was newborn, and we tried moving her to the girls room, but the office works best for nights. She slept through the night for months, and only the last few nights started waking up again at night.
Thank you for letting me vent and for the hug. Today it was so bad it was almost funny. After I posted my original complaint, I had her close to sleep again, then the phone rang. If I can just keep my perspective and a sense of humor, we'll be alright. Now I think I need to go re-read the thread about how to be nice. 
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Alcat
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| Posted: Sept 22 2006 at 6:44am | IP Logged
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My baby (now 2  ) was awful about sleeping durring the day. She was eaisly awakened by the others.
The one thing that worked was wearing her in either a sling or a backpack. The great thing about the backpack for the older baby was that she could fuss but she had mommy and I could rock her while getting things done.
It could be a little tricky getting her off my back, but I made sure she was OUT before tring to put her down. Eventually, like Krisann, I had to let her fuss for a few in the crib- but this was as she got older and was learning to put herself to sleep.
The other great thing for "white noise" is a small fan. It really helps to drown out the kids in the hall.
God Bless,
Alison
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Elizabeth
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| Posted: Sept 22 2006 at 7:13am | IP Logged
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I usually put our babies to sleep in our room. Because I've rigged the cosleeper to be flush with the bed, it's not particularly safe for unattended babies. So I put a Mozart Cd for babies on the CD player and a child old enough to read independently in the room. The older child reads throughout the baby's naptime; Mozart drowns out the house noises. It isn't perfect, but it is pretty good.
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Patty LeVasseur
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| Posted: Sept 22 2006 at 8:34am | IP Logged
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rose gardens wrote:
| I had her close to sleep again, then the phone rang. |
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I still remember some poor telemarketer being so chewed out by me over having the misfortune to do this to me. He just kept apologizing and then didn't even tell me that he would call back later. Smart man!
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Nina Murphy
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| Posted: Sept 22 2006 at 9:21am | IP Logged
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There is just no way for us to avoid it---there is nowhere to go in our house where the noise is not heard or doors opening and closing loudly. (Even if I try to escape and go into the teeny bathroom that has a sliding door --which makes it pitch dark and calming so I can breathe--they find me. )
I TOTALLY sympathize. The fact is: when they are new, newborns they are usually only sleeping on one of us...or when nursing...and that happiness they feel keeps them asleep, I guess! It IS exhausting. My heart is with you. I'm sorry I don't have any advice...I have the problem as well. Just so you don't think you are alone....
But we use sound machines---we have to. Now my children are addicted to white noise to keep them asleep. Sigh.....So am I, actually. When the power goes out and the house is silent, it's hysterical at night: everyone awakens and starts crying. Especially me. 
I've been lots of help, haven't I?  Praying for your peace of mind and for some rest. We mothers desperately need that, and God knows that. I always say, "Someday I'll get my eternal rest---for now, it's keeping me longing for Heaven!"
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MEBarrett
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| Posted: Sept 22 2006 at 9:41am | IP Logged
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I am having a HUGE problem with this with the twins. Everyone is so enthralled with the new babies that they can't leave them alone. I was driven to a desperate screeching incident the other day. If I can get them in the cradle (in my room) and close the door they are ok, if they fall asleep in my arms or in their little seats it's all over, someone has to touch them, stroke them or coo at them.
I keep waiting for the novelty to wear off....
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Sept 22 2006 at 10:14am | IP Logged
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I've never tried to give my babies quiet to sleep in.. vacuum the floor by wherever they're sleeping etc. I usually keep them close by.. I have a low cradle that I put near me.. that helps me keep out the fascinated siblings but it also keeps them in the hub bub of daily life and they sleep though just about anything.. I also don't typically have set naptimes and places.. so you may find me grocery shopping with my 2 years old sound asleep in the straps of the cart because he decided he wanted to sleep while we were at the store and did so.
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JennGM
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| Posted: Sept 22 2006 at 1:25pm | IP Logged
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Nina Murphy wrote:
But we use sound machines---we have to. Now my children are addicted to white noise to keep them asleep. Sigh.....So am I, actually. When the power goes out and the house is silent, it's hysterical at night: everyone awakens and starts crying. Especially me.
I've been lots of help, haven't I? Praying for your peace of mind and for some rest. We mothers desperately need that, and God knows that. I always say, "Someday I'll get my eternal rest---for now, it's keeping me longing for Heaven!" |
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I have enjoyed white noise before I got married. I would run a fan in my room. This wasn't from childhood, just something I picked up in "old age." It is hard to sleep with absolute quiet now. If I could open the windows the summer night noises would be calming for me, except our street isn't quiet, so we opt for a fan. We started with the sound machine originally for our son because his room was on the street, and our house was right in front of the speed bump, and loud neighbors, etc.
My sister with 5 girls has joked in the past about finally understanding the "Rest in Peace" and "eternal rest" when you die -- that's the only time as mothers we will!
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Sarah
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| Posted: Sept 22 2006 at 2:31pm | IP Logged
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I run a loud fan outside the door (of my bedroom).
My baby is 13mo. and he naps in a toddler bed (with a guard for rolling) that belongs to his sister (also in my room) and I stay close to hear him when he wakes up. He can safely crawl out of her bed, but usually cries to let me know he's up.
When my kids were at the "can't-put-them-down" stage, I held many of them ALL THROUGH THEIR NAPS. I knew that if I even attempted to lay them down, they'd be up in 10 minutes or less. They could sleep in my arms for an hour or more, even with the noise around them. (not sure why?- I must comfort them back to sleep without even realizing it!)
While those periods meant that I didn't get a whole lot done, it was a time that I could read to people, do math, listen to piano practice, etc.
Be warned, though, that the minute the baby does fall alseep in your arms, you'll hear a loud, "WIPE ME!" coming from the bathroom!
I should also say that none of my kids have sleep problems. As they got older they all napped without me, so I don't think holding them during those vulnerable naptimes created an adnormal dependence.
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rose gardens
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| Posted: Sept 23 2006 at 11:14am | IP Logged
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Thank you everyone for the support and prayers! Her sleeping and naps improved remarkably since I shared with all of you. She's back to sleeping through the night again  , and she took a solid morning nap in her crib yesterday.
Sarah wrote:
When my kids were at the "can't-put-them-down" stage, I held many of them ALL THROUGH THEIR NAPS. ...While those periods meant that I didn't get a whole lot done, it was a time that I could read to people, do math, listen to piano practice, etc.
Be warned, though, that the minute the baby does fall alseep in your arms, you'll hear a loud, "WIPE ME!" coming from the bathroom! |
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I'm potty training my 2 year old also, so I kind of look forward to hearing her yelling "wipe me" as opposed to the alternative which I deal with now. 
I often hold and nurse the baby all through her nap, which I didn't previously mind, (that's how I find time to play computer ) Reading and such works fine, but as we return to homeschooling, I grew frustrated wanting to tudor my 12 year old son without having a baby on my breast. I wanted so much for her to sleep undisturbed, and the more I wanted it, the worse it got.
Anyway, thank you all once again for your prayers and support. It helps so much to know that others have lived and are living through similar experiences. You helped me to regain my perspective and not feel all alone.
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4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: Sh! Don't wake the baby!
