OK. I would like your tips and advice. I might not take them, but hey...who knows! ;)
No, really.
We have a cranky butt on our hands.
His name is Christian.
His name is Christian.
Let me give you a little run down.
Christian is a mover. At 3 1/2 months he started rolling from back to front. All the time.
At 4 months he began getting up on his knees and then scooting forward.
I have to watch where I put him because he scoots across the room!!!
He wants to be moving.
He won't stay on his back.
Okay, so the boys both get up in the morning around the same time, between 6:30-7:30am. They eat and then about hour later they are ready to go back to sleep.
They are still swaddled.
Camden is a champ. You put him in bed wide awake and he puts himself out in no time.
Christian on the other hand, has to be rocked to near sleep and then put in his crib. Still awake, but extremely drowsy.
And then almost on the dot, he wakes up after 30 minutes screaming. We try and get him back to sleep by sticking his pacifier in his mouth, which used to work most of the time and now does not. After trying that and letting him cry for awhile we get him up.
If he was waking up happy and content, no big deal. But the dude is soooo tired still!
So he's cranky, but he's not hungry because he recently ate, but he doesn't want to be held or put on the ground. He is tired.
All 3 boys are sick and so we've allowed for some things this past week that we haven't and won't once all are healthy. That being, after he has awakened after that 30 minutes we stick him in the swing, swaddled and he sleeps for a long time.
But I am not about to let that continue!!
That will only make more problems later.
Sigh.
So, my questions are...
What do we do?
Do we stop swaddling him and let him CIO?.... but the kid won't stay on his back. He flips over and then screams and then pukes and then his head gets tired and then his face falls in his puke and up his nose and in his eyes and the concern for SIDS is still there....
Now, Jack started flipping over and sleeping on his tummy around 8-9 months, but never this early. It scares me!
Or do we keep him swaddled and let him CIO while swaddled?
Or what?!
The problem then becomes, Camden wakes after a nice nap and ready to eat. They he plays for awhile and then goes back down for a nap 1-2 hours after he wakes up.
But Christian, having awoken so soon and before his body was really ready, now is so tired when it's time to eat that he's so angry and won't eat and wants to sleep. And then he wakes up early again because he's hungry because his timing is all off.
And this means the boys are on opposite schedules.
Now, I know there are Mom's out there that don't believe in schedules. But I do. Especially with twins and a near 3 year old. When they were on a schedule a month or so ago...things were soooo much easier. The past several weeks have been down right awful again.
I need them to be eating and sleeping at the same times.
I know with identical twins they say this happens usually easier than with fraternal twins because, well...they are half the same person basically!
So...fraternal twin Mom's, that got their babies on schedules...HELP!!!!!!!
Again, I am not planning on implementing anything until all in the house are free of sickness. But I want to have a game plan here.
Right now, Christian is the most angriest crier I have ever heard. He just gets down right mad and he doesn't let up for nothin'!
He's a grump.
It makes me grumpy!
So...shoot!
Email me :)
I totally agree with on it being easier when the kids are on a schedule and it's good for them because they know what to expect. Have you read the book Health Sleep Habits, Happy Child...I hear there is a version for parents of multiples as well. I used the principles in the book for both of my older and plan to use it with the new little one. As with any book there are some things I didn't agree with, but there were some really good suggestions and it's broken down by age too.
ReplyDeleteShoot mama, this sounds tough! I really don't have advice since I have zero experience with multiples. However, I am a strong believer in not letting babies CIO alone for the first year because the first year is all about building a trust relationship between parent and child. So I wouldn't let him CIO quite yet. However, you have three little ones to tend to, so you can't hold/rock one all the time! Which makes it very difficult! I really don't know why I typed this, since it has no advice, but I hope you get some rest soon and the little guy calms down! I say use that swing for a little while! We used ours a lot and Alexis weaned herself from it around 6 months! lol.
ReplyDeleteI was a complete stickler for schedules with my boys, but throwing a cold into the mix is a whole different story. For the time being, I'd do whatever it took for him to sleep at the same time as his brother; even if that means the swing. Sleeping when you're sick helps you get better faster (*I* think so, anyway!)
ReplyDeleteLuke was our good sleeper and Nolan was a little bear. He would fight going down and when he woke up, forget about it -- it was so hard to get him back down. After exhausting every method I could think of, we eventually did the CIO method with him and it worked like a charm! I would go into his room every 10 minutes or so and rub his back and try to comfort him while he was laying in the crib, but I wouldn't pick him up. It was hard on me because I have that maternal instinct, but I had to try to get him to sleep.
Good luck and I hope that whichever method you choose works for you all. Keep us posted!
Just discovered your blog.You have a lovely blog.
ReplyDeleteI have 3 boys also. My oldest was 4 yrs old when our fraternal twins were born. Had a similar problem. With sickness, I did whatever was necessary to comfort them.
I did a modified version of CIO. First time they cried I waited 1 minute and came and picked Garrett up and loved and talked to him and quickly put him back down. Next, after 1 minute, I would come in and love on and talk to him without picking him up and then left the room. Third time after waiting 1 minute, I rubbed on him without talking and then left. Lastly, I let him CIO, but not longer than 3 minutes. I then started over. After 2 days, he went right down. It was hard listening to him cry, the 1 and 3 minutes felt liked an eternity.
Strongly believe in schedules. My twins were sleeping 11p til 7a by 11 weeks. I really feel having them on a schedule helped with that.
Good luck. And know that what ever you choose is right for you and your family, there is no wrong answer.
My twin boys are 4 yrs old now. Many blessings to you.
Christian and Des sound a lot alike! When we tried to get him to sleep on his back or in the crib he would instantly roll over and scream non stop! The only thing that worked for us was sleeping in the swing...he slept in there until 9 months. And really, he slept pretty good there. He may just not be ready for the crib yet, and I personally think he is young to start CIO. Most doctors reccomend until after 6 months. We found that crying it out with Des didnt work until 8 or 9 months even though we tried it at 5 and 6 months. Their little brains just arent ready for it. That is what I believe at least. So my advice is maybe try the swing for bedtime until he is ready to CIO or learn to sleep on his own in his crib. He may also sleep better once he is on formula, I dont Desmond did. He was all around a happier baby. Good luck Krystle!
ReplyDelete