 | Sleep Problems With Toddlers |
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Question: Toddler sleep problems?Our daughter is almost 18 months old and just had ear tube and adenoid surgery. She has never been a good sleeper (waking maybe 1-2 times a night), but since the surgery FREAKS the moment we lay her in her crib. It's been 5 days since her surgery ... could this surgery have been a traumatic event for her and she is "scared" now...?? I also don't know the recovery time for this surgery...am I being unrealistic that she could be sleeping well at this point after surgery? I don't want to let her cry if she is in pain, but it's just so hard to tell at this age what exactly is wrong.
Answer: Poor you, my daughter was a nightmare sleeper. There's nothing worse than that middle of the night feeling when you feel like the whole world is asleep except you.After my daughter had a tonsillectomy, they gave her Calpol (junior paracetomol) and junior Ibuprofen. These medicines can safely be taken together, but alternate between the two at two hourly intervals. So Calpol on the hour, then 2 hours later Ibuprofen, then 2 hours after that Calpol again.I think you sound stressed, and there's nothing like peace of mind to relieve anxiety, so just popping back to your GP (family doctor) to make sure she hasn't picked up an infection will help you no end.As for the sleeping, there are two ways of tackling it. Most people say letting a child cry itself to sleep is the best way to cure sleep problems.But being old-fashioned as I am, I hate hearing babies cry and went for my Nan's "walk the floors" method of getting my daughter to sleep. I'll probably get shot down in flames for saying I allowed my daughter to fall asleep in my arms before putting her to bed but her crying distressed me like you wouldn't believe. I was the least maternal person in the world until I had my daughter (she was the first baby I'd ever even held) but as soon as I had her it became my mission in life to keep her safe and happy and leaving her to cry flies in the face of my instincts.If you do prefer to do things by 'the book' or the modern way. Then I advise a really good bedtime routine, and never waver from it. Bath, warm milk, into bed, read a story and lights out.I do really feel for you, but I can tell you it's over very quickly. I know it feels at the moment like there's no end to this, but before you know it your baby will be at school, then high school, then gone from the nest altogether.And if you have more children, the same problems may not apply, my son slept for 5 hours the night I came home from hospital, I had to wake him up for his feed, there's no telling how long he would have slept if I hadn't. Don't let this experience put you off having more
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