# Can't keep this up...bouncing toddler to sleep



## Still_Learning (Jan 29, 2005)

I just can't keep doing this. DS has ALWAYS fought sleep. he only way I can get him to sleep is to carry him and do deep knee bends until he's asleep. If I sit in the rocker he freaks, lay down with him he's up and playing.

I just can't keep this up. He's 25 lbs and I'm 100. My arms hurt terribly by the time he's asleep (1/2 hour usually, but sometimes and hour).

Does anyone else have to go through all this to get their oddler to sleep? (He's 13 months)

What in the world can I do to make him sleep without all the acrobatics? (We do the routine thing, tried all the aromatherapy, nursing....)


----------



## mom2owen1 (May 12, 2005)

no experience with this, as ds still lets me rock or walk him to sleep. but i have read others that needed to bounce - they used one of those big exercise / birthing balls. at least they could sit and bounce.

i have also read about transitioning to another crutch. like introducing singing, then eventually phase out the bounceing and have him rely on the singing. wouldn't work for my ds but a thought nonetheless.

hope you find something that works!

kris
owen, 11m


----------



## swedemom (Mar 11, 2005)

I think finding a new crutch is a good idea, rocking while sitting, bouncy ball, singing, it might take some transition time.
I had this problem with DD, so this time, i never did the walking / bouncing, i did the sitting and hoped it would work hehe








hang in there mamma!


----------



## LyliaFinn (May 28, 2005)

Ugh, we have this problem too. Sometimes sitting on an exercise ball and bouncing him works, but sometimes DH has to bounce/dance/sway him around the living room while singing along to the stereo. DS has gotten *very* opinionated about his bedtime routine. After the bath and the PJs and the stories, he has "bed milk" (nursing on his bed -- he has a futon on the floor) with Mommy and then "Daddy songs." Thank goodness it's Daddy songs and not Mommy songs, because I can't hold him that long either.

We haven't figured out a way yet to settle him down enough before bedtime. He's on full speed all day long, and just gets worse as he gets more tired. I don't think he'd sit still for a massage or aromatherapy, he complains (sometimes) when we put classical music on the stereo at dinnertime, he's very bouncy in the bathtub... Oh well. I'm hoping he'll grow out of it eventually!


----------



## nurtureyourbabies (Aug 30, 2005)

I nursed/rocked/laid down with DS until he was 2 and his little sister was born and that was no longer an option. He has ALWAYS fought sleep as well. He gave up naps, that helps. Another thing is that if he goes to bed before 9 it takes forever to get himto sleep, but after 9, he goes right out. Maybye just waiting until later to start so that he is more tired? I used to beat myself up about it and I don't know why I was so stuck on him going to bed early, I guess I was just anxious to have a little peace! Now I run him ragged outside all day and put him to bed after 9 and it's a peice of cake. Over the last several months he has slowly given up one crutch for another, nursing for rocking, rocking for laying down with him, laying down to singing. That's where we are now.
I know it's hard and frustrating, keep trying different things, you will soon find something that works.
Sara


----------



## aran (Feb 9, 2005)

My DS went through just such a bouncing phase. It was TIRING. Nothing else would suffice to get him calmed down. Is there anyone who can help you? My saving grace was that DH and I would trade off bouncing (I would do a few minutes, until I was sweating and out of breath, then hand off to DH and he would do the same, etc.) until DS fell asleep.

After about 4-6 weeks of this (when he was about 9-10 m.o.), he decided one day that he'd rather nurse to sleep.
(He pointed to our nusing chair and whined when I tried to bounce him). He's been doing that ever since.

No good words of wisdom here... I just hope yours grows through this phase, like mine did.


----------



## Still_Learning (Jan 29, 2005)

Wish it were a phase..he's been like this since birth.

I'm going to try transitioning to the exercise ball and see if he'll tolerate that!


----------



## bncunningham (Jun 15, 2005)

Our dd was exactly the same way...except we discovered the exercise ball early on. She's 13 months old now and we're actually able to lay her down in the pack n play and she goes to sleep on her own. There was some crying involved initially. I would lay down on the floor beside her and intermittently lay her down and rub her back. She didn't like it at first...but, after about a week of it, she hardly fussed at all. It is so worth it to be able to just lay her down and watch her drift off to sleep on her own.

The bouncing and nursing just eventually stopped working or I would still be doing that.

Good luck,

Brandy


----------



## tootpapa (Aug 29, 2005)

I highly recommend the exercise ball. I use it a lot, though bouncing has been less effective lately. What we do now is bounce (me), nurse (dw) and then bounce again. We repeat if necessary but I can tell very quickly now if dd is not ready to sleep. Her cries are very different. I also sing with the bouncing and pat her leg/bottom to the beat of the bounce and singing. That sets a rhythm. When I get up I keep singing and sometimes I just walk and sing if she doesn't go for the bouncing. Switching up between all of these seems to work well. And splitting it up between the two of us makes it easier, too. If the nursing doesn't work dw doesn't have to keep at it for hours. I can step in and try something else.


----------

