Tinkleberry Won't Nap- We're Losing Our Freakin' Minds!

Mundane Pointless Stuff I Must Share (MPSIMS)
#1

Up until about a week and a half ago, Tinkleberry was a reliable sleeper. Took an hour and a half nap at 10am, and another 1-2 hour nap at 3. Went to bed around 7pm, woke up between 3-5am, was up for exactly 29 minutes, had a bottle & a diaper change, and then went back to sleep until 7:30-8am.

It was all very civilized.

Now it is MASS CRANKY INSANITY. Waking up at 6:30-7am. Finally naps around 11, for about 1/2 hr. and then refuses to sleep again until around 7 at night. IF we get him to go down again, it is an hour long battle, and then maybe a 1/2 hour to an hour of sleep.

I’d say, “Hey, cool, the kid needs less sleep” if he was happy all day. Oh but he isn’t. By 2pm he is a cranky, whiny mess. Eye rubbing, tired, clingy, crying. But will not sleep. We walk, we have bottles, we rock, we leave in crib (with and without mobile on), we go in our sling, we go in our swing, but we will not sleep. Instead I am stuck with a kid who won’t let me even go pee without crying pitifully. He wants to roll around on the floor and be entertained with puppets and songs and stuff. Except he even gets too tired for that, and then just cries and cries and refuses to be put to sleep.

Then we get to the nasty overtired baby cycle, where he doesn’t sleep during the day and has a hard time sleeping at night.

We know part of it is milstone stuff- he is very close to crawling, and loves to roll around, and sometimes even thinks 3am is the right time to practice these skills. The other part is teething- 3 teeth in the past 2 weeks.

So now I’m going 8 hours without even so much as a sandwich break with an overtired mess of a kid. I’m ready to tear out my hair, and by the time he finally sleeps at night I’m too tired to clean anything or get any adult work done- I just want to fall in bed exhausted and/or cry.

How do I get the kid to nap during the day? He obviously needs it, he just doesn’t want it.

#2

It should also be noted that we now have taken to waking up at 3 am to crawl around our crib, only to invariably get stuck in a corner or under our mirror or bonk our head and then won’t go back to sleep for an hour.

Oh, and then we wake up around 6am, perky like a freakin’ squirrel.

#3

:eek: Holy crap. And my resolve to never have kids has strengthened once again.

What has the doctor said? I know there’s remedies for teething pain, maybe the poor tyke’s just irritated from that? Maybe there’s something topical you can rub on there?

I hope you get some help, and some sleep.

#4

I’m going to guess it’s the teething. From what I’ve heard, it’s a horrible itchy pain and poor baby can’t get away from it.

Forget the housework. Forget the laundry. Your primary focus now needs to be on Tinkleberry. Check with the doc to make sure there’s nothing really wrong with him, and hang on. Believe me, I know it doesn’t seem like it, but this will pass. Nap when he does during the day and make sure you have some help, whether it’s a neighbor or your mom or the SO.

And for God’s sake woman, go pee if you need to. He may scream bloody murder, but the two minutes you spend in the bathroom isn’t going to kill him.

#5

We dose him with orajel and motrin and/or tylenol, in amounts suggested by a doctor.

I’m not always sure it’s the pain during the day, as much as an insatiable need to roll around and do STUFF! Must .not. sleep. might. miss. STUFF.

And don’t let this scare you. Kids are fun when they aren’t going through a “stage”.

#6

Trust me, I pee. It is very sad that he cries, but it’s sadder when mommy has a UTI. Sometimes mommy must pee. It is the rule.

#7

The crying affects you more than it does him, emotionally speaking. Keep in mind that in three years he’s not going to have any memory of this. So if you need to let him screech for a bit while you start dinner or take a quick shower you’re not going to scar him for life. Try some Anbesol, check with the doctor, and know that grandchildren will be your revenge.

#8

Fuck. He’s awake again.

#9

Ha! Asleep again! Poor thing- crying hysterically but too tired to even open his eyes or roll over. Oragelled the hell out of his gums, gave him a very cold bottle. He went back to sleep, but continues to whimper here and there.

sigh

#10

Did you ever resolve the driving thing? STUFF which also puts them to sleep is the ideal solution, driving them round worked for me.

You may have to go though a (possibly painful!) phase of reducing clinginess by not responding to every cry by picking him up, otherwise you are rewarding him for the behaviour you’re trying to stop.

What do you currently do when he’s like this, what are you trying?

#11

My son has gone through a couple stages of this (he’s 22 months now). I try to get him to lie on the couch with me when he’d normally take a nap and just sort of soothe him - look at books, talk in quiet whispers, etc. He has his blankie and his binkie. He doesn’t actually nap, but it seems to at least let him rest a bit so he’s not quite as cranky the rest of the day.

Hang on. This, too, shall pass. We’ve had plenty of days where I thought, “Oh, great. Is this how it’s going to be from now on?” and pretty soon it all settles down and we’re back in a workable routine.

#12

The intense hate of the car continues. It is just his nemesis. See, you can’t roll around or crawl in a car seat. This kid is super active child of parental exhaustion.

He isn’t clingy unless he’s overtired. Usually he is in “Must Do STUFF. Get Chewy thing, roll to table and gnaw, giggle giggle” mode. Very happy to hang out and play with things for a half hour at a time.

We have tried everything from rocking and walking and playing and feeding and white noise and outside and swings and putting in crib and orajel and cold things to “let him cry for 5 minutes and maybe he will unwind and sleep.”*

Basically, we know he’s tired, it’s very very clear. And we know two things stand in the way of Mr. Nap- those mean teeth and new-found abilities to move about and get things and do STUFF. He wants to practice these things and not sleep. Once he’s exhausted himself, we run into the teeth pain. If not teeth pain, then we will play with our toes endlessly instead of sleeping.

I tried to remove his feet, but they are rather firmly attached.

I’ve also tried looking on his back for a customer service number or something, as I think I may have a defective model or at least a misfiring circuit in his motherboard. I am unable to find one. He goes to visit the service provider for regular maintenence in 2 weeks. Perhaps they can replace the broken parts or give us a sleep refund. I’d accept a coffee-fetching robot as compensation as well.
*Those 300 seconds were like a knife through my heart, I tell you.

#13

How come chewing doesn’t help?

#14

I have no freakin’ idea. But it doesn’t. I think it actually irritates him more, after a point.

#15

Which would be, what, six minutes between months 19 and 20? :wink:

My admiration for those who opt to be parents is undimmed…but I relish not one bit of it. Most of the time, it’s quite enough to put myself to bed. :eek:

Stranger

#16

I am not a parent, but I’m going to pass along what works miracles with my cranky little cousin: the “Baby Mozart” video. No matter how cranky and tired-but-refusing-to-nap the child is, the video calms her down and sends her into a trance-like state of fascination. The video is so cool that I actually bought one for myself.

There’s also a “Baby Van Gogh”. (I haven’t seen it.) I believe you mentioned something in another thread about Tinkleberry enjoying art.

#17

The Orajel may be annoying him. It numbs everything it touches on contact, including the tongue, roof of the mouth, everything. We had to switch to whiskey, which had the side benefit of keeping the gums clean, which reduces irritation and kept the pain down somewhat. Just dab a little whiskey on a cotton ball and swab the painful area.

Robin

#18

Have you tried white noise? Many parents swear by the vacuum cleaner, some make a tape of it so they can play that and not burn out the motor. Vacuum cleaners can catch fire if left on in one place for too long. There are other sources of white noise that can be used. It helped at times. I think they listen to it trying to make sense of it, but there is nothing to make sense of and before they figure it out bam too late they are asleep.

#19

{{{{{{inkleberry}}}}}}

I know you need that. I so feel your pain. When my son was born, he wanted to nurse CONSTANTLY (trying to support a 12 lb+ birthweight, I guess). I got him onto a pacifier, which helped some–but he NEVER SLEPT–or so it seemed. He woke up several times a night to eat, and took 1-2 naps a day–each lasting about 20 minutes. There were many times I felt my sanity was being seriously tested. He didn’t sleep through the night till he was about 10 months old, and even then, it wasn’t a regular occurence. But we made it through (he’s five now) and I know you will, too.

And if the whiskey doesn’t help soothe him, apply some to yourself–on the inside! :wink:

#20

Thanks for the hugs. :slight_smile: I needed them.

Meanwhile I almost had vodka for dinner after I finally put him to bed. I do not plan to apply alcohol to the baby though. Ever.