We are planning on trying out all that you suggested.

Thanks

My oldest son went through the same sort of “sleeplessness”. Our pediatrician said one nap a day was not enough. So, we had our 2 boys take 2 naps a day until they were about 3. 1 nap from 10 to 12 and the other from around 2 to 4. We noticed that they slept better at night with 2 naps and conversely that they woke up more when they didn’t get one for some reason.

Then we had the task of trying to teach them how to put themselves back to sleep. That really just meant not picking them up and rocking them back to sleep. We tried to sooth them while they were still in the crib/bed. This was initially met with a lot of tears and wrestling but it eventually worked. Waking up is inevitable so this is an important skill for them to learn.

We were also told that there would be sleep disturbances during periods of major development or growth. Maybe your grandson is just going through a growth spurt or some cognitive development. This was when our nightly rituals really came in handy – dinner, bath, snack, brush teeth, read a story, say our prayers, and then leave them to put themselves to sleep. We also ensured them that we would be there in the morning when it was time to get up.

I guess the three things we developed to help our boys sleep were:
1. Take 2 naps – kids who aren’t getting enough sleep don’t act tired, they get restless.
2. Teach them to put themselves to sleep – don’t rock them even though this is a very enjoyable time for the parent/grandparent.
3. Follow rituals as closely as you can – this helps children know that it is bedtime and not playtime. It got to the point where the boys were falling asleep during the reading time.

Maybe you’ve tried these things. I can only say that it took weeks/months to develop different habits but it has paid off. My boys are now 7 and almost 4 and are great sleepers – neither of them were initially. They often get up to go to the bathroom or wake up when the dog barks but they put themselves back to sleep and are ready to go when they wake up.

I sincerely hope he gets the rest his little body desperately needs. Good luck!

I like the multi-grain Cheerios… great finger food and they help with my dexterity.

I never go to sleep in my crib with a bottle. My Mom still holds me and gives me a bottle until I am asleep and then she lays me down in my crib.

I do still need the bottle to fall asleep, haven’t quite figured out how to just lay down and nod off. However, because I am lactose intolerant and can’t handle soy mild, I’m pretty limited to what I can drink. Apple juice seems to be one of the few things Mom can put into a bottle that doesn’t make me sick.

Thanks for the comments

Anthony

I also read your comment about the bottle of 50% apple juice at nap and bed time. I’m sure you already know the dangers of falling asleep with a bottle, but just wanted to mention that it causes toddler tooth decay. You can read about it here: http://www.drgreene.com/21_748.html

Thanks for the blog! It’s fun to take a peek into the life of a toddler.