No Sleep Zone...

Ugh, The Little Man has the sniffles, and a small cough. He doesn't have a fever. Last night was unbearable. He woke up around 11:30 pm and just cried. I went in changed his diaper, checked for a fever, tried to give him a bottle. Everything seemed fine, other than the fact he would not stop crying! I kept going in and checking on him, maybe every 20 min. I would go in, calm him down (I don't usually do this, but he was so upset) then put him back in his crib. I would say he got about 4 hours of sleep and then started up again around 5:30 am...What do you do when the little one just won't go down! I am willing to try anything...help! We need sleep in this house, what works for you???

26 comments

  1. When my kiddos were little and sickly - and no one got sleep, I would sometimes hold them in the rocker/recliner and just sleep with them there on my chest. Not a good thing to make a habit out of but sometimes that is the only thing that would comfort them when they were feeling icky. Plus if its a sinus thing, the change in position would help with the throbbing. Just think of how it is when you have a cold or sinus pain - the change in position sometimes helps.

    Hope he feels better soon.

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  2. Oh you poor baby. I hope he sleeps tonight... is he cutting teeth too?

    -HH

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  3. Boy am I right there with you! My little man isn't a good sleeper to begin with, but with his cold these past few days, life has been unbearable!

    This is what I've done. I can't say that it's helped remarkably, but it _has_ helped. We both seem to be getting better. (Did I mention that he's very good at sharing with his Mama?)

    - Humidifier in his room
    - Menthol vapor fan in his room
    - As "Cheeky" said, sitting upright and holding him got us through the first night.
    - Propping up one end of the mattress. This didn't really work for us (sleeping on the angle woke him up), but I know it has for others.
    - Our pediatrician recommended the following homeopathics. I got them in "pellet" form and have been slipping one of each into each bottle of pedialite - drosera rotundifolia for cough, allium cepa for runny nose, and bryonia alba for aches (and if he's been as achy as I've been, then I feel like a VERY bad parent for not getting him relief sooner). I don't know how useful these have been, but they certainly don't seem to be hurting the situation any.
    - Tylenol. I'm _really_ not a big fan of drugging him (especially with Tylenol), but at the same time, after four days with little or no sleep (at least for me), we both needed it. And we were both feeling _MUCH_ better this morning.

    I hope we both get some relief soon!

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  4. I'm with Cheeky-- when my little ones are sick the best way I've found to get everyone some sleep is if baby and I curl up in the recliner or on the end of the couch, half-sitting, under a blanket. The kids will snuggle up to me and doze off, and I get some sleep that way, too. (Of course be very careful if the baby is young due to the risk of suffocation on a couch.)

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  5. Wish I had something new, but I've used Tylenol, elevating one end of the crib mattress, and a humidifier. Squirt saline drops into his nose to clear up his nose congestion. They hate it for two seconds while you do it but it really helps. If the cough is in his chest they make a Vick's Vapor Rub for babies that can be helpful.

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  6. Humidifer and sleeping with me helped. only when sick like that though! Hope he feels better soon!

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  7. I feel your pain! I agree with all the recommendations above, but there is one other that seems to work for us...

    I dab a tiny bit of Vick VapoRub under my son's nose and step outside to let him breath in some of the cool night air. We only stay out there for a few minutes, but the fresh air and coolness on his face seems to help comfort him.

    I hope your baby get better soon!

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  8. ya i wasnt feeling to well my self a couple weeks ago. when i talked my vioce sounded wierd and i was burning up and my head hurt. im feeling better but im still burning up at times and get a headache. hope the little man feels better this weather is knocking everyone on there ass lol everyone is getting sick or not feeling well...

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  9. Tricky situation. Is he teething? One really challenging night, I put one of our kids in the rocker for about half an hour and that really helped.

    Hope you get some sleep today.

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  10. Ditto what some others have said: on my baby's worst nights, I just hold him/nurse him the recliner. He sleeps, I sleep some. Wouldn't wnat to make it a habit, but people have to get some sleep!

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  11. Wish I could offer any advice other then what's been stated. I know the little VIcks vaporizer thingie works wonders, between that, a half dose of Tylenol cold and sleeping sitting up, it's the only way I get sleep when one of the inmates had a cold.

    I hope he gets to feeling better so you can too.

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  12. Hey I just got around to visiting and have added you to my blogroll. Hope you don't mind.
    Ugh this is a tough one. I always did what Cheeky did too (or the hubs did) it seems like letting the sleep on your chest helps with congestion/drainage issues. I feel for you. Hope the little one is feeling better very quickly and you all get some rest!

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  13. I just rock, sing, rock, sing, sing, rock, swing, and much more of the same. I tend to cradle Davey in the breastfeeding/football hold, too, and it calms him. Oh and if it's teething related I give him some Hyland's Teething Tablets.

    For a cold I put some Vick's on his chest, elevate his crib (which I do during teething any way), and make sure his nose is clear of boogies.

    I hope you got some rest today, Ma!

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  14. Also...you can increase the intervals as the night goes in...20 minutes at first and then 30...40 and so on...it is horribly difficult to hear them sad...but sometimes necessary...

    This too shall pass!

    Bradley
    The Egel Nest

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  15. You poor girl..I can totally relate with the sleepless nights...it will get better. I can't offer any recommendations that everyone else haven't already...so, just hang in there. Max is 4, still wakes me up some nights..You have my sympathy.

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  16. A little dose of reality, perhaps unwanted:
    Sometimes you have to face the unpleasant fact that kiddos just aren't going to sleep. It's no fun for anyone--baby included. Everyone feels wretched.
    But, when I stopped trying to make it happen and accepted this is what is right now in my mommy-life...well,it helped some.
    I went into survival mode. Lowered my expectations. Let things slide. Tried all the tricks to get the child to sleep, sure, but if they didn't work, I went with it. Lessened my frustration somewhat.

    Here's hoping things get back to an even and healthy, restful keel soon.

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  17. Poor baby!!! Last week my Jaden did the same thing. I ended up taking him to his 24 hour pediatrician. He had double ear infections...no wonder. I don't know...just use your instincts. I think you did a good job. You know your kids better than even your hubby does...it's a tough call, but I think you're GREAT!

    Tami

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  18. If he's got a runny nose, it may be causing him not to be able to breath when he lies on his back (this often happened with my little girl) - I would prop pillows in her crib so she was lying more in an upright position. That may be some of the problem. Plus, if he's on any medicine, it may be causing his tummy to be upset and you might try giving him something for gas if that seems to be the case. Poor baby and poor you. Good luck - really.

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  19. Yup... ditto on:
    1) When congested, not placing babe on back.
    2) Humidifier (has helped lots!)
    3) Take outside for a few minutes for some cool night air.

    Sending healthy thoughts your way!

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  20. oh dear...I hate to hear of such turmoil in your family.

    I guess I am not one to ask on this...as I am a big old softy, and just choose to sleep with my girl when she is sick. LOL I figure she needs lots of TLC when she is sick. She doesn't understand why she is hurting, or can't breathe or so on...so I want to make sure I am right there comforting her during such an icky time for her.

    I do hope, that some of the advice here helps your household get some sleep.

    hugs!

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  21. #1 got like that once. We called the pediatrician, who said, "That doesn't sound like your kid. Bring him in!"

    He had his first ear infection.

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  22. Oh NO, sorry to hear that! Is he teething? I'm going through that pain right now (up 6 - SIX) times last night. Hopefully little man feels better in no time. When baby's not happy, nobody sleeps.

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  23. when Logan was younger and got a cold, i had to sleep with him sitting in a chair. we have one of those Poang Ikea chairs...perfect for holding him and sleeping. i would just have my breastfeeding pillow to help prop him up. it really helped him breathe better when he had a stuffed nose, and he slept right through the night.

    have you tried elevating the head end of his crib mattress? that helped Zander when he had a cold...

    hope you find something that helps!

    cate - www.monkeysandmarbles.com

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  24. Oh poor little man. I remember those days.... I used to try and keep Bug up right to help with the stuffy head, usually just by holding him and sleeping in a recliner with him. I also gave a low dose of tylenol at night to help. A little menthol rub on the chest helped a bit too. I did the saline up the nose to clear it out too, it was slightly traumatic but it works. I hope tonight is better for you!

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  25. I don't have any fantastic tips other than the ones you have been given but I just wanted to give you kudos for having not just one little one but two! Where on earth do you find the energy?

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  26. Oh, poor sweetie.

    Since we normally have a good sleeper, when she does wake up we normally kick into high "make it better" gear. Rocking and cuddling back to sleep. A bottle if necessary. When she had a cold, sleeping semi-upright on me.

    Since I know it is a temporary condition, I don't worry too much about the short-term remedies. We are pretty good about getting back into our routine when things settle down again (tooth cuts through, tummy-ache passes, cold is over, that sort of thing).

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