But it always feels like the clock has no mercy. I cuddle him, sing to him, give him his bottle, but nothing works. I sit there, in the dark, waiting for him to fall asleep, but he keeps staring with those wide-open eyes. It’s frustrating because I know he needs rest, and so do I. In the end, when he finally falls asleep, I feel relieved, but also exhausted, knowing that tomorrow will be another attempt at getting a good night’s sleep.
I’ve had to go through this phase a few months ago, and it was SO tough. I would try everything too, rocking, singing, cuddling, you name it. What worked for me was making sure we kept the same bedtime routine every night. Bath, bottle, a little quiet playtime, and then into the crib. I also started limiting screen time an hour before bed. It didn’t fix it overnight, but slowly, he started going down easier. Good luck, you’re doing great!
It’s crazy how they just… refuse to sleep! I honestly don’t know if there’s a secret trick. Some nights he’s out in 15 minutes, other nights he just won’t budge. What’s your little one’s temperament like? Mine’s super energetic, so maybe that’s why he resists so much. Anyone else’s kids just want to fight sleep at this age?
Been through this with both my kids, and it’s no joke. It’s almost like they get a second wind at bedtime! My best advice is to stick to a super consistent routine, even if it feels like it’s not working. With my youngest, we also did a little ‘sleep training’ (not CIO, just slowly encouraging self-soothing) which made a huge difference. I know it’s hard to keep it together when you’re exhausted, but try to give yourself some grace, it will get easier!
One thing that helped us when my son was 1 was making sure his bedtime routine was super calming. We started a bedtime book ritual, and instead of trying to get him to sleep right away, we let him play a bit in his crib with some soft toys before sleep. That little bit of wind, down time worked wonders. I also started putting him to bed 15 minutes earlier each night, and that helped him slowly adjust to an earlier bedtime. It took time, but he got the hang of it. Keep pushing through, you’re doing an amazing job!