Anonymous wrote:OP,
I dealt with a similar issue and my solution was to put the dogs in a part of the house where they couldn't wake her with a kong (a kind of chew/puzzle toy for dogs) before putting LO to sleep. Once he had slept for 20 minutes or so, I would let them out. It ended up being 45 minutes, 2 times a day that they were shut up--hardly cruelty--and the LO got the sleep he needed. Is there anywhere in the apartment that the dogs can't wake her?

OP, here. I like this idea. The best place I can lock them up is the walk in closet in the parent's bedroom. However, they're training the dogs to stay out of the bedroom areas (they use a shock scat-mat to blockade that area from them). Aside from that location, there's no feasible place to put him... However, MB got around to hooking up the crib cam today, so by tomorrow I can close in her door all the way, crank up her music, and hope this is enough to keep the dogs from waking her when they go into an "elevator barking frenzy."

And to 13:55, just because you personally have never heard of that, it doesn't mean it's not a method that some pediatricians recommend. Her pediatrician felt it would be easier to wean her off the pacifier and her other soothing toys at this age for several reasons:

1. It's better to do so at this age before she begins to associate her pacifier with something that she "needs" to fall asleep with... you know, before she ends up like those 1 and 2 year olds (and even older), who cry and can't fall asleep when they don't have their pacifier to soothe with.

2. She recommend we remove all her small, pet blankets and her larger sleeping blankets so that she can a. learn to self-soothe on her own without these objects and b. wouldn't smother herself with them in a fit (because, when she has to CIO, predominantly at night while under her parents' care, they won't have to worry that she's hurting herself by covering her face and whatnot while squirming around).

3. While it's hard on her parents and I to have to bear her crying so much, she's not going to remember this stage of her life and won't become emotionally damaged by this. She'd be more damaged if we had decided to do so at an older age.

In short, the last thing I am is inexperienced. As the PP mentioned, I'm simply trying to carry out what's asked of me to the best of my ability. If she's crying for 25 minutes because the dogs startled her before she could actually fall asleep, I'm not going to sit there and let her cry any longer. I go in and comfort her as best I can, and put her back down when she's happier and calmer.

OP,
I dealt with a similar issue and my solution was to put the dogs in a part of the house where they couldn't wake her with a kong (a kind of chew/puzzle toy for dogs) before putting LO to sleep. Once he had slept for 20 minutes or so, I would let them out. It ended up being 45 minutes, 2 times a day that they were shut up--hardly cruelty--and the LO got the sleep he needed. Is there anywhere in the apartment that the dogs can't wake her?

PP, there are some sleep books that advocating getting babies up if their nap ends early or if they're unable to fall asleep, and then waiting until the next nap time (or bedtime) to try again, so calling the OP inexperienced and wrong is unfair. It sounds like she's just following the instructions she's been given.

Anonymous wrote:Yup. They live in an apartment. The baby is 5 months old. Her parent's agreed on having her CIO at 3-months. But it wasn't really an issue then because she still got to sleep with her pacifier and "blanket friends." So she'd fall asleep great with these comforts during naps...

Once she hit 5 months, her pediatrician suggested to MB and DB that they remove her pacifier, blankets, and any other soothing objects from her during naps and bedtime. So, she often ends up crying anywhere from 2 - 25 minutes before falling asleep (with the common range being closer to 5 - 15 min).

So, without the soothing objects she became so familiar with (aside from the soft white noise I play in her room), she has to find a way to self-soothe, which must be pretty difficult, especially since her teeth are coming in now.

Anyway, once she finally gets on the verge of sleep and quiets herself down, any sound (the door creaking, the dogs barking, etc.), can startle her from her "perfect sleeping position." Understandably, she'll get very upset, scream and have a fit. When this happens, I'll let her cry for a while (10 - 20 min.), before deciding to get her because she's too upset to fall asleep. So she'll be cranky until I can get her down again for a good nap later on.

Once she's comfortably asleep, if the dogs bark loudly for a bit or the door creaks when I step in to check on her, she won't awaken. She may stir a bit, but she'll stay asleep. So, the issue is the dogs disturbing her before she gets to that point. This often happens several times a week, and it sucks.

That is ridiculous. I have never heard of that at all. Why would a pediatrician recommend that? I have sleep trained many infants that I have nannied for and never took away their pacifier or lovies, blankets, etc. All of the infants I have cared for, have been fully sleep trained by 5 months.

I'm sorry but you sound very inexperienced. You shouldn't be getting her up from her nap just because she "can't fall back asleep". At that age, they NEED sleep. You need to find another way to calm her down and help soothe her.

Yup. They live in an apartment. The baby is 5 months old. Her parent's agreed on having her CIO at 3-months. But it wasn't really an issue then because she still got to sleep with her pacifier and "blanket friends." So she'd fall asleep great with these comforts during naps...

Once she hit 5 months, her pediatrician suggested to MB and DB that they remove her pacifier, blankets, and any other soothing objects from her during naps and bedtime. So, she often ends up crying anywhere from 2 - 25 minutes before falling asleep (with the common range being closer to 5 - 15 min).

So, without the soothing objects she became so familiar with (aside from the soft white noise I play in her room), she has to find a way to self-soothe, which must be pretty difficult, especially since her teeth are coming in now.

Anyway, once she finally gets on the verge of sleep and quiets herself down, any sound (the door creaking, the dogs barking, etc.), can startle her from her "perfect sleeping position." Understandably, she'll get very upset, scream and have a fit. When this happens, I'll let her cry for a while (10 - 20 min.), before deciding to get her because she's too upset to fall asleep. So she'll be cranky until I can get her down again for a good nap later on.

Once she's comfortably asleep, if the dogs bark loudly for a bit or the door creaks when I step in to check on her, she won't awaken. She may stir a bit, but she'll stay asleep. So, the issue is the dogs disturbing her before she gets to that point. This often happens several times a week, and it sucks.

The baby I currently work for has two large dogs. They will occasionally bark right outside his door and 99% of the time he sleeps through it.

Lucky I guess.

How old is the baby? It seems pretty cruel of the parents to insist she comfort herself and get herself to sleep--yet put things (dogs) in her environment which cause her to constantly get upset.

I heard you say elevator so I'm assuming you''re in an apartment and can't just let them out. Is their a deck? Maybe try turning the TV up so the dogs are distracted by the TV.. I know dogs barking can wake up a baby more so then a TV being on.

The family I work for now has a dog who will bark at any sound of a door shutting. Well in a neighborhood..that's a lot. I lock the dog in the basement during the day when I am there. I'll let him out a couple of times but from 7am-4pm, he's down in the basement. The parents know and have no problem with it.

I did have a MB who asked how would I feel about them getting a dog. I had to be honest. I told her I do childcare, but not doggy care.

I admired another family who told me they had to find a new home for their dog, since it wasn't working out with the new baby. It was hard, but they obviously made the right choice.

I would not put up with that nonsense.

Totally understand how frustrating it is. The dog at my job sleeps all day until the baby is supposed to sleep and then decides he wants to bark. Not much I can do about it.

They have a can that's filled with coins that they shake when the dogs are engaged in inappropriate behavior. It makes them stop dead in their tracks. Problem is that the dogs hear the elevator before me, and will go off before I've had a chance to shake it. Once they start barking, if the baby just quieted herself and is on the verge of sleep, or just fell asleep, she'll awaken with a start and get upset.

I pull in her door, leaving it slightly cracked, and she has music in her room as well during her naps, but that doesn't do much to block the loud barking, and it doesn't take much barking to wake her up. Sigh.

You should ask the parents how they deal with the problem. Maybe they'll share a solution for you.

These dogs always bark and get rowdy whenever they hear the elevator beep outside. Now they woke the baby up (who just fell asleep), and who's pitifully crying now. Since she's supposed to put herself to sleep, there's not much I can do. But she needs the rest so I can't very well go in there and pick her up. Anybody else work for families with pets who cause similar problems? I love animals and all that, but I so wanna put a muzzle on them and lock them up in the parents' bedroom.