Sleep? What's that?

"People who say they sleep like a baby usually don't have one." ~ Leo J. Burke

My mom was right. We were totally spoiled by Rya’s ability to sleep through just about ANYTHING - practically since she was born. Now – when faced with the Little Monster and his sporadic inability to sleep through the night, I am left exhausted, confused, and frustrated.

So fellow Mama’s, I need some SERIOUS advice. Here’s the low down…Keaton has never been a great sleeper. We’ll go through spurts where he’ll sleep through the night for a few months and then something will happen – maybe he gets sick or there is some change in the routine – and it’s like we’re starting all over from square one. It’s to the point where I’m GOOGLING advice because I’m at my wits end, yet every suggestion is something we already do or have done. I love the Little Monster, but Mama needs some SLEEP!!! So – if you have any tips, comments, snide remarks, I’m open to hearing them {and ignoring them if applicable}.

Here is what we currently do / or have tried:

1) We have a bedtime routine. When it’s time for bed, the family goes upstairs and Roy and I each take an offspring to get them all pajama’d up, teeth brushed, “I Love You’s” said, in bed, story read, lights out and doors closed. On bath nights, throw a bath in before the “pajama’d up.”
2) After lights out, the door is closed when he is still awake, so that he falls asleep on his own. There is no rocking to sleep or anything of that nature.
3) We’ve made sure he has a full tummy – he’s well fed, and in the event he doesn’t eat much, we make sure he has at least a graham cracker and cup of milk to put something in his belly.
4) Keaton has a classical music CD that plays when he’s in bed and I read him a story. I’m not sure EXACTLY how long it plays, but it’s at least 45 minutes.
5) Had a nightlight, which I just removed on Thursday thinking maybe it was TOO bright and was causing him to wake up.
6) He still has his binky {aka – pacifier} which we’ve limited to bedtime only. Working on breaking that habit…SOON…as I know that could be one reason he wakes up - when it gets “lost” in the middle of the night.
7) When he DOES wake up, I go in and find his binky, put him back in bed, and walk out. I don’t talk or turn on lights {though of course sometimes he has already turned them on himself}.
8) On nights where I just can't get him back down, I've given him a sippy cup of milk in bed {which would typically NOT happen} just to get him to SLEEP! Even that doesn't always work.
9) We’ve attempted the “let him cry it out method.” My husband fully pins me on this one because at about the 45 min to an hour mark, I start getting frustrated because I can’t sleep and truly believe this kid will just keep crying and knocking until it’s time to get up.

Here are a few things I am going to try, along with the thought processes behind them:

1) Lighter PJ’s at night – maybe he’s getting too warm.
2) Something to provide constant noise whether it’s a fan or hitting “repeat” on his CD player – maybe he has a hard time falling back asleep when it’s quiet.
3) Getting rid of the binky – if he doesn’t have it to lose it, then he won’t need to get up to find it. Of course, this will probably make the problem WORSE initially.
4) Buying a new mattress – we gave him Rya’s mattress from when she was a baby. It’s older and maybe now that he’s bigger, it’s getting uncomfortable.

Here are a couple other key pieces of information before you share your wisdom:

1) He is in a toddler bed, so he’s not confined.
2) Because Keaton is a wannabe Houdini, we’ve had to install a lock that is accessible from the outside of his door so that we can lock him in at night. The idea of him getting out and playing by the stairs is just not something I want to think about. This means that when he does wake up, he is KNOCKING at the door and hitting the handle. It’s loud…and obnoxious.
3) When he wakes up, it's close to impossible to get him back to sleep without rocking him or putting him in bed and rubbing his back.
4) Over the weekend, he slept through the ENTIRE night – BOTH nights – that Auntie Carlene and Todd watched him. The first night that Roy and I were back, he went right back to waking up at approx 1-2am. WTF?!?
4) The other big problem with the "cry it out" method is Keaton's penchant for getting naked. This means jammies and Pull-Up come OFF. The last thing I want to find in the morning is a ginormous MESS that I will have to clean up.

So there you have it. We need your help…BADLY! I might even be willing to offer a reward for anyone who provides a winning tip. Alright...WOW me with your brilliance. Ready? Set? GO!