16 Month Old Not Sleeping Through the Night Following Birth of Sister

Might be teething, hyland's homeopathic teething tablets are great. Also, everything has changed having a new sibling, he just might need some reassurance and cuddles for a few nights. Give him tons of it and he'll feel confident that he's not being replaced.

First of all make sure your husband has a clock near when he is giving your son a bottle and when he falls asleep clock it and wait - for at least 15 min. preferably close to 20 min and then put him down. This may solve the problem. Takes longer but worth it in the long run.

Secondly, your son is probably sensing changes and this is normal. He also is at an age of growth and personal changes, teething still, etc... or he could just be hungry. What I have experienced time over with three boys is that if you go with the flow and problem solve in a loving way, things work themselves out. It's when we fight things, we bring on more problems. In our country we are taught to control our kids, etc... and it's really a joke much of the time to think like this - we are here to help them and they are trying the best they can. Just listen to your little guy and look for creative ways to work with him - he and you both will be just fine. Hang in there - everything you do now is building greatly - you guys are doing great!

Alli

I wouldn't rule out adjustment issues and sibling rivalry. However, as soon as I read 16 months, I thought *teething*. Where is he on his canine teeth? Have those come in yet? What about his molars? It may just now be starting... (Those were waaaay worse for my daughter than when the front teeth came in!) Perhaps his gums are hurting just enough that it wakes him up when he's between REM cycles or when he stirs in his sleep. This happened with my daughter when she was about the same age... I seem to recall 16-18 months was a whole new teething circus for us. And as soon as those teeth were cut,it was over; she slept better.

I am not an advocate of unnecessary medicating children for sleep. However I'm not going to let my child be miserable from teething. When she was going through it, I did give her infant motrin right before bed to help her sleep through the night (motrin not tylonal, because one weight appropriate dose should last 6-8 hours instead of 4 and you shouldn't have to medicate again). You could try giving a little motrin one night and see if he sleeps better, that might help confirm whether he's waking up due to teething pain or if its from new baby adjustment. Another sign of canines coming in is unbelievable drooling... My daughter wasn't a huge drooler after her front teeth came in but then for her side teeth, it hit overnight--BOOM--soaking wet shirts. (Of course, another sign to look for is the miserable cranky attitude that goes with it).

And if he is about to get those teeth in, then unfortunately you'll probably know it for sure in 3-5 days.

My younger daughter went through phases of not sleeping -- and she went through a bad phase right at 16 months when she was getting teeth in.

I found that not going in (and certainly not feeding her -- nursing in my case) really was the best way to stop it after a couple of nights.

Glad you solved the problem. I noticed that your husband was giving him milk right before he fell asleep, that is a recipe for cavities from the sugars in the milk. He needs to be awake so the milk doesn't sit on the teeth and hopefully, rinse his mouth or brush his teeth before bed. My niece had to get caps on her teeth due to drinking a bottle at bedtime. Expensive and painful.

I have a 6 1/2 year old and a newborn and we are having the same issues with our 6 year old. I think it is a bigger adjustment than we think having a new sibling. it could be a growth spirt but more than likly he is a little nervous about the new baby and having a hard time winding down and going to sleep. My son who is able to communicate a little better says that he feels sad and a little replaced...so night time is a little harder on him. he will adjust...just keep doing what you have always done and maybe even give more attention to your oldest! i tell my son that he is our favorite son since I have a daughter now. he thinks that is pretty neat! hang in there...the first few weeks are hard! i am right there with you!

Teething sounds about right. Also, you might try putting him back to bed soothed and calm, but not yet asleep. It's very disorienting to wake up in a different place/position than one you fell asleep in - of course he wakes up crying wanting to be held - that's how he fell asleep! When my husband and I read that in Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems by Ferber, it made total sense to us, so we gave it a try. After an adjustment period of a couple of days (for her AND us!), we were all sleeping better. When DD would wake up in the night, she would just roll over and go back to sleep, rather than call out (unless she NEEDED something, like a diaper or had teething pains). Hang in there, mama! You'll be okay.

Same thing happened to me. It lasted for about a month or so and then just quit. It was a very difficult time as far as getting enough sleep. It just phased itself out. No sibling problems resulted. I think it was just an adjustment thing for my oldest.