17 Month Old Waking up 5+ Times a Night

Maybe it is teething...Just wanted to comment here because I breast fed my daughter until she was 19 1/2 months and she sleeps with us too =) I thought you might need some "anti-flack"! hahaa =) She used to wake up all the time too but when she got all her teeth (except for 2 yr. molars) she started sleeping great. I think the less attention I pay to her at night, the easier it is for her to sleep through the night the next night and so on. Hope you get some rest!

Wow! I wish I could have nursed my kids that long! That is so cool! Our kids also slept with us most of the time until about 2 or 3. They still do sometimes, our 6 year old son more than our 9 year old daughter. When she nurses at night, is that her whole meal or does she eat solids too? She could be going through a growth spurt. Remember each time during the early months when she needed more she nursed longer and you produced more to fill her up? That could be happening again. If so and she's only nursing at bedtime (no solid food), she may be waking up truly hungry since (as you already know) breast milk digests so easily and she needs the extra calories. If that's the case you'll have to decide whether to let her nurse or not, or if she's not eating solids at night maybe you could introduce a healthy snack that she likes to help tide her over. My dietician suggests items like peanut or almond butter and crackers for adults to keep their bodies from getting "snackish" in the middle of the night since the nuts take longer to digest and keep the "fuel" levels even during the night; maybe something like that could help her. They supposedly do most of their growing during the night while resting so she's probably burning more calories than usual and her "fuel" levels are dipping so she wakes up hungry in the middle of the night. When mine (ages 9 & 6) go through growth spurts they want larger portions and want to be fed more often and then they go back to "normal" for them.

HTH

I would agree that it is probably teething that's waking her (although it sounds like she has a habit of waking already, so maybe it's the pain that is keeping her from going back to sleep). I wouldn't give her anything in the middle of the night because that can form a habit pretty quickly. If she wakes, you really should just tell her it isn't time to get up yet and to go back to sleep. This is harder to do when she is in your bed, but I won't go there since you asked specifically for other advice. Try giving her some Tylenol or Motrin before bed to see if that helps to give her some rest. If it is her teeth, this should help. Good luck! I hope you get some sleep soon.

Mine did this while teething, and everytime a new tooth/molar came in, they were up almost every hour! I hope that is what it is. Hang in there. And in putting her in her own bed..go slowly..naps are a great way to start..then when they are comfortable in the crib, go from there.

No water, no milk, nothing during he night! These become really bad habits to break. Give her water through out the day and a couple of sips before bedtime. If she is teething, she's probably a little unconfortable, you could try some tylenol so she can rest better, and no I don't mean drug your daughter up so she can sleep. I mean the discomfort of teething might be what's waking her up, and she needs her rest or else she's going to start getting fussy during the day as well. Good luck.

Hi Jamie! Well it definitely could be teething, & what I find works best is Hyland's Teething Tablets. Also (I know you said suggestions OTHER than moving her to her own bed, but....) my daughter co-slept with us (wouldn't have done it any differently) until 11 or so months.She's now 17 months. I loved it. No way can she sleep with us now! LOL! What I find on the RARE occasion she does sleep with us, she wakes up through the night wanting to nurse (I too still nurse 2 times a day, down for nap, down for the night). However, when she sleeps in her own bed, she sleeps through the night like a champ! 10-11 hours straight!! I think they feel & smell you there so they want it, if you're not there they won't be reminded of it! When we switched her to her own bed, the 1st night I put her in there, she woke up 15 minutes later, I took her to bed with us. The 2nd night, she woke up 30 minutes later, I took her to bed with us. The 3rd night, she sleep 2 hours before she woke up, again I then took her to bed with us. After about 4 or 5 nights, she had it down & was sleeping in her own crib. I know every baby is different, but I hope some of this helps.
Good luck & God bless!
H. B

My son is 19 months old and we recently night weaned him so he only nurses 3 times in the day (morning, before nap, and before bed). He sleeps on a mattress on the floor in his room (he coslept until about 13 months). If he wakes up in the night, I go to his room and comfort him any way possible without nursing, similar to what you are doing with saying, No Milk. If I stay in the bed with him, he always wakes up every 3 hours or so wanting milk. If I leave the room, he typically sleeps for longer. So, I'm suggesting that you move forward with creating space between you and your daughter at night, even if that's just a mattress on the floor next to your bed (that's how we started). I love cosleeping too, but in our case, it was creating some distance between us that really helped him sleep for longer.

I am willing to bet teething.. just have a sippy cup on your night stand with water my sleep with their sippy cups I have two gerber brand sippy cups I let them take to bed cause they do not leak to badly

its really not as hard as it might seem. put your girl in her own bed...our son is attached to a little stuffed animal ( i tested it out durring nap time to make sure he was safe a night with it). It took us about three nights before he would not ask for milk or wake durring the night.we did not go in his room to soothe or give in to any of his wants. the first night i did and it only made him very angery that i did not pick him up or give him a sippy of milk. now we just put him to bed and he usually just drifts off to sleep on his own...some times he still cries and dosent want to go to sleep. i tell him i love him and walk out the room fast. if he cries for more than thirty mins then something is wrong, diaper or something of that nature. i know this is not the responce you wanted but its time, so you both can get a full nights rest.

Hi Jamie,
she could be teething- or she could just be hungry. What are you feeding her before bedtime- give her more and put a bottle in bed with her. tell her if she wakes up- she can take the bottle- milk or water- either one- but try to impress on her that she is a big girl and must stay in her own bed. It may take some time but she will eventually get used to that idea and sleep thru the nite.
good luck and blessings

Hi Jamie, You didn't mention what you are feeding your daughter besides breastmilk. Our oldest daughter also co-slept with us. Don't worry about being judged. Do what works for your family. If you have a two story house, try to arrange it so you all are on the same floor (consider sleeping in the guest room). It sounds like your daughter is hungry. My favorite book is Super Baby Food. It gives you a wonderful guide on what your child should be eating and how much. You may need to put her in her own crib in your bedroom and gradually move her to her own room. Don't let her CIO--not recommended by La Leche League. No one gets any sleep and there are much safer and more positive approaches. Waking up five times in one night is too much. If she is asking for milk and water, like I said, it sounds like she is hungry or thirsty or both. It is probably not related to teething.

I hope you don't get flack for still nursing your little one! I think it is awesome! She is probably teething and needs a little more comfort. Try giving her some Motrin before bed, and if it is teething, she will probably sleep a lot better.