22 M/O Who Was Sleep Trained Is Suddenly Waking 6-10X a NIGHT! HELP!

Updated on April 01, 2009
K.H. asks from Ankeny, IA
4 answers

When our DD was 8 m/o we went through sleep training. Then when she was about 12 m/o we went through the final stage to get her to stop waking up multiple times a night wanting to be "plugged back in" to her paci. :) Since that time (until now) she'd been an ideal sleeper. However the last 3 weeks have been horrible. For some reason she has suddenly reverted totally. She is suddenly terrified of bedtime and wakes multiple times a night. This past Friday we re-sleep-trained and so now she will at least go down ok but still wakes about 6-10 times a night. Last night she woke up 4 times during the 2:00am hour! All we have to do is open her door and tell her to go back "night night" and she says "ok" and plops down and dozes off - we don't even set foot inside her room. But anywhere from 10mins to an hour later is back up for the same thing. What can we do? Her dad and I are going sleep crazy.

Just for background, we put her to bed at 7:00 each night. We have a strict routine (which hasn't changed) and I tell her each night what will happen (i.e. "we're going to get our jammies on, then we'll brush our teeth"...etc etc). She has a lullabye CD that she falls alseep to which she's had each night since she was a week old. We've tried a nightlight but she always eventually asks for us to turn it off (either right away or during one of her night wakings). We've tried asking her what's wrong but she doesn't have the vocab to tell us. We've tried sitting in her room and then moving toward the door some each night but now its not the putting her down that is the problem - its the constant night waking crying for me or her dad.

Help! What can we do! Do we just let her cry it out when she wakes asking for us? The first round on Friday about killed me (75 mins of her crying and screaming and kicking and of us going in every 5 mins to pat her back and tell her to go to sleep - argh).

OH - and thanks Janel for reminding me, but we just took her to the clinic Sunday (yesterday) and she checks out clean for ears, lungs and strep culture!

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So What Happened?

Thanks everyone. As hard as it was we went back through sleep training and were just consistent in our approach. I have been leaving her lullabye CD on repeat on low volume all night as well. I also just set expectations for her and told when I put her down that it was night-night time and that was something she had to do alone. I told her I loved her very much but and that I would see her in the morning but that I would not be coming back into her room at night. She said "ok". That night she woke only 3x and we just softly told her from the hall to go back to bed. Last night she was down to only 1x so we're getting there!!

More Answers

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C.K.

answers from Des Moines on

Hi K.,

I know it is so hard to listen to them cry, but my advice is that you're going to have to quit going into her room...if she knows you are going to come in every 5 minutes to pat her back she is going to keep it up. If she goes to bed for you without crying, you have half the battle won. Habits happen so quickly, and they are so hard to break sometimes, but I would say since you've had her ears, nose and throat checked out and she is okay you could train her again without feeling there might be something wrong...especially since she is going down without a problem. It is not unusual that they try every so often to see if they can change their schedule, but once you know there is nothing wrong, you need to be consistent and follow through. Hang in there!!!

C.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.S.

answers from Minneapolis on

Could she have an ear infection? Our daughter did that once and it ended up being an ear infection. If she knows how to put herself back to sleep then she shouldn't be waking up like that. I would take her in to your doctor just to get her checked out.

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J.A.

answers from Omaha on

Go to Night Time Parenting by Dr. Sears or google his Web site. Dr. Sears has never failed me. If she is crying that much, there must be something to it and she needs you.
Good luck,
J.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

T.L.

answers from Minneapolis on

Hi K.
it sounds like she may be going thru a seperation anxity stage. if she is just wanting you to say something can you yell go night night from your bedroom

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