My 15 month old son has decided to wake in the night anywhere from 2:30-4:00 and stay awake for an 1-1 1/2 hours. He is taking one nap in the afternoon for 2 hours and goes to sleep around 9ish. He just wakes up and cries until we go in his room. WE have tried everything we can think of...
Thank you so much for the help. We got the book that was suggested and he cried for 30 minutes the first night, but had been sleeping through the night since the first night. I think that it was harder on my husband to hear him cry than it was for me, but a fulln ight of sleep was wonderful...
Watching what he eats or drinks before bed might help. I made the mistake of letting my son drink too much before bed and the wet diaper was waking him up in the night.
Another suggestion is to try a shorter nap or no nap at all. Good luck!
S.-(hey that's my sis name)
If your son is still in a crib,which at that age I'm almost certain he still is, then I would just let him cry. I know it sounds harsh, but if he is not hurt and is just doing it to get you to get him out of bed then he will be fine(and you will be too...it's hard to let a child cry, but you need to, to get him back on schedule). He will wear himself out w/ the crying and finally realize that you are not coming, and then he will go back to sleep, but as soon as he knows that he is in control w/ his screaming and you coming every time he wails...then he isn't gona stop until you stop checking in on him to get him up.
sources......been there,done that, more than once.
Hope that this works for you.
A.
I understand what you are going through. My 8 monthold was doing the same thing until we gradually cut back his afternoon naptime by 30 minutes. Every two days we took away five minutes until we got it down to 1 and a half hours. he now goes to sleep and stays sleep all night.
My 15 month old has been doing this...she had an ear infection, with no temperature and cut a new tooth! For the teething...Motrin worked wonders! Of course antibiotic for ears!!! Good luck! A.
my son was doing that and I relized that he was either hungry, or the biggie he was teething. If this isn't it then try to keep the noise down to a min. if he has to get up and maybe use a relly dull light maybe a nightlight. My son did this for about a month and then it stopped.
Hi S.,
Here is my suggestion, stop going in his room and let him learn to self sooth and fall back to sleep on his own. You can go in there and tell him it's ok, lay him back down and tell him to go back to sleep. It may take you a few weeks but he will get it.
When he cries please go in and check on him. If he is o.k. then let him cry it out if you think that is what you need to do. I don't like any version of letting a baby cry it out, but I understand that some parents feel they have to do it. Anyway, my point is that I feel you should let your son know you will answer his cries at nighttime. What if he was really sick or had a bad dream. Wouldn't you want to be there for him? Even if he is just teething, well he is in pain and might just need to be comforted for a while. Can you go to bed earlier to get more sleep?
Trust me, I know it is hard. Neither of my boys were good sleepers. My oldest was colicy and cried night and day for around 6 months. My husband and I each took a 4 hour shift at night so the other could try to sleep and that was all the sleep we got. Nighttime parenting can be just as hard as daytime parenting, but I don't regret one sleepless night that held one of my boys until he stopped crying and drifted back to sleep. I don't miss those days, but I also don't regret my choice.
You will find what works for your family and you will get some sleep some day. Even if you do end up letting your son cry it out, he will be o.k. Good luck.
Hey S., My son also did this for a while. I just had to make myself lay in my bed and let him talk, toss and turn, cry or whatever and after 2 nights in a row of me NOT going in there...he stopped waking up. I know it's hard, and believe me, I am not one to let him "cry it out", but he really seemed to just figure out that it was the middle of the night and it was NOT time to get up and talk or socialize or play. He still gets restless sometimes in the middle of the night, but i usually give him at least 5 minutes and see if he is getting more worked up or beginning to calm down. Usually he will say "mommy or daddy" and then talk a little more and then more time will pass and he will go back to sleep without me going in there. If I do go in, I do not pick him up. I give him a hug and kiss and tell him it's not time to get up yet, and then I lay next to his crib on the floor until he falls back to sleep. that usually takes 10 to 15 minutes (unless I fall asleep :) Good luck!
It could be a number of things but it may be something simple like seperation anxiety.He could be afraid of the dark.What I would do is just rule a couple of things out.I would get one of those small night lights that plug into the wall and turn on when the lights go out(nothing too bright.)Then I would offer a small snack before bed.If you know that he is cutting teeth then I would give him some tylenol but not if you do not think he is.Then if he wakes at night I would go in the room after about ten minutes.DO NOT get him out of bed.Just reassure him that you are there and pat him back to sleep.I think the other women brought up some good points.If he knows you will come in and get him and stay up with him he may not quit.ON the other hand you wouldn't want something to ever be wrong and not check on him.Good Luck!
Hi S.,
That is tough! I found this site that might help you get some ideas.
http://www.parents.com/parents/category.jsp?categoryid=/t...
It's long, just copy paste, they have advice from other parents.
Wishing you some rest! :)
Mariana Abadie
www.MyKidsfirst.com
Oh, wow! That is tough! I feel your pain... I have 5 month twins. I would suggest checking out the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Marc Weissbluth. It's age appropriate advice. I took the books advice for my twins and they were on an awesome sleep schedule within 3 days! It's been a life saver.
I'm with Wendy on this, you need to let him figure out how to get himself back to sleep. I know how terrible it is to hear him cry, but you just have to let him. If he is teething, maybe some motrin/tylenol before bed. Even if that is what's waking him, you shouldn't go into his room. There is really nothing you can do for him, it's just a rotten time that all kids go through. I let my children "cry it out" and both have slept through the night since 5mos. and are healthy and happy 2+years later. Best wishes, I hope you get some rest!
I second the suggestion to check out this book:
"Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Marc Weissbluth.
Good luck, S.!
